Thursday, April 2, 2009

NYC Coffee Houses





Before Starbucks, I'm not sure many people in the U.S. hung out in coffee houses. I'm not even sure I would call Starbucks a coffee house, but let's be generous and say so. Here in New York City there are so many which have been in business since the early 1900's. Cozy, cramped, and dimly lit, they serve incredible coffee by the cup, (no refills) panini, (before the general masses knew what one was) plates of sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, (fresh is the key here; no one buys that rubber ball you find in the grocery store!) all alongside wonderful authentic Italian pastry. Caffe Reggio was one of the first places I went to when I moved to Manhattan, and it is still a favorite place to hang out, and every now and then I have a camera along with me to capture what I see while I sit outside or in (as pictured above.)

Oh and side note, none of the above photos are me; that's my sister (except for the buxom girl with the sunglasses, and the red 'blur-girl'.) It's a long tradition to kick off our bi-annually 'Twin Weekends" the first night at Caffe Reggio.

15 comments:

georgia b. said...

awesome! i love this post. i love these images. so funny, too. i JUST got done posting a picture from a coffee shop in Chicago. you can't see much of the shop, but it's from a coffee shop none the less.

i'd love to visit some of these places you speak of. NYC is great! such a vibe!

but i like my Chicago, too.

Mics AKA Lunatiger said...

That's really true, I love NYC cafe areas. There a lot around. Usually the best are around the Village. YUM! ^_^

sMacThoughts said...

Georgia .... I've never been to Chicago, but what great history; I'd love to go!

Mics AKA Lunatiger ... so many around, I think NYC does it best! There's just an atmosphere you can't duplicate elsewhere.

Tracy Nuskey Dodson said...

Great photos! I love your style.
I have always wanted to like coffee. I love the smell but not the taste. I think anyone who watched Friends wished they had a coffee house to hang out at!
Enjoy your weekend:)

FancyPants-design said...

Gorgeous photos!! The photos are amazing!! You and your sis are so talented.

I agree.. there really is nothing better that new york city's coffee shops ..I think we appreciate them more because it is a place to relax!! in this crazy place we live in. Great post!

Eggman Studios said...

Great pics and completely make me want to jump over there and live in some NYC coffee shops. It's all about the atmosphere (...and good coffee doesn't hurt either).

We have some really great ones in Seattle (hidden down side streets and alleys away from the Starbucks on every corner) but I bet the ones in New York are sublime.

sMacThoughts said...

Tracy .... yes, 'Friends' made it look like a necessity. :)

Fancy Pants .... So true, with space in city living so limited, it's nice to have an outside place to turn into your living room, sort of. :)

Eggman Studios .... Oh sure, I bet those are some good ones you have down the alleys!

JUNKER JANE said...

Really great photos!

sMacThoughts said...

Thanks, Catherine!

futurowoman said...

wonderful!
I grew up in a really boring town in CA, but there was a great cafe that my friends and I spent lifetimes in (early 80s.) When I went to college, our college town had wonderful cafes, too. This was all before Starbuck's, and I still resent the way most Americans just think immediately of Starbuck's when they think of cafes. In fact, I've had people tell me that Starbuck's *invented* "eXpresso" !!!!! hilarious.

sMacThoughts said...

Ahahahaqaha! That IS hilarious!

LINDSAY said...

You are tempting me to make a pot of coffee...

sMacThoughts said...

Go for it! :D

Jeremy said...

I love going to out of the way coffee shops like that... and I don't even drink coffee. I love me some Caprese though... mmm


I really like those photos... you are so talented!

sMacThoughts said...

Yes, I'll never turn down a good Caprese, and I'm not a big coffee drinker myself, I just have one cup a day, sometimes half (and I mean the literal 'cup' measure!) Thanks, Jeremy!