Tea Time

Three years ago I used to go to this coffee and tea lounge on the Upper East Side of Manhattan ("Uptown") and study for several hours at a time. What made "DTUT" different were the "Downtown”-like, relaxed, non-pretentious atmosphere, patina-looking couches, amazing happy hours, great hot chocolate, free wireless and friendly but rather stoned baristas. Which was quite the change from the ubiquitous cookie-cutter Starbucks, both in form and content. Occasionally, a funny-looking old man, spiffy enough for his age, would strike out a conversation with the eternal: "My doctor recommended one glass of wine per day. I come here all the time… their house red is excellent for my heart." And you would, of course, indulge him with a non-flirtatious smile and acquiesce to the undeniable benefits of the DTUT alcoholic grape juice.

Last year, after 10 years of providing a much-needed chilling contrast to an uppity neighborhood, DTUT closed on account of high rent. A fancier, less welcoming coffee-and-wine place took over (including the obligatory Italian name, of course.) Today I went searching for a DTUT alternative in the area and finally stumbled into M. Rohr's, an 1896 establishment with laid-back atmosphere and rickety couches dating as far back as the 1970's, if not older. The same DTUT crowd and reading-friendly environment made my day. And to prove that while rent may go up and coffee places may close, some things never change - the same old man sat across the table from me and stroke out a familiar conversation "Your tea is getting cold. What's that, Irish? Oh, green... my doctor said it's a great antioxidant. I come here all the time, their teas are excellent..."