The Best Spots in New York to Get A Little Quiet Writing Done

Ah, the #writing #life. Every young writer knows that there’s nothing more important than the hustle. Gotta put pen to paper and make some creativity-based content that people will love! But sometimes writing from home doesn’t cut it. It’s impeding the flow! You gotta get out and let the world inspire you! And here are some of the best places in New York to do just that. 

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Outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza

Your writerly instincts will be kept on their feet by the hustle and bustle of approximately 1500 people trying to get past you every twenty minutes. Also, for what it’s worth, this happens to be the epicenter of the entertainment industry in New York, and, statistically, every fourth person who bumps into you will be a staff writer for the Will & Grace revival. Just a small perk.

 

195 Broadway

Bask in the gentle shadow of St. Paul’s Chapel, filling yourself with the quiet smell of green grass across the street and tapping into divine intuition. Eagle eyed readers may note that this is also the Harper Collins building, which is a compelling bit of errata but totally unrelated to this list. 

 

Jonathan Safran Foer’s Home Office, Park Slope

Anyone who’s broken into Jonathan Safran Foer’s personal office knows that few places have better juju. Coat yourself in his many blankets and let his framed photos of Natalie Portman watch over your process. Be sure to leave him a bit of your manuscript where it’ll catch his eye. If you’re still there when he gets back from teaching at NYU, it’s really been a productive writing sesh! Speaking of which… 

 

The Office of Admissions at New York University 

They say the key to a successful interview is a great first impression. If you’re thinking of applying to grad school, get a head start on that by getting some writing done every day at NYU’s Admissions Office. There’s a staircase that’s perfect for falling down, and if you break your legs they legally can’t make you leave, which is very close to being an enrolled student, at the end of the day. 

 

Onstage at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Do you have the old play-based creativity-inclusive content bug? Scratch that itch by standing onstage at the Al Hirschfeld during a performance of Kinky Boots and type away. While you’re there just start reading what you got out loud. If it’s good enough, people will stop paying attention to the show and focus on you, which, there’s probably a 40-45% chance of that happening! Nice. 

 

120 West 45th St., 10th Floor, Bathroom to the Left

I’m dropping all pretense. This is likely the bathroom Scott Rudin uses. It’s also the only place that’s a cozier writing spot than Jonathan Safran Foer’s apartment. 

 

Plummeting from the Top of the Empire State Building with a Manuscript in Hand, Leading to Media Attention That Will Ensure You Achieve the Literary Canonization in Death That You Totally Whiffed On in Life

See above.