Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
The concept of a 'third place' has been bandied about here before. In similar vein, Ken Burns' documentary on Prohibition touches on a lot of these same issues, making the point that for immigrants who were stacked 8 to a room, the local bar was the equivalent of the living room, their attorney's office, the employment agency and the game room rolled all into one. There's a great bookstore in Seattle called "Third Place Books." I used to think they meant "behind Barnes & Noble and Borders." Once I stumbled across that "third place" thing, it clicked... because they also have a food court, a performance stage and a mini-mall of other craftspeople. It's a cool spot.