Killing time w/ laptop in midtown Manhattan.

May 13, 2008 7:15 PM

So, I am flying to NYC this week for an interview in midtown. I arrive at JFK about 3 hours prior to my interview. Where can I go to hang out with my laptop in relative peace?

No Starbucks--ideally, I'm looking for a place where (a) things won't be too too crazy, (b) I will be able to have a seat, (c) I will have internet access. A quiet bathroom to get myself together would be marvelous.

I'm willing to pay for a coffee or small meal somewhere. I'll be dressed up, too.

Any ideas? Perhaps hotel restaurants open to non-guests?

posted by pearl228 to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

Where's your interview? East or West and cross streets will make a difference.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:32 PM on May 13, 2008

you can just stay or travel over to terminal six at the airport
posted by pinksoftsoap at 7:40 PM on May 13, 2008

To build on what JaredSeth said, in addition to East/West, it would help to know the general area (i.e. if the office is in the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.).

In middlest midtown, you could try the periodicals room of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library (the one with the lions out front). Free wifi, bathrooms, and plenty of peace and quiet, no purchase necessary.

If you want to grab some food beforehand, I'd recommend getting some takeout (there's some good Japanese, close by) and sitting in Bryant Park, just behind the library. There are tables to eat at, and there's more free wifi (sometimes slow).
posted by evidenceofabsence at 8:38 PM on May 13, 2008

I think you are really looking at this the wrong way.

If you're not familiar with New York, and your plane is landing three hours before your interview, then you don't have time to mess around. Plan on going directly to the building where your interview is. Between flight delays, lines at the airport for a taxi, the taxi ride itself, and not knowing your own way around, three hours is hardly any time at all.

If you get there early, find something to do within a three-block radius while you wait.
posted by bingo at 9:05 PM on May 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

East! (Flustered already, apparently.)
posted by pearl228 at 9:10 PM on May 13, 2008

I'm familiar with the city, just trying to map out my trajectory as clearly as possible, in case I have time to kill. Transportation already arranged, carry-on luggage only, all that good stuff.
posted by pearl228 at 9:13 PM on May 13, 2008

I'll second that the question really can't be answered unless we know w/in a couple of blocks where the interview is. Don't travel more than a few blocks from your interview just to find a place to hang. There will be something acceptable near the interview. What bingo said.
posted by JimN2TAW at 9:26 PM on May 13, 2008

If you're really wide-open as to where to kill time on the east side of midtown, the lobby of the Roosevelt hotel offers a nice combination of accessible (right near Grand Central), wifi-enabled, and relatively quiet.
posted by anildash at 9:46 PM on May 13, 2008

Given the unpredictability of landing on time, and the unpredictability of traffic from JFK to wherever you are going (well, that is fairly predictable as awful) it seems a bit premature to think you are going to have any significant amount of time to hang out and surf prior to your interview. The good news about Manhattan, if that is where you are headed, is that it abounds in free wifi, or at leas open wifi. A hotel lobby near your destination if probably your best bet for peace and quiet and if it lacks a free connection, it will definitely have one available for $.
posted by caddis at 9:58 PM on May 13, 2008

Airport lounge isn't such a bad idea.
posted by arimathea at 2:27 AM on May 14, 2008

3 hours is about the minimum cushion I'd give myself for getting into the city from JFK for an important meeting, much less a job interview.

If you're serious about this job (which you must be if you're flying into NYC for it), I would re-phrase the question as "What can I do in the 3 hours between JFK and my interview to prepare for the interview?" Which I'd answer by saying, go to the building where you're going. Find a relatively quiet place as close as possible. Sit down and review what you're going to say and how you're going to answer questions bla bla bla. Hotel lobbies are good for all this.

But... unless you're expecting a critically important email from your prospective employers that you need to read in the hour before the interview, I'd say you shouldn't turn on your laptop at all. Meditate a little or at least close your eyes and visualize yourself giving brilliant answers to their most difficult questions. Focus. Breathe. Drink plenty of water, maybe a coffee or tea for some caffeine. The internet will still be there when you get back.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 5:44 AM on May 14, 2008

Airport lounge isn't such a bad idea.

Last time I was at the American Airlines terminal at JFK in January they had removed all public seating apart from two benches. So I wouldn't recommend that as an option.
posted by essexjan at 7:49 AM on May 14, 2008

If you want a useful answer, give us the intersection where you're interviewing.
posted by gum at 11:14 AM on May 14, 2008