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Picnic In The Business Park

INDOOR / OUTDOOR · COST: $$$ · FOOD: YES · DRINKS: YES

In the Pacific Northwest, rainy days are the standard. When my family first moved out here in the early '90s, my Dad would always joke about "sun breaks". He claimed that people would stop whatever they were doing and just enjoy the sun for those few fleeting moments. Granted, he also told my sister and I that skipping (as opposed to walking) was illegal in this state, so his credability was suspect...
But either way, whether you live in paradise or pouring rain, here's a cool way to picnic whenever you feel like it.


The Overview

WHAT You Need

An indoor picnic in a fancy business building

Instead of waiting for the perfect sunny day and all the other moving pieces to fall into place schedule-wise, consider hosting your picnic in one of the nice office buildings around your area. Scout out a cozy little spot in advance, pack a casual meal or snack, (maybe a bottle of wine?) and bring your date to your weather controlled oasis.

WHEN to do it

Timing is everything.. or most of it... sometimes..

Aside from worrying about business hours (i.e. getting in and not locked-in), the only other consideration I'd advise you on... considering.. is if the area gets busy during a lunch rush.
If that's the case, try to pick an off hour--maybe even an early dinnerish sort of thing.

WHERE to go

A suburban business complex common area

There are no doubt a local business complex around your area, and the newer they are, the more likely they are to have a nice little "common area" with tables, couches, fake plants, and other stuff to make it seem like it's a nice place... and not just where people goto work.
So, either hit a Google search for business complex locations in your area and go do a little recon. The things I look for would be as much privacy as possible, though this is sort of counter intuitive for these types of areas. However, they do exist, you just have to do a little bit of looking.
And if anyone starts questioning why you're there, just claim to work in the insurance agency--there is ALWAYS an insurance agency in these types of buildings. Claim you just started and that's also why you'll have no other information, probably including the name of the place you just asserted that you're employed at. Oh well..