WFHishNYC: April Newsletter
Meatpacking, Bed Stuy, and Williamsburg Coffeeshops PLUS The Coffee Break with Teddy Siegel founder of Got2GoNYC
Welcome to WFHishNYC’s email newsletter. Here you can catch the latest reviews over the course of the month, plus our interview series on interesting New Yorkers ranging from influencers, journalists, activists, small business owners and of course cultural icons.
Additionally follow along for our digital nomad posts featuring the best places to get away to and have a ‘workcation’
You can always catch more regular posts on our website wfhishNYC.co
Kobrick Coffee
I have very mixed feelings about this one. This Meatpacking District Cafe is great and awful at the same time.
Kobrick Coffee
NEIGHBORHOOD: Meatpacking District
ADDRESS: 24 9th Ave
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: 9th Ave between 13th and 14th
PLUG SITUATION: It’s not bad and not great. There are an ample number of outlets but not all of them are close to seats.
SEATING: This place has amazing seating options. There is seating in the back. It mostly has two person tables along the wall with a swing and couch available in the back section. There’s also a large center table for sharing. In the front there are more tables designed for two.
WIFI: Eh…. I had to use my phone’s wifi hotspot to get anything done.
BATHROOM SITUATION: Pretty good.
NOISE LEVEL: The acoustics don’t amplify conversations. It’s pretty great if you are the kind of person that needs a bit of background noise to get work done like myself. The music situation can best be described as an identity crisis. During my time utilizing the space, I heard songs from Miles Davis, Disclosure, and the Backstreet Boys. All were stellar choices but maybe not for this venue.
LIGHTING: It's a typical coffee shop but the place has lots of big windows so natural light plays a big role.
FOOD: This is a real strong suit for this place. The decaf coffee is top notch. I got the Mushroom Toast. That hit the spot especially after a midday workout. I didn’t have any but I noticed the cafe had Russ and Daughters Babka in its pastry display.
OVERALL: This seems like a great place to have a meeting or a coffee break but I am not sure about a place to post up for an extended period of time.
Cup of Brooklyn
If you are trying to get some work done right where Bushwick and Bed Stuy meet, look no further than Brooklyn. Solid location and solid coffee.
NEIGHORBOOD: Bed Stuy / Bushwick Border
ADDRESS: 1071 Gates Ave.
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: It’s on Gates and Broadway right by the J/Z station.
PLUG SITUATION:Pretty solid. There are a good amount under this wall of tables and some of the back wall.
SEATING: There are good options. Tables for two on the side wall — a decent amount.
WIFI: Yep, works fine. No complaints.
BATHROOM SITUATION: There’s one single bathroom. Get the job done. No complaints
NOISE LEVEL: Comfortable. There is a decent amount of music but never overwhelming. Playlists vary a lot. Once I heard The Smiths and another day… Barbie Girl.
LIGHTING: Very stereotypical coffeeshop — well lit but not fluorescent
FOOD: solid. I’ve been here a bunch and never had anything bad (although there could always be a first time). They have wacky favors for lemonades and stuff. They have a full menu with sandwiches, salads and even plates. It’s not just pastries — but their pastries are nothing to scoff at.
The Doughnuts are to die for. It’s terrible for your diet of course, but luckily it’s across the street from a Blink Fitness.
OVERALL: This a pretty good option if you are in the neighborhood. It does close on the earlier side so it's not really a late night writer’s kind of place.
Copper Mug
If you are looking for an awesome space to get some work done in Williamsburg. There are A LOT of options. Copper Mug is a pretty good one.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Williamsburg
ADDRESS: 131 N 4th St, Brooklyn, NY
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: North 4th and Bedford Av.
PLUG SITUATION: This is not this place’s strong suit. There are plugs but they’re sparse. There is one set in the front and one on the back wall near the bathroom but it's not near the L cove of seating. If you are lucky enough to find a seat near a plug… congratulations. Here that seems to be something of an accomplishment
SEATING: This place has a lot of great seating options. It mostly has two person tables. There are four in the front and five in the back in addition there are also a bunch of high top tables. Those are also two seaters. The one in the back is next to a plug. In the summer this place is extra great. It has a backyard with A LOT of seating.
WIFI: It’s pretty fast. I got my work done easily and uploaded a video. No complaints at all.
BATHROOM SITUATION: It’s pretty solid— single person. No code.
NOISE LEVEL: It can be a bit noisy but you can comfortably hold a conversation with someone if you are having a meeting. If you can’t concentrate with louder music, this is probably not the place for you. I personally love the music choices. I’ve been here a few times. I am digging the early 2010s indie pop hits from the likes of Foster The People, Passion Pit and Two Door Cinema Club. I dig it.
I now have this song Stuck in my head!!
LIGHTING: It's bright and fluorescent— the place is well lit and also has big windows in the front and the back so there is a lot of sunlight seeping in from outside.
FOOD: Great coffee and quite the pastry selection. They have a number of smoothies too if that’s your thing.
OVERALL: This is a great spot as long as your laptop is fully charged.
Ariston
Ariston
NEIGHBORHOOD: Union Square
ADDRESS: 78, 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: 14th and 5th
PLUG SITUATION: There’s a good amount on the bottom and top floors (TWO FLOORS)
SEATING: Again, there are two floors with an abundance of seating options on both levels. Most of the tables are good for one or two people. The space is ideal for a meeting.
WIFI: Works well. No complaints. I was able to upload a video fairly quickly.
BATHROOM SITUATION: It’s great. The establishment has two — one of each floor. Each bathroom is a single person unisex restroom.
NOISE LEVEL: It’s not too loud, but I will say this— you have to be comfortable with a little bit of noise. This isn’t the quietest space I’ve worked in.
LIGHTING: It has fluorescent lighting. It’s not your typical coffee shop vibe.
FOOD: It’s alright. I had a decaf latte. If you’re a decaf hound. This place has you covered. Place has food options but it's mostly pastries.
OVERALL: I highly recommend this place. There’s lots of seating. It has good light. It’s fairly student friendly. It’s right across from New School and not far from NYU.
The Coffee Break: Meet got2GoNYC's Teddy Siegel
Welcome to The Coffee Break WFHishNYC’s series is a profile series on interesting New Yorkers worth talking about. I sit down with writers, influencers, thinkers, activists and business disruptors that make this city so special.
Theodora "Teddy" Siegel joined me for coffee at Ariston, a hybrid flower store and coffee shop and boy was it something.
Siegel, better known as the mind behind ‘got2gonyc’, has quickly catapulted as local stardom in the social media verse. If George Costanza was a real person, he would be proud, or maybe a bit slighted by Siegel’s endeavor.
If you're not familiar, got2gonyc is one of the most comprehensive guides to public restrooms anywhere in New York City — codes, cleanliness and all that fun stuff. The brand which stretches from Twitter — to TikTok and Instagram — has become a key tool for just about any New Yorker that needs to make a bowel movement of some kind while out and about.
Siegel says she did not expect this to blow up this much. It was frankly a tool for herself and if it helped others, that’s an added bonus.
Siegel has since become a champion for the cause — pushing city hall to make it easier for anyone regardless of socioeconomic status to get a place to go.
“There still is a lot of work to be done,” Siegel said.
The most comprehensive legislation in New York is from City Councilwoman Rita Joseph. It calls for the Department of Transportation to identify a location for at least one public restroom per zip code ... ONE.
Frankly, it should be the number one issue for mayor Adams…. or maybe number two.
“There is a lot of potential for me to do more work,” Siegel said. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be political.
“I sat through one city council meeting for three hours waiting to testify for the bathroom bill and I was like I never want to be here ever again,” she said adding, “it’s a hard no.”
“It’s more creative what I do,” says Siegel.
The move has also catapulted her not just to social media stardom but also featured on NY1 and even national news outlets. She even has an op-ed published in the New York Times about the issue.
A local to the region, she is now a student at New School pursuing a Masters Degree. She’s on track to become an iconic Opera singer. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her making waves at the Metropolitan Opera both on stage and on stage.
This wouldn’t be iconically WFHishNYC if we didn’t dive into her top recommendations of coffee shops to get a bit of work done and use the bathroom…
Ariston
78 5th Ave
Devocion - Flatiron
25 E 20th St
Ole & Steen
873 Broadway
Felix and Co.
2 Astor Pl
A few notes:
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