coffee house etiquette
OK...I need a reality check on whether this is rude or not. I am a regular at my local Peets...once, sometimes twice a day. I often will meet a buddy after work (around 5pm) and we'll have a cup and shoot the breeze for an hour or so. Sometimes I'll go on a weekday mid-afternoon to write, but usually stay no more than 2 hours, and it is never packed. I have friends who write in coffee shops too, but they don't stay for the whole day solid, and are respectful (and struggling artists, but that's another story).
But in the mornings and late afternoons it *is* packed. The last few times I've met my buddy, we have not been able to find a place to sit. Why? Well, students doing homework, teachers grading papers, and the most egregious - two people who spend literally 6-8 hours a day holed up in the back, taking up two tables, both with computers, cell phones, as well as a portable printer (!).
I know that it is cool to have the "portable office", but this is getting ridiculous. On days where I've stopped in twice (once in the morning, once around 5pm) I've often seen the SAME PEOPLE there, camped out in the same spot, day after day, with the place totally overflowing.
So is this rude, or just the "new chic"? A coffee shop is not a 9-5, M-F office. I like getting away there every so often to write, but it isn't my primary residence...