Ouch, my ailing back...

April 2, 2006 10:26 AM

Somewhere to hang out in Manhattan with sofas or very soft chairs (today)?

I have a herniated disc, and have been spending most of my time in bed for the past couple of weeks. A friend of mine is in town and I want to get out of the apt and hang out for a short while. Having taken a few short journeys out recently, I think I can tolerate being on my feet for a short time (e.g. long enough to get into a taxi), if I know that I'm going to end up somewhere with soft chairs or a sofa.

Some kind of coffee shop/bar type situation would be ideal. It could be anywhere in Manhattan. I'm on the UWS and my friend is staying in the village.

I know that an option is staying in and having him come to my room, and I'll consider it, but I would really like to get out of here for a couple of hours.

Thanks.

posted by bingo to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

I've never been to Manhattan, but I'd think any library might have some comfy squishy armchairs for reading in (my local ones do). It's possible there might be some in the lobby, too, so you wouldn't have to be as quiet. A bookstore might have something similar as well, and if you can find a big one there's probably an in-store coffee shop too. Perhaps you could try calling around the larger chain shops? Borders usually has a squishy couch/coffee bar section near the front.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:47 AM on April 2, 2006

If you want a bar, one my locals, Bar Nine on the west side of at ninth ave between 53rd and 54th, has plenty of couches. I was in there for most of a sunday afternoon a few weeks ago and it was empty, so good for conversation. Smelled of bleach though.
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:53 AM on April 2, 2006

Bubble Lounge, downtown on West Broadway near Franklin has that kind of seating.

Our local Starbucks took out the one big comfy chair at the request of the health department, who called it a potential lice hotel.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:57 AM on April 2, 2006

Jake's Dilemma, which is IMO a crappy bar, has gobs of comfy chairs and sofas in the back room.

They have food, which is also sorta crappy. 80th and Amsterdam.
posted by Kwantsar at 11:04 AM on April 2, 2006

Our usual meetup spot, Revival, on 15th and Irving, has an upstairs area full of couches.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:19 AM on April 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

In the east village, alt.coffee has couches, as does the coffee pot (i think it's still called this - just opposite two boots).

I'd recommend the former, as it's right by tompkins square park, so you can enjoy a bit of the weather if you're up for a stroll.
posted by lalochezia at 11:25 AM on April 2, 2006

Best answer: Push Cafe on 23rd and 3rd has some coaches in the back. It's a coffee shop but they also serve some beer and wine and food.
posted by mullacc at 11:26 AM on April 2, 2006

Snafu, 47th between 3rd and Lex, has extremely comfortable seating. It induces one to fall asleep. They also have infinite delicious popcorn.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:46 PM on April 2, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. I went to Bar Nine, but apparently they have permanently closed their doors at that location (a fact not reflected on their marquee, their website, or their outgoing voicemail message, but imparted by a passer-by). I then cabbed it to Push, and it was great. The waitress did ask me to take my feet off the sofa (which would have really rendered this whole exercise pointless, as I have to practically be lying down to be comfortable). However, I refused and promised a big tip (which I later delivered), and she was actually pretty cool about it.

I don't know how long I'll be in this situation, so no doubt I will come back to this page and try everything that's been suggested. Thanks everyone!
posted by bingo at 4:37 PM on April 2, 2006

bingo: I just finished missing 3 months of work thanks to a herniated disc (L4-L5). I would have been on my feet a lot faster had I gotten a second opinion earlier, as I had been lying down as much as possible to relieve pain, only to find out that in order to recover I had to get out and about as much as possible. Stand as much as possible, walk as much as possible, do my exercises as much as possible. Once I started to do this, things turned around in about four days, and I was back at work only a few weeks later. YMMV, but I just don't want someone to make the same mistake I first did.

Hope you get better soon!
posted by furtive at 4:56 PM on April 2, 2006

Response by poster: furtive: Your advice is well-meant and I appreciate it (btw, mine is L5-S1), but I'm past that point. "Standing as much as possible" for me means standing for maybe a cumulative five or ten minutes a day, on a good day. I certainly do it (I have to, to walk to the bathroom, or to the door to get the food I've had delivered), but believe me, it's not leading to my recovery. When I walk, my hip is twisted grotesquely to the right. The last time I saw the doc (who is the second doc I've seen), he said 'You look terrible' and ordered a second MRI.

Not looking for sympathy, I'm just saying, the 'out and about' treatment is not practical at this point.
posted by bingo at 7:54 PM on April 2, 2006