1996 - A Flashback in Coffee House Culture

[mkwhite]

When you go into a coffee shop these days - assuming it’s not the type with a counter a two little tables, but actually the kind that has places to sit and stay and order a second cup - and look around, you’ll see quiet people sitting by themselves at tables with their laptops. Whether their writing or chatting with friends across the country, or

Comments

[darthparadox]

That was still the case at my freshman-year hangout in Ann Arbor, in 2001/2. Laptops were common, but wifi was not, so while there were occasional people at the Rendez-Vous Cafe who brought a laptop and a pile of books to sequester themselves and study, most of us were there for the company.

But it was more my girlfriend's hangout than mine, and when we broke up, I left the social circle. Haven't really had a place like that since, which I suspect is part of the reason I find it so important to have my house be a place where we can have friends over. Board games are a lot of fun, but one of the primary purposes they serve for me is a way to get people sitting at a table and engaged.

[chanala]

An interesting observation. I always went to coffee shops to hang out and not to work before grad school. I rarely go to hang out anymore, but I do miss those days. The days before I had to be attached to the laptop at all times... I think it is about wifi.