I used to go to Star Bucks here in Panorama city. I stopped because if one wants to write and be ignored Star Bucks doesn't serve that purpose. Always, but always, there is some lonely soul looking for a conversation partner. And writing in such a place seems to be the equivalent of having a neon sign above one's head saying, "Talk to me." So, I abandoned my local Magic Johnson Star Buck's.
Going to Carl's in the morning is nice as I have a pristine view of the street there. No one talks to me. But who'd thought that Carl's would be a regular haunt for a number of regulars. Most seem alone-really alone. There is a woman who comes everyday who sits with a depressed expression on her face. There is an elderly man who sits alone and eats the same chicken salad almost everyday. And then there are regular types: people waiting for a train, kids trying to bum dollars off of customers, blue-collar types and others.
What is most different about the whole environment is that in my childhood there were both speakers of English and Spanish. Now, for the most part, Spanish is the more common language in these parts, so I only have to step out my front door to practice it.
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