by Kate Lewis for fluxo
Void, prepare for me to shout into you.
The other day, I walked into one of my favorite coffee shops on the Lower East Side to do some work. I bought my coffee, sat down, and pulled out my laptop. But almost as soon as I had it open, I was (very politely and nicely) informed by someone who worked there that, as of the week before, they were now a laptop-free establishment.
I looked around and realized it was slightly emptier than usual. On most days, I would barely snag a table to myself, but that day I had had my pick of where I wanted to sit. And that’s also when I noticed there was no one else working—another extremely rare sight for this coffee shop. Because of, of course, the new no laptops rule.
I packed up my stuff and went back to my apartment to work since I had already bought my coffee and didn’t want to walk into somewhere else with an “outside” beverage. Huge bummer, but this is the gamble we play as remote workers trying to work in New York City’s coffee shops.
What were once “no smoking” signs, plaques, and stickers are now laptop usage warnings. It’s a time limit, it’s a time of day when devices have to be put away, and occasionally it’s an entire zone of tables where you can’t use your computer at all.
And some places have even become entirely laptop free, like my old work-from-home spot. I get it, I respect it, but the third places for remote and hybrid workers to go during the day in New York City are dwindling.
Cue fluxo…
