We began at Babeland, located at 43 Mercer Street in Manhattan. The entrance to this location is, essentially, a large ramp, and the door pushes inward, making it easy for someone in a wheelchair to get into the store. This location is indeed the most accessible of the three locations in the City. At their Lower East Side location, for example, we would have had to call in advance to have a wheelchair ramp set up. Inside the store, the aisles are of a width such that a person in a wheelchair can move around easily, and the counters are set up in a way that a person in a wheelchair can easily see and reach them.
We asked the shopkeepers about accessibility at Babeland and they were extremely responsive to our questions. They described Babeland as a place that welcomes everyone, so naturally it had to have wheelchair access. We also found a copy of Miriam Kaufman, Cory Silverberg, and Fran Odette’s The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability, which was featured on the store’s bookshelf. We chose Babeland for our entertainment spot not only for its sexy nature, but also because of its all-inclusive mission of promoting and celebrating sexual vitality in an honest, open, and fun environment in which everyone feels safe and welcome, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
After our time at Babeland, we considered where we should go for some food and relaxation. There is a Spanish restaurant right next door to Babeland, but its large entrance step and cramped interior were unacceptable. On our walk back uptown we decided to find a restaurant around McDougal and west Third Street. As we walked along McDougal we realized that quite a few of the establishments were not wheelchair accessible. Either they only had stairs at the entrance, the door way was too narrow, or the space was just too cramped to comfortably accommodate a person in a wheelchair. A particular place caught Tanea’s eye named Meskerem, which is an Ethiopian restaurant. The thought of Ethiopian food was rather appealing but yet again, stairs would prove to stand in the way of making this place a part of our accessible date. Resigned with the fact that McDougal had nothing for us, we continued our trek north. We passed by Patsy’s Pizza on University Place and a sudden craving for garlic knots overcame Hannah, but we decided against it because the only way into the place was via a stone staircase.
Pavita suggested that we go to Le Pain Quotidien, located on Broadway and 11th street. This location turned out to be the best option. The restaurant has two accessible entrances. In the front there is a ramp that leads to a relatively wide doorway, and around the corner there is an entrance that leads to a lower level dining area. There are stairs connecting the front half and the back half of the restaurant and to get from one part to the other a person in a wheelchair would have to go outside and reenter the restaurant. This would only be a problem, however, if they were seated in the lower level and had to go to the restroom as the only accessible restroom is located in the front half of the restaurant - to reach the other restrooms, one would have to descend a flight of stairs from the lower level to the basement. On the accessible bathroom’s door there is a notice that states that it is an ADA-compliant restroom (we checked! It is!) that is primarily meant for customers who are not able to use the basement restrooms. Not only did Le Pain have wheelchair accessible facilities, it had great service and even better mimosas. We were sold.
After we ate, we wanted to spend some private time with our date. Pavita’s apartment was a good first option, since it is very close to the restaurant and she does not have roommates. Furthermore, living in an apartment is infinitely cooler than living in an NYU dorm! The building’s entrance has two wheelchair accessible doors, with no steps in sight. Pavita’s living room is open and has ample room in which a wheelchair user can move. In the bedroom, however, the space between the bed and the wall is too narrow, making it impossible for a person in a wheelchair to make it to the bathroom.
In our continued quest to find accessible privacy, we considered Tanea’s dorm. University Hall’s entrance is notable among NYU dorms for its accessibility. The double doors are electric (although they have been known to break down), there are no stairs to get inside, and the lobby is wide enough for a person in a wheelchair to move around. However, U-Hall’s individual dorms are extremely cramped. There is very little space between beds in each two-person bedroom, making it difficult for a person in a wheelchair to enter and even more difficult to exit. The tiny, packed rooms of U-Hall make it a less-than-ideal spot to bring our date.
Finally, we considered Hannah’s dorm in Lafayette. Her room itself is a large triple with wide, open pathways into the bedroom and bathroom. But the issues start before you even get into the residence hall, let alone the room. One afternoon we took the NYU bus from campus down to Lafayette. All of NYU’s buses are wheelchair accessible, but the NYU trolley poses a big challenge. If we had gotten the trolley, our date would have had to notify the driver that they wanted to get on, then they would have had to go to the back door and wait for the driver to come operate the lift. After finally getting to Lafayette, we were faced with the challenge of getting inside. The building’s main entrance has stairs, and the accessible entrances are on the side of the building and are not staffed by Public Safety officers. If we wanted to bring our date here, we would have to tell the security guard (who is stationed at the top of the steps) that we needed to use the accessible entrance. Then, we would have had to wait outside for the guard to let us in. Lafayette is one of NYU’s largest dorms, and we certainly found it curious that our institution has not made the building more accessible for residents and their guests.
After some research on Travelocity, we decided that the W Union Square would be the best spot for privacy, given its location and its accessibility. We walked to the W from Le Pain Quotidien. There is a ramp to get into the building, and each of the 21 floors has a wheelchair accessible room. In fact, all of the W’s facilities are wheelchair accessible. However, even though the W is our only 100% accessible option, it is prohibitive in other ways. First, most college students cannot afford a room at the W. It’s a very expensive place to stay! Secondly, one has to be aware of the types of messages one is sending on a date. Taking someone to a fancy hotel is not always appropriate for most first dates or casual dating relationships. So while this option is the most physically accessible, it poses other difficulties.
While we feel that we created a fun afternoon, what struck us is just how restrictive the structure of New York City is for wheelchair users. For example, the sheer amount of research we had to do in order to find accessible places points to how people tend to conceive of disabled people only as an afterthought (if at all) when planning structures, layouts, and even online resources. The city seems to exasperate this issue, with its old buildings and often outdated transit system. Furthermore, we discussed our own favorite date options and discovered that most of them, especially the less expensive options, were not wheelchair accessible. So there are two prohibitive edges to the situation: one that is physical, another that is economic.
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