My new “third place”, at least when I’m in Washington

So, here I am in Washington, DC for a meeting with people at the Canadian Embassy and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I’ve been in town now for less than two hours and, after checking in to my hotel, have wandered across the street to Open City, a fab café that has free wireless and bills itself as wanting to be your “third place” (i.e. your home and office are the other two).

Although Canada is surely not high on the agenda here in the American capital, my taxi followed a car with a Canada flag almost all the way from the airport to the hotel, the people at a table close by have been talking about Canada for a while now, and suddenly The Tragically Hip are playing on the speakers here at the café.

Talk about making a lonesome Canuck feel at home!