When I was an undergraduate, I sometimes wrote papers in coffee shops or mall food courts. Yes, there was noise, but it was impersonal in relation to me and therefore just white noise. Now I only work in public if I'm traveling and need wifi. That happened in Paris last summer. It turned out that the suspiciously cheap apartment I'd booked through VRBO didn't have wifi, a circumstance I hadn't checked the fine print for. And voilà, there I was working in cafés or public libraries. The latter were more congenial, but tended to have limited opening hours compared to what I'm used to in my corner of the Anglosphere.
This is great, John. I think it is interesting, the juxtaposition of writing, something that is usually a solo, focused activity and the hustle and noise of a cafe. With the tables so close together, they are by definition social places. When I lived in Denver, the old style coffee shops with single tables and couches were the places to get out and write. I don’t see much of them anymore and reading or writing at a Starbucks feels very hollow. At least Samuel has found his spot! 😁
Brilliant John...but beyond the literary life I suspect that proprietors in Sydney at least are more jacked off with people who are just 'working' looking at their computers for hours on end...
When I was an undergraduate, I sometimes wrote papers in coffee shops or mall food courts. Yes, there was noise, but it was impersonal in relation to me and therefore just white noise. Now I only work in public if I'm traveling and need wifi. That happened in Paris last summer. It turned out that the suspiciously cheap apartment I'd booked through VRBO didn't have wifi, a circumstance I hadn't checked the fine print for. And voilà, there I was working in cafés or public libraries. The latter were more congenial, but tended to have limited opening hours compared to what I'm used to in my corner of the Anglosphere.
Writing in Paris cafes or in a Paris apartment with wide open windows is still my favorite passtime in Paris!
This is great, John. I think it is interesting, the juxtaposition of writing, something that is usually a solo, focused activity and the hustle and noise of a cafe. With the tables so close together, they are by definition social places. When I lived in Denver, the old style coffee shops with single tables and couches were the places to get out and write. I don’t see much of them anymore and reading or writing at a Starbucks feels very hollow. At least Samuel has found his spot! 😁
Brilliant John...but beyond the literary life I suspect that proprietors in Sydney at least are more jacked off with people who are just 'working' looking at their computers for hours on end...