My Life Without Loosecubes
Part 3: I’m a Cheater
What can I say? I couldn’t resist the urge to work out of one of our Loosecubes locations after all. In my defense, I had booked Porter Contemporary for the day well before I found out I was going to be on the road all week. I thought it would be best to keep my original reservation, so that I could have a fresh perspective on the differences between working in public spaces and working in Loosecubes.
My experience at this quaint art gallery in Chelsea was seamless. I had been messaging with the host for a few days before arriving, and she told me that although she would be arriving late, her staff member would be there to help me get settled in. When I entered the gallery, I was greeted with a smile and shown to my desk by none other than the aforementioned staff member, Stephany. She and I chatted briefly about how she had come to work at the gallery, and she explained that they were preparing for an opening that night. Shortly thereafter, Jessica (the host) walked in, and while we were talking she invited me to the very event Stephany had referenced moments earlier. Amazing. In 30 minutes of arriving at my Loosecube, I met two awesome women and was invited to an art opening. Unfortunately, for me, I had a meeting scheduled in Union Square in the late afternoon, so I’d have to cut out before the wine started flowing. I worked until 3:30pm, said my goodbyes to everyone, and headed for the subway. But where was I going to work after my meeting ended?
When I arrived at Dogpatch Labs for my meeting with Trevor from Lean Startup Machine, I was blown away. It wasn’t so much the space as it was the people. Right off the bat, Trevor started introducing me to all of the other startups around the space. I knew immediately that this was the social interaction I had been missing all week.
Despite the fact that I hadn’t booked ahead of time, Trevor let me snag the extra desk at LSM’s pod (they share on Loosecubes for free). I was able to wrap up a couple of outstanding work items and wound up having so much fun, that I almost didn’t want to leave. It was a strong reminder that I still haven’t been able to find a public space that could match the community elements of a Loosecube. I’m starting to think that might not ever happen. Only time will tell I guess. Back into the wild frontier of coffee shops I go!
