Window seat at Letizia’s

Jim Newberry

The Window Seat at Letizia’s

On weekday mornings Letizia’s Natural Bakery is a stop-and-go place, where coffee travels in paper cups. It draws a mix of frazzled Bluetooth yuppies, methodical dog walkers, cops, and a short-haired young lady with a broad smile and a limitless cache of pink jogging shorts. Most of the people who spend more than a few minutes here are banking some heavy billable hours on their laptops. But on the ledge that runs along the front window, there’s a sign reading one chair only. It doesn’t specify how many people may place their muffins on the ledge, or how many may occupy that acceptably comfortable wooden chair—according to one employee, five kids once sat in it together, late in the day. And in the morning it’s usually empty.

To get to it you must ascend two tall steps and navigate a tight gauntlet of plant life while carrying a hot beverage. Once seated you look directly into the doorway. You see all arrivals and departures. You can watch most everyone inside. A minor acquaintance stands in line, and you give him a quick high school nod. No one will approach you. You are the observer. Cast your psychological projections as you will. 2144 W. Division, 773-342-1011, superyummy.com. —Emerson Dameron

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