whatever happened to the bookshelves?

So I guess this is the nouveau Cafe Gutenberg? First impressions - frankly, disappointment. Excited that CG was back after their hiatus and redesign, I couldnt wait to visit. And now that I have, I'm not sure I like the new CG.

It seems totally baffling that 'they' (whoever the powers-that-be were) would mess with the very USP that made the place worth visiting. Gone are the bookshelves and books that lined the walls. No more newspapers - the current and woefully out of date ones. Ditto the magazines and the b&w pictures that graced the walls. Even gone is the line announcing the high water line of hurricane charlie (?). Instead we have an antiseptic light yellow paint with some rather commonplace portraits of fruits and vegetables. There are a trio of oddly placed houseplants cordoning off a section in the back by the windows. A couple of new tables with some oh-so-boring booths. Booths??
Is this some "resistance to change"/misplaced nostalgia speaking? I dont think so. Its more like seeing a rather "unique" interior replaced with an entirely generic look devoid of any character. CG now looks and feels just like any other. Dull and prosaic even. I guess the upside is that the place is much airier and brighter.

The menu is still largely the same (we tried a couple of items off the brunch menu and they were still pretty decent. The 17th Street scramble was still quite good). No pastries though !! What a let down ...One couldnt help but feel that the atmosphere that drew us in to Cafe Gutenberg in the first place was gone. The service was fine and they still had most of the cheap wines and beers they had before. We didnt feel like dawdling in this restaurant anymore. It didnt seem like the place you could sit mooching off of the free wifi and downing cups of coffee. Or just read a book or a magazine. Perhaps thats a good thing for business - higher turnover.