Cappuccino Thoughts 59: On Gramercy/Union Square (Neighborhood Guide)
How to spend a day on the East Side. + Reading the Bell Jar
NoMad, Rose Hill, Union Square, Kips Bay or even UpGramPa (Upper Gramercy Park), the expanse of land from around 14th St. - 34th St. and from 1st Ave to Broadway goes by many names and is my neighborhood. Although parts of the area get a bad rap as a home for frat boys, it’s also dotted by beautiful storefronts and lots of great restaurants. So let’s take a tour.
Guide for a day in Gramercy/Union Square:
Start your day at Seven Grams. Obviously!! Best cappuccino AND chocolate chip cookie in Manhattan (and, therefore, the world). Take your coffee to go and walk through Madison Square Park (not to be confused with Madison Square Garden, the events center, an error I admittedly made for my first few months living here) and then choose your entertainment: the little dog run or the big dog run.
If it’s already time for lunch, stop in at Eisenberg’s, a classic New York diner recently purchased by Court Street Grocers. The chocolate egg cream is top notch (and contains neither egg nor cream for my vegan friends) and you can get your pick of diner fare. Keep cruising down Broadway and wave to the ballerinas practicing at ABT (and me at work across the street!). Do some window shopping at ABC Carpet & Home, or, if you’ve got money to burn or are eating on an expense account, have a second lunch at one of their restaurants like abc kitchen or abcV. Korean restaurant Barn Joo is also a good choice, with inventive dishes. Walk through Union Square and stop by the market any day except Tuesday or Thursday (when it’s closed). But be warned, they exercise tourist prices—don’t get duped into a $7 apple. Obviously, you’re going to have to go to the Strand. Be sure to check out the 4th floor for rare books (if it’s open). While you’re down there, peek into Grace Church, which is a beautiful architectural gem. Then you’re going to want to loop around to Alabaster Books, the last of the 4th Ave. booksellers.
Walk up Irving Place, the prettiest street in New York for my money. Nearly every storefront has something to offer. Visit the original Irving Farm for another cappuccino and a breakfast sandwich, Friend of a Farmer for a luscious brunch or dinner (I like the Amish chicken. Get a reservation). The gorgeous Lady Mendl’s tea salon which looks like the living room of your favorite eccentric aunt’s house (but you have to get a reservation right when it opens two weeks in advance), Cafe Panna for the best ice cream in New York (definitely try the seasonal flavors, and the Red Flag is awesome). I met the founder, Hallie Meyer (daughter of restauranter Danny Meyer) once and she talked about how there is no accepted definition of gelato, even for Italians. So do not ask them if it is “real” gelato or not!
For a drink, stop in at Pete’s Tavern, built in 1864 and the oldest continuously operating bar in NYC, or Cafe Salmagundi for a dark moody vibe. (I do like the espresso martini).
Catch the latest on the walls of the National Arts Club. Though it’s a private club, the public can go in for their seasonal exhibits. They also have a wonderful lecture series (and if you know anyone who would like to get your favorite newsletter writer a membership, don’t hesitate to give me a shout :p ).
Browse the racks at Vintage Thrift, a solid second hand store that has beautiful homewares along with clothes.
For dinner, make a reservation at Eleni’s, a Greek restaurant on Third Ave. Pick appetizers OR main course, or you risk over-ordering. I like the barbounia.
Finally, make your way back North and peek in at Sniffen Court, a relic of a time when houses had mews to keep their horses. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and Cole Porter, Claudia Schiffer, and Lenny Kravitz all lived there at various points (but can you imagine if they all lived there at the same time? What a party).
If you’re headed back to Brooklyn or Queens, you can’t beat a ride on the ferry from 34th St. At sunset, it feels like a cruise.
Updates on the bag project
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes on the bag front. I’ve commissioned a secret project (more soon), I’m working on new bag handles, designing a new product (!), working on getting dust bags, and am going on a retail exploration day later this week to consider additional retail partners. If you have any stores I should check out in Manhattan or Brooklyn, let me know!
Look of the week
These ladies heard the groundhog’s prediction for spring and embraced it wholeheartedly! I loved the Valentine’s colors they were sporting shortly before the holiday. And the princess silhouette with off the shoulder sleeves. I would love to know the full story here—are they fleeing a wedding? A photoshoot? Where were their coats in the 35 degree weather? Regardless, the tulle dress is gorgeous in both colorways for a bridesmaid or a very chic prom, and the short pink dress looks fitting for the younger cousin at a wedding who will get a little too drunk and tell everyone the real story of how the bride and groom met.
What’s on the bedside table
I will preface this by saying I am very happy and reading this is not a cry for help! My college roommate stopped by my apartment and saw this on my pile of books to be returned and asked me if I was alright. It is amazing how much this book’s reputation precedes it. I was curious to pick up The Bell Jar because it never made it onto any school curriculum for me and it seemed like a gaping hole in my literary knowledge. And you know what, I really enjoyed it! The second half is a little brutal, yes. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that it details the protagonist’s multiple suicide attempts, based on the author’s own experiences that, of course, ended tragically with her suicide at the age of 30. The quality of her prose is unparalleled. “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York” is maybe the best first line in history. It instantly sets the tone of the entire novel—the oppressive atmosphere, the aimlessness, everyone existing on frayed nerves. If you haven’t read this book yet, give it a shot! There’s more to it than just tragedy.
Thanks for reading Cappuccino Thoughts. If you want more where this came from, subscribe here.
P.S. I was devastated to see the loss of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny who was killed by Putin’s regime while in a penal colony in the Arctic Circle. I was in Moscow in the summer of 2019 when the largest political rallies at the time were taking place. Navalny was fighting to get opposition candidates on Moscow local election ballots. I saw firsthand how terrifying it was to go up against Putin’s dictatorship, and the bravery of those who did it anyway. I would highly recommend the HBO documentary about Navalny. He was a flawed person, like all of us, but fought to the end for a free Russia, with humor, love, and an unflinching resolve.
A three lunch, three coffee tour! That’s my kinda tour!
Seven grams cc cookie is so on my list now thanks to all your mentions...