Let's meet at the library/coffee shop/yoga studio/hotel lobby/grocery store

On third space and why we need to get out of the house

As the weather gets warmer, I’m excited to spend more time out and about. That usually means spending money. It’s become a common saying that leaving the house costs $20 or $40 or some other number and that can really feel true on a sunny day when there are ice cream shops and vintage stores and little cafes to visit. I wanted to chat about third spaces, which are spaces outside of home or work that people can spend time. Starbucks is the oft cited one even though that has not been a pleasant space to hang out for quite some time. They’re in danger for a number of reasons—hostile architecture designed to punish the unhoused, rising rents that mean business owners need to earn more $ per square foot, public cuts to funding for places like libraries and community centers, and our surveillance culture, where depending on who you are, people can react in scary and sometimes violent ways to you just existing and trying to live.

This season marks five years since the world shut down for the pandemic, which brings up lots of feelings. Being here was so scary and Covid got personal very fast, with my parents getting sick almost immediately in Queens, the epicenter at the time. I am so glad they are okay and it was absolutely terrifying. The city, my home, went from being an extension of my living space to a place to avoid. We didn’t even know if taking walks was safe and the overwhelming message was to shelter in place, in small apartment with no outdoor space. Julia and I ate a lot of cabbage and watched a lot of movies. According to this graph from the New York Times, we’re still spending about an hour and half more time at home than before the pandemic. Some of that may be due to working from home but that’s not all of it. Staying at home is cozy and lovely—you can host and create and relax—and the world is pretty messed up but we still have to go out in it.

More charts here