Damn You Coffee Shop Table Hogs

If you regularly sit in a coffee shop for more than an hour, you suck. I just walked to both my regular spots (Glass Shop and Sit & Wonder) and both were packed, nowhere to sit. You laptop addicts have destroyed the traditional purpose of a coffee shop - to spontaneously visit with a friend, to relax with the newspaper, or to just sit and ponder and people watch. I chose to live in Crown/Prospect Heights to avoid the crowds and trendy spots of Park Slope, Williamsburg, East Village, etc. I remember when I moved here 10+ years ago, there was but one coffee shop (Muddy Waters) and I was one of their few regular customers, never anything like a crowd.

I guess I should open a coffee shop...

Go ahead and feel free to vent, but what do you expect on a lazy Saturday afternoon? Other people just beat you to it. And don't forget that Muddy Waters was never crowded because it was run by an awful, crazy woman.

it is allowed to share a table with an awful laptop person -- sometimes they are just working hard and not so bad underneath it all and your asking them will be a good reminder to them that there's a world going on outside their screens and earbuds. just say hey, it's crowded, do you mind sharing the table? that being said, some coffee shops (joyce) have plated over their outlets or turned off the wireless on weekends. what about penny house, or milk?

+1 on sharing tables. This should be the new normal. Go to Europe once and learn how this is not a big deal!

Also, I've been to multiple independent coffee houses in brooklyn that are nowhere near capacity even on peak hours. They are laptop friendly and generally just customer friendly.

When counters were removed from coffee shops and they all went "cafe," that was the downfall of civilization. Bring back the counter.

The downfall of Western Civilization began when people started saying "a coffee" rather than "some coffee". A coffee means you buy one, probably for $5, and if you want more you need to shell out another $5. Some coffee means unlimited refills at the diner. Of course, I used to drink about ten cups a day at that diner that used to be at the corner of 7th ave and Union st. Then I got an ulcer and I can't drink coffee anymore.