Many good things have been written in coffee shops, like Harry Potter, Delicious Library, this blog entry and a big portion of Hypernumbers.

Attempts at joking aside, I love working in coffee shops. The energy and the vibe can be incredible, the change of scenery revitalizing, and lack of wifi liberating. Sometimes you get opportunities to talk to interesting people too.

I'm lucky to live near an area saturated with coffee shops, coffee houses, and cafés. I've got five favorites (two of which are Starbucks), which I visit regularly. Just the other day I set a personal record with 4 in one day, but usually it's one or two every other day or so.

The key to successful camping in coffee shops is being nice. The first thing to do is to find a place or two you really like and become a regular. Be friendly and chat to people working there. Most of the time they'll initiate the smalltalk once they start recognizing you, and it's easy to pick up from there. You want them to know you and to like you. That way, even if local etiquette frowns upon people spending hours at a café on one or two drinks, the staff won't mind.

This works well: take your empty cup to the counter as you leave the place. It's a small gesture, but they appreciate it, and it'll make them remember you.

Tip. I usually just drop the change into the tip jars.

Be considerate. Avoid the places at lunch time peak, unless you're having lunch yourself. Don't take up more space than you need. Don't be a jerk.

Money is less of a problem than it might seem. I usually have black cofee or plain tea, which I love and which are usually the cheapest items on the menu. Some places have loyalty cards too where you get your N^th drink on the house.

Learn when not to go to work in a coffee shop. I find them best for blasting through lists of well-defined things to do. Design — not so good, although there have been times when it worked. Brainstorming and organizing large amounts of information — terrific for that too. Find what works for you. There are times when I absolutely need my whiteboard, a large screen, and no people and noise around me.

Prepare for lack of wifi. I've got documentation for all libraries and frameworks I use on my lappy, and I use Git for source control.

I don't worry much about ergonomics. Good diet, regular exercise, and regular breaks when working are key. A few hours a day on the laptop won't destroy you.

Happy camping.

P.S. Big shout out to San Francisco coffee shops. Of all places I've been to, SF had the best coffee shops no doubt.

P.P.S. Comments on this entry over at Hacker News and proggit.