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Third places and neighborhood entrepreneurship (2024)

(www.nber.org)
118 points WasimBhai | 1 comments | 25 Jun 25 12:10 UTC | HN request time: 0.904s | source
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picardo ◴[25 Jun 25 13:22 UTC] No.44377037[source]▶
I'd be interested to see an update to this study in the coming years. Starbucks has been pivoting towards take out and mobile orders and removing tables and chairs entirely from some of its stores lately.
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ghaff ◴[25 Jun 25 13:56 UTC] No.44377402[source]▶
I don't dispute that there may be a trend but a lot of Starbucks have long had pretty scanty seating--and certainly tables where you can reasonably meet and talk. And it can be fairly difficult to find a table at more traditional cafes/coffeeshops. So there's reasonable debate over whether a lot of coffeeshops are really third places.
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walterbell ◴[25 Jun 25 15:04 UTC] No.44378177[source]▶
> debate over whether a lot of coffeeshops are really third places

What are some examples of real third places in major US cities?

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sneak ◴[25 Jun 25 15:29 UTC] No.44378445[source]▶
The third places in the United States are almost exclusively churches and bars. It’s sort of gross.

As a teetotaling atheist, I moved to Berlin for the universities and night clubs, as there are tons of social events associated with both.

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picardo ◴[25 Jun 25 15:43 UTC] No.44378582[source]▶
Agreed on both points. In my middle age, I've even considered starting drinking again so that I may have a reason to go to the only place where people hang out in my neighborhood, which is obviously a bar.

The one and only social activity that has saved me from this road so far has been a few meetup groups that I frequent.

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sneak ◴[25 Jun 25 17:04 UTC] No.44379556[source]▶
You can hang out in a bar and not drink alcohol. Tell them to put your ginger ale in a rocks glass.

As we get older it’s more important than ever to avoid alcohol. We don’t have the organ margin we used to. All that bullshit about “a glass of wine a day is good for you” was fake.

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picardo ◴[25 Jun 25 17:38 UTC] No.44379889[source]▶
I do that sometimes, but I get peer pressured into drinking alcohol if I socialize. You can't win.

Agree with you about the benefits of avoiding alcohol.

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1. scarface_74 ◴[25 Jun 25 18:54 UTC] No.44380709[source]▶
I hang out at a bar downstairs in a resort area all of the time just to have casual conversations with random tourists who come in and the bartender who I’m friends with. I’m not a non drinker. But half the time I just get soda (free) or may have one drink.

There is no pressure. I just tell people I come down to socialize - mostly with couples and guys who show up. I am married and no matter what it comes off as creepy to start conversations with women and often their husbands are around.

Since I am friends with bartender and people see me talking to him and it’s obvious that we know each other , it doesn’t come off the wrong way.