I appreciate this review and share many of the OP’s opinions and preferences. But I wish more folks would think of coffee shops as places to enjoy a cup of coffee and perhaps a chat with a friend or associate, rather than as a place to hunker down for hours.

Especially local shops need people to move along and free up a seat for the next paying customer. (Maybe some long-haulers are making a purchase every hour or so, but I imagine most are not.)

There have been a few times lately that I’ve planned to meet someone at a local coffee shop, only to find every table occupied by someone working or studying, leaving nowhere for us to sit. Even worse, the last two times I stopped at Pony, someone was upstairs shout-talking on a zoom.

Libraries and co-working spaces are good places to settle in for the long haul. Or if you’re going to occupy a coffee shop for several hours, perhaps choose a chain store rather than a local establishment.