Cappuccino Thoughts 81: On Midsummer Moments—What to Do in NYC Before Summer's Over
The best events, new restaurants, the coolest shops in New York City
It’s been a couple months since I did my last round-up of new discoveries in NYC. If you’re looking for some inspiration to mix it up and find some new spots before summer’s out and the weather flips from 90 to 30 overnight, here you go!
Coffee:
-I hit a few new coffee shops this month. I have to admit, in the 95 degree New York heat, I can rarely stomach my typical oat milk cappuccino. My summer order? Cold brew with a splash of oat milk. Dear Coffee on the Upper East Side is a cute local shop in an area where there are few options that aren’t completely over the top. For that weird area just below midtown (and right next to my favorite nail salon), I found Culture Coffee, which claims to have the best chocolate chip cookies in the city. Real New Yorkers know that the only chocolate chip cookies worth consuming on this isle are at Seven Grams, but both the cookies and the coffee were, in fact, quite good. I can’t believe I had never been to Proof Coffee Roasters, which is in a strangely quiet area in a usually very loud part of my neighborhood of Kips Bay “Upper Gramercy Park.” A sweet little oasis. And my friend, who is much cooler than I, brought me to Davelle on the Lower East Side—it’s a kissaten-style coffee shop, which is a kind of traditional Japanese cafe. The service was terrible, but the coffee and food were good. And my other terribly hip friend introduced me to the too-cool-for-you Rhythm Zero in Greenpoint. Everyone in there (see: the woman in the crazy/awesome lavender shell top from Look of the Week a few issues ago) looked like they were waiting to be cast in the next A24 film.
Culture:
-There’s been a lot of exciting new theater in New York this summer. I really enjoyed Morning Journal, Matthew Gasda’s new play at the Brooklyn Center for Theater Research (which I kept accidentally calling the Brooklyn Experimental Theater, which is not far off from what it is). The play, which is running through August, is about six women who live in the same apartment at different times. I love the idea that our apartments see us through a certain part of our lives and so many other people whom we won’t ever meet. The costumes were designed by Liv, the owner of one of the stores where I sell my bags, and they looked gorgeous. On Broadway, I liked Illinoise, which is a jukebox-musical-meets-ballet featuring Sufjan Steven’s music and Justin Peck’s (of the New York City Ballet) choreography. It was very fun to see music that I know so well come to life in a sort of high-end interpretive dance. It’s running until August 10th if you still want to see it. Sadly, F. and I hated Patriots and walked out at intermission. We were not the only ones. I think it’s a tough environment right now for cultural pieces set in Russia. (The Gentleman in Moscow show would have received much bigger buzz if it had come out a few years ago.) I had high hopes with Peter Morgan at the helm. But Putin’s character was such a caricature that it was desperately un-funny and just embarrassing to watch. Save your money on this one. For the rest of the summer, I have tickets booked for Cabaret, Once Upon a Mattress, Stereophonic, and Our Town.
-I spent a lovely Brooklyn afternoon with M. writing at Jami Attenberg’s 1000 words event. If you’re looking to kickstart your own writing, I highly recommend her Substack.
-On a retail visit to Brooklyn, both to pitch and peruse, I was reminded how lovely Green Light Bookstore is and how I would definitely get a subscription to the Center for Fiction if I lived in that borough.
-Proof that anything can be a competition if you try hard enough—L. hosted a nebbiolo wine night where I learned that I don’t like nebbiolo, but my friend A. was thrilled that his wine was voted the best. I did enjoy the lovely company and the thoughtful accoutrements like taleggio cheese to balance out the harshness of the wine.
-S. and I enjoyed another beautiful night at the ballet. In the summer, American Ballet Theater performs at the Met Opera. I will once again plug 30 for $30 ($30 tickets if you’re under 30 years old), which secured us orchestra seats for a performance of Romeo & Juliet. As S. wisely pointed out, any excuse to see the beautiful Chagalls on the second floor of the opera house is worth it.
-For more ballet, the Morgan Library has a lovely exhibit of Ballets Russes ephemera up now until September 22. I wrote my college thesis on Nataliya Goncharova, one of the artists who contributed to the ballet’s set designs, so I was overcome to see her Self-Portrait on display. She was truly one of a kind. Highly recommend seeing this exhibit while you can. I only popped in briefly, but I overheard the end of a free tour, and that seems well worth doing. I learned how the staff gets onto the second floor of the library (hint: it involves a hidden staircase).
-The New York Fashion Tech Lab has been on my radar for a while and I went to its startup showcase. Very fun.
-Last year, I visited Roosevelt Island for the first time and decided it would be the perfect place to retire. An architecture tour of the island this year had me looking at StreetEasy for apartments (surprisingly expensive given you’re stranded on an island with a bunch of feral cats). It is such a perfect contained community. The Four Freedoms Park designed by Louis Kahn at the southern point of the island is spectacular—and even more spectacular when you understand just how much detail went into its design. Next time you’re there—and you should try to take the air tram before summer ends—consider that the plane of the park is slightly angled down, so you feel almost pulled to the tip of the island.
-I enjoy going to one baseball game each summer for a heady dose of Americana. I deeply messed up this year though. I thought it would be so fun to go to a Yankees vs. Mets game at Yankees Stadium. All the New Yorkers would be there! I did not consider that—hello, all the New Yorkers would be there—and it was complete chaos. We didn’t even get into the stadium until the bottom of the third! So my rec is to yes, go to a baseball game, but pick a much less crowded game!!
-I debated gatekeeping this one, but you know I love you guys, so I will leave you with: the Jefferson Street Library. Go see for yourself and you’ll understand what I mean.
Dining
-Was heavily influenced by my friend M. to get the frozen yogurt drizzled with olive oil at Butterfield Market on the UES. Surprisingly, it works.
-Dragged my brother to get lunch with me at a new tea house called Nomad Tea Parlor. We couldn’t decide which we loved more: the beautiful art deco decor or the delicious dumplings.
-Kept it in the neighborhood and had breakfast with L. at Sunflower Gramercy. Is this the only brunch restaurant you can just walk into without a reservation?
-Delicious dumplings at dim sum spot Tim Ho Wan in Union Square.
-Tried Tokuya Matcha with L. in the East Village for matcha and onigiri. (It looks like they’re opening a second location in “Upper Gramercy Park.”) It was a fun hole-in-the-wall spot.
-Enjoyed sumptuous Thai food with D. on the Lower East Side at Lemongrass and Ginger.
-Went back to Malaysian restaurant Kopitiam in Chinatown and ordered everything with kaya jam (finally finished the jar I smuggled back from Singapore last year and am truly so sad).
-Had a bratty dinner (sorry, had to) at Casino with an old friend. The caprese martini drizzled in balsamic vinegar was an experience. Then we went to the bodega on the corner of Dimes Square for a “watermelon smoothie” that was for sure just watermelon blended with ice, but, man, did it hit the spot on a 95 degree night.
-Finally tried the money laundering rice pudding from Rice to Riches in Soho and it was….fine??? I liked the spoons.
-Dipped out of a Williamsburg rooftop pool party to stock up on artisanal snacks at the very cute Marlow & Sons. (There’s also Marlow & Daughters a few stores down).
-Had steamed mackerel with M. at Dashi Okume in Greenpoint, which tasted just like dishes I had in Japan. The entire store is so cool and some of its extremely expensive dashi would make a great present for your friend who has everything.
Updates on the bag brand
So jazzed to share that Claire Akkan Bags are now in the vintage shop Proprietors in both Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Hudson, NY.
“Meet the Claire Akkan Bag…an upcycled designer bag with an entirely new lining made of deadstock designer fabrics or antique silk scarves, but still featuring their original and intact hardware. We have a very limited run (literally 6) of Gucci leather bags for sale at both locations. Honestly, run, don’t walk. We’re so honored Claire wanted to be in our spaces, thank you for sharing your magic 🪄.”
The pencil cases sold out at Hyer Goods in the West Village, but I just did a restock and there should still be a few more on the shelves.
I know it might seem like overnight I went from selling in 1 to 5 stores. To let you behind the scenes, it’s been months of cold outreach and walking into stores to pitch myself and my bags. That was the part of this whole enterprise I felt least equipped to do. When I was ten years old, I sold my handmade earrings at school fairs and absolutely hated selling. I decided then and there that I wasn’t good at sales. Fast forward to now, and I am constantly putting myself out there—and facing some really frustrating rejections. I still don’t enjoy it, but I’m no longer scared of doing it. So yes, lightning seemed to strike and all these stores said ‘yes’ around the same time, but it’s been many months, even years, of sowing seeds to see these flowers.
Look of the week
I don’t follow a lot of “influencers,” but I’ve always been impressed by Grace Ghanem’s sense of style and reframing of midlife. I was so excited to spot her on the streets of NYC a couple months ago. Not an outfit I’d personally wear, but she just oozes confidence. The fishnets with Manolos are an unexpected (dare I say almost practical?) choice to combat the weather. The cropped bomber balances out the high waist pants on her delicate frame. I especially love her hair. She makes gray look so chic and the wavy bob makes me want to chop my hair again. She is proof that style has no age.
What’s on the bedside table
I was obsessed with Coco Mellors’s debut novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein (see my review here, so when I read that she had a second novel coming out, I was desperate to get my hands on it. It came out in England last month, four months ahead of its US debut. So naturally, I pre-ordered a copy to my brother’s office in Cambridge and, very nice brother that he is, he brought it to me a couple weeks ago. I devoured the book in one day while on a lake trip. It’s about three sisters reeling from the loss of their fourth sister. I liked the disparate cast of characters: one sister is a lawyer in London, one a professional wrestler in Los Angeles, and the last, a model in Paris. hey all converge in their hometown, New York. I definitely didn’t like Blue Sisters as much as Cleopatra and Frankenstein. It felt like the author was trying too hard to Make A Point. I would reco this only for the most die-hard Coco Mellors fans, or if you’re done with cotton candy summer reads and want something more raw and melancholy. Three stars.
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This week I headed to Maine to celebrate a wedding….and hopefully eat at least one very delicious lobster roll.
Catch up on recent issues:
Seven Grams cookies are definitely the best, but I find Culture Espresso's to be a solid second! If you're ever in the godforsaken area under Penn Station, try Bunny & Bro. I haven't had their coffee, but their matcha is very good. Their house specials have assorted foams on top that essentially make the drinks into desserts (in a good way).
Have added Coco Mellor's new book to my TBR list! Loved your review!