Winters are rough. Even though I am a born and raised California boy, my first ‘real’ winters in NYC, Paris and London never bothered me. Cold outside? Wear a jacket, gloves, scarf and cap. Snowing? Maybe an extra sweater. That icy cold that freezes one’s nose? Maybe a light jacket between the sweater and jacket and probably some long-underwear.But I never found myself dramatically altering my plans due to weather.That changed with the arrival of our son. The first winter with him was a bit rough. Between him getting sick/colds and then him passing them onto me, we spent a number of days inside last winter. Plus, there are some days when it would just be too cold for a baby. If I stop feeling my nose, how can that weather be appropriate for a 10 month old?

So winter 2007/08 was rough. Many days inside. And we were still exploring the city alone. Even though we were available all afternoon, every day. We had not managed to make friends - well, more accurately, I had not made any friends, how could I blame a 10 month old for that? Being a stay-at-home-dad was actually pretty lonely. This loneliness was just emphasized by the wintry weather.

My son and I were fortunate to meet another father/son pair last winter. Cafes, playgrounds, talking. Talking, cafes, playgrounds. We found a good match.

Since then we’ve met up 2 to 3 times per week. Matching up a playground with a cafe. We mix it up a bunch depending on the day and the weather.

But we often find ourselves doing the Madison Park/Tarallucci combo. My buddy introduced me to Tarallucci e Vino in the Flatiron.What a find! Great espresso. And great ambience. The place is actually a restaurant with 1-and-a-half levels, with the dining room up a short flight of stairs. And the entry way opens up to a wide bar and seating area, where you can enjoy a coffee at the bar, a touch Italian-style. And plenty of room for the strollers.

Tarallucci e Vino - 15 East 18th Street at Broadway. LNQRW, 456 Trains at Union Square.

The same great coffee at their East Village location (163 First Avenue at 10th Street). But it is not as stroller friendly.And, as I just found out a couple of weeks ago, they are now operating the cafe at the Alessi store down in SoHo. My wife, son and I took a break there for a macchiatto, expecting to have the ‘Joe’ experience, and were surprised to see a barista from the 18th Street Tarallucci behind the bar!

This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 4:08 and is filed under Flatiron, SohoKind Cafe, New York. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.