This pink cruiser was parked outside the tiny Has Beans Cafe [WHICH NOW SERVES BEER!] on Fifth Avenue, just south of 17th Street. Has Beans serves great coffee, not only by the cup – you can purchase a wide variety of beans there whole or ground! (And pretty reasonably, too!)

This whole stretch has changed so much in the past couple of years, it’s unreal. An old photography shop has turned into a new wine store (same owner, new gig). A new organic food market has come in, owned by a lovely Indian family. It’s called Balance Life and she now home-cooks Indian entrees you can take home for dinner.

Eagle Provisions remains the stalwart [and beer heaven] of this block, but across the street, it’s party central with the new Ellis Bar, another rotating bar space (should be called ‘South’ in later this year, formerly called Vin Rouge), and a sushi joint. Earlier this year, New York Magazine profiled the hood from a both a newcomer’s and an old-timer’s point of view. Well worth the read, especially if you’re thinking of moving to the area!