We always wondered what it was whenever we pass by it on our way to and from the Green Zone. Our Iraqi drivers said it was a hookah lounge. I said it looked more like a coffeeshop. It was walking distance from the Embassy but security constraints prevented us from going there. We always have to go to more secure locations such as the Babylon Warwick a few blocks away or at Dojo’s inside the Green Zone. We only found out what it was when we decided to check it out a few days before I was to end my almost three-year tour of duty in Baghdad. As it turned out Atrakchi was a coffeeshop, a hookah bar, and a restaurant. But more than that, it was also museum containing the private collection of one of Baghdad’s top antiques dealer. I immediately fell in love with the place and went there one last time before I left. I wish I could have gone much sooner.