The Cafe on 41st and 6th 10-15-2024
A cafe rec, huh. Let me think for a second...
I've got one. But it ain't exactly a Starbucks or one of those independent coffee shops either. It's a bit out of the way, and you won't exactly find any Yelp reviews or directions on Google Maps. It's just not that kind of place. You only get there if someone else tells you about it, and I guess for you I'm that someone.
Okay, okay, I'll tell you how to get there. You better be taking notes, it's a bit... un-ordinary. So, 41st and 6th, you familiar with the subway station there? Yeah, that's where you gotta go first, make sure you're taking the west entrance, you can't get there from the east.
As you're going down the stairs, you're gonna see an unmarked door to the right side. Now be careful, you want the door on the second flight of stairs, not the first. I got some strange looks when I was fiddling with the lock on the first one, folks thought I was some sort of dumbass robber.
Anyways, second flight, door to the right. Now, it's gonna have a padlock, you don't want just any bozo walking into the cafe, right? So they've gotta change the code every day, but it's real simple to remember. It's the 4 digit date in reverse, plus 2. Got it? I'd recommend doing the math in your head before you get there, makes it less awkward.
Now once you get in, it's gonna look like a maintenance tunnel. That's because it is one. The second door on the left is gonna be the cafe, you can't miss it. They've got a sign saying Cafe Narrazione and everything. The other doors are for the technicians to worry about, they're none of your business.
Yeah, it is a real pain in the ass to get to Cafe Narrazione, but it's worth it. It's all free. Yeah, costs nothing to get a flat white or just a simple drip coffee. I mean, I'll deal with the odyssey to get there over paying for a latte with my kidney, or getting ready to sign a payment plan for an americano at other places.
No, they're not with the mob, what the hell are you talking about? The mob doesn't do cafes, they do restaurants. Besides, that ain't why they're free. Well, they're not quite free.
You see, for every drink you order, the bartender is gonna ask for a story. I ain't talking about a bedtime story or anything childish like that, I'm talking about a personal heart to heart kind of story. Now just keep in mind, each drink has a different price.
You want a regular iced coffee? You gotta tell the bartender something that happened to you today.
An espresso will set you back one tale from the past week where you felt motivated.
Some drinks are more expensive than others, it's just how it goes. But don't even think about faking a story. They just know. They always know you're lying.
I don't know how they actually pay for any of the beans, or how they even keep people working there. The coffee is actually good, and I doubt they're skimping out on that cost. Hell, I don't even know why they'd want the stories of a bunch of strangers. Lord knows what they're doing with them. But I can get my cappuccino for the low, low cost of a sob story of mine, and after that, whatever they're up to is none of my business.
So. Go check out Cafe Narrazione when you get the chance. If you ever want to order a breve, just tell them about this conversation.