Girl About Town: Saturdays Surf NYC

When Jay-Z wrote about Saturdays Surf NYC on his acclaimed lifestyle blog, Life + Times, I knew had to visit. My desire remained for two reasons: because I think anything that appears on Life + Times is instantly cooler, and because I drank the Hova Kool Aid. Regardless, the experience was everything I hoped it'd be, in an extremely understated way.

Outside, men sat with their coffee cups and enjoyed the sun on their face in this strange turn for fall that the August weather has taken.

Inside, the space is long and narrow.

A model watched a man (unidentified to me) leaf through her portfolio and tap on the photos he favored as she outlined her previous experience.

Customers talked surfboards and paraphernalia, never bristling once at the cost of a board (the least expensive ringing up at just under $700) or a book.

The greatest thing about this little coffee and surf shop was the barista. Oddly handsome and slightly hairy, he charmed everyone that went by. Men, women, children, pets... it didn't matter. Everyone was friends, and like Cheers, everyone seemed to know your name. And if he didn't, he asked. He wanted to carry on some interesting banter about the weather or the "big time" amount of ice coffee they had behind the bar. He was a reminder that on a busy Tuesday afternoon in SoHo that there is always time for a genuine connection between two people... He was a reminder to slow down and smell the surf wax.

So I did.

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