I write from the Boulder Coffee Co. in the South Wedge of Rochester, New York. The Boulder Coffee Co. is an unfortunate and boring name for a coffee house that is otherwise very cool. Lots of saggy couches, original and mismatched artwork, exposed brick, a stage area. Also, excellent music (Mermaid Avenue was playing when I came in).
This morning I attended the Stronger Together conference, put on by the Planned Parenthoods of Western New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Finger Lakes, and Hudson Valley. It was a fun day, filled with faces I hadn’t seen in a while. Shelby Knox, of the Education of Shelby Knox, was the keynote and she did a great job. She’s super friendly and accessible and 22 years old. She hung around for the rest of the conference and it was pretty clear that she loves what she does, which is travel around the country giving talks about feminism and repro rights.
Later tonight I’m having dinner with two of my professors from college at their house in Rochester. I’d been planning on killing the few hours in between the conference and dinner by visiting my favorite used book store (maybe ever) on Monroe Avenue: the Brown Bag Bookshop. Tragically, the store appears to have closed. When I saw the “For Rent” sign in the window a little piece of me died.
I drove around aimlessly for a little bit until I found this coffee shop (it’s gotten way less cool, by the way, the free wifi they advertise is only working, like, 30% of the time) and now here I am. It’s been a very Whitney-in-college kind of day: conference on a campus, struggle to find parking, Geneseo friends past and present, visit to Brown Bag (kind of) and Abundance Co-op, dinner with Ken & Caroline.
It’s funny though, the college-like activity I found myself enjoying the most–the thing I’m almost feeling nostalgic for–was the aimless wandering. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a time in my life more self-indulgent than my four years of undergrad and I don’t think I’d really want to return to it, to be honest. But man, it was nice this afternoon to just not know where I was going or what I’d do or how I’d find it.
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courtney - Tragically, the store appears to have closed. When I saw the “For Rent” sign in the window a little piece of me died.
Oh man.
Boo to that.
whitney - What I did not add is that my “mouth hung open in shock.” You know, like Bella’s.