The Reason Why I'm Grumpy

The other day while walking through Chelsea, I stumbled upon Café Grumpy, which is nicely tucked away on 20th Street (between 7th and 8th Aves). I was pleased to find another independent and unique-looking coffee shop in the sea of Starbucks that plague Manhattan. So, I decided to give Grumpy a try, only to find out after placing an order for two cups, that my total came to just under $9.00 (which makes each cup, of regular old coffee mind you, $4.50 or so). I don’t care what type of special brew it is, New Yorkers willing to pay this price must be a little insane. To top things off, the barista asked my friend and I whether we wanted to watch them make it…Um, no! It is not that fascinating to see coffee poured and stirred into a paper cup. But I guess that's what the extra $3.00 per cup is for.

After leaving, I took my first excited sip, thinking that this $4.50 cup of coffee better be liquid gold. I found that it tasted, well, it was disgusting! So bad I thought about dumping it and getting some decent coffee somewhere else, but decided against it because that would mean I would have just spent $12.00 for only drinking two full cups of coffee. I forget that a lot of Manhattanites only really care about the look and design of a place, which in Grumpy's case, is perfect. In fact, it is like a Hollywood set version of what a New York coffee shop should look like...it is just too bad that the coffee tasted dramatically bad.

Congrats Café Grumpy, you succeeded at making your patrons (at least one of them), Grumpy!

Is This What New York Was Like When Cars First Hit City Streets?

India's Tata Motors has introduced an automobile that sells for only $2,500, and it is expected to boost the growing Indian automobile market even further. In fact, as this New York Times' article indicates, many Indians are learning to maneuver the crowded streets for the first time, producing sometimes comical results: cars driving in the wrong direction, pedestrian near misses, and white-knuckled terror. Particularly comical for me, because I have experienced the exact same thing driving through Manhattan. People don't pay very close attention to their surroundings in the Big Apple, even when walking down the sidewalk. I wish India luck as more and more Indians put their peddle to the metal. You'll need it, and New Yorkers are still terrified of these vehicles 100 years later.

Welcome to the Blue York Blog!

The Blue York Blog has been set up as a resource for those that don't think New York City is all it's cracked up to be. While glamorized in the media it certainly is no Xanadu. It smells, people push and shove, and the cost of living...oh the cost of living! It can really suck the life out of you.

So for all of you seeking the real nitty gritty on this god forsaken city this is your place on the web! We welcome your daily complaints and plan to share some of our own. Email us your observations, heart break, and financial decimation to blueyorkteam@gmail.com.