Northern California retreat to stay for two months while finishing doctoral thesis?
March 13, 2010 12:48 AM   Subscribe

Northern California retreat - for finishing doctoral thesis?

Hi:

A friend of mine is racing to finish a doctoral dissertation. It will take two months. Is there a place in Northern California that might be a good place for that? Maybe a place where writers tend to go, or where new-agey types go during transitional life-stages?

Ideally, this place has access to internet but not to alcohol, and is conducive to contemplation and study rather than socialization. And there's a flat monthly fee for room and board, and no nearby establishments where one can go on a bender. A place like Esalen would probably have been nice, but they're booked up months in advance.

If you're guessing that I'd like to help, but am a bit wary, and trying to "trust but verify", you are correct.

Thanks ever so much, hiveminds. You're the best!
posted by metaseeker to Travel & Transportation around North Carolina (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I finished my thesis in a series of Berkeley coffee shops. I'd spend about 2 hours in each one, then walk to the next one. Sounds like there would be too much temptation around for your friend, however.
posted by sesquipedalian at 6:25 AM on March 13, 2010 [1 favorite]


Do keep in mind that the "must find a perfect place to work" impulse is a classic form of procrastination.
posted by sesquipedalian at 6:27 AM on March 13, 2010 [5 favorites]


Best answer: You'll have to look these places up with your search engine--I'm reeling these off from memory and they may have changed a bit, but they are in NorCal:

Zen Center--is in the midst of a redwood forest at Big Sur
El Salto is in Aptos and at the ocean a retreat
DeVry is in Los Gatos and is an artist's retreat (writers)

My choice would be San Juan Bautista Mission. There is an active monastery as part of the mission, and they board guests.

In Berkeley, The Pacific School of Religion has a retreat like atmosphere, but it just steps from ucb, so not far from the temptations of the World.
posted by effluvia at 9:24 AM on March 13, 2010 [1 favorite]


The Zen Center that effluvia is talking about is Tassajara, which opens their doors to guests starting April 30th. It's off the grid, which means many of the rooms have no electricity, and I don't think an internet connection is an option at all unless you go for something drastic like satellite. With that caveat, I would totally recommend it for a writing retreat like this if you can swing the price and don't mind being offline.

Bear in mind, though, that if an alcoholic's gonna drink, he's gonna drink. If your friend has decided on his own that he wants to hole up and write someplace away from bars, then this is a good plan. If you think you're going to make him dry out, then please rethink this — either try to talk him into a proper rehab program, or leave the situation alone, but don't annoy the monks (or the nice people running the artists' retreat, or whatever) by sending them a guest who's essentially guaranteed to break any alcohol policy they've got. "Verifying" your friend's sobriety is not their job.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:39 AM on March 13, 2010


Best answer: I have some experience with this and I suggest a different approach.

Most "writer's retreats" are in interesting locations (Big Sur, forests, coastlines etc...). The problem is that going there, even if it is a writer's retreat, is a vacation. There are things to do... things to see.

Instead, your friend should find a unknown, dull, mid-sized town somewhere, and rent a moderate apartment (or even better, extended stay hotel) within walking distance of a grocery store.

You aren't going to be inspired by a Big Sur writer's retreat, you are going to be distracted.

What you really want is the non-writing part of your life to be as dull and easy as possible: dull enough for you to have little motivation to go outside, and easy enough that you aren't spending tons of time getting internet setup or buying groceries. You don't want heaven, you don't want hell, you want limbo.

For example, personally, I would stay here. I don't know anyone here, I don't care to meet anyone here, I never want to go back here, but it is a room, it is safe, it has food, and it has internet.
posted by Spurious at 11:28 AM on March 13, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: The thing is, said friend is staying in my guest room right now, and I'm kinda looking for a place to gently deposit him.
posted by metaseeker at 8:03 PM on March 13, 2010


Response by poster: So, it turns out that he's been an OK housemate. I live in suburbia, along the lines of Spurious's suggestion. The thesis is on the final chapter. Thanks for the help with plan B, and I'm glad it didn't come to that.
posted by metaseeker at 2:41 PM on April 27, 2010


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