Ask HN: what is a good spot to work in New York?
I'll soon be in New York for a few weeks. Can you recommend me a few cafés (or similar) in both Manhattan and Brooklyn?
65 comments
Not a cafe, but the Rose Reading Room at the 42nd St. library is the prettiest, most productive place to get work done. Also easy to move outside to Bryant Park when it's nice out.
(edit): Looks like it's nearly unanimous. Here's a picture for folks who haven't been there: http://nycpano.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rose-reading-room...
(edit): Looks like it's nearly unanimous. Here's a picture for folks who haven't been there: http://nycpano.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rose-reading-room...
The lesser known but very nice alternative is SIBL: Which has nice workspace in its lower level reading room. This is more quiet like a university, and not like a hip/trendy etc. But they also have photocopy, print, and research materials if you should need some.
NYPL: Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)
188 Madison Avenue @ 34th Street
(917) 275-6975
NYPL: Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)
188 Madison Avenue @ 34th Street
(917) 275-6975
A good choice however you are not allowed to consume your own food/water/coffee there. So if you have something you need to do in two hours or less with no breaks, then this is a great place.
That's the library where Carl Sagan recorded a segment for Cosmos right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E0yzMgqOUg
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How loud is it there? The stone walls and tile floors make me think it's very live, acoustically speaking. Are people quiet enough that it's not a problem?
I've been there many times, it's quiet as a tomb in there. Definitely one of the best places to go to for some peace, quiet, and amazing architecture.
Half of the hall outright forbids headphones, to bar those idiots who play music way too loud in their leaky earbuds
There's a lot of love here for the 42nd St. library, but I'm personally a fan of the performing arts library at Lincoln Center. Aeron chairs, tons of open space with plenty of outlets, and if it's warm out you can work in the Lincoln Center plaza for a change of pace.
If it's warm out and you don't need internet access, I'm also a big fan of working from the High Line. There are lots of shaded tables, and you can't beat the ambiance. If you need to duck away for power or WiFi, Chelsea Market has both nearby (although getting a place to sit at Chelsea Market can be tough if it's after 11am or so).
If it's warm out and you don't need internet access, I'm also a big fan of working from the High Line. There are lots of shaded tables, and you can't beat the ambiance. If you need to duck away for power or WiFi, Chelsea Market has both nearby (although getting a place to sit at Chelsea Market can be tough if it's after 11am or so).
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The Ace Hotel has a great lobby to work in. I work there for a couple hours almost every trip I make to NY.
Convenient outlets at most seats, free wifi, and a Stumptown adjoined!
Lot's of creative types working there, illustrators, writers and such. Can get pretty busy after 5pm.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1768472/ace-hotels-communal-works...
20 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001
Convenient outlets at most seats, free wifi, and a Stumptown adjoined!
Lot's of creative types working there, illustrators, writers and such. Can get pretty busy after 5pm.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1768472/ace-hotels-communal-works...
20 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001
I actually just took the subway over to check this place out in response to this thread. Some cons for Ace Hotel:
* The wifi might be free, but you need a passcode. Do you get this by ordering something?
* The prices are pretty exorbitant. Coffee, tea, and sodas are $4, and $20 for a glass of wine.
* Pretty dark inside. OK for working on a laptop, not so good for writing anything by hand.
* The wifi might be free, but you need a passcode. Do you get this by ordering something?
* The prices are pretty exorbitant. Coffee, tea, and sodas are $4, and $20 for a glass of wine.
* Pretty dark inside. OK for working on a laptop, not so good for writing anything by hand.
In my experience, you don't need to order anything to get a passcode, just ask one of the people working there.
Not sure if this is legal (but someone sitting there once told me about it, so I'm sure plenty of people use it) - just pick a random room number.
Also, I wouldn't say that $4 for coffee that good is exorbitant. To each their own I suppose.
Also, I wouldn't say that $4 for coffee that good is exorbitant. To each their own I suppose.
$4 for a work space all day ain't bad ;)
The passcode is free for the asking, requiring no purchase. You can get coffee at Stumptown.
I second this. Ace Hotel is rad.
There's tons of places in NYC, but here's a few places I've been known to frequent
- Cafe Amrita, near 110th St and Central Park West. Generally has a pleasant buzz. I've noticed other techie types there, but not tons. They kick out the laptop crowd out on weekends, and at night they become more of a bar.
- Tea Spot, near MacDougal and West 3rd in the Village. A smallish place that has always been pretty quiet when I've worked there. NYU students are most of their customers, I reckon.
- Cosi near 23rd st and 6th Ave, in Chelsea. This is a chain, but this particular Cosi is well-lit, has good internet service, is large, and never seems to be very busy.
- As others have noted, New York Public Libraries are often great places to work. I sometimes sneak off from my office to use the Hudson Park Library, which is near Leroy and 7th ave in the Village. Its a tiny little branch library, but its quiet and the internet service is fast. There's a lot of little branches like that, look on the web site for locations.
- Cafe Amrita, near 110th St and Central Park West. Generally has a pleasant buzz. I've noticed other techie types there, but not tons. They kick out the laptop crowd out on weekends, and at night they become more of a bar.
- Tea Spot, near MacDougal and West 3rd in the Village. A smallish place that has always been pretty quiet when I've worked there. NYU students are most of their customers, I reckon.
- Cosi near 23rd st and 6th Ave, in Chelsea. This is a chain, but this particular Cosi is well-lit, has good internet service, is large, and never seems to be very busy.
- As others have noted, New York Public Libraries are often great places to work. I sometimes sneak off from my office to use the Hudson Park Library, which is near Leroy and 7th ave in the Village. Its a tiny little branch library, but its quiet and the internet service is fast. There's a lot of little branches like that, look on the web site for locations.
The Cosi on 8th between Greene and Mercer by NYU is the same way. Even when I can't get a seat at any of the surrounding coffee shops this place is mostly empty with plenty of outlets and free wifi.
As someone else suggested check out Loosecubes.com .
In Manhattan it can be a little challenging to find a coffee shop to set up in for very long. Seats and outlets are at a premium and many are policing wifi moochers these days. There are a few large starbuckses with a good amount of room though. I've also worked at the library before (not many outlets, and you can't take phone calls inside).
In Williamsburg there are a ton of work-friendly coffee shops. If you take the L train to the bedford, lorimer or graham stops, pop open Yelp and you'll spot at least 3-4 coffee shops in a 5 block radius of each, with wifi and (usually) seats...
In Manhattan it can be a little challenging to find a coffee shop to set up in for very long. Seats and outlets are at a premium and many are policing wifi moochers these days. There are a few large starbuckses with a good amount of room though. I've also worked at the library before (not many outlets, and you can't take phone calls inside).
In Williamsburg there are a ton of work-friendly coffee shops. If you take the L train to the bedford, lorimer or graham stops, pop open Yelp and you'll spot at least 3-4 coffee shops in a 5 block radius of each, with wifi and (usually) seats...
The Rose Reading Room is beautiful, but the wooden chairs are a bit uncomfortable if you plan on being there for a few hours.
I suggest the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) on 34th and Madison (http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl). They have a big room full of about 150 workspaces to work from your notebook with power, Wifi and Aeron chairs. I've been there several times and did not run into any issues with finding an open seat.
I suggest the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) on 34th and Madison (http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl). They have a big room full of about 150 workspaces to work from your notebook with power, Wifi and Aeron chairs. I've been there several times and did not run into any issues with finding an open seat.
Im going to get downvoted for this but whatever: the 24 hour apple store, when you need a clean well-lighted place past midnight. It's close to the yellow line and there's always a food cart outside.
There's seating and the light isn't too harsh for being fluorescent. I've seen people go there without their own computers and basically look as if they're editing video for a project...and the staff pay no mind.
Don't know what they'd say if you planted a dell laptop on one of the unused Genius bat areas, though
While I'm on the topic, the Apple stores in SoHo and in UWS have comfortable theater seating. I've planted myself there and even if you don't have headphones, the Apple Genius giving a walk through of how to use Keynote/iCloud/whatever makes for decent background noise
There's seating and the light isn't too harsh for being fluorescent. I've seen people go there without their own computers and basically look as if they're editing video for a project...and the staff pay no mind.
Don't know what they'd say if you planted a dell laptop on one of the unused Genius bat areas, though
While I'm on the topic, the Apple stores in SoHo and in UWS have comfortable theater seating. I've planted myself there and even if you don't have headphones, the Apple Genius giving a walk through of how to use Keynote/iCloud/whatever makes for decent background noise
Manhattan:
- Kaffe 1668 in Tribeca - great atmosphere, great coffee & tea
- Cafe Mercato on Broadway at Bleecker St. - open 24h, it's a sizeable deli, has tap beer, and work space in the back
- Ace Hotel lobby on W. 29 st - classy but gets very crowded
Brooklyn:
- Vineapple in Brooklyn Heights - coffee & grilled cheese
- Tea Lounge in Park Slope - coffee & beer & many couches
- Kaffe 1668 in Tribeca - great atmosphere, great coffee & tea
- Cafe Mercato on Broadway at Bleecker St. - open 24h, it's a sizeable deli, has tap beer, and work space in the back
- Ace Hotel lobby on W. 29 st - classy but gets very crowded
Brooklyn:
- Vineapple in Brooklyn Heights - coffee & grilled cheese
- Tea Lounge in Park Slope - coffee & beer & many couches
Tea Lounge is bad for working past 9pm or so though once the live music begins. The couches are a bit dusty too.
Different strokes for different folks. I thrive in the noise of the Tea Lounge. I also second the Ace Hotel, which includes a Stumptown for you coffee fiends.
I just moved to Brooklyn a month ago and spent about a week looking for great coffee places to get some work done. I came across this one place called The Tea Lounge on 7th Ave and Union St. I've kept it secret from those around me because I don't want the place anymore crowded than it is, so just keep this between me and you.
Tea Lounge is fantastic. Just moved out of that neighborhood, but would go back to work.
Google Map: "Places to Work in NYC" that I created from the suggestions in this thread so far: http://goo.gl/maps/ujdjY
I made this map of Brooklyn cafes conducive to work 2 years ago, can't attest to them all though: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=214143523254713204966.0...
Think Coffee on Mercer is a nice work spot when it's not swamped by NYU undergrads (later at night tends to be less crowded).
Also, if you're anywhere near Fort Greene, Smooch is a pretty awesome coffee shop.
Also, if you're anywhere near Fort Greene, Smooch is a pretty awesome coffee shop.
If the weather is nice, you can work in Bryant Park during the day. Especially before lunch hour rush. There are tables, shade, and (some) wifi -- though 4G cell hotspot is probably better.
Also, the New York Public Library is right nearby, so if you get annoyed by crowds or weather, you can relocate to one of the most beautiful quiet workplaces in the entire city.
Also, the New York Public Library is right nearby, so if you get annoyed by crowds or weather, you can relocate to one of the most beautiful quiet workplaces in the entire city.
The main branch of the New York Public Library in Bryant Park.
As GMFlash said, Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) on 34th and Madison (http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl). It's very consistent with comfortable chairs for working.
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I work out of General Assembly (a co-working space between Union and Madison Squares). You're welcome to work from there for a day as my guest if you like.
Plus, there's a Shake Shack nearby in Madison Square Park.
I use loosecubes.com every time I come to the city to find a random coworking spot to work out of. It's a lot better than the cafe hustle.
Keeping a list for this newsletter.
http://www.panix.com/~melling/nyc/
The Google spreadsheet for the "Public Works Spaces" is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AphQpsbOUWiedDV...
Everyone should feel free to add to the spreadsheet.
http://www.panix.com/~melling/nyc/
The Google spreadsheet for the "Public Works Spaces" is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AphQpsbOUWiedDV...
Everyone should feel free to add to the spreadsheet.
I'm a fan of Think Coffee, and Ace Hotel's lobby
Think Coffee is a great spot, decent amount of room in the back that is pretty empty during the day and clears out again after rush hour
I'm assuming you're talking about the Think on Mercer. Just to clarify, the Think on the Bowery is much smaller and has no wifi (and last time I was there had a passive aggressive sign about people using laptops in coffee shops).
Have you looked into any coworking spaces? They might be able to accommodate you for a few weeks. NYU Poly has incubators on Varick St. in Manhattan, and an office in DUMBO (which I've been working out of for several months). Good luck!
P.S. I know NYU Poly DUMBO has open space, it's in an awesome area, and the management there is friendly.
P.S. I know NYU Poly DUMBO has open space, it's in an awesome area, and the management there is friendly.
Great suggestions throughout this thread. If I had to bucket them, three categories come to mind:
1. A quiet place where you can bang out work (e.g. libraries)
2. Somewhere with more of a scene where you can work and also mix with others in the startup / tech ecosystem (e.g. GA, Ace)
3. Somewhere like #2 but with a little more NYC flavor and less tech (e.g. Kaffe 1668)
1. A quiet place where you can bang out work (e.g. libraries)
2. Somewhere with more of a scene where you can work and also mix with others in the startup / tech ecosystem (e.g. GA, Ace)
3. Somewhere like #2 but with a little more NYC flavor and less tech (e.g. Kaffe 1668)
Second Stop Cafe in Williamsburg. The Ingrid sandwich is good. Everyone there has a laptop and sits and work there for hours. Don't go if you don't like hipsters though. http://www.yelp.no/biz/second-stop-cafe-brooklyn
Here's a fairly extensive list of wifi-enabled workplaces in NY:
http://www.quora.com/Wi-Fi-1/What-are-the-best-wifi-enabled-...
Grounded on jane st is terrific. Great coffee, good number of plug points, extremely pleasant interiors.
Just a heads up, most of the Starbucks in Manhattan have removed all their power outlets (last month, or the month before) to prevent people from spending time there working.
I guess having people say "my company started from humble beginning in the local Starbucks" is no longer valuable to them.
I guess having people say "my company started from humble beginning in the local Starbucks" is no longer valuable to them.
I don't blame Starbucks for that at all. I saw far too many people sat there with an empty coffee cup they probably purchased three hours beforehand- they're a coffee shop, not a co-working space.
Starbucks on Delancey still has outlets. Sometimes someone will bring a power supply strip, however one time they shut down the bathroom.
rubenstein atrium at lincoln center. they're associated with a whichcraft, so you can get food/beer/coffee there if you want, there is wifi, but it's a public space so you don't have to buy stuff if you don't want to.
One more location if you want to work alone is at Fedex kinko's particularly late nights. There are some Kinkos locations that are open 24 hours.
Very handy if you want to just stay somewhere warm and work in middle of night.
Very handy if you want to just stay somewhere warm and work in middle of night.
Table 12 in the East Village (Ave A & 12th). Free wifi, power outlets, and it's mostly empty during the week.
In Brooklyn... reBar in DUMBO has free wifi, though it's more of a bar but seems pretty dead on weekdays.
In Brooklyn... reBar in DUMBO has free wifi, though it's more of a bar but seems pretty dead on weekdays.
Wix Lounge is pretty great. http://www.wixlounge.com/
It's open 9-5 every day near Union Square. Has coffee and decent chairs, though can get a little loud.
It's open 9-5 every day near Union Square. Has coffee and decent chairs, though can get a little loud.
If your planing on working for a longer stretch (4h) in one location then I recommend the Tea Lounger in park slope. There's a ton of comfy space & lax rules on hanging out a long time.
You can get passes to NYU Bobst library. It is right next to Washington Square Park. Great views, great area, hundreds of iMacs to use if you you want to use more than a laptop.
You can look at http://www.openwifinyc.com/ for lots of places, with indications of speed and outlet availability.
There's a quaint little gem of a coffee spot in Manhattan (located in Gramercy area) called Irving Place. It's on 71 Irving Place. It's got a great ambience.
I have enjoyed working at Vagabond in the West village.
http://thevagabondcafe.com/
Be sure to check out Loosecubes.com, which is a great source for finding free co-working spaces.
I always liked working in at65, the cafe in the lobby of Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.
There's a lot of great spaces near union square and the NYU campus
In the lower east side:
Cocoa Bar on Clinton btw Stanton and Houston is great
Cocoa Bar on Clinton btw Stanton and Houston is great
Park Ave, upper 40's
Use loosecubes.