Comments on: Writing in Public http://openroad.tv/blog/2007/12/17/writing-in-public/ The Traveler's Video Guide to the American West Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:33:00 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Doug McConnell http://openroad.tv/blog/2007/12/17/writing-in-public/comment-page-1/#comment-244 Doug McConnell Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:31:28 +0000 http://openroad.tv/blog/2007/12/17/writing-in-public/#comment-244 Thanks Natalie. I agree.....the smell of coffee alone does wonders for me. And with the huge growth in the number of coffee houses across the nation, more people than ever are spending time in places like Crossroads Cafe. It's amazing to see coffee houses spring up in the most unlikely places. Of course, Starbucks has had a big impact. Just last week I almost crashed my car driving through my hometown of Gridley in the Sacramento Valley north of Yuba City and Marysville. Gridley is a small, largely agricultural community. My dad bought a Ford dealership there in 1958. My brother Ed and nephew Mike own the Chevy dealership there now. Anyway, it had been a little bit since I had been in town.....and driving towards McConnell Chevrolet....there before my very stunned eyes was a big, relatively new Starbucks. I couldn't believe it. Gridley and Starbucks just did not compute in my brain....but there it was as plain as day. Coffee culture had come to Gridley....as it has seemingly everywhere else. That's not a bad thing particularly, just an amazing thing that's happened in not much more than a decade. One of these days, I'll do a book on great writing and sipping places in the West. My very favorite in Marin County, near where I live, is Emporio Rullis on Magnolia in Larkspur. So much coffee, so little time. Thanks Natalie. I agree…..the smell of coffee alone does wonders for me. And with the huge growth in the number of coffee houses across the nation, more people than ever are spending time in places like Crossroads Cafe. It’s amazing to see coffee houses spring up in the most unlikely places. Of course, Starbucks has had a big impact. Just last week I almost crashed my car driving through my hometown of Gridley in the Sacramento Valley north of Yuba City and Marysville. Gridley is a small, largely agricultural community. My dad bought a Ford dealership there in 1958. My brother Ed and nephew Mike own the Chevy dealership there now. Anyway, it had been a little bit since I had been in town…..and driving towards McConnell Chevrolet….there before my very stunned eyes was a big, relatively new Starbucks. I couldn’t believe it. Gridley and Starbucks just did not compute in my brain….but there it was as plain as day. Coffee culture had come to Gridley….as it has seemingly everywhere else. That’s not a bad thing particularly, just an amazing thing that’s happened in not much more than a decade. One of these days, I’ll do a book on great writing and sipping places in the West. My very favorite in Marin County, near where I live, is Emporio Rullis on Magnolia in Larkspur. So much coffee, so little time.

]]> By: Natalie http://openroad.tv/blog/2007/12/17/writing-in-public/comment-page-1/#comment-239 Natalie Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:22:34 +0000 http://openroad.tv/blog/2007/12/17/writing-in-public/#comment-239 I love this post as I like to do this too being a writer/blogger who works at home. I sometimes take my laptop to Crossroads Cafe in SF to write even though they don't have wireless. This way I can really concentrate on writing my magazine articles and not get distracted by email or the Internet! Maybe it's the smell of coffee brewing and hearing some background chatter that gives me that extra push to finish writing. :) I love this post as I like to do this too being a writer/blogger who works at home. I sometimes take my laptop to Crossroads Cafe in SF to write even though they don’t have wireless. This way I can really concentrate on writing my magazine articles and not get distracted by email or the Internet!

Maybe it’s the smell of coffee brewing and hearing some background chatter that gives me that extra push to finish writing. :)

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