Customers with laptops take advantage of the Safehouse's wireless Internet, a distinctly 21st century feature. The coffee bar nurtures a friendly atmosphere with the look of a murky dive.

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"Since we've opened, we've had building fires, a car explode in the parking lot, three drive-by shootings, countless arrests and more public nudity than should be allowed," recounts Aaron Triplet, one of the founders of the Safehouse Espresso Bar on the bar's Web site.

The theory behind the Safehouse Espresso Bar, 4024 E. Speedway, has always been to create a welcoming dive-bar atmosphere, coupled with the best coffee in town. For the past eight years, I believe the staff at the Safehouse has done just that.

I first discovered the Safehouse last January while looking for a place to grab lunch with some friends, and I immediately fell in love. I walked in and was struck by the aroma of jet-black coffee beans, cigarettes, and that smell you get when you fall face first into an unwashed dusty hardwood floor. Modest Mouse was blasting from the speakers under the stairs, which forced patrons to scream their orders, and also gave them an excuse to scream whatever else they had to say. I felt like I was at a friend's house, not a cafe.

It didn't take long for me to feel like a part of the family because that's the kind of atmosphere the staff and customers at the Safehouse have created: the feeling of total acceptance. These photos reflect my home away from home.