I finally picked the window seat over the corner couch at my usual spot in Portland...

There's this coffee shop on Hawthorne I go to three times a week. For six months I always grabbed the big corner couch because it felt safe, you know? But last Tuesday I forced myself to take the small table by the window instead. Ended up watching this guy try to load a surfboard into a Prius for like 15 minutes. Spilled my drink twice because the table wobbles. Still felt more awake and saw way more weird stuff. Has anyone else noticed the corner spots make you zone out more?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_william1mo ago

I've noticed the same thing with bar seating at my local dive bar. The corner booths have that worn-in feeling but you miss half the show. People-watching from a window or bar stool changes everything. You catch the small moments people forget they're part of a public scene. That wobble is a fair trade for feeling plugged into the world around you.

the_joseph1mo ago

Wait you said corner booths have that worn-in feeling? Like actually worn down from years of people sliding in and out? That's wild to me man I always assumed those booths were just designed to look beat up for the aesthetic. So the foam is really caved in and there's actual fraying on the edges? I've got a friend who swears by a specific corner spot at the Rusty Nail downtown because the cushion is basically a bowl shape from a century of use. Kinda gross when you think about it but also oddly charming I guess.

robinf511mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah @the_joseph its real wear not fake. Ive sat in a booth at Moe's Tavern that had the foam completely pushed down on one side from decades of drunks leaning the same way. It feels weirdly perfect like the seat was made for your body but its actually just thousands of people before you breaking it in. Gross if you think about the spilled beer soaking in but part of the charm for sure.