Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to another round of today’s most popular game show: THE GAME OF ACCESSIBLE LIFE! The only game where you find out just how (in)accessible life can be. On October 7, 2011, we sent Alesha and Elyse out on the town for a date to see how accessible three New York City date spots were. (Please note: Elyse and Alesha declined to be photographed for this portion of the game and will thereby be represented by a pair of adorably furry finger puppets.)
In accordance with the rules of the Game of Accessible Life, neither of them did any research on accessible environments in New York City and instead were subjected to the true realities of spontaneous accessible dating in the city. Elyse and Alesha, both full-time students, met up for their accessible date at the corner of 4th street and 6th avenue, after their Friday afternoon classes In the mood for some Italian food, Alesha and Elyse decided not to stray too far from where they met up and made their way over to Volare on 4th street. Unfortunately, it turned out the only way into Ristorante Volare was down a set of fairly steep steps – with no other entrance in site.
VERDICT: INACCESSIBLE
Disappointed by this turn of events, Alesha and Elyse decide to peruse the West Village for some entertainment. Elyse, having lived in the neighbourhood two years prior (Whatsup Joe’s Pizza, thanks for hosting tours every morning and blocking my buildings entrance, totally appreciated – e), suggests looking through the multitude of sex shops along 6th avenue that Elyse likes to call, “Sex Shop Row featuring Papaya Dog.” Alesha and Elyse venture towards the first sex shop on said row, Fantasy Paradise, but spot a large ledge at the entrance. Quickly peering inside from out front, they also notice the very, very narrow stacks of DVD’s, in which a wheelchair would most certainly not fit.
VERDICT: INACCESSIBLE
Turning the corner, Alesha and Elyse happened upon Tic Tac Toe, but once again notice this sex shop is not up to ADA standards. Tic Tac Toe seems to have a winding (and not entirely stable) staircase leading down to its very narrow entrance.
VERDICT: INACCESSIBLE
All of two centimetres (elyse is Canadian, she enjoys the metric system) later, Alesha and Elyse find the Pink Pussy Cat, which not only has a ramp outside the store leading to its entrance, but a ramp inside to get to the second level of the store as well! The Pink Pussy Cat also features roomy aisle space for all your accessibility needs (this post was not sponsored by The Pink Pussy Cat).
VERDICT: ACCESSIBLE
After viewing various sex toys, adult board games, and exotic dance attire, Elyse and Alesha realize how hungry they are and decide to make their way uptown for a more modern envisioning of Italian food since the old world inaccessibility of Volare couldn’t accommodate them. Though the closest subway is the Christopher Street station, Alesha and Elyse don’t bother going towards it, knowing its location beneath a large set of very steep stairs. Instead, the pair choose to take the BDFM line at the 4th street station, which has an elevator.
VERDICT: ACCESSIBLE
Elyse and Alesha, on their way to their new restaurant destination, Eataly, are overcome with hunger pains and stop at a nearby Dunkin Donuts to quell them. This Dunkin Donuts has a small ramp and an automatic door.
VERDICT: ACCESSIBLE
After a very satisfying doughnut, Alesha and Elyse arrive at Eataly. Once inside they are very impressed by the large space and the wideness of all the aisles and spaces between each area. Their only complaint is that the seating is a bit cramped in some areas, though what do you expect in New York? While a few of the sections have tables and chairs that are very high up, there are additional areas with lower tables and seating. The two choose one of these more accessible areas and have a lovely meal.
VERDICT: ACCESSIBLE
After a delicious dinner, Alesha and Elyse decide to move things to a more secluded area and make their way to the high line for some alone time. The pair access the high line at the 30th street elevator. Once they are up there, they can see that the high line space is wonderfully accessible, with wide areas and lots to see. After some fun and games, the two snuggle up on the ramp/staircase seating area and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, on the way back, their ending destination of 14th street has an out-of-order elevator. But never fear, the two simply make there way back to the 16th street elevator and part after a lovely night on the town.
VERDICT: ACCESSIBLE
So ladies and gentleman, that’s our game for tonight. Alesha and Elyse had a really wonderful time on their accessible date, but were perturbed by the lengths they had to go to – often deserting plans all together in favor of new ones – in order to make their date accessible. They found that many of the West Village locations only had one entrance atop a large staircase, and seemed to not think of how their placements might affect those in wheelchairs.
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