When You're Tired of the Coffee Shop ...

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... but Still Want to Work Remotely

I no longer remember where, but I recall someone writing of his remote work arrangement that the biggest irritant was figuring out where to spend the day. That doesn't bother me that much, but a change of scenery is still nice once in a while. With that in mind, I found a couple of pieces listing a total of fourteen alternatives to the coffee shop. A good one that could double as a shopping trip was IKEA, which is the first listed at the first link:

Call me crazy, but I loved IKEA.

I find the company's marketing and design work inspiring (gotta love the Swedes), and the restaurant is large enough that it's easy to get up and walk around, while still keeping an eye on your things. For much of the first year running my business, IKEA served as my "home office away from home."

Of course, the electrical outlets at my Ikea were few and far between, which proved to be problematic. It can also get pretty noisy, which means no conferences at mealtimes... [link in original, minor edits]

Justin Bariso's Inc. piece also mentions empty restaurants, which a startup is trying to coordinate via a smartphone app in some cities. In the meantime, Blake Oliver has numerous suggestions of his own, including Museums, in the second link above. That comment brought back memories of my Boston days, when I lived within walking distance of the public library at Copley Square. There were numerous good places to work there, including the cafe, all with wi-fi.

-- CAV