9 ms·

Two women quietly reading books in an SF bar started an introvert revolution

84 points by hodgesrm 7y ago

Simulacra 7y ago
You know I think they have this kind of a thing already, it’s called a library. I guess the Innovation here is that you can order drinks.
- thrwaway69 7y ago
  You can order beverages and food in some libraries (self service). No idea about alcohol. Actually, is there something for reading together on your computer or phone? KindleSync? See what virtual groups are reading, join, socialize and discuss online with integration to existing online food delivery services.
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  If my library had a bar (it already has free parking, coworking desks, conference rooms, copy machines, and WiFi), I’d never leave. Just build condos above so I had someplace to sleep at night. Or just add showers, I can sleep in my car.
  - hindsightbias 7y ago
    I wonder if universities still have 24 hour libraries. We used to live there. Slept there many times.
    - zzleeper 7y ago
      Many do. It's amazing having a big space to read, work, think, etc. at 1am on a weekday (this might not apply if you have a 9-5 job, are married or have kids, etc)
  - jen20 7y ago
    The (relatively new) Austin central library built a restaurant/cafe as part of it. I’ve long thought that if it turned into a bar in the evening it could generate substantial income for whatever administration runs the library. But it doesn’t - though I’ve heard good things about the food, I’ve never actually been in...
    - ozfive 7y ago
      Seattle public library has a cafe area that I thought could be turned into a bar/dance area at night also...
- ssivark 7y ago
  But most libraries are supposed to be quiet zones which discourage talking and socializing. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean libraries need to be #disrupted... they’re good at what they’ve for. So this kind of thing seems like a nice idea in that it gives people more avenues for healthy behavior, while possibly making it more exciting.
- fzeroracer 7y ago
  There's a strong cultural difference in how a library and a bar is viewed though. If you're going to a library it's meant more of a quiet affair, and trying to strike up conversations with others is more likely to annoy them. Plus depending on where you're at, it's more likely that a bar is going to be open than your local public library. At least that's true for where I'm at.
- et-al 7y ago
  Except many libraries aren't open past 7pm on the weekends. Sometimes you just want a clean, well-lighted place to read into the night.
  - xmprt 7y ago
    None of the bars that I've been to would qualify as clean or well-lit. Are they common?
  - Stratoscope 7y ago
    > a clean, well-lighted place This brings back fond and sad memories... https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Clean-Well-Lighted-Place-dimming-2492799.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Clean-W...
- shortandsweet 7y ago
  Have you been to your local library? It's likely filled with mental ill and homeless.
  - rhexs 7y ago
    While this is a rather crude way to describe the issue, the homeless are increasingly taking shelter in libraries during the day. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/06/03/give-them-shelter-library-camping-bans/ https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/06/03/give-them-s... It's certainly a problem, but it's one of the (many) that no one wants to address and instead continually ignore.
    - hbcondo714 7y ago
      While between jobs, I went to the local library near my spouse's work in Marina Del Rey, CA. They provided fast and free wifi along with power outlets so it worked for me but it also attracted a lot of homeless. They had portable DVD players and would just sit and watch movies all day. Sometimes the librarians would ask the homeless to leave b/c their aroma was so foul (especially when it rained), would burst out obscenities or bring in a lot of belongings. I eventually ended up paying for a co-working space. On this article though, my spouse and I aren't into drinking but enjoy being out late so we find going to boba cafes to be ideal. The ones around us are open until 11pm, serve snacks & drinks and provide wifi. It even makes us feel young and hip because most of the patrons are high school and college kids who can't drink yet and spend time on their laptops too.
t34543 7y ago
Bars in places you least expect them can feel like an oasis. I recently discovered many Nordstrom’s have bars, with rather tasty cocktails. I’m happy to oblige the occasional shopping trip now.
- g82918 7y ago
  > many Nordstrom's One no apostrophe(or if Nordstrom's Rack then apostrophe after the s). Two, I have never in my life been in a Nordstrom that had a bar, where are these? Edit: Sorry for the grammar stuff, I just passed TOEFL.
  - Stratoscope 7y ago
    > Sorry for the grammar stuff, I just passed TOEFL. [1] Congratulations for passing that! It is difficult to know when to offer a spelling or grammar correction and when to just let it go. Especially if you are new to the language and excited about what you have learned. Will you be helping someone who isn't sure of the right way to spell it, or was it just a simple typoe? After all, pretty much every native English speaker has trouble with where to put the apostrophe's. So my friend, welcome to our wild and funny and inconsistent language that we call "English" but draws from pretty much every other language in the world and inherits all of their quirks. p.s. I also want to know which Nordstrom store has a bar! [1] "Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL /ˈtoʊfəl/ TOH-fəl) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_of_English_as_a_Foreign_Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_of_English_as_a_Foreign_L...
    - _wzsf 7y ago
      He's right, though. "Norstroms" is valid. You didn't need to make such a condescending comment.
      - Stratoscope 7y ago
        > "Norstroms" is valid. Well, strictly speaking, that may not quite be the case, eh? > You didn't need to make such a condescending comment. Now you have me at a disadvantage. I honestly did not mean any condescension. I meant the comment as light-hearted, humorous, and supportive advice. The mention of "typoe" and "apostrophe's" was in that spirit: even those of us who grew up speaking English often get it wrong. The wonderful thing about English is that even when you do get the "rules" wrong, it may still be cool as long as people understand what you meant. If I said something that came across as condescending or mean-spirited, could you help me and share the specifics, so I can do better next time? Thanks!
Y-Bopinator 7y ago
Can’t wait for the South Park episode making fun of this
tempsy 7y ago
After spending the holidays in Hong Kong and Taipei I realized how annoying it is in the US to find anything to do at night or on weekends that doesn't involve going to a bar. In your typical "big Asian city", you have night markets, restaurants, shopping areas, etc. that all "come alive", so to speak, at night. Young, old, families, etc. are all welcome and expected. Yes, there are bars, of course, but they aren't the sole focus of "nightlife." In the US the only things open at night seem to be bars that cater to single adults, and anyone who wants to do anything but social drinking in crowded bars have few options.
- Taniwha 7y ago
  Partly that's climate - going out shopping when it's cooler during the hot season makes sense - plus it's hard to do a viable year-round outdoor night market somewhere where they publish the wind chill numbers through part of the year. In the west we do have movie theaters, cafes, but yeah, lots of bars
  - tempsy 7y ago
    I don’t think it’s a weather thing...it’s cultural. Same in places warm year round like LA. Cafes aren’t typically open late at all. And sure movie theaters are open but not really what I’m thinking about when I think of nightlife...
    - lakis 7y ago
      The reason is cultural is because the weather forces you to do things at afternoon/night when it has cooled down. I definitely believe that the culture has been influenced by the weather so ultimate it's the weather.
    - clairity 7y ago
      huh? cafes stay open late in LA. even most starbucks are open to 10 or 11pm. a number independent cafes stay open to 11pm or midnight, with some doing things like poetry/art/music/other events in the evenings. there are a bunch of independent theaters, resstaurants, and (outdoor) shopping areas that stay open late. even museums (e.g., the getty) have nightlife events going on.
drewcoo 7y ago
Reading I understand. Going to bars, sure. Combining them? I've been doing that for decades now. But swarming in large groups on social spaces and behaving antisocially? I'd honestly never considered that for some reason. What's next? Attend city council meetings just to play sudoku in large groups?
- glangdale 7y ago
  This is a rather mild version of being "antisocial". Maybe 'asocial'? From an external perspective, I don't see how these people doing what they feel like is any different from, say, a bunch of people going to a bar and paying attention to only the people they came with (which is very typical).
  - johnchristopher 7y ago
    Well, these are spaces supposedly optimised for conversations and it's kinda expected by customers to have that chatty vibe. What happens when someone hit them up "hey, what are you reading ?" Anyway, it's only an hour or a chapter long. Isn't book club an American thing though ? Never heard of one in Europe.
    - Tomte 7y ago
      > What happens when someone hit them up "hey, what are you reading ?" They probably reply, and depending on their mood, either engage in conversation or politely hint that they would like to keep reading. What normal people do in those situations. I think some commenters misunderstand what these people are doing. Nowhere in the article or the club's web site is any hint of expectation of silence and privacy. They won't go from table to table and ask the other patrons to please be quiet.
    - glangdale 7y ago
      Yes, an hour is hardly going to be the End of Everything. And just from sheer practicality, it seems likely that these people would go to bars in the off hours, as it's not like they're going to enjoy reading on a bangin' Saturday night at 11PM or later... I would imagine. It wouldn't be my thing, but hey, I used to go to a regular Friday evening bar 'blitz chess' session in Pittsburgh with a bunch of Russians who would get progressively more blitzed as the night progressed. As you can imagine this was viewed as a bit peculiar by fellow revelers. Though unlike the reading club, we were not... exactly... quiet.
wanderr 7y ago
I felt a bit awkward about bringing my kindle into a bookstore, but ultimately nobody cared. I've gone a couple of times (SF location), the drink selection is limited but not bad and it is a cozy spot to read for a while.
grogenaut 7y ago
Lol I lived above a bar for years in St. Louis and did all sorts of things there. We ran wow raids from there. It was great, can get food and drinks brought to you. Also great if the place has 9billion TVs so you can watch other social events like sports, or if you know the people more oddball events like Aussie Rules finals, Rubgy, eSports Tournaments, etc. Those are conversation starters! Fantasy football/baseball drafts, also great. Team meetings. You name it. It's a social meeting space. My fav was about 2005 someone gave me shit for using my laptop at the bar during Sunday NFL day, because that wasn't that normal yet. I was a regular so others looked at him wierd. About 10 minutes later dude walks back up to me and asks if he can change his fantasy. "Didn't you just give me shit?". He apologized and bought me my standard 2 long islands for sunday. Now a days, kindles or laptops at a bar is a good way to relax. I hate chilling in hotel rooms.
interblag 7y ago
As someone who travels alone a lot for work, few things would make me happier than if we could somehow normalize reading alone in a bar/pub. It's such an accepted practice in a coffee shop, but somehow in a bar you can still feel really out of place. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, at night bars are often the only comfortable place open. Meanwhile hotel rooms can get depressing and, for people who drink, having a drink alongside a book can be incredibly relaxing. I also think we underestimate the value for introverted people of being out in a public setting, even in an asocial way. Good on this group for using a bit of social engineering to help push this idea - wishing them all of the success in the world!
nudpiedo 7y ago
As regular reader I find the whole thing senseless, unless it is a way of promoting a local business in the Bay Area. Or it is just one more example of the typical anglosaxon‘s overselling culture. The whole article could be summarized as “some bars are offering a Time Slot for readers in the evenings as a selling claim and they advertise it in HN where supposedly are many people in the same geographical area where such establishments are located. They also believe to have invented fire because it is fashionable to be innovator in the SF/SV/HN culture.”
munmaek 7y ago
I do this from time to time with a portable chess set. Highly recommend it!
around_here 7y ago
The fabulous “introvert” revolution of people loudly superior to the rest with all your fellow introverts.
- scarejunba 7y ago
  Genuinely find this recent phenomenon of loudly proclaiming ones introversion bizarre.

84 points by hodgesrm 7y ago

You know I think they have this kind of a thing already, it’s called a library. I guess the Innovation here is that you can order drinks.

thrwaway69 7y ago
You can order beverages and food in some libraries (self service). No idea about alcohol. Actually, is there something for reading together on your computer or phone? KindleSync? See what virtual groups are reading, join, socialize and discuss online with integration to existing online food delivery services.
toomuchtodo 7y ago
If my library had a bar (it already has free parking, coworking desks, conference rooms, copy machines, and WiFi), I’d never leave. Just build condos above so I had someplace to sleep at night. Or just add showers, I can sleep in my car.
- hindsightbias 7y ago
  I wonder if universities still have 24 hour libraries. We used to live there. Slept there many times.
  - zzleeper 7y ago
    Many do. It's amazing having a big space to read, work, think, etc. at 1am on a weekday (this might not apply if you have a 9-5 job, are married or have kids, etc)
- jen20 7y ago
  The (relatively new) Austin central library built a restaurant/cafe as part of it. I’ve long thought that if it turned into a bar in the evening it could generate substantial income for whatever administration runs the library. But it doesn’t - though I’ve heard good things about the food, I’ve never actually been in...
  - ozfive 7y ago
    Seattle public library has a cafe area that I thought could be turned into a bar/dance area at night also...
ssivark 7y ago
But most libraries are supposed to be quiet zones which discourage talking and socializing. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean libraries need to be #disrupted... they’re good at what they’ve for. So this kind of thing seems like a nice idea in that it gives people more avenues for healthy behavior, while possibly making it more exciting.
fzeroracer 7y ago
There's a strong cultural difference in how a library and a bar is viewed though. If you're going to a library it's meant more of a quiet affair, and trying to strike up conversations with others is more likely to annoy them. Plus depending on where you're at, it's more likely that a bar is going to be open than your local public library. At least that's true for where I'm at.
et-al 7y ago
Except many libraries aren't open past 7pm on the weekends. Sometimes you just want a clean, well-lighted place to read into the night.
- xmprt 7y ago
  None of the bars that I've been to would qualify as clean or well-lit. Are they common?
- Stratoscope 7y ago
  > a clean, well-lighted place This brings back fond and sad memories... https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Clean-Well-Lighted-Place-dimming-2492799.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Clean-W...
shortandsweet 7y ago
Have you been to your local library? It's likely filled with mental ill and homeless.
- rhexs 7y ago
  While this is a rather crude way to describe the issue, the homeless are increasingly taking shelter in libraries during the day. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/06/03/give-them-shelter-library-camping-bans/ https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/06/03/give-them-s... It's certainly a problem, but it's one of the (many) that no one wants to address and instead continually ignore.
  - hbcondo714 7y ago
    While between jobs, I went to the local library near my spouse's work in Marina Del Rey, CA. They provided fast and free wifi along with power outlets so it worked for me but it also attracted a lot of homeless. They had portable DVD players and would just sit and watch movies all day. Sometimes the librarians would ask the homeless to leave b/c their aroma was so foul (especially when it rained), would burst out obscenities or bring in a lot of belongings. I eventually ended up paying for a co-working space. On this article though, my spouse and I aren't into drinking but enjoy being out late so we find going to boba cafes to be ideal. The ones around us are open until 11pm, serve snacks & drinks and provide wifi. It even makes us feel young and hip because most of the patrons are high school and college kids who can't drink yet and spend time on their laptops too.

t34543 7y ago

Bars in places you least expect them can feel like an oasis. I recently discovered many Nordstrom’s have bars, with rather tasty cocktails. I’m happy to oblige the occasional shopping trip now.

g82918 7y ago
> many Nordstrom's One no apostrophe(or if Nordstrom's Rack then apostrophe after the s). Two, I have never in my life been in a Nordstrom that had a bar, where are these? Edit: Sorry for the grammar stuff, I just passed TOEFL.
- Stratoscope 7y ago
  > Sorry for the grammar stuff, I just passed TOEFL. [1] Congratulations for passing that! It is difficult to know when to offer a spelling or grammar correction and when to just let it go. Especially if you are new to the language and excited about what you have learned. Will you be helping someone who isn't sure of the right way to spell it, or was it just a simple typoe? After all, pretty much every native English speaker has trouble with where to put the apostrophe's. So my friend, welcome to our wild and funny and inconsistent language that we call "English" but draws from pretty much every other language in the world and inherits all of their quirks. p.s. I also want to know which Nordstrom store has a bar! [1] "Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL /ˈtoʊfəl/ TOH-fəl) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_of_English_as_a_Foreign_Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_of_English_as_a_Foreign_L...
  - _wzsf 7y ago
    He's right, though. "Norstroms" is valid. You didn't need to make such a condescending comment.
    - Stratoscope 7y ago
      > "Norstroms" is valid. Well, strictly speaking, that may not quite be the case, eh? > You didn't need to make such a condescending comment. Now you have me at a disadvantage. I honestly did not mean any condescension. I meant the comment as light-hearted, humorous, and supportive advice. The mention of "typoe" and "apostrophe's" was in that spirit: even those of us who grew up speaking English often get it wrong. The wonderful thing about English is that even when you do get the "rules" wrong, it may still be cool as long as people understand what you meant. If I said something that came across as condescending or mean-spirited, could you help me and share the specifics, so I can do better next time? Thanks!

Y-Bopinator 7y ago

Can’t wait for the South Park episode making fun of this

tempsy 7y ago

After spending the holidays in Hong Kong and Taipei I realized how annoying it is in the US to find anything to do at night or on weekends that doesn't involve going to a bar. In your typical "big Asian city", you have night markets, restaurants, shopping areas, etc. that all "come alive", so to speak, at night. Young, old, families, etc. are all welcome and expected. Yes, there are bars, of course, but they aren't the sole focus of "nightlife." In the US the only things open at night seem to be bars that cater to single adults, and anyone who wants to do anything but social drinking in crowded bars have few options.

Taniwha 7y ago
Partly that's climate - going out shopping when it's cooler during the hot season makes sense - plus it's hard to do a viable year-round outdoor night market somewhere where they publish the wind chill numbers through part of the year. In the west we do have movie theaters, cafes, but yeah, lots of bars
- tempsy 7y ago
  I don’t think it’s a weather thing...it’s cultural. Same in places warm year round like LA. Cafes aren’t typically open late at all. And sure movie theaters are open but not really what I’m thinking about when I think of nightlife...
  - lakis 7y ago
    The reason is cultural is because the weather forces you to do things at afternoon/night when it has cooled down. I definitely believe that the culture has been influenced by the weather so ultimate it's the weather.
  - clairity 7y ago
    huh? cafes stay open late in LA. even most starbucks are open to 10 or 11pm. a number independent cafes stay open to 11pm or midnight, with some doing things like poetry/art/music/other events in the evenings. there are a bunch of independent theaters, resstaurants, and (outdoor) shopping areas that stay open late. even museums (e.g., the getty) have nightlife events going on.

drewcoo 7y ago

Reading I understand. Going to bars, sure. Combining them? I've been doing that for decades now. But swarming in large groups on social spaces and behaving antisocially? I'd honestly never considered that for some reason. What's next? Attend city council meetings just to play sudoku in large groups?

glangdale 7y ago
This is a rather mild version of being "antisocial". Maybe 'asocial'? From an external perspective, I don't see how these people doing what they feel like is any different from, say, a bunch of people going to a bar and paying attention to only the people they came with (which is very typical).
- johnchristopher 7y ago
  Well, these are spaces supposedly optimised for conversations and it's kinda expected by customers to have that chatty vibe. What happens when someone hit them up "hey, what are you reading ?" Anyway, it's only an hour or a chapter long. Isn't book club an American thing though ? Never heard of one in Europe.
  - Tomte 7y ago
    > What happens when someone hit them up "hey, what are you reading ?" They probably reply, and depending on their mood, either engage in conversation or politely hint that they would like to keep reading. What normal people do in those situations. I think some commenters misunderstand what these people are doing. Nowhere in the article or the club's web site is any hint of expectation of silence and privacy. They won't go from table to table and ask the other patrons to please be quiet.
  - glangdale 7y ago
    Yes, an hour is hardly going to be the End of Everything. And just from sheer practicality, it seems likely that these people would go to bars in the off hours, as it's not like they're going to enjoy reading on a bangin' Saturday night at 11PM or later... I would imagine. It wouldn't be my thing, but hey, I used to go to a regular Friday evening bar 'blitz chess' session in Pittsburgh with a bunch of Russians who would get progressively more blitzed as the night progressed. As you can imagine this was viewed as a bit peculiar by fellow revelers. Though unlike the reading club, we were not... exactly... quiet.

wanderr 7y ago

I felt a bit awkward about bringing my kindle into a bookstore, but ultimately nobody cared. I've gone a couple of times (SF location), the drink selection is limited but not bad and it is a cozy spot to read for a while.

grogenaut 7y ago

Lol I lived above a bar for years in St. Louis and did all sorts of things there. We ran wow raids from there. It was great, can get food and drinks brought to you. Also great if the place has 9billion TVs so you can watch other social events like sports, or if you know the people more oddball events like Aussie Rules finals, Rubgy, eSports Tournaments, etc. Those are conversation starters! Fantasy football/baseball drafts, also great. Team meetings. You name it. It's a social meeting space. My fav was about 2005 someone gave me shit for using my laptop at the bar during Sunday NFL day, because that wasn't that normal yet. I was a regular so others looked at him wierd. About 10 minutes later dude walks back up to me and asks if he can change his fantasy. "Didn't you just give me shit?". He apologized and bought me my standard 2 long islands for sunday. Now a days, kindles or laptops at a bar is a good way to relax. I hate chilling in hotel rooms.

interblag 7y ago

As someone who travels alone a lot for work, few things would make me happier than if we could somehow normalize reading alone in a bar/pub. It's such an accepted practice in a coffee shop, but somehow in a bar you can still feel really out of place. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, at night bars are often the only comfortable place open. Meanwhile hotel rooms can get depressing and, for people who drink, having a drink alongside a book can be incredibly relaxing. I also think we underestimate the value for introverted people of being out in a public setting, even in an asocial way. Good on this group for using a bit of social engineering to help push this idea - wishing them all of the success in the world!

nudpiedo 7y ago

As regular reader I find the whole thing senseless, unless it is a way of promoting a local business in the Bay Area. Or it is just one more example of the typical anglosaxon‘s overselling culture. The whole article could be summarized as “some bars are offering a Time Slot for readers in the evenings as a selling claim and they advertise it in HN where supposedly are many people in the same geographical area where such establishments are located. They also believe to have invented fire because it is fashionable to be innovator in the SF/SV/HN culture.”

munmaek 7y ago

I do this from time to time with a portable chess set. Highly recommend it!

around_here 7y ago

The fabulous “introvert” revolution of people loudly superior to the rest with all your fellow introverts.

scarejunba 7y ago
Genuinely find this recent phenomenon of loudly proclaiming ones introversion bizarre.