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This past week I decided to explore South Pasadena. I had never been there before so I made the 30 mile trek, which of course because it's LA, takes over and hour. My destination was Buster's Coffee Shop, a wonderfully charming and unique place recommended to me as the ideal location to sit and study, read, or just observe. As I was driving though South Pasadena to my destination, I caught myself needing to be extra careful driving because I was so mesmerized by the beautiful lanes of houses. I should have been walking in order to enjoy it more-- and not cause an accident. Nonetheless, I eventually arrived at my destination off of Mission St. which just oosed old town main street. There is a train running perpendicular to it and actually creates a unique architectural element to the buildings which have grown up around these track. These old brick buildings, instead of being traditional efficient squares, had walls at 45 degree angels from the other walls in order to make room for the train tracks to pass right by to them. As a result, inside Buster's Coffee Shop were these unique niches one could be lost in for hours nestled in with a good book. The atmosphere was very cheery and friendly. Small things, like using proper dishware as opposed to disposable, gave the environment a more settled feeling that said we're not a massive-corporate-money-hungry entity. Instead, we are a home, we welcome all, stay for a while and lets have a chat. It was the embodiment of Gemeinschaft. This was further exemplified in there prohibition of computer use on weekends and the unique array of visitors to this shop-- including a young vagabond with a beard of a true traveler and with adventures to share. Social differences do not matter here. Come one, come all!
Visiting this little niche makes me nostalgic for Gemeinschaft where bumless benches would never be an understood concept.
This is a really interesting way to think about a coffee shop. I feel like there are two kinds of coffee shops: the ones that people go to for a quick pick-me-up and WiFi, and the ones where people go to socialize and meet new people. I like how you brought in the idea of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. A coffee shop where there is an array of customers that probably each have a unique background, yet are happy to converse with each other whether or not they know each other definitely brings to mind ideas of Gemeinschaft. Any town or neighborhood with a small-town feel where everyone seems to know each other and is super friendly is the kind of place where community matters, and social differences between people seem not to matter. And when community matters to people, they tend to participate and volunteer their time in order to preserve that feeling of community. On the other had, in a dense, busy city, Gesellschaft tends to take over. There are so many strangers and people are constantly in such a hurry that they don't really stop to consider anyone else. They run into the coffee shop, order, and leave. (I think this speaks to your comment about the traffic as well. LA has a public transportation system and carpool lanes, yet somehow it never pops into my mind as an ideal or preferred means of travel. I think people are so busy and involved in so many individual activities that they always need to be somewhere; hence the constant traffic.) And those that stay are usually on their laptops or listening to music instead of being open to encounters with others. I think that our society isn't completely Gemeinschaft or Gesellschaft. I think that we have a mix of both; and I think that each has pros and cons. Whether or not it's a good thing is up to each individual, and places are so diverse that I think there's a place for everyone.
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