A Third Place in the Village

Pacific Grove, California

Recently, my partner and I took the bus to the nearby village of Pacific Grove (often called “PG”) just to hang out. I was looking for a “third place.” PG has perhaps a half dozen such places, including the popular BookWorks (with both a coffee shop and bookshop) and newcomer Pop and Hiss (with its bar and patio); even the local Sudz Cyber Laundry has a slightly third place vibe, with its friendly staff, local art, and over-the-top holiday decorations.¹

We thought we would check out the old Juice n’ Java coffee shop to see how it’s been faring. It’s now called The PG Meetinghouse, and I notice they have added alcohol drinks to the menu. They still have live music and Trivia nights. And is it my imagination, or has the Meetinghouse taken on a slightly more psychedelic hue since the last time I was there? A hallucinatory frog under a mushroom smiles at me knowingly from the pillow on the opposite couch. I wonder what the Methodists who founded PG would think of that.

I like the plushy couches and easy chairs for customers. But once you get settled in one of those things, you just sink—and you don’t feel like getting up again. If you want to study or get some writing done, it’s better to sit at one of the tables on a wooden chair. You’ll get no studying done on this couch.

It was a quiet afternoon in the cafe. There were a few small groups chatting, and a few students studying at the tables. Some non-obtrusive music was playing on the cafe sound system. Sinking into the couch was like leaning back into your grandpa’s old orthopedic rocking chair; I found myself practically on my back, staring up at the old-fashioned tin ceiling—a decorative choice that I appreciate. A new blue banner just under the ceiling informed me that this establishment is entirely “For PG” and “By PG.”

I brought some postcards and pens to make mail art, and start drawing something that seems to “vibe” with the decor of the place. That’s my partner’s blue-jeaned knee next to mine. ;-)

Later, at the counter, I learn that the artist who made the pillow designs, as well as the art on the walls, is Jeff Sax.

After hanging out there for awhile, we set out for a local thrift store where I bought another pair of jeans. I don’t know if you noticed, but the jeans I was wearing in the above photo were ripped at the knee.

Walking to the bus stop, I saw a message someone found important enough to etch into wet cement on the sidewalk:

Then we sat at the bus stop on Lighthouse Ave. in downtown PG, but we were in full shade and the ocean breeze was freezing!² A crow landed on the street lamp above us and told us we should move.

In search of warmth, we walked over to a different bus bench in full sunlight (a relief!) on Fountain Avenue. Our view from the bus bench faced Hazara Rug Cleaning & Repair, which occupied an old warehouse complex:

Nearby was the sign for Gardner’s Alley. If you look further down the hill to the west, you can see Monterey Bay. Gardner’s Alley used to be a narrow, unkempt lot full of weeds until the city took it on as a special improvement project, which spiffed up the location for Hauk Fine Arts. PG’s Facebook page shows before and after photos.

We got a ride home on the same MST #1 route that took us to PG. Behind the bus driver’s seat was a sign informing people of their rights—you know, just in case ICE might want to deport you? Gracias, MST!

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LINKS

• Why “third places” matter—or why you should “never take your local coffee shop for granted.”

• “The Great Places Erased by Suburbia (the Third Place)” from Nebula.tv:

• Remembering Gerry Low-Sabado³ and the Chinese Fishing Village at Point Alones, Pacific Grove. By Ibis Media for the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History:

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Thanks for reading A Crooked Mile. My main Substack newsletter Eulipion Outpost focuses on intersections of history, art, and culture. I also have an artist’s website.

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1. To say they go all out for Halloween is an understatement.

2. This is coming from a lifetime central California resident who has no idea what “cold” really is.

3. I met Gerry Low-Sabado while doing volunteer work for Asian Cultural Experience of Salinas Chinatown. She passed on a few years ago, and we miss her.