November 21, 2003

favorite place

It had a sense of history about it, and it had the right angle, which is a lot. The window faced in a way so that you didn't have to turn your head to look down on people on the sidewalk. I would just sit and watch people for hours, pages not turning, nothing getting written. The place had a sense of personal history; my grandfather's old office was visible from it, my father, brother, mother, and sister had probably all walked past that very ledge. For that matter, I had known hundreds of people who were familiar with it; had grown up around it in a literal or figurative sense.

And speaking of that, there were all sorts of things that you could make up about how it was symbolic. The main drag that split the university from downtown lofts and coffeeshops could be any number of things: the transition from boy to man, from education to real world. The students crossing over to work internships with hip small companies was a progression, a growing-up. So was the drunk stumbling down the stairs of his loft - late for class, crossing over the other way.

And they served really good coffee.

November 21, 2003 04:14 PM