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Bucharest’s Forgotten Corners (or Why I Spent $12 on a Cold Coffee)

@David Vance2/14/2026blog
Bucharest’s Forgotten Corners (or Why I Spent $12 on a Cold Coffee)

so here i am sitting in a café on Calea Victoriei, which sounds fancy but it’s just a street with a lot of broken pavement and existential dread. i just checked and it’s 9 degrees outside, which means my coat feels like a tent and my coffee is basically a frozen teardrop. 9.38°C is the official temp but really it’s closer to 8 in my bones. i heard that the locals call this ‘the kind of cold that makes you question your life choices’-maybe an overreaction but i’m with them.



> ‘don’t bother with the street food, it’s ghosts in disguise,’ some old man muttered into his coat last week. i didn’t believe him until i tried the mititei sausages and had to spit them out. not sure if it was the spice or the fact that the vetor didn’t shake it enough.



then i saw a flyer for a ‘free jazz night’ at some dive bar called The Velvet Basement. it looked like a room someone forgot to vacuum. the owner said it’s called that because ‘the last time someone paid, it was a 10€ bill and the singer thought it was a yogurt.’ i paid anyway. the bartender handed me a beer and whispered, ‘tip early or you’ll get the old lady’s witch eye stare. she’s legendary.’



i’m a digital nomad so i’m here to work but also to forget. the WFH vibe here is chaotic-I’m typing on a laptop while a guy in a baggy shirt tries to teach his cat to juggle oranges. it’s working? i don’t know. the weather’s not helping. 82% humidity means my skin is sweating like a sinner in church even though i’m wearing three layers. i just checked again and it’s still that same creepy thermostat reading. i’m starting to think the sensors are haunted because they match the temperature in my fridge this morning.



nearby, the Carpathians are just there. not a ‘destination’ thing but more like… if you’re bored, they’re a short drive away. i heard that the trailheads are full of people taking selfies with goats. maybe it’s true. i haven’t verified. the neighbor kid tried to sell me a fake vampire bite souvenir but i declined. he was mad. later, a woman in a neon jacket warned me not to park near the metro station. ‘last week someone stole a bike and replaced the wheel with a toaster,’ she said. i laughed. turns out it was true.



the reviews i heard weren’t on TripAdvisor or Yelp. they were passed around like rumors at the bar. someone told me the elevator in the Art Cartesti Hotel smells like expired perfume and regret. another person warned that the DIY busker near Palace Square plays sad accordion covers of Fifty Shades. i didn’t see him but i did see his dog. the dog appeared to be judging me.



here’s the map if you’re lost:




i took some photos to document the madness. the first is a giant concrete building that looks like it belongs in a dystopian novel. thesecond is a coffee shop where the menu is written on a napkin. the third? a guy painting a mural of a spaceship on a wall that’s probably gonna end up as a dumpster next week.

gray concrete building under blue sky during daytime
cafe napkin menu in bucharest
mural of a spaceship on wall




i left without buying anything but i spent twice as much on coffee as usual. the barista looked at me like i’d grown a second head. i told him it’s okay. i’m a digital nomad and this is my guilt. if you get bored, the Carpathians are just a short drive away. i heard that the trails are full of people taking selfies with goats. maybe it’s true. i haven’t verified. the neighbors said to avoid the metro at night. i heard that the old tram line here is haunted. i didn’t check. i’m probably lucky.



p.s. if you like this chaos, check outfor a restaurant that serves soup in a teacup.for a café where the barista might know your name if you’re lucky.for weird event flyers.

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About the author: David Vance

Writing is my way of listening.

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