I like to go to the food court at my local shopping mall. It's pretty much empty during the day, has plenty of seating, different table heights, outlets, wi-fi, etc. Nobody will kick you out if you're not constantly sipping coffee, and you won't feel the pressure to keep buying stuff. As a bonus, there is a McDonalds often selling coffee for just $1. And when it's lunch time, well, there's a dozen restaurants to chose from!
Outside of the predictable busy days, it’s a comfortable space to hang out in the evening.
I also figured out the fire stairs in the cafe don’t have alarms on the interior doors, so you can go directly to the ground floor lobby instead of walking through the warehouse to get to the exit. The staff encouraged me to use it as long as I exit the stairs inside the building. :)
Also when you have kids, taking them to Smaland at IKEA nets you 1-2 hours of free childcare while you work... or just relax.
Btw, you can also submit and check into food courts on Workmode! I've added a couple myself haha
Maybe VR can help with this? Simulate nature without the drawbacks of working outside where there is a lack of internet and the sun glare on your screen.
http://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71190.pdf
Also anecdotally (or, rather, I just can’t provide a source), I heard from a philosophy professor that the low ceilings in cells of scholastic monks affected their thinking process, driving their hyper-focus on detailed arguments. I don’t quite remember which school he was comparing with though.
An alternative take - since the “abstract-detail-oriented” thinking may be susceptible to feedback-loops, one may consider that they are more detail-oriented in rooms with low ceilings and abstract-minded in rooms with high ceilings, and his brain will make it a self-fulfilling prophecy :)
I haven't tried any of the VR offices spaces, but from what I've seen, it looks like a SV office. What if one could VR conference/work in Muir Woods instead?