I get around to a lot of coffee shops as these are the places that I get the majority of my work done.  I try working from home, but there are too many distractions that I can’t seem to get anything done.  The key thing that allows me to get work done is that most of the coffee shops around have free Wi-fi which I love.  And when I am there I buy a lot of coffee and treats to so that I have the energy to keep going.

The first place that I am going to be reviewing is The Daily Grind.  Why?  Well that is where I am sitting while I am writing this, so it only makes sense.

The Daily Grind is situated in behind the magazine part of the shop on Spring Garden Road in Halifax Nova Scotia.  They have a variety of baked goods to go with their coffee, along with sandwiches, and an all day breakfast.

Where you can find The Daily Grind

The tables in the seating area are huge and you can very comfortably sit 4 people and there is still lots of room.  It is usually quiet, with just some friendly chatter going on around you.  I first found the place when I was still in University at DalTech and I was trying to find a quiet place to study.  The alternatives at the time were the Second Cup and SteveRenos (both which I will review next time I am in) and they were both far too noisy.  I credit this place for me passes Signal Analysis all those years ago. 

The Pros:

The coffee here is decent and when you get a cup to stay you get one free refill, which is a step up on a lot of places that simply give you a discount on the refills.  They also have a large variety of teas, if you are into that sort of thing.

The tables allow for some great sitting and if you are just looking for some place to unwind you can come in, buy a magazine and sit down with a coffee and samosa and read.  And like I mentioned before, the tables are large enough that you can sit down with a couple of people and spread your work out to get some real stuff done.

The Cons:

NO FREE WIFI.

This is usually a huge deal, but for me I like to think that it is a plus, when I plan for it.  I come here when I have a lot of writing, reading, or other work that does not require me to be online.  This keeps me away from twitter, my google reader and other distractions that the internet has abundantly available.

Up until recently the WIFI problem was not a big one.  Your Fathers Moustache was just next door and they had their own free wi-fi open, but they have since gone to the dreaded Aliant Hot-Spot and since I don’t have them at home I am stuck to pay if I want access, which I refuse to do.

Another con that for some is huge and others not so much is that as far as I can tell the coffee is not fair trade.  Typically around the city the coffee vendors have taken to loudly announcing if it is as a selling feature forthe socially aware public.

Conclusion

The Daily Grind is a great place to come to get some serious work done with a coffee in hand and some great fresh baked goods, or an all day breakfast.  I like to sit by the back windows so that I can keep track on what is going on outside, and if it is nasty I will grab another coffee and hope that the weather is going to clear up before I head home

So what I am going to do is make a post about some of the people that I find interesting and why. Some of them are muscians, politicians (although there are not a lot of them) and just people that I have met. If they are a public figure I will be sure to mention who they are and where you can support them, if they aren’t well….I will be secretive.