Commoncove, Chelsea

A home office can be a lonely, uninspiring, or even distracting setting for entrepreneurs, freelancers, or people who work remotely. Commoncove, a coworking community for standalone professionals, offers an alternative to the cramped kitchen nook or noisy coffee shop. Created by just such a group of entrepreneurs, the space has all the amenities of an office—printers, fax machines, WiFi, conference rooms, private phone booths for changing into a superhero costume—without the nosy boss or competitive cubemate. Instead, there are comfy chairs in sunny workspaces, desks for standing and sitting, and hanging chairs beside the water. The location is close to a waterfront marina, Starbucks, local microbrewery, and ZipCar access for convenient breaks or afterwork activities. Different levels of membership ensure coworkers only pay for as many days as they need.