Partners (Urban Space Vanderbilt)
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I associate Partners with the streets of Brooklyn. So, for someone who doesn’t leave Manhattan, this stall is less of an option and more of an opportunity. The amount of PRIDE happening with the limited real estate at the end of the hall had me smiling from ear to ear—all the mini flags hung above the commotion and below the espresso machine and order pick-up actually matched the rainbow push-letter board and kaleidoscopic cups. They didn’t go for anything bright or gaudy, rather they placed blue neon script on a white panel and hung it above the register. Boom. If it read “Get coffee here,” it would have been just as effective. It doesn’t go professing to be more than what it is, opting to fit into its environment with a crinkled metallic front with some light wood additions. Looking around at its surroundings—Playa Bowls, YumYubu, and the restrooms—from one of the few tables or during a 360-moment at least one thing can be said: this coffee from Partners feels atypical in almost every way. Evidently, you can take a cafe out of Brooklyn. But, can you take the Brooklyn out of this cafe and cram it into Manhattan’s devoid needs?
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Drink: Coffee
I saw that they were running a seasonal release for summer, BLOCK PARTY. A rainbow strip on the roll at the top of the bean bags said that $1 from every bag supports the LGBT Community Center. Say no more. And they had it on drip as their coffee of the day. Perfect. Partners’s cups always fascinate me. This one was Ernie orange. The coffee was a good temperature, hot but drinkable (how it should be), and the flavor was robust. The tasting notes listed on the bag were strawberry, apple, and honeycomb. On this characterization, I must argue. It is true: it isn’t too acidic, it isn’t too juicy, but it is more like Granny Smith apple balanced by honeydew. It doesn’t possess the berry of strawberry and it doesn’t really come off as sweet, even in honeycomb’s milder way. It is enjoyable, but the enjoyment comes from the flavor it does bring to the table and from the gorgeous cause that it supports. Maybe that latter note is the non-physical ingredient much like the everything nice to sugar and spice.
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Price: Coffee=$3.75
Hours: Sunday–Monday {9–17}; Tuesday–Saturday {6:30–21}
Extra Notes:
I asked the barista what the password was, and she didn’t know. They definitely have a network, but you might have to go hunt it down. I honestly wasn’t that committed, so I let it go.