WFHishNYC July Newsletter
Chelsea, Midtown, LES featured this month plus comedian Stephanie D'Agostini featured on The Coffee Break
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.
You can always catch more regular posts on our website wfhishNYC.co
And check out our map featuring all kinds of remote workspaces across NYC.
Featured Reviews
The New York Public Library
New York Public Library Reading Room
REVIEW: The New York Public Library (third floor reading room)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown
ADDRESS: 476 5th Av.
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: It’s the New York Public Library…. Come on, you know where it is.
SEATING: Ample! The reading room has endless long tables that can seat 12 people at least. Each table has at least one outlet built into it. It’s not bad.
WIFI: Free, usable but not fast.
LIGHTING: This is a well lit space with iconic chandeliers, lamps built into every table and of course those huge windows.
BATHROOM SITUATION: Yes, this is also a museum open to the public so there are lots of them.
NOISE LEVEL: Beyond quiet. You could hear a pin drop, literally… I tried it. If you need to take a phone call or maybe sit and have a meeting… sorry this is not your place.
FOOD: Eh, not really the place for this.
OVERALL: This is probably one of the best places to get work done in New York City. As long as you're not exactly looking to have a bite while you’re working or need super fast Wifi. I highly recommend it. Plus, this is one of the most iconic buildings in Manhattan. That’s pretty cool in of itself.
Pause Cafe
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lower East Side
ADDRESS: 3 Clinton St.
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: Clinton St. between Stanton and Houston (closer to Houston)
SEATING: There is a lot here. There’s a center shared table that you can fit maybe 10 people on (comfortably maybe a different story) On the left hand side there are eight tables intended for two people. There is one stand alone table on the far wall next to the refrigerator. There is also a window facing bench that can fit two people comfortably (three if you need to) On a nice day there is so much more. Outside there are a handful of tables immediately outside. Then there is the overhang on the street. There are two different sections. One is completely exposed to the elements and the other is fully enclosed.
PLUG SITUATION: There is one along the front wall by the entrance next to a hand sanitizer dispenser on a column. Along the back wall there are some but most are closer to the far wall.
WIFI: The wifi is fast. I can download, upload and research without a problem.
BATHROOM SITUATION: It exists. There is a one person gender neutral bathroom near the front next to the register.
NOISE LEVEL: This is not a quiet place. It is somewhere you need to thrive in noise. There are lots of people having conversations so this is a great place for a meeting. But if you are writing and need a quieter place this is not for you. The music matching the middle eastern mediterranean flare this place is going for has a noticeable presence. It’s comfortable but if you need to make a quick phone call, it's not going to work out in this space.
LIGHTING: Stereotypical coffeeshop, it's warmly lit with a number of yellow bulb lighting fixtures overhead and with large floor to ceiling windows upon entry.
FOOD: The food is great. It’s Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. Lots of salads and sandwiches on the menu too. My personal favorite is the Tuna Royal. The chai is not just some of the best I’ve had in New York City but arguably anywhere.
OVERALL: This place is a solid option but it can get busy. Even though there is a lot of seating this place is popular so know that you may have to wait on occasion. It can be noisy but if you thrive in that environment that is the place for you. Bring an appetite. This place’s culinary options are on point.
Cafe Flor
NEIGHBORHOOD: Chelsea
ADDRESS: 218 8th Ave
NEW YORKER TRANSLATION: 21st and 8th Av
SEATING: This floral heavy coffee, smoothie and bar has ample seating in two different sections. Those include several sets of both style seating with one table. There are several sets of two person tables with stools (not going to lie, they do not look comfortable). There are also several tables with wicker chairs. There are also about five couches. There is also a coffee bar/bar you can sit at and the baristas seem friendly.
PLUG SITUATION: There’s quite a few along the walls in both sections. There appears to be some sets built into some of the booths.
BATHROOM SITUATION: One single person bathroom with a code.
NOISE LEVEL: It can be loud. There are high ceilings that carry noise but it is still quite enough that you can easily have a conversation with someone. They play music at a comfortable level not too loud but does feel like it’s at a volume that is more retail than coffeeshop in my opinion. The music choice is very pop, top 40. Since I’ve been here, there's been a lot of Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez etc. I’d say it’s a very comfortable level of background noise but loud enough that if you need to take a 30 second call, you’ll probably need to step outside.
LIGHTING: Beautiful, eclectic and engaging. One side of the bar has a much darker vibe while the other is more warm and sunny. Both sides are draped in scones and have a cornucopia of chandeliers and disco balls.
FOOD: There are sandwiches and pasties but the stand out seems to be the stand alone smoothie and juice bar. There is a bar as well to get your alcohol fix if your cup of tea isn’t really a cup of tea.
OVERALL: I like this place. It’s bright, fun and there are a lot of options. You definitely need to be someone who can handle a good amount of background noise to make this place work. Otherwise it’s great. It also appears to be dog friendly.
The Coffee Break: Stephanie D'Agostini
On this month’s edition of The Coffee Break I sat down with comedian Stephanie D’Agostini — the mind and face behind Overheard’s Hot and Single dating show on Instagram / TikTok.
For those unfamiliar, it may be time to get out from under that rock.
Hot and Single taps into that real vulnerability and concurrent cornucopia of traumatic toxicity that is the New York City dating scene.
Her comedic and frank take on the brutal New York dating experience resonates. If you are single in this city you can obviously relate.
“I am a comedian so I came at this from a funny and interesting perspective but it turned into this very earnest show about how people are struggling to date and want to find love,” D'agostini explains.
“It’s become much bigger than I thought it was going to be,” she adds.
In the program D'agostini interviews locals and transplants alike primarily in Washington Square Park about what exactly they’re looking for in a partner and see if her interviewees know their own red flags.A native of New Jersey, she now calls Bushwick home. While D'agostini briefly left New York City for Los Angeles, she quickly returned to the superior choice of American cities.
Refreshingly, she is also very open about her own dating life candidly explaining her brief New York hiatus was for a guy and was prepared to convert to Orthodox Judaism for him.
That didn’t last.
She expressed she has mixed feelings about being approached by fans who expect her to be like the character she plays (which actually happened during our interview)
She said she once went on a date with someone who was a fan of her work and asked her to roast him.
“It’s like they expect me to be this character. It’s part of who I am but people are also nuanced. I also have a soft and serious side,” she adds.
We would be remiss if we didn’t ask her about the biggest icks and faults of the New York single. When it comes to hetrosexual relationships for men she says the biggest factors working against them is that they are just avoidant.
“The second something feels serious they jump ship and they’re usually one to get it to that point,” she added.
For women, she says “we’re not patient, we want answers of where this going and what this is”
For remote work she recommends two awesome places in Bushwick, Pan— a cafe off the Halsey L stop and Nook (one of my personal favorites) which has since been reviewed by WFHishNYC.
Follow her on Instagram
Be like Stef and get a WFHishNYC mug. It’s available for paid members
Need some musical motivation??
From Cardi B to The Smiths to Cultura here are the songs that we heard in coffeeshops around the city this past month.
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