6 NYC Spots That Feel Straight Out of a Nora Ephron Movie

The first time I watched You’ve Got Mail, I was in my Grandma Rose’s basement. She had it on VHS, and if memory serves me right, we watched it nearly every time we went over there. Sometimes we’d watch Sleepless in Seattle instead, but I mostly remember sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce on her beige carpet looking up at the big boxy TV while Kathleen Kelly slowly fell in love with Joe Fox.

At the time, the movie felt so modern because AOL was all the rage. I remember sitting at her computer in that same basement, logging into my Instant Messenger account to message with friends. My username was dreamxofxhorses. Not nearly as cool as Shopgirl or NY152.

I never could’ve imagined that one day, I’d live in New York City just like Kathleen Kelly. That I’d have the same haircut as her. That I’d live in a historic apartment with stacks of books on every surface just like her.

It’s been nearly 30 years since You’ve Got Mail came out, and in that time, this city has changed so much. And I feel jaded because I never got to experience the same New York City that Kathleen Kelly experienced. But in the six years I’ve lived here, I have managed to find a handful of places that still feel authentically You’ve Got Mail. Authentically Nora Ephron. They’re cozy, they’re no-frills, they’re dated, they’re authentic.

A few of these places were actually in the movies themselves, but most of them just have a Nora aura about them. Enjoy. And more to come.

Neighborhood: Morningside Heights

If I had to describe my dream cafe, this would be it. No wifi, no music, bottomless drip coffee. I get my best writing done here, surrounded by Columbia students and old men reading the paper.

Neighborhood: Upper West Side

You’ve Got Mail was filmed here. It’s cash only. The waiters are cranky (in the best way). And not a thing has changed since it first opened a century ago. Perfection, in my book.

Neighborhood: SoHo/Greenwich Village

My favorite place to peruse books—both old and new—while the old man owner blasts classical music on vinyl. This places truly feels like a warp in time. Like if you spent enough time perusing books or records, you might walk outside to discover it’s actually 1985.

Neighborhood: Fort Greene

Prima is my local coffee shop that I refer to as the Town Square because you can’t come here without running into a familiar face or two. It’s in the basement of a Brownstone in Fort Greene and has a really cozy feeling about it. It’s not trying too hard. It’s just here to serve the community good coffee and shoddy wifi.

Neighborhood: Upper West Side

There is nowhere more romantic or more cinematic or more New York than the opera. The red carpet, the little water fountain with the cone cups, the chimes to notify you it’s time to head back to your seat. If I were to pick my perfect date night location, it would be here.

Neighborhood: Upper West Side

One thing that feels very Nora Ephron is to take yourself out for a solo breakfast. And one of my favorite places to do so is Cafe Luxe. It’s been open since 1983 and is filled with old New Yorker types. You’ll spot old ladies in fur coats, professor types doing the crossword, and men in suits out to lunch. It’s a classic.

Thanks for reading,

x

Claudia