The Paris Café, one of downtown's oldest bars (always impossible to compete with Fraunces Tavern) — a fixture at the Seaport since 1873 — has closed for good. The pub weathered Sandy, when it was all but washed away, but could not overcome the coronavirus, which has wiped out business for the foreseeable future.

Café de Flore Founded in 1887, Café de Flore can be found right across the street from Les Deux Magots in the popular 75006 Paris cafe zip code. The proximity and history of the two Saint-Germain cafes have instilled a life-long rivalry between them, both claiming to be the most famous café in Paris.

During the Second World War, Simone de Beauvoir moved to the legendary hotel La Louisiane in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, an artists' haunt. She also spent hours at the nearby Café de Flore to write and keep warm.