A Third Place
by Avir Waxman
It’s your lunch break. You think about going to the cafeteria to grab some food. But you’re tired of eating at a table by yourself, surrounded by people absorbed in their phones.
You’re tired. It’s been a long day, and all you want to do is relax. But you don’t want to go home yet. Your roommates keep to themselves, and it’s so far away that nobody ever wants to come over.
Work, home, work, home, work, home. Life just seems to revolve around those two locations, doesn’t it? You need somewhere friendlier, somewhere cozier, somewhere that isn’t where you live and somewhere that isn’t where you work: a Third Place.
Third Places have always been important parts of any community — they are the glue which binds the community together. At home, we find ourselves on our own, and at work we are focused on specific tasks. Neither of these places offer a space to relax with or meet new people. It used to be that Third Places, areas such as churches or parks where the community came together to mix and mingle, were common. Third Places are distinct not only because they offer a space for members of the community to come and interact with each other, but it allows them to do so without the hindrances one would find in other areas. They are wholesome, accessible, neutral places where people go to chat. It’s hard to find community in a secluded bar secreted away in a corner of the city or in a club where you can’t hear the person next to you. Third Places, on the other hand, act as a kind of communal living room.
But in an urban environment where communities are constantly in flux, such stable centers of community interaction are weak. It can leave us feeling isolated, without any larger group to be a part of.
We’re looking for a way to get you out of the apartment and put you in touch with faces both familiar and new. An offers an environment free of the hierarchy of the workplace, and focuses on in-depth conversations, brushing past the superficial chatter of networking. A spot to engage with people on a personal level, a spot to connect — a spot like Socialhaus.
We’re building a space which revives the life and spirit of the Third Place. In short: we’re building a community.
Follow us on Instagram @socialhausco
Visit our pop-up! meetup.com/socialhaus
