Courthouses are the airports of society. There is traffic coming and going from different directions. People from all walks of life with different purposes for their visit to this social experiment we call justice. These buildings can be cold and uninviting. Your path is usually carved out with some line on the ground or random signs describing the departments which may as well be written in a different language.
Through all the mess of finding the right department, clerk window, or just a restroom there is an often a Café nestled away from the noise – providing relief to an exhausting world of law.
No character portrayed the Courthouse Café as a living breathing character more than the legendary of Matlock. The fly by the seat of your pants with a little luck, country bumpkin attorney had just the right touch at the just the right time for it to matter. But in between the magic of his poetic words and insight was the adventure to find a hot dog. A Winnie the Pooh type of adventure, which often led Matlock to find himself in a new mess, a new case, and most importantly away from his cherished hot dog.
DEPICTED ABOVE IS A COZY CAFÉ AT THE MONTEREY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT – SALINAS, CALIFORNIA 2026.