For fun and a change of environment, I’ve decided to break from my normal blogging area (the spare bedroom/my office) and instead blog at a local Arabica for a change of pace. Arabica is kind of out of place in my small little hick town, and it shows! Across the street is a small family owned tire shop, where all of the tires are used. If you ever seen the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie, or better yet the TV show “Dukes of Hazzard“, the employees and owner at the shop are totally of a Cooter (the overdone country auto mechanic) type. The shop is dirt (hey, it’s a used tire shop), and has pictures of all the employees with either a deer or fish that they caught or shot. It’s quite amazing, and yes, I have bought used tires from them in the past…
I’ve been in this shop for the past 10 minutes and so far the small country coffee shop only had three people come in, and two of them were a couple. Overall, it’s a quaint little cafe, with eight small two and four seat table in the entire place. This particular Arabica looks like any other Arabica with the exception of the counter-top. In particular, the siding on the counter looks like it’s made of stained plywood (I wish I had my cell phone on me, I’d take a picture). Other than that minor imperfection, it’s like any other Arabica with respect to the decor.
While I worry about the viability of the small shop, it’s the perfect location for blogging!
Why am I here?
After my solo dinner experiment (Dining Out Alone Experiment) while at the Microsoft campus in Mountain Top California, I’ve had the desire to go out solo and try blogging (instead of reading a book) again at a similar place. While a higher end Chinese restaurant and a coffee shop isn’t exactly the same, it’s close enough.
So you might be wondering what provoked this change in my daily blogging routing? It’s basically that I want blogging to be a rewarding experience, and slowly drinking a simple latte at local coffee shop is a win-win experience. For some reason, the latte taste better than usual (perhaps because I’m not rushed), and I get a solid environment to blog at.
I was hoping for some unusual people to enter the Arabic. That way I could write about them, but so far it’s been 30 minutes since I arrived at the cafe, and nobody else has come into the shop and everybody has left except me. Still, it has been an enjoyable experience…
I hope this place doesn’t go out of business, perhaps I’ll visit here in the future.
Regards,
MR
I travel alone frequently. My biggest challenge is not the alone part, but taking the time to actually go out and explore an area, spend 5 minutes on yelp and actually pick a good place to eat vs something crappy but convenient. It makes a big difference.
I’m going to have to try yelp next time I’m on a business trip. Kudo to you for making the most of it. I ventured out in my last business trip, but still didn’t do much other than visit museums and restaurants. I did go out drinking a few times with the other guys though, perhaps if it were just me I would have been more adventurous.
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I did this just last week. I have an office at home where I can shut the doors and have peace and quiet. However, I felt like having a hot chocolate, so I packed everything up and headed to Starbucks. As you know, a change of pace can be a great thing!
Yes, a change of pace is great! I tried this once in 2010, but was too new with blogging and didn’t feel comfortable. Now, however, I’m a seasoned amateur (lol). And with my new laptop, off I’ll go occasionally 🙂
I know that you do this too, and seem to enjoy it (minus the overly cool airconditioning factor).
I’m going to try to do it at least once a month
Blogging outside of my comfort zone is something I’ve never done! But a coffee shop might be a good starting point!
As Kris points out, a change of pace can be a great thing!
I know that Kris blogs out a lot more than I do, and often when she writes about the experience. It’s a win-win from a time managment standpoint. Plus, my latte tasted great during the process… I must drink my latte’s too quickly.
I enjoy going to Panera and writing from there. I have gotten so much done when I am there in the past. I can write three or four posts in an afternoon. Of course, it costs me the price of a coke, but they have free refills.
That sounds like another great place to go! Perhaps in the future, I’ll go to one of those too 🙂
I think I would be distracted with the activity although it doesn’t sound that way so far. I visit the bookstore for inspiration and certain websites. Maybe I should my horizon and take the laptop to an unusual location.
I’m hoping to experiment with this route in the future. I’ll stick with coffee shops and restaurant at first, then broaden my targets. I can see myself blogging in parks and at ski lodges someday.
That sounds like a delightful place to write! Most of the coffee places where I am are always packed and that hustle and bustle would be way too distracting for me. I do like the idea of blogging away from home though! -Sydney
the place has good stuff to boot! I don’t know why it’s not more popular, but it’s very close!
I think I am going to have to give blogging at Starbucks a try. As others have said previously, a change of scenery can be a very inspiring thing.
I don’t know if it helps me write better, but I did enjoy the latte, and the experience overall…
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