I’ve always been drawn to the South Wall of Jean’s Place, I see it as an unintended but vibrant monument to the idea of community. Every time I go to Jean’s for lunch, I see who’s sitting at a table at the South Wall and I go and ask them if I can take their picture.
They always say yes without hesitation or suspicion. I am learning that the South Wall is a favorite gathering for friends and also older couples. I think this wall is a place of true and pure community, this is becoming rare in corporatized and franchised America.
We might get a decent meal at a chain restaurant, but the odds are we won’t know anyone there and they won’t know us. The staff, mostly teenagers, comes and goes.
At Jean’s, the community is entrenched in every stool, every table, every waitress or family member. I want to capture that feeling of community at the South Wall.
Today, a group of women friends gathering for what appeared to be their weekly lunch. They looked at home and at ease. So I want to try to follow the South Wall and see what it feels like and share it with you.
I hope it has some meaning for you. I’m just going to call this new feature “The South Wall At Jean’s Place.”
I grew up in Fair Haven and my dad had a store on Main Street. Every week day at 9:00 a,m., my dad and many of the other business owners would sit at the round table in the window of the Wooden Soldier and have their coffee break. I miss those days.
Thanks..I love the Wooden Soldier…
At Jean’s, I prefer the table immediately left of the entrance. Though there isn’t a bad seat in the house.