Bodega coffee

By slow drip, New York City is losing its unpretentious pleasures. This coffee is slightly bitter from the patina of brews past that line a workhorse commercial brewer. (There is milk in a small refrigerator nearby if you would like some.) Your community is also nearby: construction workers, night shift-ers, students, public servants, and familiar faces. Consider the carafe a town square, a ritual that ties you to your block and those who keep it running, and to a version of the city that still feels familiar: generous and timeless.