Ed Levine writes a love letter to the American diner:

I’ve had an egg- and toast-loaded three months of eavesdropping while eating my way through New York’s diners, as many as I could without getting divorced, and have come to the inescapable conclusion that they are as essential to our way of life, our democracy, and our sense of community, as any other American institution we have right now.

One of my favorite memories from my second visit to NYC was eating breakfast with my brother at 3:30 am — on a Tuesday — in a greasy, lively, absolutely perfect diner in Chelsea. There’s nothing quite like that to replenish your body and soul after a really long day out and about in the greatest city in the world.

Now that I can hold my own with a decent camera, I totally have to go back.

Via Kottke.