āOld God sure was in a good mood when he made this place.āĀ
The Hunter S. Thompson quote often crossed my mind as I traversed Ā鶹¹ŁĶųās streets and hiking trails during my CU student years. Living in the shadow of the Flatirons, at the nexus of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, can make a person aspirational.Ā
For some, including myself, Ā鶹¹ŁĶųās true enchantments are found in the unique, nuanced spaces that provide a break from the hum of university life.Ā
My respite was on west Pearl Street.Ā
Trident Booksellers, my 1980s coffee chic space, was more than a place to study. It was a community. Entering the sometimes chaotic store, I knew I would find trusted baristas, an expert who knew the location of every single book, my third table on the left in the back and a mechanical pencil sharpener. Trident was a loyal friend and confidant ā it was a space for me to recharge.Ā
At Trident, I wrote a story for the cover of Out magazine on the forced displacement of the LGBTQI+ community and my thesis on climate grief in children. Usually my ideas flourished, but when writerās block froze my creativity, a glance into the bookstore would stir my sociological imagination.Ā
The baristas would yell, āLarge iced latte!,ā the phrase like a metronome regulating the flow of life and business. When COVID-19ās deadly assault consumed the world, the first thing I noticed missing was this metronome; I had taken it for granted. In the months that followed, I was locked away like the rest of the world, and the grocery store became my place of community. I craved my back table at Trident.
As the months rolled on, and I was quarantined in my Denver home far from Ā鶹¹ŁĶų, the semester came to an end ā my final CU semester. It was then that I realized: The nuanced spaces held the most potent memories.Ā
These memories ā these cherished spaces and the hours spent on Pearl Street ā I will always carry with me, because small spaces like Trident make up a large piece of my life.Ā
At Columbia in New York City, where Iām living now, Iām seeking the same sounds and community.Ā
I can picture it now: third table from the back, pencil sharpener, baristas.Ā
āLarge iced latte!āĀ
Photo by Trident Booksellers & CafeĀ