An (Almost) Midsummer Week in New York City

I was last in New York in February 2020, a work trip that also took me to Seattle. It was strange to be there during the early stages of the pandemic. No one knew how to act as we didn't know what was to come. I did what I usually did and went to as many of my favourite NYC places as possible, saving the rest for the family trip I had booked for May 2020. Of course, it turned out that it was my last foreign trip for 18 months, and the two-year gap until my return earlier this month was my longest absence from my favourite city in more than 15 years.

The NYC Caffeine Chronicles: Manhattan Specialty Coffee Update

Earlier this week, I wrote about three of the excellent new-to-me specialty coffee shops I visited in Brooklyn during my recent visit. But I had the opportunity to stop by a fair few coffee spots in Manhattan too. I was staying near Bryant Park, which meant that Midtown coffee shops feature quite prominently on this list. 

There used to be a real dearth of specialty coffee in this part of town, but there are now dozens of places to get a great cup of coffee. I did find, however, that many of the Midtown coffee shops I visited had a real focus on takeaway and served coffee in disposable cups even if you are drinking in (COVID has been a driver, of course). 

This isn't that surprising, given the high proportion of tourists and office workers in that part of town, but it is worth noting.

The NYC Caffeine Chronicles: A Brooklyn Specialty Coffee Tour

After a two-year absence, I finally returned to New York City earlier this month, for a holiday with my parents. We were originally supposed to go in May 2020, but we all know why that didn't happen. With six days in the city, I had plenty of time to visit some new and new-to-me specialty coffee shops. And three of my favourites were all in Brooklyn. 

The SW London Caffeine Chronicles: Lane Eight, Juliet's Quality Foods and Walker Wyatt

If you've been following me on Instagram, you may have seen that I recently moved house — this is also why I've been posting less frequently over the past few months. My new home is pretty close to where I used to live, but during the search, I also ventured into the SW postcodes more than usual. Of course, house-hunting is much better when caffeinated and luckily, there were plenty of great specialty coffee shops to visit, including the following three, listed from north to south.