Living in coronavirusworld 110: time for coffee

7/12

time for Sunday morning coffee

coffee shop community mural

Enjoy my walk up to the Venezuelan coffee shop. So glad they’ve made it back.  In normal times, they create a sense of community. Welcome for families. And dogs. And aware of the world. Perfect place to drink my coffee and read the Sunday times. And plenty of time go back and catch the West Park worship service.  And glad to see that Dan is back leading worship.

they paint the bike stands, too

art on the street

I’m glad to accept the invitation for ice cream. Along the way, I stop to show off the coffee shop. We walk on to Malcolm X and the Sugar Hill Creamery, Harlem’s craft ice cream shop. I’ve only had a Mister Softee or two since the season began. The exotic favors make it special. For her, strawberry and basil. For me, corn, jalapeño and blueberry. Sugar Hill is of course the old neighborhood of Harlem’s elite…home to WEB DuBois, Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington , Adam Clayton Powell, Jr and Willie Mays to name just a few. We walk on to Marcus Garvey Park. She wants to check out the pool for future swimming. I show her the drumming circle where Ecclesia used to meet for Sunday services and a meal before the virus. And the Richard Rodgers Theatre where every summer I work watch the Classical Theatre of Harlem and their productions of Shakespeare and Euripedes. It now seems to have been taken over as a homeless encampment. (Just like the northeast entrance to Morningside Park has become an encampment for Latinx homeless, seemingly Mexican by accent.) It’s summer. And hot. And if you don’t think about it, almost normal. 

Eve sings

stories to share

I take the subway tp Columbus Circle and walk to Bar 9.Where I used to perform on Sunday nights as part of the We Love Songwriters series. My band even did a showcase there one night with Saturday Night Live cast members hanging out at the bar. Tonight my friend Eve has got a solo set at an outdoor stage they’ve sent up in their new outdoor cafe set up.  It feels good, familiar and strange to be there. Several songwriter friends from CC Eve’s Sunday night ZOOM show are there. Recognition is slow to  dawn as we see each other in masks and not ZOOM boxes. I enjoy Eve’s music and then we sit and share coronavirusworld stories. We speculate as to what might be possible as the city continues to slowly reopen. Even as the rest of the country descends into chaos as numbers rise. Even Mexico has closed its border to keep us out.  We are a long way from home.