The New York Office – Day One

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Good afternoon everyone.  I’ve decided to try something new and get out and about to enjoy New York City, despite still having to get some much needed work done. So starting today, I’ve decided I’m going to scope it random WiFi spots around the city and get to work. My usual workspace leaves much to be desired, so I thought, while here, why not take advantage.  With such a wonderful city at my fingertips, I thought I’d do a little mini-review of some of the best WiFi hotspots in the city.  Enjoy!

My first destination was the David Rubenstein Atrium located at 61 W 62nd street.  This build is actually apart of  the fabulous Lincoln Centre complex, where just last Friday I was able to catch Handel’s opera of ‘Giulio Cesare’ with my husband. Anyways, back to the task at hand.  This location is equipped with plenty of seats, speedy WiFi service, a coffee shop, nearby bathroom, and a cool ambience.  With that said, my experience was rather poor.

Amenities

Okay, despite having seats and tables to work on, I have to admit these were some of the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve ever sat on.  The tables were also rather shaky, which made for an annoying combo of poor back support and gyrating table. When I initially arrived, only a few tables were setup (all of which were taken, with the ‘exception’ of one, which I’ll talk about later), and soon after I arrive, staff setup more tables against a back wall which I soon got a place at.  Power outlets were also rare and hard to find.  A few people had cords that you had to jump over to get to your spot.  Finally, the coffee shop, while overpriced, made me an iced Americano that was just about perfect for this “Strong Coffee” aficionado.

Overall rating: 6/10

Ambience & Productivity

The building itself is quite modern, with two plant walls (literally plants planted sideways on a wall), modern art and a large screen playing upcoming shows at the Lincoln Centre.  Overall, while very different, I didn’t particularly enjoy the location.  The location had busy walk-through traffic, and even with my headphones, was less than ideal for getting work done. I had originally planned on working there all day… but when lunch came around, and there were few options available, I packed up and went on back to my usual stomping grounds at Columbia University.

Overall rating: 4/10

My Experience

When I first arrived I grabbed a coffee and a seat at the only table available that someone had left their ‘garbage’ at – a half eating brioche and finished coffee. I proceeded to through this garbage out and setup my work space. Five minutes later an elderly women came over and asked where he food went. … I apologized and explained that I thought it was garbage, and offered to buy her a new one from the coffee shop. She accepted, and finally I got to work (one table over). The shaky table began annoying me quickly, and the bendable back chairs were not only uncomfortable, but felt quite shoddy and unstable.

Coffee down, and two-hours later, and I was ready to bolt. So I did.

Overall rating: 3/10

Overall

Okay, they are not all destined to be winners, and we’ve just started this adventure, so let’s hope I got the worst experience out of the way first, there has got to be plenty of other hotspots waiting for me out there, right? Let’s hope so.  On the bright side, at least my Instagram feed got some interesting photos.

With day one of this adventure under my belt, here’s hoping day two has more to offer.    Until then, we’ll talk to you soon! Enjoy some pictures of this adventure below.

Overall Experience: 13/30 = FAIL!