A question to the veteran residents

[mookiebean.livejournal.com]

Last night I hit the SomeDay Cafe again, just to hang out and try to be creative. The atmosphere there is, I have observed, very mellow and laid-back. As much as I adore the place, it does not appear to be the type of place where someone will go up to you and say, "Hey, whatcha readin'?" or "Wow, that's quite an interesting comic strip you're drawing!" or something like that.

Now... I'm new to living in Davis Square, and I'm all about meeting new people and getting into conversations with interesting strangers. Y'know, like they do in the movies. ^_^

Can anyone suggest a place that's good to meet new faces and such?

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

You know, I've wandered up to a stranger in the Someday and commented on the interesting stuff he was drawing. And he took it just fine, and we had a nice chat. So maybe instead of waiting for other people to walk up to you, you should walk up to them.

Also, there is cake. I once walked through Somerville transporting a black forest cake to a potluck and, let me tell you, everyone wanted to be my friend that day. Bring free tasty food to that space in front of Denise's with the tables and weird statues. You will make lots of friends :).

[artemii.livejournal.com]

i agree, davis square is an extremely friendly place.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I don't hang out at the Someday much, so can't speak much to the dynamics there. I do hang out at the Diesel Cafe a fair amount, and on several occasions, especially when I've been in a group of folks playing games or just hanging out, there have been people to just walk up and start talking, and sometimes join in whatever's going on.

I know that I don't often just start talking to a person sitting and reading because it feels kind of intrusive. (Most of the time when I'm sitting and reading I don't mind a brief inquiry and 1 or 2 sentence conversation, but I don't usually want to interrupt my reading for long chats with strangers.)

That said, I have observed others (at Diesel) being more receptive to that kind of chat, so it's not like everyone is as unfriendly as I apparently am :-)

Coffee Talk

[prog.livejournal.com]

Apropos of nothing, here is a summary of the random conversations I have had in cafes:

Once, in Jorgensens' Cafe, Waterville, ME, a guy asked me what book I was reading. It was "The Uplift War" by David Brin, and I told him as much, providing a brief summary of the plot. He wrote the bibliographic information onto the newspaper he was reading, but it struck me as insincere. Who knows what that was all about.

Two more Jorgensen's encounters that have occurred during my occasional visits to that area (for I used to live there, and some family and friends continue to do so) included a newspaper photographer shooting me and a friend playing a game (but they didn't use any of these pictures in print), and a local newspaper columnist overhearing me jabber about technology and asking me some relevant questions.

Hmm. The most recent time I was in Bangor for my brother's wedding, which was also the first time I had been there in four years or so, I cooled my heels at nice little cafe, and the guy behind the counter came over to my table chat because he was bored. He was very friendly, and I learned some interesting stuff about the little city's changes since I had last lived there.

At the Diesel in Somerville and 1369 coffee house in Cambridge, people used to frequently come up and ask me about my iBook and/or Mac OS X all the time, but this has slowed down since both have become more common sights among the local geekery, especially since the Cambridgeside Apple store opened. However, it still happens enough to let me occasionally plug my upcoming book at strangers and not feel out of place.

And that's all, more or less. So my conclusion is: to get people to talk to you in a cafe about something other than the computer you're using, go to Maine. This is actually terrible advice, and you should ignore it. The end.

Re: Coffee Talk

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Two more Jorgensen's encounters that have occurred during my occasional visits to that area ... included a newspaper photographer shooting me and a friend playing a game

When I scanned that sentence, I misread those as two separate encounters and was briefly aghast at the idea that you'd been shot. :] (Not to mention wondering why a friend playing a game was an encounter worth noting. :)

random associations

[ranger1.livejournal.com]

After leaving Waterville, I didn't find a coffee shop I liked as much as Jourgensen's until I wound up in Somerville and found Diesel. Both different, but both good.

Feh. All this talk of Maine has me craving Big G's... an analogue of which I've yet to find in the Boston area.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

well i find the diesel to be to scene-y. like you can't waltz in there in sweats and flip-slops because it's the place to see and be seen. especially as a queer girl.

the someday is totally chill. people (well except for the yuppies who sometimes wander in accidentally) are usually totally excited to meet new people and start interesting conversations with spiffy people.

[kvarko.livejournal.com]

Really? Not a place for sweats and flip-flops? Diesel is a place I go when I just woke up and I need a sandwich, so I throw on something baggy, a baseball cap so I don't have to mess with my hair, and head out unshaven. No one seems to care, but maybe I'm just oblivious. I'm also not a queer girl (as much as I would like to be).

But this is an interesting discussion. I never meet anyone in Davis Square. Maybe it's my sloppy dressing :)

Re:

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

yeah, not to offend but it's generally easier to be a slobby boy at diesel. since the staff is mostly queer girls they're not all that interested in you. but me as a queer girl, well i feel obliged to dress-to-impress. and yet, i'd hit on a slobby boy. a boy that feels comfy going out in pj's and a baseball cap is m kind of guy. what time did you say you hand out there again? ;)

Re:

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

yar. it's also where one of my former roommates took me to tell me that i was getting kicked out of my "cooperative" house. ouch.

dont worry..

[centuryblitz.livejournal.com]

I would stick to the Someday. It seems to me to be the most laid back hangout in the square. Ill keep an eye out for you and say whats up if i see you drawing comics....

[hyperliminal.livejournal.com]

Hey, I think I've seen you about the Someday. Really, it's a very friendly place. While I may be biased since now I've got tons of friends I've met there, well... there's the thing about how I've met tons of friends there. What times of day are you hanging out there, in general? I suggest evenings while the weather's still nice and you can chill out outside... lots of random conversations spring up there. Get to know a few folks and they will introduce you to the rest of the folks they know... Next time I see you there, I'll say hi.