This morning I took Little T and Ayah across the road to get my morning coffee at SoHo’s Ground Support Café. It’s become our local after a friend tipped me off and we haven’t found much competition in the area. Tameem and I have been really surprised at the shortage of good coffee shops in our neighbourhood and in Manhattan in general. Obviously there are heaps of restaurants and bars, but in terms of casual cafes with good espresso coffee you can walk blocks without finding one. In my mind I imagined Manhattan had these on every street corner.
Little T loves the ritual of going with us for coffee in the morning, because it’s a routine and she knows what to expect. As our days are completely open now and we make them up as we go; new people, new places etc, she is comforted by the sameness of this café.
T sat and ate a croissant on a bench seat with me and chatted about the pros and cons of New York versus Vancouver. Basically Vancouver continues to win for her on account of her friends and the “darkness” at night there. She means that the city lights never really go out outside her bedroom window in Manhattan.
We calmly got up and left the café. This was all very much appreciated, as I no longer take it for granted with a three-year-old. As we're walking down the steps to the street two young boys, a few years older than her, are coming up them. They stare at her and she stares back and as she's passing the younger brother she leans in and says: "no hot chocolate for you boss."
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