With retirement pending and now working remotely to allow new CEO Pete Settelmayer and the leadership team at the Boys & Girls Club an opportunity to bond, for the first time in 30 years, I am in need of a place to plant myself while facilitating some limited remaining functions for the Club and attempting to develop my new nonprofit consulting business.
While I will spend some time working out of my home office, I have found I need to be around people and the community to best think and function. So, the question is, where to go?
On those limited days I plan to commit to this new phase in my life, I needed a place that 1.) would be available every day, 2.) provides solid Wi-Fi, 3.) has a great “vibe” in which to work, read, or just hang out, and 4.) where sitting for a few hours doesn’t cause significant stress on the business (more on this later).
While Think Café and the Omelette & Waffle Shop have often been my go-tos for lunch or breakfast meetings (which will continue), this new extended timeline and need will only work in a particular place. That is why I am writing this column while sittin’ at Sirens.
Sirens Java & Tea, at the corner of 7th and Mesa in Downtown San Pedro, provides both outdoor and indoor seating, great décor, and mellow music that adds to the great ambiance and hometown feel.
Regulars love the great coffees and teas, and the staff are cheery and helpful. The owner and mastermind of this jewel establishment is Yolanda Regalado. Yolanda is a thoughtful and positive host who is involved in too many community events and planning groups to list here. Suffice it to say that Yolanda is an involved business owner who truly gives back to the community in which she lives and loves.
The menu is extensive for what some would incorrectly characterize merely as a “coffee shop.” Several specialty lattes, cold brew on tap, espresso, smoothies, hot and cold teas, oatmeal, yogurt parfait, a wide range of delicious pastries—including numerous muffins, scones, cannoli, cupcakes, and cookies—plus breakfast croissants and breakfast burritos for both meat eaters and vegans, bagels, and specialty lunch sandwiches are available and delicious.
Sit for a few hours and you will see the broad spectrum of those of us who are proud to be from “Peedro.”
Besides folks like me looking for a great place to spend a few hours, the clientele includes but is not limited to: workers taking advantage of the 6:30 a.m. opening to grab a drink and go; staff from elected officials’ offices meeting with constituents (Councilman Tim McOsker is often spotted); harbor commissioners past (Anthony Pirozzi) and present (Lee Williams); students from POLA High School; San Pedro Chamber CEO Elise Swanson; a regular group that arrives each morning and tries to solve the problems of the world and our community; friends just looking for a place to connect after they finish a workout, drop their kids off at school, or wait for their afternoon shift; and even San Pedro Today publisher Joshua Stecker is a regular attendee and walked in as I was writing this column from a back table.
Now, I must close by saying that while Sirens is most gracious in letting us “hang out,” a business needs its patrons to do more than just take up space. Therefore, those of us—including myself—who spend time here need to be active purchasers of the great drinks and food available—that’s only fair.
Sittin’ at Sirens—a great place to be while observing our neighbors and community pass by, mingle, problem solve, and thrive. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a most wonderful and healthy 2025. spt
