Co-Working Alone at the Andaz Hotel, Wall Street

As a freelancing member of society (lacking a commute), venturing outside my studio apartment is not always necessary, but developing a case of cabin fever is the unfortunate alternative. While an attractive lounge available to residents remains unoccupied during the day, the wifi is unreliable. To keep my sanity in tact, I have ruled out the convenience of working from home to focus on productivity.

I'm not a fan of co-working at coffee shops, since they are overcrowded and loud; not to mention lack privacy and there's the hit or miss possibility of a homeless person distastefully setting up shop at the edge of your table. Instead, I have become increasingly interested in the untapped "all inclusive" luxury hotel lobby catering to freelancers (aka I have a laptop, where can I plug her in)? I may not have a corner office with a view, but compared to working in a tight cubicle under florescent lighting, I'm the happiest non-employee you'll ever see.

I used to frequent the extremely co-working friendly Ace Hotel, where the atmosphere is sexy, comfortable and the wifi plentiful, however, everyone on the island caught on, so finding a spot to work for a few hours is nearly impossible. That and I'm easily distracted by the hustle and bustle of too much going on in every direction from popular food, beverage and retail venues extending off the lobby.

Enter the Andaz Hotel Wall Street where I work in solitude and writing this article doesn't worry me in the way positively reviewing a restaurant would (with the selfish goal of preventing its mass popularity). I'm assuming no one is going out of their way to join me. Not too many people make the trek down to the Financial District who don't live or work here and hotel guests are in and out with sightseeing to be done or business meetings to be had elsewhere.

I grab an iced soy chai from one of several Starbucks located within a three-block radius and head into my office. The perks here: minimal distractions minus the cabin fever side effects; a spacious, sexy, comfortable lounge with free and reliable wifi, plenty of desk space, plush couches and favorable music overhead.

I realize this means I'm not really "co-working," since by definition there should be humans in my line of sight, but the occasional hotel employee does walk by from time to time to say hello and sometimes ask, "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you," I say while holding up my Starbucks cup, symbolizing my low maintenance status. I don't dare mention the lack of outlets (none in sight), as I'll continue to work as long as it takes for my fully charged MacBook Pro's battery to drain. No, you won't hear a peep from me (except for the occasional phone call) and I assure you I am not taking all this for granted. Now, back to work...