Met Robin, HoCo’s ezColumbia Tech Angel, at Bean Hollow this morning. The place was jumping. Alive, vibrant, full to the brim. It’s a wifi-free zone, so there was a getting-together vibe and fewer co-working setups with computers on the tables. Plenty of studying, business meetings, people reading the newspaper, friendly gatherings and such, though. In an era where consuming food in a warehouse-sized setting is somehow deemed desirable (gag!), it’s nice to be in a sweet, cozy spot. Bean Hollow, 8059 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD 21043.
Then off to meet with Pat Hiban at Orinoco Coffee House, where the coffee was fab-u-lous and the wifi was slow. (Reminder to self: combine back-to-back meetings at the same spot. Makes me much calmer and saves time.) Orinoco is off McGaw Road, near Apple Ford.
If you’ve never tried it before, a press filter makes a great mug of coffee. Gotta start with good coffee beans though … of course.
4 Comments
February 28, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Great to hook up with Jessie. Known since her days at Dotherightthing. She did my first biography ever. I think she charged me $20 in 1988. Anyway spent a good hour on facebook today getting more social network savy. Look forward to our coaching starting next week.
April 28, 2008 at 2:59 pm
wi-fi free?? How 1990s… weird, since sounds like a decent meeting spot but the chances I’d go there solo are very low.
April 28, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I just spent several days working out of the cafe scene in Tucson, AZ, full of wi-fi cafes open long hours (none of this closing by the end of the 9-5 workday thing that seems endemic in HoCo).. I can’t imagine that vibrant cafe scene working out in this century w/o wifi AND computers banned….
(esp if your clientele is much under 40)
August 11, 2008 at 9:00 am
I imagine that this venue is wi-fi free because it’s small and can’t properly seat customers when computer users come in, buy a cup of coffee and sit at a table for hours. You want to do that, go to Starbucks and get corporate coffee. Or better yet, how about the comfort of your own home? Coffee houses are a community thing requiring dialog between real people.