Venice's Abbot's Habit Missing Benches Explainer

Those benches have taken a bus trip out of town
VENICE: After a reader asked why the outdoor benches at Abbot's Habit disappeared--and as Yo Venice points out, they've been gone since October--some explanation from Noah Farrell, manager at Abbot's Habit. 1. The coffee shop didn’t have a permit for the benches, prompting a warning from city officials. 2. The chairs and benches were attracting all sorts of characters, so it became a "chronic source of aggravation" for Abbot's Habit. 3. Given the headaches of dealing with the crowds that were hanging out on the benches ("Drinking, smoking...at one point, we even had a bouncer patrolling," says Farrell, who says the coffee shop hired the bouncer four days a week to keep tabs on the area), it doesn't sound like staff at Abbot's Habit want the benches to come back. And judging by the photo sent in by a reader, customers are adjusting--hey, it's the European stand. [Curbed Staff]