Conspire

I'm at one of those only-in-Berkeley cafes that is actually not in Berkeley at all: It's in Phoenix. I'm here for the Urban Land Institute conference, staying through Friday. Conspire is such a wonderful getaway from the black hole of conferences. There's an open mic, Ping-Pong table, overpriced iced coffee, people talking about books. A guy came over to me, held up a picture, and said: "Have you seen this man?" The picture was of J.D. Salinger.

Boho. Boho right off the main downtown strip of Phoenix, a place so bereft of soul, at least to the casual visitor, as to be completely depressing. But here there is no cynicism, no networking. I could stay here all night and perhaps I will.