MISSION MINUTE
We recently came across a Washington Post article about Hush Harbor in Washington, D.C. — the city’s first phone-free bar. It’s an idea that feels perfectly aligned with our mission of Time Well Spent.
One passage in particular really resonated with us:
“Nostalgic about what it was like being at ’90s-era go-gos before the rise of the smartphone: the way you had to really listen to be part of the call and response, because sometimes, if you got lucky, the band would shout out your name. If you managed to get a woman’s number, you had to memorize it — and then wait until you got home to find out if it was real.”
We went to college before smartphones were in everyone’s pockets and couldn’t help but smile at that description. It took us back to a time when nights out were fully present experiences—where every shout from the stage, every conversation, and every memory had to be carried with you rather than captured on a screen.
-Michael and Gash
TIME FOR INSPIRATION
“Want to check your texts or catch up on emails? Sorry, you’ll have to step outside. Once inside, you can forget about scanning Yelp for menu recommendations, toggling between news apps while awaiting a drink, or even looking to your screen for a quick time check.” — Washington Post
At Hush Harbor in D.C., the nation’s first phone-free bar, the rule is simple: no phones allowed inside. And while that might sound restrictive at first, it’s actually freeing — because it forces you to be fully present.
We love the reminder that while a phone may be off-limits for a quick time check, a Hook & Gaff watch never is 😉. It’s the perfect companion for evenings where real conversations, real connections, and real memories matter more than notifications.
“Colin Ball and her friend Charice Smith, 40, were the first to arrive Friday. Hours later, they were still at their stools. They’d planned a camping trip based off of the recommendations of another patron, talked enough to one bartender that they now knew his astrological sign (Capricorn), and made plans to return next week with cookies (which made another bargoer say he’d be back with them). Smith, who pointed out that she and Ball once used pagers, said she was sold on the no-phone policy.” — Washington Post
Time Well Spent, indeed.
TIME FOR A CHALLENGE
This week, challenge yourself to create your own phone-free zone.
It doesn’t have to be a bar in D.C.—it could be your dinner table, your next backyard cookout, or even an evening walk. Leave the phone behind (or lock it away) and see what happens when you fully engage with the people and the moment around you.
You might be surprised by how refreshing it feels to trade notifications for conversation—and how much more you remember when your attention is right where it belongs.