We noticed a few things this week.
A few theaters, some roasteries, that cute florist you didn’t know existed, and more cozy spots from the cities we live in.
- Pull Up a Chair
The Window Seat That Has Looked Out on MacDougal Street Since 1915
Dante at 79 MacDougal Street has been an Italian cafe since 1915. The 2015 relaunch kept the four street-facing window seats. A Tuesday at 3pm is the specific version worth reserving.
- The Odd Edit
A 19th-Century Longshoreman Bar at the End of Brooklyn
Sunny's Bar in Red Hook has been open since 1890 — built for dockworkers, saved by Hurricane Sandy fundraising, and still run by Tone Balzano Johansen. The city's best bars are always somewhere no one thinks to go.
- The Odd Edit
A Victorian Parlor Hidden Behind a Doorbell in Chelsea
Raines Law Room: a Victorian parlor in Chelsea behind a brass doorbell. Opened 2009, no standing, ~40 cocktails — an evening that starts before you walk in.
- Pull Up a Chair
A Bakery Stool in Tiong Bahru That Earns Every Minute You Give It
Tiong Bahru Bakery's window stools face the estate's 1930s prewar blocks. The croissants are made with 100% French butter. Before 11am weekdays, the stools are free.
- Pull Up a Chair
The Reading Room That Morgan Built and Nobody Stays Long Enough to Actually Use
The Morgan Library's East Room has gilded ceilings, rare Gutenberg Bibles, and almost no one sitting in the sofa seats. McKim rooms free Fridays 7–9pm.
- The Odd Edit
A Cocktail Bar Sleeping Inside San Francisco's Old Newspaper Building
Local Edition occupies the former San Francisco Examiner press room beneath the Hearst Building on Market St. The marble bar top came from Hearst Castle. Opened 2012.
- The Odd Edit
A Speakeasy Hidden Behind a Hot Dog Stand on St. Mark's Place
Behind a phone booth inside Crif Dogs on St. Mark's Place, PDT has been NYC's most influential speakeasy since 2007. Still reservation-only, still worth it.
- Nice but Free
Saturday in Chelsea: Eight Blocks of Free Contemporary Art That Changes Every Month
Chelsea’s gallery district: Tue–Sat 10am–6pm, free, no reservation. Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Zwirner — five flagship shows, eight walkable blocks.
- The Long Way Home
The Canal Walk from King’s Cross to Broadway Market That Takes Twice as Long as the Tube
Walk the Regent’s Canal from King’s Cross to Broadway Market: 4.5 km, 90 minutes, flat towpath. Leave at 4pm in October and arrive at blue hour.
- Pull Up a Chair
The Reading Room at the Morgan Library That Has Been the Same Since 1906
The Morgan Library East Room hasn’t changed since 1906. Free Tuesdays and Sundays 3–5pm — no reservation needed. The central ottoman is almost always yours.
