#6 In Heaven Blue
When I left my corporate job a year and a half ago, I set myself up in a co-working space uptown thinking it'll be the perfect place to write and work on my plans for world domination. The decor is straight out of a West Elm catalogue (I ain’t mad at that) and they have free beer and wine! Trouble is, I rarely go there. It’s not very convenient and, frankly, it feels like an overpriced library. So cold and quiet.
So I try my local library. It’s free and literally next door to my apartment building. But it smells like egg salad and is filled with other unemployed ne’er do wells. I can rarely find a seat.
I try the other library, you know, the big one. The one with the lions. The one with the Rose Room. So many great books were written in there. It’s amazing. But, cold and full of tourists. Also, they won’t let me bring in my egg salad sandwiches.
What I really need is a men’s club. Like the one where those 2 old white guys try to ruin Dan Aykroyd’s life.
Photo via Netflix.
I ain’t gonna lie. I like “membership.” I would have LOVED those men’s clubs. The leather chairs, sitting around smoking a pipe, reading or hatching billion-dollar ideas while butlers come around and refill my scotch?
Leave out the pipe and the butler, add kombucha and a meditation room, and you’ve got The Wing.
Built as a combination co-working space and social club, The Wing is filled with women killing it in a lush pink and gold and glitter environment. There’s delicious food and baked treats. A bar and a beauty room. Bathrobes and a lactation room. The building is drafty so there is a basket of blankets available. The shelves are brimming with books by women, for women. The collection is curated by the Strand and is arranged by color - in my opinion, the ONLY way to organize books.
See also, Colleen’s mild OCD.
The energy is always swirling, never frantic. It’s the peaceful but powerful energy of incredible women getting shit done. It’s social, but not intrusive. During the day, people are at The Wing to work, either alone or in small groups. But everyone seems to be less guarded than usual for NYC. More likely to chat for a few seconds while hunting for the outlets to charge our MacBooks or in line at the Perch to order our freekeh bowls.
I love the non-judgmental vibe and the exposure to new ideas and people. As my friend, Barbara, recently wrote: "I know, at the Wing I can bust out my goddess cards to affirm a hunch about a project without being judged. I don’t think I would do that in my NJ office.”
I feel more tuned into people than I do in the otherwise anonymous city. Being at The Wing makes me feel powerful, special, connected, creative. it’s dreamy, and inspiring. When I write my goals out every morning, I envision myself there, creating and connecting. When I think of my future self - I see her (me) commanding the room at the Wing - sharing my stories and music with the most badass women in town.
What's your happy place? Where do you go to get inspired? Let me know in the comments below!
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