The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

Expecting a rehash of many of the now famous concepts of the "New Urbanism", I delayed actually reading this book for a long time. When I finally did it knocked me for a lovely, dizzy, exciting loop! Oldenburg may have put his finger directly on the reason why life in modern America has such an un-balanced, edgy, distressed feel to it. Bad planning! 50 years of letting officials and corporations extinguish our corner taverns, drugstores and other hang-outs has resulted in the extinguishing of our public lives. Something that work and family simply cannot compensate us for. And Oldenburg makes his surprisingly compelling case for these humblest of structures in a refreshingly brash, cranky tone. I began reading this book because of a certain technical interest and ended with my view of American life being, perhaps forever altered.

When was the last time you walked to your friendly, neighborhood tavern to shoot the breeze with the regulars? Oh, that's right. There is no such place. Find out why you'd be happier if there were.