Cappuccino Thoughts 54: On The Upper East Side (Neighborhood Guide)
Recs neighborhood by neighborhood
This week, my best friend from kindergarten visited me for the first time in NYC and we had the best time exploring the city neighborhood by neighborhood. It made me think that while my monthly recs are (hopefully) enjoyable month to month, it might be fun to share my guide to a great day in each area. If you guys are into it, I’ll share one neighborhood each month going clockwise from Upper East to Gramercy/Union Square, Soho, Downtown, West Village/Chelsea, and back up to the Upper West Side. Possibly Brooklyn one day? Time will tell.
Guide to the Upper East Side:
Start your day at Poppi, a cute independent coffee shop with good little sandwiches. Admire the well-dressed UES mothers and their perfectly behaved children. Or, if you can brave the tourists, stop by Ralph Lauren’s flagship for coffee and coconut cake. While you’re around there, pop into the Armoury to say hi to the well-dressed gentlemen.
Well caffeinated, head east and admire the well-curated books at Shakespeare & Co. (I’m sure they’d like you to believe they have a connection to the Paris establishment, but they’re from Philly!). Stop in at the diminutive store French Sole for well priced ballet flats. Stock up on yarn at String Yarns and peek in at Dempsey & Carroll for all your stationery needs.
Take a wide right at 83rd St and go to the secondhand Logos Bookstore. Say hi to the mayor at Gracie Mansion. (jk. He apparently never spends the night there because he claims it’s haunted.) But you can wave to the people on Roosevelt Island.
Loop back west and stop at Annie & Company Needlepoint for your 2024 hobby resolutions. Recaffeinate at Marathon Coffee or, if you’re in the mood for a drink instead, go to Kaia Wine Bar, a South African restaurant with an amazing wine list. If Greek is more your scene, Yasouvlaki has got you for gyros. Or, for a classic New York diner experience, Lexington Candy Shop and their chocolate egg creams are calling your name.
More books, you’re asking for? La Libraire des Enfants is a French store that also offers conversation classes (though beware their dogs) and Kitchen Arts & Letters sells cookbooks and books about food for the gourmands in your life. The Corner Bookstore is also very quaint, practically Nora Ephron-esque.
If you’re not too tired, choose among the Neue, Guggenheim, or Met depending on what’s on show. At the Neue, try to get a table at Cafe Sabarsky for Viennese delicacies. And if you brave the Met, I hope it’s a weekday. You should enter at the southernmost entrance to avoid the worst lines. Skip the blockbuster exhibit and spend time in the Islamic art and Japanese wings. And, if you haven’t yet, pick up a copy of All the Beauty in the World, written by a guard who worked in the museum.
If you somehow met the maitre d’s brother’s ex-girlfriend at a party, use your newfound friendship to snag a seat at Bemelmans Bar. Pull out your edition of Hotel Splendide and admire Ludwig Bemelmans’ murals.
Updates on the bag project
The next batch of bags is ready! My manufacturer in Turkey has finished production on the latest bags. I do face a small challenge in now getting them back from Turkey since I usually bring them back myself when I visit. So I will face the wonderful world of duties and customs and they will be here soon!
Look of the week
Love this chic woman and her well-cut neutrals. Black loafers paired with a very well tailored navy coat and a fun pop of color with the red bag, the color of the season. I admire her gamine haircut. I have always dreamed of cutting my hair this short but I do not think I could pull it off. Sometimes fashion doesn’t have to be about trying too hard—it can be a few good pieces put together.
What’s on the bedside table
Over the holiday break I “read” Sofia Coppola’s Archive. I put read in quotes because there are only about ten pages of text. But the director’s image archive is a feast for the eyes and well worth a dive into. Much like her characters, Sofia Coppola is a hoarder of all things beautiful and she has saved her visual inspiration for each of her films over the years. The book is set up chronologically with one chapter devoted to each of her eight films. The book really crystallized for me why Coppola is my favorite director. She is fascinated with how girls become women in hyper-specific environments. My favorite portion was her letter exchange with Virgin Suicides author Jeffrey Eugenides (also one of my favorite authors) and how terrified they both were trying to realize their creative vision and ultimately reaching deep respect for each other. Worth reading if you are interested in Coppola’s oeuvre, but not if you’re not already a fan.
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This week I will be seeing the Fleabag play-movie, Mean Girls the Musical movie, and going to my first comedy show in New York.