Miles from Fenway: Life Blood

Coffee falls into the stomach ... ideas begin to move, things remembered arrive at full gallop ... the shafts of wit start up like sharp-shooters, similes arise, the paper is covered with ink...
- Honore de Balzac

I've spoken before about the important role NYC coffee carts occupy in my life. But really what makes them so great is finding those carts that if you go to them every day, you get to know the people working in them.

The woman on the corner of 59th Street and Lexington Avenue is one of those women. No, I don't know her name, but every morning I am greeted with a huge smile and a steaming cup of hot coffee made just the way I like it (without so much as asking for my order). How can that not be a great way to start a day?

But today I received devastating news. Today is her last day. Her mother is ill and she'll be taking an undetermined amount of time off to care for her. To be honest, I am going to miss her. If only because I've actually had three separate coffee cart guys ask me out on dates over the past five years, mistaking their knowledge of my coffee preferences as a knowledge of me as a person. This woman not only was a sweetheart, but I could also be fairly certain she was harboring no feelings towards me that would then create awkward interactions and then force me to find someplace new and start all over again training someone else on the intricacies of my coffee (you know ... three sugars with half and half).

Maybe I'll go down for a second cup of coffee today. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go do just that.

Labels: misc., NYC

posted by FINY @ Friday, June 15, 2007

3 Comments:

At 6/17/2007, Anonymous said…

back when i was workng in NYC there was a guy in a cart who was awesome but like your story, he up and left one day. Was never the same....
At 6/18/2007, Meredith said…

Coffee from the coffee cart is my most favorite coffee ever! The guys outside my old office knew my order by heart but my guy now always mixes up sugar instead of Sweet n' Low (though he's still nice.) Your story reminds me of my morning bus driver who announced on Friday to everyone that they shouldn't get worried if they don't see him this week because he was going on vacation.
At 6/19/2007, Anonymous said…

That's pretty cool. It sucks she's going away though. Always tough to break in a new waiter, bartender, coffee person, etc. They are like breaking in a new hat. It's a lot of hard work and time before you get it just right.