When doing homework, and in particular when studying for exams, sometimes I like to get away from my normal study spaces. Personally, I spend a lot of time in the library throughout the year, but as it gets closer to finals week, the library gets more and more crowded - and I like to find other places instead.
As a native of Amherst, MA, a 5-college town, I am used to having plenty of coffee shops/bakeries to choose from as a place to do homework. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find even one in Norton (although there is an abundance of Dunkin Donuts!). While the Lyons Den seems like a great place, it is not open in the morning or afternoon, when I most often want the caffeine boost and a place to work. Currently, I am writing from a Barnes and Noble Cafe in Medway, MA - about a 20-minute drive from Wheaton. While Barnes and Noble is certainly not the same as a local coffee shop, it provides a similar atmosphere; one that is conducive to doing homework.
On the outside, this Barnes and Noble does not appear to be a nice study space. It is just off the highway, and part of a strip-mall, surrounded by a Market Basket, Moe's Southwest Grill, Staples, and McDonalds. However, on the inside, the cafe is a place where people can get a warm drink and spend an extended (or short) period of time reading a magazine, a new book, or in my case doing school work. Although the cafe is within a strip-mall, it does not feel that way on the inside, because there are so many other people around who are also there to do work or sit and read. We talked in class about the ability of food to create an experience. The warm drinks create a cozy atmosphere that makes you want to stay, and the other foods that are available (pizza, bagels, quiche, scones, cakes, muffins) allow consumers to stay for an extended period of time. The ugly strip-mall atmosphere is transformed into a peaceful place where people can sit and do work, or relax after hours of shopping.
While the strip-mall Barnes and Noble cafe is not my first preference for a place to do homework, it beats any of the other options in Norton - namely Dunkin Donuts or an overly crowded library. However, I do think that the town of Norton would be greatly improved by the addition of just one coffee shop.
