Let it snow

I'm in Washington, DC, at internet cafe number two. (Internet cafe number one had a big banner about high speed wireless, but unfortunately they didn't actually have the high speed wireless -- or a net connection at all. I learned this after I ordered the muffin and large latte.)

Fortunately, I was able to get the wireless up at cafe number two. That means I've been able to do business, check with the office, update two weblogs, improve a detail on the Tekka page design, and check the weather forecast for tomorrow's drive to Baltimore. (The driving looks very bad indeed. But I'll be giving a talk and Tinderbox demo at AWP: the show must go on.)

I rarely spend time in cafes. It's interesting that people are using this cafe the way Europeans do. There's a guy in a fashionable suit; he's been reading USA today in the corner for an hour., There's a couple of serious guys talking business on the sofa; they've been here longer. People aren't here for a quick cup, they're here to stay. (I'm the only one using a computer)

That's interesting. Coffee shops used to be this way: read Damon Runyan. Cafes in Europe work this way; the American tourist guides always explain that, no, it's not necessary to always be ordering another cup of coffee or something, you don't have to leave as soon as you've had your last sip. So this is a revival of old patterns. Or perhaps it's just the difference between the North and the South.

Update: Kellan Elliott-McCrea reminds me that there's good café right near home.