24-Hour Cafe People

I'm nocturnal. I do my best work and am at my most creative when the sun goes down and I'm isolated from the rest of the normal world. I'm free of the distractions and the buzz and, as much as I enjoy them, I can actually focus on what I want to do.

So why are there no 24-hour coffee shops in Pittsburgh?

Sure, there's Eat 'n Park, but that's hardly a coffee shop. (For those of you beyond the 'burgh, Eat 'n Park is a confusingly-named chain of diners, similar to a Denny's or a Perkins, that got its start at a chain of drive-in eateries back in the '50s.) And sure, there are Tim Horton's donut shops as near as Erie (and possibly nearer), but those aren't exactly coffee shops (and aren't exactly here) either.

I can understand the adversity. I'm not even sure they'd be profitable. But Eat 'n Park turns a profit, which means the crowds must be there -- especially when college is in session -- so you'd think someone would give the idea a whirl. Think of it:

- Fresh coffee at 3 AM.
- A cozy place to sit and read or write after midnight.
- Somewhere for the night owls to gather that doesn't involve liquor.
- Late-night cram sessions could stay fueled.
- The truly ambitious (and the workaholics) could add a few extra hours to their days.

Partner with a local college radio station to pipe in the overnight radio show, ensure that homeless people don't crash on the couches and cut down on the amount of clean-up work the closing (and opening) crews would have to do because there'd be no closing (or opening).

And maybe I could get something done when it's 90 degrees in my apartment at 4 AM...