Sighhh I miss Summer Fridays. While my office didn’t have days off or half days on Fridays during the summer, we did have the benefit of working from home on those days. And when your office is typically 5x/week mandatory in-office, WFH Fridays are a godsend. I tended to work for at least half the day at a coffee shop, and in the last month of summer discovered Solid State Coffee.
This UWS coffee shop is serving up a beautifully curated collection of coffees that have been ethically-sourced from small farms. They take their coffee seriously and call out the flavor profiles of the rotating blends at the counter so even a basic brew is perfectly suited to your taste.
Walk down a couple steps to the garden level of a lovely block to enter what looks to be a narrow space. I was disappointed when I thought I’d have to take my coffee to go because the line was out the door – there couldn’t possibly be enough space. but don’t worry, it goes all the way back to 70th street and opens wide to offer plenty of tables. There’s even a patio area. The front/ordering area just gets a bit congested. Don’t let it deter you.
My coffee was honestly great – and I had a feeling I’d think so when I realized I was able to choose a lighter roast with low acidity. And there is a great food situation. I never ordered from the main menu (timing never aligned), but the breakfast sandwiches and salads looked amazing. I did get a cardamom bun one day and ate every bite.
There were plenty of people sitting and chatting, but more than half were doing some type of work. Me? I was working on press releases and sneaking in a bit of novel writing because the atmosphere begged it of me. They don’t have WiFi, but park yourself near an outlet and hotspot it – it’s worth it. I’m bummed that I discovered this spot only to have to go back to a 100% in-office schedule. I’ll figure out how to visit again, I’m sure.
Peaches to Apples 