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“Old God sure was in a good mood when he made this place.”��

The Hunter S. Thompson quote often crossed my mind as I traversed Boulder’s streets and hiking trails during my �鶹��Ѱ�����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.��

For some, including myself, Boulder’s true enchantments are found in the unique, nuanced spaces that provide a break from the hum of university life.��

My respite was on west Pearl Street.��

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 — it was a space for me to recharge.��

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 writer’s block froze my creativity, a glance into the bookstore would stir my sociological imagination.��

The baristas would yell, “Large iced latte!,” the phrase like a metronome regulating the flow of life and business. When COVID-19’s 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 Boulder, the semester came to an end — my final �鶹��Ѱ�����semester. It was then that I realized: The nuanced spaces held the most potent memories.��

These memories — these cherished spaces and the hours spent on Pearl Street — I will always carry with me, because small spaces like Trident make up a large piece of my life.��

At Columbia in New York City, where I’m living now, I’m seeking the same sounds and community.��

I can picture it now: third table from the back, pencil sharpener, baristas.��

“Large iced latte!”��

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Photo by Trident Booksellers & Cafe��