Writing spots: Costa Coffee on Dawson street

So I’ve recently started doing the majority of my writing in cafés and other places that are not my home. (I also recently bought a Mac. I know, I’ve become the enemy)

Some places are better than others for a variety of reasons so I’ve decided to write about why this is just in case it helps anyone else who needs a quiet spot in the city to write. I will source my images from the internet. I know I’m about three quarters of the way towards mutating into a hipster but I refuse to start taking pictures of my food and coffee just yet.

The corner or Dawson and Nassau Street

PROS

  • good coffee, prices are okay depending on what you order. Good cakes and food too. So it has passed the first hurdle.
  • Wifi Access
  • loyalty cards if you’re into that kind of thing (personally I keep losing them and don’t have the patience for points systems. I got rid of mine once I realised I had more empty loyalty cards than money in my purse.
  • very pretty, nice surroundings, and a fireplace that I really hope they light in the winter time
  • very central, very convenient if you’re in town
  • the music is not unbearable
  • they don’t seem to mind you eating food from outside. I was blatantly eating a kit-kat with my coffee and no-one said anything

CONS

  • the WiFi is kind of crap, it’s that bitbuzz thing which periodically logs you off and is just generally annoying
  • no sockets to charge your computer (or else the sockets are very well hidden)
  • It’s a bit too central. I went in for a bit of quiet writing and immediately ran into a friend I haven’t seen in years so got distracted talking to them. The last few times I was in this Costa I ran into people I know and I’m not even from Dublin
  • I sat down and a family with small children sat next to me. Now this was distracting enough with the loud talking and fidgeting and spilling their drinks everywhere and interrupting me to ask about my computer, but it was also kind of awkward because I was in the middle of writing a sex scene – it threw me off to say the least so I decided to write this instead.

After 1 hr 30 minutes my word count is 400 words and my pocket is €2.50 lighter

Overall Costa fails, I will keep searching for the holy grail of writing spots, I know if must exist somewhere in this city and if I believe and my heart is pure I will find it