I’m declaring Thursday night a success. I arrived fifteen minutes before the scheduled 6:00 start and had no trouble getting the table I wanted. At this hour on this evening, I pretty much had my pick of tables, which means people not wishing to sit with the group (one hundred percent a welcome approach!) could have sat nearby while still being part of the activity.

Two physical books and an Amazon Kindle next to a glass of beer and two  hippos.
If you see two hippos resting atop a book, you’ll know you’ve found me! Not necessarily these two hippos and not necessarily this book!

I received a few regrets from people who wanted to be there, and one person did join me, my friend Michelle, who I know from high school. Michelle read a Tana French novel. I finished Anne McCaffrey’s Dragondrums (a re-read from eighth grade) and began Dave Eggers’s The Eyes & the Impossible.

Here’s what was good:

  • Plenty of seating
  • Good food and drink nearby
  • …including affordable glasses of beer at the Puka, which you can drink at the outside tables
  • Chill vibe
  • No pressure to spend money if you don’t want to
  • Lots of free parking
  • All-ages friendly
  • Easy to find
  • Easy to scope out if you want to inspect the situation before joining or not joining
  • Pretty good bathrooms
  • Keeping in mind it’s impossible to call any location universally accessible, I think accessibility is especially good here

Here are the negatives:

  • Birds. And their leavings. I had to dip several napkins in my beer so I could wipe the table and benches. This wasn’t a HUGE problem, but who knows if the birds were just being kind this evening? I will bring paper towels and a spray bottle next time, just in case.
  • The seats get a little uncomfy after an hour. I stood and read for the last 45 minutes I was there.
  • The bathrooms are not especially close.
  • Last call at the Puka this evening was 7:15ish. The bar closes at 8 on most nights, and I’m not sure when last call is on a typical evening.
  • I didn’t save enough time before the event began for grabbing a bite at Whole Foods Market because the lines in there were long!
  • Diminishing light meant I used the light on my phone to read my physical book. It’s a minor inconvenience to me, but I can see how that might bother a lot of readers.
  • If it rains, we’ll have to seek tables inside, of which there were plenty this evening, but perhaps on a rainy evening there won’t be.
I’ll try to get this big round table. You, of course, are free to sit anywhere!

All in all, I consider this a strong location for this monthly activity because of the pluses. As we gain momentum, I would like to keep the one regular monthly meetup friendly to all ages with no pressure to spend money, while adding a second monthly meetup somewhere more grownup-oriented, such as a bar, a brewpub, or a lounge.

Our next meetup will be in the same place: Kahala Mall, outside, in front of Whole Foods Market. I’ll try again to be at the big round table, and you’ll know you’ve found me if you see two hippos resting atop a book. Hope to see you there!