It was a cool day.

Cold temperature outside but cool in terms of experiences. It was a day where my son and I had 4 or 5 little things (in the realm of it’s-the-little-things-in-life) happen yesterday.

One of them was Abraço.

Abraço is a new espresso bar in the heart of the East Village.

Unpretentious. Well-designed. Self-aware. Friendly atmosphere and service.

Excellent espresso.

Abraço keeps it simple and does it so well. A pleasure to experience.

The café is tiny with no chairs or tables. Which is perfect for the setting. You can enjoy your espresso at the street-facing window bar or the bench seating out front.

The proprietor also helps create a comfortable and personable ambience to Abraço.

It is another destination café for me. And there are a rare few of those. A destination café is a café where I want to be in the neighborhood just to visit the café.

Do not get me wrong. I love the East Village.

But with Abraço, the EV is brought a little more top of mind.

Address

Abraço – 86 East 7th Street, New York between 1st and 2nd Avenues. 6RW Trains at Astor Place.

Music

Edith Piaf – Milord

It was a deceiving day in New York. Well, after a few winters here, deceiving is not quite the word, as I am now accustomed to it. It looked gorgeous outside. Blue skies and barely a cloud to be seen. But whoooo was it cold. Some of our prettiest days are in the winter, particularly February. But that usually means the coldest as well. And a biting cold when there is no cloud cover for protection.

Thankfully Mud in the East Village is there for some respite.

Mud is incredibly cozy, with its earth tones, the café seems designed for cold nasty days. And as warm as the décor is, the service and resulting atmosphere are even warmer.

The espresso, or ‘mud’, was good. Served in a rustic glass tumbler complimenting the ambience while my son and I listened to the light rock of the café and entertained (bothered? hopefully not) the polite table next to us.

They also have a full blown menu, so for food or café and a neighborhood-y feel, Mud is worth a visit when down in the EV.

Address

Mud – 307 East 9th Street, New York between 1st and 2nd Avenues. 6RW Trains at Astor Place.

Music

Edith Piaf – L’homme à la moto

It was a bitingly cold day. And my son loved it…

For a few minutes and then we needed to go inside.

Columbus Circle provides one of the more intriguing indoor spaces (other than museums) in New York. And we need it as we get deeper into winter.

Cool architecture. I’m a big fan of the full-window concept, also seen in the Berlin Hauptbahnhof among other places. Here in NYC the mezzanine and balconies all look right out on to the Circle, which after many years now has its fountain, and Central Park.

Also, Bouchon Bakery is up on the second level to take advantage of the ambience.

The café presence itself is minimalist with just tables along the railing overlooking the lower level. The bakery is quite good. The espresso decent. But the real enjoyment of Bouchon Bakery is the atmosphere and view presented by the Columbus Circle.

There are exactly 4 tables in the café area with the view of the main lobby, Circle and Park. And what a view it is. There is also railing standing, which is where my son and I had to enjoy my espresso and chocolate chunk cookie.

Truly one of the better café views in NYC. And worth a visit.

Address

Bouchon Bakery – Columbus Circle, New York at the intersection of Broadway and West 59th Street. 1ABCD Trains at 59th Street/Columbus Circle.

Music

Edith Piaf – Ça sert à quoi l’amour

We are excited to release our fifth children’s T shirt design, Strange Love, whose concept and design is by Bella from here in New York.

Now available in our boutique!

Strange love is good.

There is no gender in this love.

No rules and all love.

Ahh how they met…

While traveling, alien’s spaceship was on the fritz and stopped at a solar station. By chance robot was the attendant.

Well, robot was so full of metal ideas and wonder that alien invited robot to take a ride.

They got along so well that they’ve been together ever since. Soaring in and out of many solar systems.

So this is love.

True love knows no gender, race religion or how you like your eggs.

Stay brite…

About the Artist

Bella is a caricaturist, painter, clothes designer and fictional-non-fiction writer in New York. She has a ton of ideas for projects. To explore more of them please email her at bella@sohokind.com.

My son and I found another enjoyable café option in the east 70s. Sicaffé provides a great space to hang out. Quite comfortable from the moment my son and I walked in.

Some short tables and then some higher bar height tables. I dig having the choices. Well-lit. Modern, clean. The smell of coffee was inviting.

Plus they have a newspaper rack which is another welcoming sign. It was the middle of a weekday afternoon and packed, so Sicaffé is no secret to those in the area.

The music was a good match for the ambience of the café. Plus, the mirror art is a creative touch.

The espresso was decent. And the café setting was so pleasant that the baseball caps worn by the baristas stood out like a sore thumb.

Sicaffe is another café definitely worth a visit when in the area. Or, for those living around the corner, another great neighborhood option.

Address

Sicaffé – 964 Lexington Avenue, New York between 70th and 71st Streets. 6 Train at 68th Street.

Music

Edith Piaf – A quoi ça sert l’amour

A charming and pleasant surprise is hidden away on East 74th between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. It is called Café Haba.

It’s an understated café with charm that reminded me to take a peak at the streets while rushing down the avenues. Today was cold so my son and I were walking fast (this new baby carrier is working out ok after a bumpy first couple of days). I’m glad that I had noticed Café Haba a couple months ago while it was under construction.

In a setting that could maybe be described as a modern view of traditional Euro comfort, Café Haba offers table seating and window bar seating. Presenting a good place to relax for a few minutes with a drink and snack or enjoy a conversation. It was also incredibly well-lit, which added to the atmosphere.

The espresso was also good. The one thing that caught (hurt) my ear was the radio playing from behind the counter. It would add to the ambience of the café if it was from a European sender, but it was a local channel which took away just a bit of the café’s flavour.

Definitely worth a visit. The folks living in the area have a welcome option for a neighborhood café.

Address

Café Haba – 203 East 74th Street, New York between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 6 Train at 77th Street.

Music

Edith Piaf – Le droit d’aimer

It was getting late on a cloudy, overcast day in the West Village. What a difference daylight savings time makes. And we wanted an espresso.

We found a cute little chocolate boutique/café called Chocolate Bar.

With a name like Chocolate Bar and street-facing window seating, my son and I had to give it a try.

The espresso was decent. The brownie was on that super-fine border between not yet done and baked, giving it a perfect texture of gooeyness and cake that made me forget for an instant if I had ordered a brownie or fudge. Mmmm, tasty. It even made my son lick his lips as he watched me eat it. The atmosphere was charming, if a touch too commercy with all of the chocolate wares.

The baristas were wearing what looked like chocolate-colored bunny ears, but I was not entirely sure. And the menu had some inviting chocolate drink options.

Definitely worth a second visit. Next time I’ll try the Mint Mocha and find out exactly what it is the baristas are wearing on their heads.

Address

Chocolate Bar - 48 8th Avenue, New York where West 4th and Horatio intersect. ACEL123 Trains at 14th Street.

Music

Edith Piaf – Johnny tu n’es pas un ange

So as it turns out, there are a couple of impressive cafés in the heart of midtown, and right around the corner from one another.

My son and I made it a double-header of café and museum. Topping off a great visit to Fika on West 58th with an enjoyable visit to MoMA.

Very-well designed, Fika is a contemporary styled bakery and espresso bar. Simple espresso menu. Light lunch menu. And then delicious cookies.

The atmosphere is modern and very inviting. An espresso at Fika is a stimulating experience. A bit like going to the museum. You do not just eat or drink, but you engage with the café, just as you do not blankly look at the colors on a wall in a museum.

The bakery is on site, allowing everything to be fresh. The espresso was quite good as well.

They also explain what exactly Fika is.

Fika is Swedish for the experience of the coffee break. It is more than just the coffee itself. Fika is also the experience of taking the time during the day to enjoy a moment with friends, family or colleagues. Accompanying this moment is then coffee and a light snack.

If you want a clearer explanation of fika, I highly recommend you experience it for yourself.

Address

Fika – 41 West 58th Street, New York between 5th and 6th Avenues. NRW Trains at 60th Street. F Train at 57th Street.

Music

Edith Piaf – Les flonflons du bal

SohoKind is excited to release our fourth baby & kids’ T-shirt design, Pink is for Girls, conceptualized and designed entirely by SohoKind.

Now available in our boutique.

Simple.

Obvious?

Pink is for girls. In some cultures we are taught this from an early age. And this T just expresses this cultural standard.

All of which fully explains why the message is in blue.

Yes, Pink is for Girls, and thus blue is for…

We’ll have more fun with the concept in later releases!

Good news of the day :

Just 4 days until the release of SohoKind’s 4th baby & kid t-shirt design!

As for SohoKind Café, my son and I are really enjoying our tour of the New York café scene. We hope you are as well. We have been to cafés the last couple of days, but it just does not work out to have a new review (details down below). I am quite excited about tomorrow’s visit, which will be posted early next week, after our next T release. So what’s been going on the last couple of days?

Tuesday

Let me start Tuesday by saying that the Baby Bjorn is just amazing!!! It has been an incredible facilitator of SohoKind Café.

Some of my friends, upon seeing SohoKind Café, have asked me : ‘So you visit all of these cafés with your son?’

Yes.

And why not?

The one caveat here is the Bjorn. Come on, this is New York. If you have to rely on a stroller you will not be able to enjoy some of the best cafés that New York has to offer. Unfortunate, but that is the way it is. Enter the Bjorn and hello NYC cafés!

The twist is that our son is now 5-and-a-half months old and weighs about 22 pounds. The Bjorn is holding up wonderfully, however, it is quickly becoming too small. When my son sleeps in it, his head is drooping over the side or the back, so I have to prop his head to ensure he’s comfortable. Additionally, it is only recommended to use the Bjorn up to 25 pounds.

So we spent Tuesday morning shopping for a new baby carrier. We found one that supposedly holds kids up to 55 pounds which can be up to 4 years old or such. Awesome. That sold me. Lots more walking without always needing the stroller.

We walked around for a bit and capped off the afternoon with a visit to Zibetto. I love that place!

Wednesday

Wednesday is now swimming day. My son appears to love it after two visits. Aside from swimming and the normal walks, feeding, changing, playing, etc. I decided not to visit a café and instead spent the time on the next steps for our Ts and SohoKind Café.

For our t-shirts, based on our 2-week release schedule, we will have 10 designs released by early 2008 and then the marketing engine will go into action. Part of that will be a Facebook app which I started to brainstorm and conceptualize yesterday.

Ditto for SohoKind Café and a Facebook app. That should be fun and I’m excited about putting it together.

Also, for SohoKind Café we have now visited over 30 cafés, including most of the best ones in the city. There are still some spots we need to visit. In my research I’ve noticed that there are sparse resources for a comprehensive guide to the New York café scene.

Thus, in the coming weeks SohoKind Café will release a comprehensive online guide, version 2007. And I started designing that yesterday.

Thursday (Today)

So my wife and I are having doubts about this new baby carrier. Yesterday, after about 30 minutes of my son bawling and multiple attempts to get him into the new one, I reverted back to the Baby Bjorn. And so did my wife.

This morning, in preparation for the day, I did some dry-runs while my son was sleeping. And it still was not really working out. I checked out the online video manual that the manufacturer put together for tips to see if I was doing something wrong, but I think there were some camera tricks involved in that 30 second masterpiece.

Anyways, regardless of the difficulties of putting the new carrier on, I think my son hates it. Not convinced but getting there.

We were at the new Nespresso store in the SoHo Bloomingdale’s early this afternoon. Cool espresso boutique, not as much of a café as their Madison Avenue presence. After a few minutes my son was screaming and seemingly trying to escape the carrier. A little walking and we were ok…

until we visited another café in SoHo. We actually did visit a café today, but I decided not to review it. They actually did have a good espresso and the setting has high potential - great location, outdoor seating and charming interior. But the experience was rather disappointing. Partly because the place was creepy due to an entire absence of music (it felt as though they were closing even though there were many customers and it was about 3 in the afternoon) and partly because after a few minutes my son was wrestling trying to escape.

We had to get out of there he was crying so loud.

It could be the new carrier, or he may be getting teeth.

We’ll give the carrier another chance tomorrow.

As long as the carrier is holding up well, we’ll also be visiting MoMa one last time this year to check out the latest exhibit before the holiday season when the tourists get to town and turn the queue from 5 minutes into over an hour.

Plus, I’m pretty excited about our café visit tomorrow.

Again, our 4th baby & kid T-shirt design is coming in just a few days!