cross-posted from: https://piefed.ca/c/newbrunswick@lemmy.ca/p/981650/third-places

Any recommendations for free or inexpensive place? > > Places I can think of: > > Coffee shops > Breweries and pubs > Libraries > Parks > Small scale music concerts > Axe throwing > Malls > University campuses

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [S] 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

In other words, "your third place is where you relax in public, where you encounter familiar faces and make new acquaintances."

The only place I can think of for me is a coffee shop, which costs money (and I can't go to anymore because I'm out of money). I also don't drink, so breweries and pubs are right out (as well as being hellah expensive even in 'normal' times). I'm as well not one for conversation, mostly just wanting to focus on whichever topic I'm studying at that moment.

Libraries are a good place too, but a lot of the time they also smell like body odour, dead skin and piss because housing has been commodified. Similarly I have to pack everything up and bring it with me if I want to use the bathroom, which are usually terrible experiences...

Parks would would be fine but there's always going to be noise pollution and pollution pollution from the ever-present combustion engine which makes it a quite uncomfortable and distracting for me (and sometimes downright unpleasant). As well, the weather is starting to get colder and wetter which means they'll be empty more often then not.

Small concerts and axe throwing... both cost money. Sometimes a lot of money. The axe throwing I've done cost a lot, and was just one activity to do in the arcade-like place. It was basically a restaurant with games. Concerts are also not really something I enjoy anymore.

Malls and university campuses can be great, but I'd also be remiss to leave anything on a table or something while using the bathroom, as well as all places like that being relatively far away and with malls in particular also suffering from the commodification of housing. I like going to the university, but it takes a long time to get there on my bike unless I have money for the bus.

All in all, the biggest issue for me is security. I want to simply use the bathroom or whatever without worrying that my stuff will be gone when I get back. I feel like I can do this in most cafés but doing so almost anywhere else would give me anxiety so I'm stuck with cafes that I can't afford.

*Essentially the ideal 'third-place', in my opinion, has to be free and secure. Both of these don't have to be mutually exclusive but it seems like it is, at least when society is administered by capitalistic authority structures.

  • source