Once upon a time, digital nomads and remote workers huddled together in coffee shops and coworking spaces around the world.
Creative ideas were shared, caffeine was ingested, plans were formulated, and epic amounts of work got done.
While working in a coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I once sat next to the guy who invented “chats on websites.” He was in his 20s, retired, super-rich, still backpacking, and working on passion projects for fun. That totally inspired me!
Today, I live with my wife and two kids in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. We have a beautiful home with a fruit orchard, chickens, ducks, plenty of space to play, endless projects, and a rainbow-colored dog that looks like Falcor from The Neverending Story.
My business continues to be remote, which means I have gotten to know all of the coworking spaces in the Santa Cruz area. Below are two of my favorites.
Satellite Felton
My current favorite coworking space
Inside is a mix of styles. It’s like Silicon Valley meets Office Space.
In the back, red brick and large movie posters wrap around rolling desks and ample power outlets. It a straight out of a San Francisco artist’s loft.
In front, we find cubicles surrounded by offices. The office windows look back at the cubicles. It reminds me of my days in Corporate America.
My favorite seat is by the front door – right across from Mia’s reception desk. I really enjoy watching people come in and listening to their stories. Since the devastating CZU fires that ripped through the area recently, I’ve listened to a steady stream of locals come in and say:
- I have no internet at my house
- I need somewhere reliable to work
- My kid needs to do his online school
- I have a job interview and need privacy for an hour
- I need somewhere quiet to do a Zoom
- Do you do copies/faxes/notary?
- Can I use your bathroom?
A magical day at the Satellite
In late October, the entire San Lorenzo Valley lost power and the Satellite transformed into a community hub. All those answers Mia had given people over the past few months had paid off – and the place was packed.
All-day, the walls echoed with a cacophony of voices, laughs, and conference calls. Every socially-distant chair, table, and workspace was filled. Satellite felt alive – just like it did in the old days.
Random fact about this story – I was actually interviewed by the news for a segment on how the community was rallying during the power outage. In that interview, I talked about how awesome Satellite is. Sadly, they didn’t use my segment – so no “photo of Greg on the news” below — but plenty of photos of Satellite in action.
CruzioWorks:
my favorite coworking space in Santa Cruz, CA
I’ve tried out most of the coworking spaces in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. Before Covid, I had declared CruzioWorks to be my favorite. With huge windows flooding a modern common space with natural light, it felt hip, light, and fun. I also loved the building’s coffee shop, the easy access to downtown Santa Cruz restaurants, and the lightning-fast fiber internet.
