By Natalie Sturgeon
Though this long winter may finally be ending, we aren’t quite out of the snow yet. But never fear, sufferers of cabin fever. Luckily, these last dregs of winter offer a great opportunity to find a cozy place and crack open a book. For those who are getting a little stir-crazy during these long cold months, grabing a book, getting on a train and finding somewhere special to read is a perfect solution. With Manhattan as close as it is, there’s no reason not to delve into all of the cozy and classic study spots the city has to offer.
The New York Public Library is a personal favorite of mine. With the musky smell of old classics in the air and the beautiful renaissance decorations, the New York Public Library serves as the perfect place to transport yourself into the world of your chosen reading material. The Rose Reading Room is the most famous room in the library. With its high gold ceilings and gorgeous windows, this reading room will get rid of anyone’s cabin fever.
This next place is for people who are looking for a more earthy studying experience. The David Rubenstein Atrium is an open and booming intellectual hub that offers the picture-perfect setting to buy a cappuccino and settle into your studies. With a wall of vines and plants strewn all over, the atrium provides a breath of fresh air with a modern twist. Filled with interesting restaurants and cool events like concerts and poetry readings, the David Rubenstein Atrium makes for an impeccable escape from campus and into a fresh and modern intellectual hub.
This third place is for all of my caffeine junkies. Escaping to a cute coffee shop to read a book or do some work is the perfect Sunday afternoon by anyone’s standards. Culture Espresso is an espresso bar that offers the most amazing chocolate chip cookies that enable the mentality of the “diet that starts on Monday.”
As a patron, you also have a choice of whether or not you want to sit at the bar and look out into Manhattan or to cozy up into one of their booths and lose track of time. Either way, customers are spoiled with an amazing flat white and homemade, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.With winter still dragging on like class on Fridays, cabin fever can be a real problem. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Everything is a train ride away and just because you have schoolwork it doesn’t mean you can’t escape into a cozy coffee shop or a plethora of renaissance art. I know, for me personally, taking my mental health days and heading to Manhattan has made this sluggish winter that much more tolerable.
