"Think Coffee" and the city
Last Thursday was one of those days where a lot of little things went just a little bit wrong, but collectively it felt like the world was out the get me. Okay, maybe not out to "get me", but the universedefinetly game me the metaphorical equivalent of a toddler constantly poking you: it's not painful, and it's not tragic, but it gets frustrating really fast.
I was supposed to meet up with Nate after work so we could see "Make if Work: Engineering Possibilities" at the Center for Architecture. The exhibit run was ending, and Nate, as an architect/structural engineer, was very interested in seeing it before they took it down. So the plan was that I'd get to the city at around 6:30 and we'd meet up somewhere (tbd), go to the Center, maybe grab some food afterward, then I'd go on to my volleyball game later in the evening. Sounded good.
The problems started when due to some circumstances, I ended up going to Times Square at 4:30. I was done with my meeting by 5, which gave me a full hour and half to just wander around the city. Usually this would be great - having time to explore the urban fabric and photograph it. But here is little wrong thing #1, my right foot has been hurting lately. I'm not sure why, but it feels better when I let it rest. So the walking for an hour and half was out of the question.
I decided to hang out at Virgin Records, since they usually have fun books and music to sample, and I can sit on the carpeted areas. But, little wrong thing #2, the Virgin Records in Times Square has apparently closed down. The hell? Are they pulling a Circuit City? That was totally unexpected.
No problem, I could just call Nate and figure out what part of town we were meeting at, so I could start heading out there. Except, little wrong thing #3, Nate's phone was off. I called his office as well, and he was still at the construction site. So essentially, I am somewhere in Manhattan, with a lame foot, waiting to meet my boyfriend in hopefully over an hour but not knowing where.
I hate not knowing what's going on.
I decided to walk to the Central Library, since I could sit there and read some books, maybe even get on the internet (yes, I am crafty). Which brings us to little wrong thing #4, the Central Library was closing. Seriously? It was 5:30, and they were not letting people in. What's the point of having a library if it's not going to be available for citizens to use? I know, I know, libraries serve other functions, such as research, book storage and borrowing/lending, but for all those services to take place, the buildings needs to be... uh, I don't know.... open.
I decided to go to the only other library branch I knew in the city, over in Soho. And of course, little wrong thing #5, this branch closes at 5 pm on Thursdays. Only on Thursdays, they are open till 10 all other days. At this point I am in Soho, it's 6 pm, I'm trying to call Nate and his phone is still off. I wasn't even sure we were going to the exhibit anymore, and I was getting worried that he didn't have a charger and we would have no way of coordinating where to meet.
And this is when my phone started to run out of batteries. Little wrong thing #6. Mind you, it's only been a hour since my silly saga started, and this last blow was the straw that broke the camel's back. I wanted to go home, my foot hurt and I was tired, but I had a volleyball game at 9, and it wouldn't make sense to go back to Brooklyn, only to turn back around 20 minutes after getting home. Missing the game was out of the question.
At about 6:30 Nate called. He had gotten stuck at the job site without a charger, but was currently ready to go and meet. And since my phone was on it's last juice, we agreed that I'd wait for him at Think Coffee. Sitting. Inside. Unwinding.
Good thing I was already in the NYU area, so I only had to walk three more blocks in my increasingly pained foot. Think Coffee was full, as expected, but I found a spot at the bar. I ordered a glass of white wine and began to feel less sorry for myself. I allowed myself to be engulfed by the warm and relaxed vibe. It felt like a haven where I could finally put down my heavy bags and just breathe.
I enjoy Think Coffee, and I wish I came here more often. But it's simply too far to lug around the lap top, specially wehre there are so many nice coffee shops in my neighborhood. This is definetly a laptop/reading/staying-for-hours type of place. The layout is huge, with plush couches and smaller cafe tables. It's a pretty great place to work, not just because it's ideally set up to encourage studying, but also because everyone else is in production mode. I had nothing to study for, but I felt peer pressured into reading my magazine.I had no idea they had a bar, and maybe I should reconsider my approach and meet up with Nate for happy hour sometime in the future. After all, it's a quiet place, with good music, and it doesn't scream expensive bar. I feel very silly for all my dumb hardships walking around the city, when I could have been hanging out in Think Coffee from the beginning.
In the end, the night ended up working out. Nate found me sitting at bar, we saw the exhibit, and I went to the game, even joining my teammates for burgers and beers at Brother Jimmy's afterwards.
248 Mercer St. New York, NY 10012
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