New2NY: Fake Foyers

Being from California, I’m still not “used” to this weather. My Mediterranean-climate trained blood will probably never be.

Maybe it’s because of this fact that I am fascinated and captivated by all these winter-doors popping up all over the city. Restaurants, hotels, even Starbucks have their own canvas igloos, welcoming in the weary to inviting hospitality. If you’ve walked around the city you’ve seen them. Plastic windows line the flimsy magnetic latching doors. Some even have glowing heaters to truly ease the transition from outside to inside, although they usually end up creating a higher temperature in the “halfway space” than what is inside.

I can’t recall these winter-doors in Boston – maybe they were just built in. Ever heard of a foyer? (Even after working in a real estate office for two years, I’m still not sure how to correctly pronounce that…foy-err or is it foy-ay. Linguists?) Where are all the foyers in Manhattan? Better yet, where do all the fake foyers, halfway spaces, really hot rooms, whatever you call them go in the summer? Why are they suddenly erected all at once?

I suppose these venues could merely be trying to save space with the price of a square foot in Manhattan these days. If an establishment set aside certain space inside for patrons to remove their coats and close their wet umbrellas, what good would that space be in the summer?

Being from California, I guess I still have a lot to learn about New York. Have a great weekend!