ode to the coffee shop.

i have this romantic notion of what a coffee shop is.  a place of contemplation, reflection, community; an oasis of sorts; a melting pot; a place for serendipitous meetings, connections; a place for epiphanies, insights.  a shelter from the storm.  a place for something new, something different to take root and bloom.

the beautiful music, the beautiful baristas, the curated community, the hospitality; the warm hospitality.  a petri dish, a warm gel, for a counterculture to take root, to take bloom.  an idealistic vision, perhaps; a romantic one, but one nonetheless.

it is with such a view, such a perspective, that i find recent visits to local coffee shops so jarring.

yesterday, i was in la colombe on lafayette street listening to one woman loudly sell or talk about whatever her thing was.  words like platform/social/metrics/growth punctured the air.  punctured it.

then today, i got a bagel at konditori, a compact space near where i live.  in there was a guy who was having a conference call with his board of directors.  are you fucking kidding me?  do you think anyone waking up and enjoying the calm respite before the start of the day wants to hear that?

then over to el rey; a slightly larger but still intimate space.  a woman waiting, another enters.  the one that enters starts interviewing the other.  questions like, "so of all your classes in college, which were your favorites?"  again, are you fucking kidding me?  do you honestly think that ppl coming here in the morning want to hear your stupid fucking interview questions?  want to witness you put someone through this asinine, outdated, arcane, asymmetric ritual?

lest i stop here, i want to add laptops to the mix.  another local shop, bluebird, has wide open windows that look out to green trees beautifully lit by the rising sun.  on the window ledge are often perched laptops.

laptops laptops laptops.  the bane of my coffee house existence.  ppl sidle up next to you and pop them open.  some of them pound on the keyboard.  pound pound pound.  for me, they just kill the aesthetic.  starting with the visual.  and seeping through the rest of our senses to the soul.

many of my difficulties in life arise from having unrealistic expectations of the world.  the people in it.  and perhaps myself, too.  maybe i am a crabby old man.  perhaps i have unreasonable expectations of the coffee shop, the coffee house.

but to me, they are sacred spaces.  they are where people come together, to appreciate each other, to commune, in the best sense of the word.  to savor.  to appreciate.  to do all those things that one cannot do in our oft oppressive world.

would one conduct a job interview in a temple?  a conference call in an art gallery?  would one pull out a laptop and start hacking away in the theatre? in a concert hall?

here's to sacred spaces, to free spaces.

here's to the coffee shop.
here's to the coffee house.

long may it live.

Hippie Lou! It was so absolutely amazing to see you! I don't mean to be selfish, but you made my day, my week. I feel horrible that I left and wanted to grab a coffee with you. Im greatly looking forward to seeing you Sunday.

It has been some years now and the same thing has been going on. We all have things to do and I am trying to get you to understand the importance of what has to be done. I think that I have been standing up for what's right. Trying to do the right thing in life. I'm not sure how much more I can do. I am one person trying to do this. I have been asking when do you think you would be able to help out and no response from you.

My beloved brother... and friend... I do believe we are in fact on our way towards this GREAT social revolution.... do not despair... for the winds of change are a blowing....!!!!

Hi , I wanted you to know that our daily encounters were one of the highlights of my day.  For your presence I am grateful!

I wish you godspeed and everything your heart desires, now and forevermore.

With love, hippie lou


Sep 25 (1 day ago)

to me
Hi Lou,

Me too, you were/are a defining part of my journey. I was very sad to learn that I wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye, but they were determined to get me out of there ! Haha. All new faces now. I'm still allowed to stop by so I'll try to catch you one of these mornings before I push off.

Thanks for being steady and a very nice part of my mornings.

Sincerely,

Sure ty- not in school till November- let you know when I'm in the city-whatr u upto?

Sounds great and good question re what I'm up to. :-)
Trying to be useful in a myriad of ways.
I guess that's the short version. :-)

Great pics....

thanks! i like yours too :)

Nothing compared to yours

awww shucks :)

what do you like about them?

do you like having your photograph taken?

They are not ordinary.
You made me actually feel the picture. Like I was there.
Hard to explain. Almost like reading a book and living it while you are reading.
Yes I do.

Are you near the water? I have never been to your part of the city.

To me your photos tell a story. I like that.
Yes I am very close to the water. It's like a little oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle. We have a great little park here right on the water with a view of the Manhattan skyline and the runways to Laguardia. Love sitting there watching the planes take off and land with the Manhattan back drop. It's good sometimes to still feel like a kid..
Where do you live?

would you be interested in meeting for coffee?

Yes . Come and visit my park someday....
I manage a restaurant and have a crazy schedule What is yours like?

I would love that!

My schedule is not crazy...

I have so much respect for people in the hospitality industry...very demanding and requires a lot of sacrifice.

Thanks for the respect, thoughtfulness and kindness its refreshing to hear. Not too many understand .
Haha so you don't have a busy schedule?? That's nice to hear.
Would love to meet up one day, you can generate some of that laid back vibe onto me..