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.