A few weeks ago I wrote about how bad it was to work at the library, a place where I was sure I would find not only a perfect place to write, but also a nice change of scenery. I’m still looking for a handful  of places where I know I can work well at to change up my workspace a bit, and today we took a trip to the local Bounce House to see how it would go.

I have to say that this is working out pretty nicely. I normally have my husband take our daughter there to burn a few hours and have fun while I work, but today he sprayed for ants (they are so bad this year!) and the smell was making me gag, so I decided to go with them. After all, the place is air conditioned, and it has free wi-fi, so why not?

The first thing I noticed after I initially set up was that the area for parents to use wi-fi wasn’t that great. It’s comfortable, but not workspace friendly—and I kept seeing weird lights and the glare of inflatables off my glasses. Not helpful! So I decided to move to a nearby picnic table instead. It’s a Tuesday morning and there aren’t many people here, so I got a table all to myself.

It’s actually nice, and perfectly suited for the distance of my hands to the computer. Overall, this is working out. Here are a few pros and cons about working at a bounce house that other working parents might want to be aware of.

PROS

• Free air conditioning! Turn yours off and head on over. (Okay, it’s not free, but it’s only eight bucks for my kid to play as long as she wants, so it’s just as good.)
• Free wi-fi—and you’re not at McDonald’s, so you’re not tempted to buy one of those highly caloric yummy coffee drinks. (The pretzels smell good, though…)
• Plenty of space for the kids to play.
• On a weekday, there are barely any people here, making it optimal for spreading out your stuff.
• Decent music, and I’m not tempted to change the station every few seconds because I, well, can’t.
• An audience. I recently read that writers work well when someone else is in the room—NOT bothering them, but just there, giving them someone to be a sort of audience and to make them feel like they have to be productive, rather than just playing on Facebook or my personal enemy, Google Reader.
• Plenty of space for frequent stretching.
• Lots of places to choose from to work at.
• Great lighting!

CONS

• If it were crowded, it would be a nightmare.
• Occasional kids screaming; you wonder if it’s yours and you have to check.
• When kids run by, you think it might be yours out of the corner of your eyes, and you’re constantly checking.
• Not many places to plug in; I’m running on my battery right now.
• This damn armband keeps squeezing the fine hairs on my wrist as I type.

Overall, if you are a parent and you want a place for your kids to play while you work, as unlikely as it sounds, I would recommend this type of bounce place on a non-busy day. Of course, every bounce house is different, so you may want to check with several, if they are available.