We have received several emails from coffeehouses looking for notebooks to sell.  Although plenty of people tote their laptop into Starbucks and other coffee places, it’s nice to know some people still prefer pen and paper while enjoying an expresso and biscotti or cappucino. 

The inquiries made me think of my own favorite place to loaf & watch life walk by, think, greet friends and savor good coffee–all at the same time:  Aldo’s  in Greenport, NY. Owned by Aldo Maiorana, is a baker, coffee roaster, business owner and chef. Aldo was born in Sicily and raised in France. 

After living in New Caledonia, Paris and South America, Aldo moved to East Marion, NY in 1978 with his American wife, Martine.  His cafe and biscotteria–Aldo’s Too–is a Greenport landmark.  Regulars and visitors co-mingle, as people stop by for an expresso and chat. In the winter people pack the place to come in from the cold for homemade hot chocolate.

You can spot Aldo immediately by his full head of curly white hair. He roasts his own coffee, so the air is always thick with the latest batch. But Aldo is known as much for his hazelnut and harlequin biscotti as he is his coffee.  The biscotti is shipped all over the country and as far away as Dean & DeLuca in Toyko.

Once you get your coffee, you can sit at the yellow picnic table inside; or one of the small tables outside, and read the paper, discuss, swap hellos, and savor a moment of peace and contentment.

Do you have a favorite place to go?

Our parent company, Quo Vadis in France, recently introduced a line of notebooks each with a different theme for notes, thoughts and memories. Called “Memoraie,” each notebook is dedicated to a different part of living: My Travels, Weekends, Child, Cooking, Wines, Loves, Hikes, Culture, Joys, Sorrows, Dreams and Friends.

My Memoraie also offers a social networking component, a website in French, English, Italian and Spanish where individuals can go to share their experiences with one another.  My Memoraie is a global “Quo Vadis” of where to go, what to see, things to do and try.

You can read more about the notebooks on the French site, and on the Quo Vadis Canadian site. 

Memoraie notebooks can be purchased individually or as a set. We have hesitated to import them into the U.S. because the terrible Euro situation makes them pretty expensive–about $25 a notebook.

I have a few samples in the office.  Would anyone like to volunteer to review a Memoraie notebook to tell us and the other blog readers what you like and don’t like about it; what you would find valuable about Memoraie notebooks and the online community, and whether or not you believe they would be successful in the U.S.?  I would also be interested to know what “themes” you like the most, so if we decide to import them, we select the ones Quo Vadis customers find the most appealing.  Thank you!

Gina Trapani is the founding editor and lead blogger for Lifehacker, the popular site that offers “tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done.” She is also a computer programmer, and the author of Upgrade Your Life, a wide-ranging reference guide to making one’s life more productive.

Trapani was recently interviewed by Marci Alboher, the Shifting Careers columnist for the New York Times. Alboher asked her, “Is there anything that you think paper and pen are much better for than the computer?”

“Technology is deeply embedded in my life,” Trapani said, “but nothing can replace the feel of a pen against paper.  I use paper and pen to brainstorm a lot.  In fact, we just ran a feature story on all the neat things you can do with paper. It’s the ultimate tool. It’s affordable, compatible with everything, widely available. I also like it as a change of pace. Staring at a glowing screen all day is not a good thing for humans.”

Will paper hang on despite technology?  Can they partner for work and writing?