SoHo Trends

One of the “perks” that I miss about my previous job is the office that came with it.  Sure, there were days that the commute was ugly, but, all in all, it was great to have a private office with a door I could close when I wanted to shut out the outside world and concentrate on what I was doing.  Now that I’ve gone out on my own, I share my “office” (the kitchen table) with my wife and kids.  Don’t get me wrong… my family has been great and very supportive of my new (ad)venture; however, it can be difficult to work when the kids come home from school and are having their afternoon snack or practicing their musical instruments

As a result, I spend quite a bit of time working outside my home office.  So, where do I go?  I’ve been to Panera more the past three months than most normal people go in a several years.  It’s a great place to have a meeting as long as you don’t mind the noise level when the lunch crowd comes in.  Most of the Panera’s I’ve been to have plenty of power outlets for plugging in my laptop (Tip: If you’re sitting in one of the booths, check underneath the seat for a power outlet); however, the wi-fi can be a bit finicky at times.  Even when the wi-fi is up and running, it can be very, very sluggish.  While I’ve never felt rushed or been asked to leave while working at Panera’s, I always buy something to eat or drink while I’m there.

I’ve also worked at coffee shops like Caribou Coffee or Starbucks.  As a general rule, I don’t link working for a long time in one of these types of places.  They tend to be fairly small and crowded.  In addition, there’s a lot more foot traffic through a coffee shop and I find it more difficult to concentrate with so many people coming in and out of the store.

My favorite place to work is (drum roll, please)… the public library.  I live in Fairfax County, Virginia and we are very fortunate to have such a wonderful public library system.  There’s free wi-fi in all of the library branches.  The wi-fi connection at the library is much faster than the DSL service I have at home.  There’s plenty of space to spread out and work.  Outlets are plentiful.  There are private carrel to work in if you really need some peace and quiet.  You can even bring in a covered drink now, although food is still not allowed.  So, check out your local public library when you need a place to work outside your home.  I think you’ll be surprised at what services they offer.

Now that I’ve told you where I like to go to work outside my home office, where are the places that YOU like to go?