With a coffee house.

My DH has been out of town, and we’ve been house-bound because of the snow. As you can imagine, I’ve been going stir crazy locked in the house with my three Gremlins. So when my brother showed up today, out of the blue, and offered to watch my kids so I could escape for a few hours, there was no way I was saying no.

I took the laptop and went in search of someplace quiet to work. Starbucks was too busy (and I knew I’d run into too many friends there). The newly refurbished coffee house just down the block from Starbucks closed too early. Desperate for the quiet, I went off in search of someplace else, and, to my surprise, I found the most amazing little coffee house tucked away in the most unlikely place. This cafe is adorable – quiet, cozy, trendy and chic, sorta like Central Perk on Friends. They serve coffee in those great big mugs, and they have sugar free mochas! (beat that, Starbucks!). I sat in this big, plush purple chair right next to the fireplace and typed my little heart out. Wrote a whole chapter in two hours. I was completely inspired. No one asked me to make them a snack. No one tugged on my pants or whined in my ear. The coffee lady even left me alone to work! It was heaven. It also didn’t hurt that there was no internet access so there was no temptation to log on to the web and waste time.

This is going to be my new favorite hangout. I can’t wait to go back.

Where’s your favorite place to escape and write (or read)?