I love places. Like a cat, I love those safe, cozy spots where I feel I belong, and I’m not the only one. That’s why I make art that celebrates locations. There’s power in places. There’s also peace, comfort and the timeless importance of routine.

Writer Wayne Curtis touches on the importance of the Great Good Place in a recent article for Punch , the online magazine of all things boozy. Using George Orwell’s Moon Under Water pub as a jumping off point, Wayne expands upon the notion of the fourth place, the fictional version of society’s all-important third places, “locations that were neither work nor home, but semi-public gathering spots like bars and barbershops that contributed to civic engagement and social cohesion.”

The idea of that special place is so important to us that it can be found all over our literary and pop culture. Orwell’s perfect pub is one example, but so are Cheers, Moe’s, and the bowling alley where the Dude, Walter and Donnie knock down pins every week.

Wayne’s excellent article is here , and if you like that, he’s written plenty more thoughtful pieces, ranging from the virtues of urban hiking to an essay on lowering the drinking age to make college partying saner. You’ll find his archives a treasure trove of pitch-perfect, intelligent, and always enjoyable writing.