Where to Find Quiet in New York
On my favorite places and experiences in the chaotic city
Every Tuesday through my funemployment, I publish a blog post as part of my self-guided learning program. Last week, I wrote about what it was like to spend a week whitewater kayaking on the Main Salmon River in Idaho.
Coming back to New York City after a long trip in Montana is disorienting. The shriek of sirens wakes me up in the middle of the night. I slides the yellow metro card the wrong way through the revolving bars. Everyone stares down at their phones while waiting for their coffee in line.
Yet, New York City is a special place. In my 5Rhythms class last night, there were people from Norway, Romania and China. We hugged and clapped for each other after class before slipping into the evening light. On my way home, I passed a domino table where generations gather.
The city pulls back the curtain on who you are; it tests you and shows you what you are made of in a way that has become iconic in our popular culture, and with good reason.” ― Sari Botton
Seven years ago, I moved to the city to discover who I am. Seven years later, while the self-discovery journey seems to have no imminent end, the city has showed me some of my favorite spots and experiences. And I’ve learned from these places what I care the most about in life.
Cafe at the Rubin Museum of Art
I used to work near Union Square, and it is impossible to find a quiet place to meet colleagues for a tea unless you know the spot. So here it is, my top NYC secret — the cafe at the Rubin Museum of Art.
On 17th St between 7th an 8th Ave, the ground-level Café Serai is free to enter. Pull open the heavy doors, walk down a few steps, and you will find an oasis in the chaotic city. And the cherry on top is that the Himalayan-inspired food at the cafe is jaw-droppingly delicious.
Try the momos, or the baby pea tendril salad. Sip a cup of loose-leaf herbal tea, and pause. The lighting in the cafe is slightly dim, inviting its visitors to bring their attention inward. For those, like me, who bring meetings and greetings to the space, the ambient volume is just right. Never too loud that I need to raise my voice across the table, and not too quiet to make a 1:1 conversation awkward.
One can say that the museum itself has certain calming energy that radiates to the cafe and beyond its doors. Sometimes, I scroll there in the middle of a busy workday to just remember.
The word mindfulness comes from the Pali word sati. And sati means “to remember.”
I remember my breaths. I remember that any victory or stress doesn’t last and that even in the craziest city of the world, there is a space that honors quietness.
Cafe Menu and Hours | Price: Free
Dance with 5Rhythms ($)
5Rhythms isn’t a place. It’s an experience, a meditation and a practice.
Devised by American dancer Gabrielle Roth in the 70s, 5Rhythms has teachers and practitioners all over the world. I came across it during my yoga teacher training last year, and discovered that I can actually dance.
And by dance, I meant moving my body however I want while following the beats of the music. The result is a moving meditation. A child’s play unconcerned with rules, structure and what’s right or wrong. Like the wind and the gravitational force that move the ocean currents, my breaths and emotions move the currents of my body.
Perhaps it’s an odd item on my list of where to find quiet in New York City, but there’s something to movement that turns off our buzzy brains so that we can experience tranquility. There’s really no other way to explain the practice but to experience it yourself.
Check the schedule | Price: $20
Tea Tasting at Té Company ($$)
Tucked in the busy corner between The Stonewall Inn and Toby’s Estate in West Village is a pre-war building with large windows on the ground floor. One can easily walk pass it without noticing the gold leaf lettering on the glass.
Enter the residential building, and the Té Company in the studio-sized retail space is on the right.
I visited the space early on a Sunday morning in the winter for a surprise date, and left feeling nourished and glistened with newly acquired knowledge about Taiwanese oolongs.
We arrived a little early to our tasting experience at 9am, and were delighted to find out that the store normally doesn’t open until 11am, so we had the entire space and experience to ourselves. The tea master was still getting the leaves, cups and pots ready, so we sat by the plum blossom near the window and took the aroma in.
We were offered five kinds of teas, ranging from the lightest white tea to one of the darker, more profound oolongs with small snacks for the pairing. Our tea master recounted the history of tea, how it arrived in Taiwan, and how the shop acquired some of their jewels.
Be ready for a multi-sensory experience. The pictures on the iPad as he told the story of tea helped us visualize geographical relationships. Each cup was pre-warmed to the ideal temperature for the tea. Our noses and taste buds swirled in flavors with every sip. Inside, the kettle sang. Outside, the city was barely awaken.
Why wouldn’t every Sunday morning start like that?
Book a tasting | Price: $50 per person for roughly 1.5 hours
Thermal Bath Tour at AIRE Ancient Bath ($$$)
There are very few places other than home that I’d rather be after work. AIRE Ancient Bath is one of them, and it’s good for all seasons.
If you think the sticky New York summer nights don’t jell well with baths, think again. AIRE has four baths of different temperatures: the ice bath at 50°F, the frigid bath at 57°F, the warm bath at 97ºF, and lastly the hot at 102ºF. Start with the warm one in the summer, and take quick dips in the ice, cold pools.
What makes AIRE more unique comparing to other spas, aside from the candlelit historical building, is the salt water bath. When I was floating with my eyes closed, I let go of all the tension in the body. The salt water suspended my to-do lists and held my sore neck in tenderness.
Go solo with a book, or bring friends.
Book a thermal bath tour | Price: starting at $96 per person
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