Do you check your phone first thing every morning for texts? Do you suffer from FOMO when watching Instagram stories? Do you find yourself browsing Find My while waiting for a friend to show up for your dinner reservation? Do you ever wonder how people managed to hang out with each other pre-text, pre-social media?

I would like to invite you to find out what life is like without this never ending screen which is bad for your eyes, your mental health, and your social life. I’d like to invite you to Stop By a friends place for a 30-minute check in, to sit at a bar alone with nothing to look at, to talk to strangers, to make plans in advance and trust that your friends will show up. I’d like to invite you to read a book in the grass on the west side highway, to admire the morning sun, to go on a walk or bike ride, to talk to your bar tender, to not be afraid of having nothing to do, and to guess which direction takes you where you want to go.

Introducing No Phones Weekend, the first bi-annual edition, where we collectively turn off our phones at 6:30pm on Friday and don’t turn them back on until 8pm on Sunday. A schedule will come for you to print if you wish, with optional meet ups for socializing. We will have a kick-off dinner on Friday and closing social on Sunday. Experience life IRL!