Eat Street, NYC

These lanterns are so eye-catching. I bet this looks lovely at night. The sleek deck covering is pretty and a nice layer of protection from passing cars. 

W. 4th St has gone all in on Halloween and harvest decoration. I guess we'll be transitioning right into Christmas after this?  

The tiny streets in the Financial District make it hard for restaurants to take up a lot of space, but Stone St is fairly wide. These barriers seem particularly visible and protective from passing cars.  

I like the greenhouse vibe, with the bright colored counter and stools. The counter in place of tables give it more of a teahouse/coffeeshop feel.  

  This restaurant is the harbinger of what is sure to be decorative gourd season for outdoor dining now that it's fall.

Tortaria's shed does  have a particularly nice roof, but what really makes this scene notable is that this is what the "anarchist jurisdiction" depicted in this NBC New York tweet looked like on the afternoon of Sept 21, 2020. The anarchy in NYC is just intolerable.

More than any other restaurant that I pass regularly, Spicy Moon has been experiencing an ongoing evolution. Starting from the bottom: they decided on garish neon early on as a design choice. They soon expanded the pink tape with other neon colors. Then they added bright red plastic dividers, with color-changing rope lights. In its most recent incarnation, the neon tape has been replaced with street art that reflects its vegan mission (note that the animals have "Save Me" written on them).  Spicy Moon's food is amazing, and I was thrilled when they moved next door. I have almost no desire to eat in this space, however. 

I don't have much to say about Sadelle's, except that I think it's pretty. I like the combination of light green and purple plants over the blue deck. It's a clean look.

The #OpenStreets on Spring Street means that St. Tropez (black walls) has enlarged their deck to take up a chunk of the car land. People are making good use of the space, besides just eating: walking, biking, stroller parking.  

This is the last place I ate, on March 9, before The Shutdown. Now, they have both a sidewalk patio and an on-street deck. It's only a little unfortunate that the deck is in the bus lane, though I guess I'd rather prioritize restaurants than a slightly faster bus right now.

      I like the juxtaposition of street culture with the restaurant that Eater describes like this : "But at La Mercerie, where the cost of goods is so completely out of reach to so many, the restaurant rather takes on the air of an aspirational advertisement, a postcard from a fictional millionaire’s lifestyle."

The rainbow painted deck makes a gloomy day a little less dreary.

  Not just one restaurant, but nearly an entire street full of them. Unfortunately, cars are still allowed to drive between these decks. This street isn't high-traffic and should just be blocked off. 

  Beach balls as decoration. Did they have the idea independently? (FWIW, Bayard Ale House, on top, had them before I saw them at Jones, on bottom.) Also, do people steal them, or do drunk diners think it's funny to throw them into the street?

  Great idea to include artwork on the barrier. Maybe the city could partner with artists and restaurants to paint murals and paintings on the decks both to beautify the restaurants and to pay artists during a difficult time.

Not many restaurants are open by 8am for breakfast, but Bluestone Lane is reliable. Lots of online orders wait for their recipients too. Relatively large number of single diners gives this a typical coffee shop vibe. Another example of a corner restaurant that can expand their seating capacity. (August 6, 2020)

Standard deck set up with good shade. Lovely mix of plants makes the divider more attractive, and the planters contain edible herbs like basil and mint! (August 3, 2020)

(Click to expand to see both pictures.) The attempt at providing shade by The Butcher's Daughter is...weird. Is this like a fabric pergola? Does do any good? Also, a border of plants along the top edge of the white deck would go a long way toward improving this space. (Hudson St, August 2, 2020) The Nolita location has the same awkward fabric pergola thing (+ awkwardly parked motorcycle). This location is a good example of how restaurants on the corner have a great advantage when it comes to maximizing the number of tables they have, since they can put diners on both streets. (Kenmare St, August 3, 2020)

(Click to expand to see both pictures.) 7th Ave back patio Carmine St front deck This is a rare restaurant that has entrances on two streets, so they have seating on both of them. There might actually be more seating in this configuration than in the restaurant itself, which is pretty small. Pleasing color scheme for tables and barriers (and complementary Fiestaware). Cute striped umbrellas in the back. (August 2, 2020)

Deck built into multiple parking spots. Nice use of shrubs to improve the aesthetics and block views of cars. Good shade covering. Points for restaurant branding, but the red is a bit of a visual assault. (August 2, 2020)