West 3rd St. btwn. Thompson St. and Laguardia Pl

…besides the closing of yet another privately-owned cafe’.

For nearly a decade, we’ve watched many beloved coffee institutions fall victim to the ravages of the New York City rental market. If Dunkin Donuts can open in the heart of Greenwich Village, then it tragically proves that no neighborhood is immune to these market obscenities. Having spent the greater part of my student life in Greenwich Village, cozy, old-World style cafes have been a burrowing site for many an hour of rumination, calm restoration, guiltless procrastination and creative daydreaming. I’m still mourning the loss of those charming, romantic urban oases of old like Caffe Degli Artisti, Cafe’ Borgia (on the north-eastern tip of the four cafe’ corner that used to exist on the intersection of Bleecker and MacDougal), Cafe’ Le Figaro and the Upper West Side’s Cafe La Fortuna and Cafe’ Mozart.

Another Commercial Wart Defacing the Heart of Greenwich Village

The opening of franchises like Dunkin Donuts gives us all the more reason to support Greenwich Village’s independently-owned cafes.

While our individual habits of consumption will likely have little or no impact on the real estate market, conscious patronizing will bring these places the business they need to survive and in the process remind them– and us–of the social and cultural functions they serve.

Of the caffeinated elixir, Honore de Balzac stated:

“As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.”

It is hardly imaginable that Balzac or that the coffee house literati of old culture would have ever dreamed of consuming the beastly industrial brews served in slaughter house types of coffee places such as Dunkin Donuts.

Let’s support and celebrate those cafes that are still around: La Lanterna di Vittorio, Caffe’ Dante, Caffe’ Reggio, Caffe Vivaldi, Once Upon a Tart, Doma Cafe and Cafe’ Angelique are among those in Greenwich Village. But stroll around and you will doubtlessly discover more of them.

Remember that most of these cafes also serve lunch and dinner and have wine lists and are a more affordable alternative conventional restaurants. La Lanterna and Caffe Vivaldi both have fireplaces and jazz nights. Check listings. Also, while it may not be obvious from their appearance, it is also possible to get coffee to go at all of the above-mentioned cafes. Being in a hurry need not warrant compromising on coffee standards. Just go to them and ask for your coffee in a paper cup.

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