Macchiatwo

Last week, in less fraught and busy times, I jetted out to the Jefferson Avenue L stop for a quick extension of my tour. I visited the tiny Wyckoff Starr café—which is so small and located so close to the subway stop that I turned the wrong way and missed it first time around. Though father out on the line, the area around this stop is a lot more welcoming. The design of the buildings has its own charm; there were people on the quiet streets and generally an aura of purpose, rather than factory neglect. Wyckoff Star was a nice place—$1.50 macchiato and all. The woman behind the counter checked to make sure that a macchiato was what I really wanted—cue some brief commiserating about how Starbucks has confused everyone—and when it was, put it in my thermos for me. The drink was pretty good, ranking below Boulevard and above the other two.

Afterwards, I took a walk—apparently, to Queens—up some quiet streets to the Onderdonk farmhouse, a real, live historical site. I couldn’t go in—they are only open on Saturdays—but the sudden greenery of the farmyard, couched in industry and with the Empire State Building et al rising stark out of the drizzly horizon, was a sight to behold.

Walking back, I conceded the area was pretty desolate. I guess it’s a question of where you come in—the immediate vicinity of Morgan near the L is pretty inhabited, too, even though I didn't feel it on my walk in. Here, though, there was a much more residential, peaceful feel—small houses, sparrows perched in a chainlink dovecote, an assemblage of greenery and blue garage that conjured up an image of the Statue of Liberty for me. In fact, I found the area so satisfying that I decamped there with K.-- for arepas this week. Pretty good, but not on a par with my dear Bogota, which I have neglected far too long... Dinner, anyone?