Ida don’t mess around – she drinks 6 shot cappuccinos like you drink Kool Aid. She is hard-core to the caffeinated bone. Coffee beans tremble with fright when Ida comes in the door.

Solo or Doppio Espresso. Jose is the embodiment of style and grace. He is from Valencia, Spain, and charms ALL the ladies.

Scout is our AWESOME designer. She gave Metropolis its visual identity! If it weren’t for Scout, we would look like a bad collection of Microsoft clipart. Mark is her genius boyfriend. Depending on the day, Scout drinks either coffee with milk and sugar (no shame in that), or 4 shot iced caramel lattes. Mark is a 4-shot iced mocha kind of guy.

Don’t you think that Anthony looks like Beethoven when he laptops? Beside Jeff and Tony, Anthony spends more time at Metropolis than anyone else. He is a PhD candidate at Northwestern in obscure German philosophy. Anthony drinks lattes with whipped cream (just kidding, Anthony!) Actually, he drinks double espressos, small coffees, and very occasionally a medium latte.

James was voted most likely to succeed by his classmates in high school. What happened to James, you ask? He discovered disco dancing in the 70s and never looked back. James is a professional hockey skate sharpener by day, and an Emily Dickinson scholar by night. He ONLY drinks chamomile tea, and don’t you dare brew it too strong. James has lived in every country in the world, but makes his home in Edgewater. In his spare time, he runs Fig Media www.figgy.net with his wife Michele.

Robert learned to love coffee in Assisi, Italy, and says that only Metropolis’s cappuccino compares with those of his favorite Italian caffeine haunts. Nowadays, Robert travels to such exotic locales as Rockford, Illinois, Menomonee, Wisconsin, and some undisclosed location just south of Tacoma, Washington.

Shanti, or Everything Cookie Girl, studies really really hard at Metropolis almost everyday. Really. You’re reading this, right Shanti’s mom? This wasn’t inserted in vain? She likes to be surprised with her drink, and NEVER complains when we deliver.

Larry really is this fun. He is gregarious, friendly, and a righteous motocross biker. He grew up in the smallest town that you can imagine, but now makes his home in Edgewater, Chicago. Larry drinks his 20-ounce Mondo Coffee with a straw.

Tevo is a writer, a traveler, and currently in contention for the most consecutive hours at Metropolis in a day. He coulda been a contender, but was edged out by Anthony (see above) on competition day. Tevo is a frequent contributor to our open mic, and appears live everyday in Metropolis.

Fran and Kat have been officially cut off. They may not consume any more coffee, tea, or mango-banana-strawberry smoothies until they finish their dissertations. Period. Just kidding, of course. We will continue to feed their addictions until such time as we are officially mentioned in their prefaces.

Dorian happens by Metropolis several times daily to and fro from place to place. We’re not quite sure what Dorian does, but he sure does move around quite a bit. Could be because of all those large – make that Mondo - lattés he gulps down.

Pierre (or Pete) is an Assistant United State’s Attorney, but we think that he looks just like agent Smith from the Matrix. He is sincere, kind, and has a sense of humor as dry as a sponge. See!!!

Laurence and Tracy enjoy the simple pleasures in life – a coffee during a balmy summer afternoon with the person you love. Ain’t life grand!  They now live in New York.  But, when they're in town, they come see us.  It's like old time then.  Oh, yeah,... old times.

Tracy cannot resist 3 legged cats or large iced lattes.