Gah. Crowds. Who can stand them?

Oh, sure, we'll wait a few weeks before we make all our holiday returns and exchanges. Oh, yeah, Union Square will be like a walk in the park.

See, there was this situation in December where . . . well, I'm not supposed to talk about it. It involved being caught in the midst of 400 screaming Santa clones that were jonesing for a drink. Suffice it to say, getting a certain coffee-addled correspondent to go down there again was like pulling teeth.

This trip was better. First, there was no Santa-related violence of any kind. Second, while it was still way too crowded, while many stores were still understaffed and unsympathetic, and while common courtesy to a fellow shopper was absent as usual, the outing was topped off by a trip to Caffe Espresso.

Good times.

Caffe Espresso, at 462 Powell Street (cross street Sutter) is a reserved oasis of calm away from the non-stop exercise in irritation that Union Square typically presents. Understated music, furniture of wood and wicker, a marble bar to sit at -- this place has a simple sort of charm, an excellent contrast to the over-the-top nature of that which surrounds it.