I usually arrive at Panera Bread early in the afternoon, two hours or so after lunch, and I am usually one of only a handful of customers, many of whom are sitting alone like me. These are the quiet hours, when Panera is my own and I am so at ease and so comfortable at my cafe table for two that I may as well be at home on my couch and in my pajamas. Sometimes I even prop my feet up on the chair across from mine and become so lost in scribbling in my notebook that I completely forget my surroundings until I'd like to refill my tea.
Business picks up around four, at which point I become distracted by the hustle and bustle of the people around me and the buzzing of the pagers that let customers know their order is ready. (I used to check my phone every time one of the pagers went off but now that I am a seasoned veteran of long afternoons in Panera Bread, the buzzing blends into the other sounds, such as the blender, the espresso machine, the conversations, and the hammering footsteps of people in a hurry.) Fortunately, as soon as Panera reaches it's peak dinner hours and suddenly there are people waiting for tables, it is time for me to go to the dance studio next door.
I don't mind the hustle in the evening too much (the background noise of chatter and footsteps and silverware clinking can be soothing in it's own way), but I always long for the quiet hours, when I am alone with my notebook and my tea, when the rest of the world fades into the background and the pen in my hand glides smoothly across my paper.
