Living in a small capital city comes with a couple of advantages: the combination of urban density and short distances is just one example. Another is that Bern is slow enough to skip some of the short-lived global hypes that pop up quickly and disappear as fast as they came in other cities all over the world. Only the lasting trends that actually improve urban life will eventually make it to Bern.

One of them just appeared a couple of years ago: co-working spaces. While in some parts of town the trend is controversial because some see it as spearheading gentrification of cheap neighborhoods, Effinger has found a place very close to the city center where for some reason most shops along the street have been empty for years. In this wasteland, the cozy café bar has become a little oasis. Though I am not an “Effian” who comes here to work on one of the desks on the mezzanine floor or in one of the rentable rooms, I often come here to have meetings over lunchtime. I love the creative atmosphere that lays in the air. And with a cappuccino in hand and a quiche on the table, working seems not so bad after all.