Maybe bizarre. My happy place is a new brewery taproom.
Visiting some different places. Experiencing what other beer fanatics have set up as their special place. Tasting what they’ve been able to put together. Looking for that “diamond in the rough”. Tasting a beer from a small spot that’s great or even better than some of the best.
I’ve been to several hundred around the U.S. and 7 countries. It’s a fun and tasty hobby.
I second that. I travel a lot for work, sometimes a bit obscure places (as in not touristic destinations), and I always try to find the odd tap room or micro brewery. It’s often hit or miss, but stumbling upon the rare gem every once in a while always feels really good. Bonus points if the head brewer is there and it’s a slow day so they have time to chat beer and brewing. And even in the well known areas, it’s fun to sift through the touristy hipster “more-show-than-anything” places to finally arrive at one which has said vibe. Had a week in Portland, OR, and visited about a dozen or so places, and from the over marketed polished hip joint with mediocre beer to the “here’s a bar and some stools thrown into the brewery hall” with absolutely stunning brews it had everything.
Nice
Empty places where you can see the horizon but there is no evidence of humanity. It makes me feel the vastness of time, or like I’m outside of time in a way. Its hard to describe but I find it peaceful and it makes me appreciate being alive.
A workshop.
All those tools with dedicated reasons for existing. All those improvised tools that are highly specialized. All the scraps and leftovers saved for some unknown day in the future. The whole vibe is opportunity to create.
Sand dunes and beaches of the outer banks in NC/SC US. The sights, sounds, and smells are amazing.
Trees. Love me some dense forests, shaded paths, little bits of creeks, but it’s all down to the trees for me. I am lucky enough to own my home and it won not because the house was perfect but because of the five mature oak trees in the backyard.
My basement.
Personally, I’m partial to location, location.
Love about everything outdoors around here, but the swamps are special. There’s one right down the street where I kayak. Teeming with life! Bugs are no issue once you get a few feet from shore. The dragonflies do not allow anything alive over the waterline.
If you really drill towards the back, there’s a monster rookery of some kind. Great Ibises I think? Hoping to spy a gator some day. There almost has to be one in there given the size of the area and food supply. Tried looking for eyeballs one night, nada.
Anyway, it’s peaceful. My wife and I have tied our kayaks together and just floated in the night.
Coffee shops. I don’t know why. I just really enjoy sitting in them and having a coffee, especially if they have nice cushy couches or chairs.
College campuses. They almost always make me think that’s what utopia would be like.
yeah that’s really true
That’s quite the surprise, as I’ve had exactly the opposite response.
Usually campuses are the only places rationally designed to be highly accessible to people. So they can be walked. You can go from place A to place B on foot, usually under shade, either from a canopy, tree sided paths, or human scale adequately proportioned buildings. They also tend to consider and include amenities like parks, snack and drink stands, on the way. And also several cool third places like libraries, auditoriums, study halls, athleticism stadiums and cafeterias. Places where you can exist and occupy without having to consume. Finally, they usually confine cars to parking lots and prohibit their traffic inside the campus, making it a quieter and clean air space.
My point is, college campuses are sometimes literally how humans are the happiest to live.
Add: also consider how sometimes luxury resorts resemble the layouts and characteristics of college campuses. Self contained spaces where you can go everywhere and engage in all activities without having to sit on a car.
Bed. Sleeping is the best.
I love the beach, probably because I grew up here. It’s the division between land and water. In the daytime it’s relaxing and hot. Everyone is nearly naked no matter their shape. Once when I was a teenager we went at night when the phosphorescent algae were in the water and it was so magical, you could wave your hand through the water and a trail of light would follow it.
Love sleeping above a dance club, too, or when a neighbor is having a party. The thumpy muted music coming from below in particular I just find so relaxing and sort of trippy, I love the sleep I get in those conditions.
I love liminal spaces so much. Not the cg nonsense ones with the weird pools or endless test cell rooms but real ones. Hallways that fell crammed into buildings, like they build the rooms before realizing they need to be accessible. Rooms that have been converted into other rooms but will have the remnants of it’s original use, like a stairway turned closet that still has the stairs as woefully inefficient shelves. Bedrooms that still have piping for the kitchen appliances that used to be there. Legal offices turned into studio apartments.
I love things like this.
What aspect of this appeals to you? I’m having a hard time understanding the appeal of it.
I liken it to the feeling of a room you’ve just reorganized or when the seasonal lighting changes and everything feels familiar but just a little different. These spaces feel like but permanent. It’s not uncomfortable, just not common. Spending time in these places helps me think about the way things are arranged.
Thanks for the perspective, that makes sense!
Storm drains under the city. Started exploring them in the 90s and only stopped in recent years. Great for photography and a super fun hobby for someone who fucking hates people and likes being in total solitude lol. There’s a bunch of online communities for it where I used share my photos and such. Even created a legend of sorts in Tulsa with a big ass project of painting the coordinates for every tunnel entrance in the city. It’s called the drain atlas.
Anyone looking for a fun but semi risky hobby check out draining.
I met a guy named Sam Pate. He was a radio man and was live during the JFK shooting. He said that at that time the drains were big enough for a person to easily slip into. He said the real shooter escaped that way and was on his way back to Chicago before Oswald was arrested.
I explored the hell out of those drains! I grew up in Dallas. They’re way more than easy enough for a person to fit through. You could fit a damn car through them. They’re actually a pretty famous tunnel in the draining community. Dallas is where I started my draining career lol. I’ll have to dig up some photos of that drain and show you some time. If I remember correctly we called it elm Street tunnel. It was caked in deposits as it was so old. Even had stairs in it, was really strange. Surprised I never put that together. We used to smoke weed on the grassy knoll and then explore the tunnels…
Places that are abandoned, even for just a few hours. Old home that was just walked away from years ago. Mall or airport that’s just closed for the night. Chernobyl. They all have a vibe of once having life, but no longer that makes me feel like an archeologist or something.
Being at a concert for the soundcheck, when things are getting set up, that feels so good too, or opening at any business, being there before any customers arrive. That calm before the storm moment has a particular feeling I like.
