Emerging Thing of the Week: Lost Weekend NYC
Lost Weekend is a coffee shop. And a gallery. And a lifestyle store. And an event space. Aw, hell, it’s the sort of place that you wish you had in your neighborhood—unless you live on New York’s Lower East Side, in which case you do have it. The space opened in August and will have rotating art exhibits—the first of which, featuring Patrick McMullan’s photography from the eighties, runs through the end of the month—and sells Blue Bottle Coffee, Saltbox hoodies, and Malin + Goetz grooming products. Which, depending on who you are, might all qualify as essentials. —erica
Lost Weekend NYC v. Saturdays Surf NYC
I recently read an article about this new coffee shop called Lost Weekend NYC on the LES. Upon reading, I thought it sounded somewhat like Saturdays Surf NYC. Not that it’s the exact same thing, but it’s exploring the same territory with it’s coffeehouse/boutique hybrid (which seems to be a trend). So I decided to go to both, and make a comparison between the two. The break-down is below.
LOST WEEKEND NYC
http://www.lostweekendnyc.com/
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Coffee brewed: Blue Bottle Coffee
Music played in-store: The Drums
Boutique items: Men’s hair products from Malin+Goetz; board shorts, etc. from Saltbox USA, and Mast Brothers chocolate.
The Set-Up: Coffee counter when you first walk in, some seating in the middle and the small “shop”/gallery in the back. Right now, the exhibition is portraits and photo books by Patrick McMullen. It captures a classic NYC feel with 80’s photos of people such as Jean-Michel Basquiat & Warhol.
SATURDAYS SURF NYC
Neighborhood: SoHo
Coffee brewed: La Colombe
Music played in-store: Tame Impala
Boutique Items: Obviously surf gear like boards & Sex Wax; Saturdays tees + other clothing
The Set-Up: Coffee shop up front, the store, and some outdoor seating in the back. Also includes photo books and fancy magazines for perusing.
Final verdict
It’s hard to pick a clear winner in this instance. They both have stellar coffee and fun, distinct personalities. I guess it depends on what neighborhood you’re closest to more often and whether you prefer a surf vibe or a more iconic NY vibe. I myself am not really into the surfing culture (only because I’m certain I would break my neck or get eaten by a shark if I tried to learn) and tend to prefer the LES to SoHo.
My only complaint is that both boutiques are fairly male-centric. If you’re a legit surfer, then most of the gear will apply to you in Saturdays. But the clothing is mostly for males in both and the hair care line in Lost Weekend is for men as well. That’s the only frustrating thing about these shops. But if you’re just stopping in to grab a cup of coffee, they both do the job quite well.
Lost Weekend NYC
lostweekendnyc.tumblr.comBro friends, might I recommend Lost Weekend NYC? Blue Bottle coffee, men’s clothing, Malin + Goetz products. On the LES (and tumblr). The current Patrick McMullan photography exhbit of SoHo in the 80s will probably appeal to everyone.
