NaNoWriMo - Day 21

My favorite little treat.

If you ask my partner, my favorite little treat is a fancy coffee. I didn’t always drink coffee in the mornings. During quarantine, taking a drive to get flat whites for myself and my mom was a highlight of my day. I’m pretty sure that since I’ve moved to New York City, fancy coffee has taken up most of my disposable income.

Every city I’ve lived in, observing the world over a latte has been my preferred mode of slowing down. The Upper West Side is replete with fancy coffee shops, all with various pros and cons. I consider myself a local connoisseur at this point.

• Cafe Blu

  • Pros: Around the corner from me

  • Cons: Little seating, no mugs, generally soulless, probably because I think it mainly services the real estate office it’s attached to as a way to attract potential clients, no bathroom I don’t think

  • Rating: 1/5

• Picky Barista

  • Pros: Wi-fi, outlets, ample tables, food options, two blocks away, mugs, bathroom

  • Cons: Cramped seating, mediocre food, plays the same 1980s playlist every damn day

  • Rating: 3.5/5

• Shakespeare & Co.

  • Pros: Wi-fi, outlets, sufficient tables, food options, attached to bookstore, has bathroom

  • Cons: No mugs

  • Rating: 3.5/5

• Blue Bottle Coffee

  • Pros: Wi-fi, exceptional fancy coffee, great mugs, good view of 72nd street and Amsterdam, good roomy bathroom

  • Cons: Little seating, little food

  • Rating: 3.7/5

• Frame

  • Pros: Wi-fi, ample seating, cute vibes, good drinks, small bathroom, has mugs

  • Cons: Little food (mostly waffle-based), sort of far away

  • Rating: 3.4/5

• Black Press

  • Pros: Wi-fi, friendly staff, cute merch, decent pastries, has mugs, Black Press crew almost guaranteed to be there on any given day

  • Cons: Very limited seating, no bathroom, far-ish from me

  • Rating: 3.6

• Maman

  • Pros: Wi-fi, sufficient seating, cute bucolic French vibes, good drinks, good food, has mugs, roomy bathroom

  • Cons: Crowded, no laptop policy, sort of far away from me

  • Rating: 3.8/5

• Solid State

  • Pros: Ample seating, friendly staff, good music, good vibes, good food, excellent fancy coffee, has mugs, decent bathroom

  • Cons: No wi-fi, no outlets, busy (line out the door on weekends), expensive, a little far from me

  • Rating: 4.3/5

• Slate

  • Pros: Wi-fi, ample seating, friendly staff, excellent food, good drinks, good reason to get an up-close view of a pretty building (The Ansonia), has mugs, very good bathroom

  • Cons: Kind of far away, pricy, has a sign on the wall that says “The Possibility of Everything” which is cheesy and not even a complete sentence

  • Rating: 4.5/5

My partner gave up coffee back in July, but has still humored me by coming to get breakfast at a coffee shop with me some mornings. His dad and sister have also both gifted me cat-themed mugs, so drinking hot beverages at home is more fun thanks to them.

I don’t have a regular coffee order, to be honest. I’m not an iced-coffee-for-all-seasons person, though I do enjoy it. Lattes are good, cappuccinos are good, cortados are good. Since getting laid off, I’ve been cutting back on my fancy coffee spending, but that’s only made the occasion all the sweeter. Once a week with a book hits the spot.