Community Corner

Editor Asks: Where Do You Go When There's No Room at the Starbucks?

Needham's local cafe is a popular, busy hang-out—but it's frequently full. Where do you go for friendly meet-ups, business chats or to do some work away from home or office?

I dropped by our local Starbucks this afternoon (the one ) for a peppermint mocha fix and to plug in my laptop while I worked but it didn’t quite go as planned. Instead, I opened the door to a crush of people waiting to order, waiting to grab their drinks and waiting to find a seat—any seat—in the rather small café.

Deciding that finding an outlet was an unlikely outcome, I instead kept an eye out for any old seat so I could sit and at least enjoy my drink. Luckily, I found one, sandwiched between two pairs of people enjoying their own drinks and conversation. But others around me were not so lucky—and, in fact, a bit of an argument broke out among a few of the patrons regarding one seat being saved for a friend that had not shown up for a good five minutes.

Starbuckses the world over have long been known as the place to meet up with friends, to conduct an informal business meeting, to plug in your laptop and do your homework, to read papers or even a book—all while you enjoy your coffee-flavored beverage of choice (or “sweet milk with a little coffee,” as some like to say).

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I bring all this up because, as someone without an office and always on the move, I am frequently looking for a great place to work, to meet up with people, to talk, to read, to check email. And if it serves coffee and offers free wireless? All the better.

So tell me, Needham: Where should we go when Starbucks is overwhelmed? Where are the best places in town to plug in, unplug, meet up or take it all in—where are the best hang-outs? Tell me in the comments here or on our Facebook page, Tweet your ideas to @NeedhamPatch or email me at Becca.Manning@patch.com.

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