Thursday, January 19, 2006
Coffee Talk
It's 4:30 PM which means that many of you may be looking into a coffee break. Back in the day (1999-2002) at this time I was either en route to work or setting up camp in a coffee shop to do some work.
I think you've all picked up on my obsession with lists and places on this blog. This list is the best places to get caffeinated and write, based on my own experiences.
DTUT: They're uptown and downtown now and I highly recommend the dark interiors and lumpy couches for reading and writing. I've even interviewed people at the one on 83rd Street.
The DTUT on Avenue B is slightly newer and doesn't have the grimy but cozy dorm room feel that the one uptown does. But the downtown DTUT has a back patio which in warmer weather is a great place to enjoy some Darjeeling tea.
Fix: I discovered this place in 2003. For $2.00 I could get a huge coffee and a bagel and cream cheese. It's a big, cavernous room on N.12th and Bedford and if you're not looking close enough you could miss it. (Technically it's on N. 12th Street.)
Tom's Restuarant: I've mentioned it as a great diner but the coffee is worth hanging around for. Grab a table and one of the matronly waitresses will take good care of you as you wax poetic. Need an English muffin? No problem. want to try the pasta? They'll bring it right out.
The Pink Pony: Since the Lower East Side has become a tourist attraction, I feel kids of silly putting this one down. After all, it was in a Moby video. But the food is great and the music is always good. The waitresses will pretty much leave you alone, since isn't almost everyone south of Houston a tortured artist of some sort?
Paul's Boutique: It's on the same corner that's on the cover of the Beastie Boys' album of the same name. And you know what? It's actually pretty good. The prices are low and you can sit alone without feeling like a social outcast. The coffee is strong.
