He and She said:
“All great societies provide informal meeting places, like the Forum in ancient Rome or a contemporary English pub, but since World War II, America has ceased doing so.”
That’s what Ray Oldenberg said in his 1990 book, The Great Good Place. He even had a name for this missing space. It’s one you might have heard before: the third place. For Oldenberg, home was the first social space and work was the second. He believed that this third place, a place where we interact without the responsibilities of home and work, was vital, and he felt this loss was a significant one for American society. Robert Putnam explores similar themes in Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.
There’s been a real recognition of the power of this concept in recent years. In typical American style, many businesses, among them a certain coffee chain with a mermaid logo, have been trying like crazy to manufacture them. But Starbucks isn’t the only one; walk into any of those chain restaurants (don’t eat, for God’s sake!) and take a moment to notice how contrived every aspect of the décor is, how much thought goes into the perfect wall-art and tchotchkes. All in order to create perhaps the quintessential American oxymoron: artificial authenticity.
All the flotsam and jetsam of prior days that’s accumulated in our favorite places is compelling because each piece is a story, a collection of inside jokes and memes that plug into a common conversation indispensable to the essence of a place. And, whether it’s LOLCats or Rickrolling or a resin Beethoven’s head placed on the bar as a companion to late-night drinkers, spontaneity and accident are essential to any meme’s power. Some things catch fire and some don’t, and that’s entirely predicated upon the wisdom of the crowd.
But the market-driven, mass-produced, and manufactured environments across the country are really collections of dead-end street signs, Madison Avenue sound and fury, signifying nothing, to paraphrase a long-ago blogger from Stratford-upon-Avon (he was pretty good). They don’t tell any real stories at all. So why on earth would people choose these lands of make-believe as their third places? Because they are safe. Ray Kroc of McDonald’s figured out a long time ago how powerful (and profitable) the expected can be. Every burger just like every other burger; you walk into a McDonald’s in any city and you know exactly what you’re going to get. If you never take chances, by definition you will never be disappointed.
The aversion to disappointment; the quest for sameness, is an enormous driver of American consumer behavior. But, can we all agree that true authenticity is organic, even messy? Self-generated authentic experiences color outside the lines. Their endpoint can’t be seen from their beginning, lying instead somewhere beyond the unexpected curves of the life that lies in the middle.
Fortunately, authenticity is not a problem for us NOLAvores; it’s never been in short supply here. We think it’s that rawness and realness that seduces so many of our transplants (keep on coming, you NOLA crazies. We love you.). Bars, bookstores, and restaurants, we agree you can be great third places as well, but we’re going to give today to the coffee shops. Here are our favorite third places in New Orleans. You may like some more than others, but there is no denying that each has its own feel. Take a chance and check one out you’ve not been to before. We’re sure we’ve missed some great ones, so tell us what yours are. And what kind of coffee do you brew at home? Where do you get it? Let us know where you think the good stuff is.
Oh yeah, one more thing: Now that we think about it, maybe NOLA is the real, messy, authentic, true third place for the whole U.S.
America’s Third Place. Now that would make a great marketing campaign.
Café Rose Nicaud, 632 Frenchmen in the Marigny Triangle: This Post-K renovation tucked between Snug Harbor and the Marigny Brasserie is the de rigueur morning gathering spot for Triangle locals, with wifi and an extensive breakfast menu. Sit by the window and do some Frenchmen people-watching.
The Orange Couch, 2339 Royal in the Marigny Rectangle: Run by a San-Francisco transplant, this joint is sleek and cool, a big departure from the usual cafe decor. Everything, including the eponymous couch itself, has been carefully selected. We just wish they’d bring back the live jazz on Mondays.
Fair Grinds, 3133 Ponce de Leon in Esplanade Ridge: Truly an anchor of the vibrant Esplanade Ridge, Fair Grinds is great coffee and a great spot to kick back and read a book, indoors or out. One of our very favorites, expressly committed to organic fair-trade products.
Neutral Ground, 5110 Danneel Uptown: Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember this as The Penny Post. Think folk singers and latter-day hippie.s at NOLA’s oldest coffee-house. So left-of-center it makes the others on this list look like Palin campaign headquarters.
Il Posto Café, 4607 Dryades Uptown: NOLA girl Madison Curry opened Il Posto in 2007. Coffee, vino, and a pretty extensive menu offer a little dolce vita in Uptown. Charming and serene, this is a perfect place to unwind.
Envie, 1241 Decatur in the French Quarter: If you can wade past the gutter-punks filling Decatur Street, you’ll find refuge in this eclectic corner shop. Envie offers a full breakfast as well as other lunch/dinner café food. Interestingly, this haunt serves adult beverages and is open late-night. Wifi offered
The Bean Gallery, 637 North Carrollton, Mid City: Envie’s sister cafe is a quiet spot to chill-out, full of comfy chairs, books and board games, and great brew. Wifi and limited food menu.
Croissant D’Or, 617 Ursulines in the French Quarter: More than a coffee shop, Croissant D’Or serves fantastic fresh made pastries that will have you believing you jumped in the transporter room and found yourself instantly in the 6th Arrondissement. And the window seats are very nice as well.
Mojo Coffee 1500 Magazine in the Garden District: Alternative is the name of the game here. This place actually feels like it could be in Bywater. We’ll never forget walking to the back courtyard on the way to the restroom and hearing some guy practicing his trumpet playing in the night air. Perfect.
RIP: Zotz in the Marigny Triangle: A final shout out to the departed and dearly missed Zotz, formerly in the Triangle at Royal and Touro (yeah. we know there’s one on Oak, but it’s just not the same. One of the strangest places in NOLA (and that’s saying something) this cafe included a bathtub in the restroom converted to a goldfish pond. Seriously, seriously different. Part of our courting days, and we were sad to see it go.
