Last week I started my search for a Third Place with a trip up to Shirlington where there was a Busboys & Poets.
I actually didn’t know exactly where it was so I just headed down to the Village At Shirlington- I mean everything else is there. I walked around and while I was wondering around I ran into a Caribou Coffee and I quickly sized it up. There was outdoor seating under the nicely lit streets of the Village- and a sign caught my eye that said there was free WiFi… do I stop my search and unpack my laptop? I took a glance at the hours and noticed it was closing awfully soon- so my quest will continue.
I walked up to the storefront and it look like a bookstore crashed into the living room of a restaurant. There were some outdoor seats that were taken with folks enjoying a late night meal, on the whole it looked like a restaurant/cafe with a little corner with some books and a single long table where a couple of people had their laptops setup.
While the ambiance was perfect for someone looking for a meal or place to sit and chat late at night- it didn’t feel great for telecommuting. I walked up and a hostess met me where I made the most unusual move- I asked to be seated. I took a glance at the long table and I wasn’t feeling it. Too many people were doing non-geeky things for me to look too much like a geek. The table was in clear view of the front window- turning the small book corner into a viewing room where you were on display to the world.
I sat down at a booth and ordered a coffee while taking the rest of the place in. I pulled out my iPod and checked out the WiFi and started to read through my RSS feeds. I didn’t feel like pulling the laptop out and doing some serious work. Dimmed lights, easy listening coming out the speakers- this wasn’t exactly the place where I was going to be productive.
Now I’m not knocking this place at all- it is a cozy little place where I could get some coffee and maybe act really intellectual- you know discuss poltics, stock market, countries than end in -stan, whatever it is those people do. I am an imposter when it comes to being intellectual.
I can totally invision why the place is good for poetry, open mic, and screenings; it’s just not that great for what I’m looking for- a place to be a geek.
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