>The first coffeehouses appeared in Damascus. These Ottoman coffeehouses also appeared in Mecca, in the Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century, then spread to the Ottoman Empire's capital of Istanbul in the 16th century and in Baghdad. Coffeehouses became popular meeting places where people gathered to drink coffee, have conversations, play board games such as chess and backgammon, listen to stories and music, and discuss news and politics. They became known as "schools of wisdom" for the type of clientele they attracted, and their free and frank discourse.
Just goes to show, when a company goes public, you are no longer the customer, the shareholders are.
I read the same sentiment about when publicly listed companies go private.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rol...
Harvard and Kendall Squares in Cambridge, MA are the best examples of what ruthless endowments do. Kendall Square is entirely owned by MIT and is new shiny and totally unaffordable to non-VC/PE crowd and shuts down after dark.
Harvard Square is replete with empty buildings worth billions on HMC's books. The late night 2-story Starbucks with lots of seating and occasional live music is gone and replaced with a tiny one with no seating which closes at 9pm.
The dessert cafes are fantastic. I always tell visitors to the city they they should try one while they're here.
I can't remember how much they charge but I really like this one in Hayes Valley: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P2RC8jN5VDjUctrM9