plus I can't leave anything out so after a coffee or two I need to use the restroom and I lose my space because you can't leave a notebook unattended in the USA.

I have a beat up moleskine with some random doodles that I carry around for exactly this reason. Need to use the restroom at a coffee shop? Leave my disposable moleskine and a pencil on the table to claim the spot. If someone jacks the table, easy to ask them what they did with your notebook.

Works in: Bushwick, Denver, Seattle, SF, Austin