In a place as crowded as New York City, it is sometimes hard to find a nice place to let the tears flow. So if you’ve just failed a midterm, lost your NYU ID for the third time or spilled a coffee on your favorite white sweater, check out these perfect places to get your cry on.

Lafayette Street

Only a few blocks from WSP, Lafayette Street gives you the anonymity of any other New Yorker.

“I like Lafayette,” Steinhardt junior Fiona Sohrabi said. “A lot of people walk by that don’t care, so you can cry in peace.”


Most of the pedestrians are usually residents walking their dogs and wholly unconcerned with the emotional instability of NYU students. And as an added bonus, sympathetic dog owners will sometimes let you pet their furry friends for some canine therapy.

Kimmel Center for Student Life

The Kimmel Center for Student Life offers a selection of places to carry out anything from a light whimper to full wail. LS sophomore Nour Obeidallah said she enjoys the more solitary spaces found within the student center.

“I prefer [to cry] during class in the gender-neutral single stall in Kimmel,” Obeidallah said.

So if you’re looking for privacy, Kimmel bathrooms may be the place for you — they give you the opportunity to ugly cry to your heart’s content without the public display. Also, crying during class helps avoid the between-lecture rush.

Besides the restrooms, the eighth floor of the Kimmel Center also offers a nice view to accompany your tear-inducing troubles. However, the large number of people studying there limits this to a silent crying zone.

Washington Square Park



This classic sobbing spot guarantees that everyone will see you cry, but no one will care. The busy — and often hectic — atmosphere of WSP allows you to blend in with the crowd. Although you may frighten a group of local kindergarteners going for a stroll in the park, they won’t judge.

As you cry, expect street performers to dazzle you with their adept abilities to jump over people. While they might bring a smile to your face, this may also cause you to cry harder when you realize these artists probably make more money than you do.

Silver Center for Arts and Science

Similar to the Kimmel Center, Silver Center bathrooms provide a tranquil zone to lose yourself. According to Steinhardt freshman Tina Wang, the bathrooms are extremely run-down in Silver and thus rarely used.

“There’s no [bathroom] worse than there,” Wang said.

These gnarly bathrooms discourage visitors and provide many empty stalls to let the saltwater flow from your eyes. And once the tears stop blinding you and you see the empty, grimy room, it’s a nice reminder that it can only get better from here. Plus, the lack of users means there’s always toilet paper to dry your eyes.

Bobst Library

Bobst, another classic NYU location, deals with a lot of foot traffic. But curling yourself into a ball against the wall of the first-floor museum creates a safe place to blubber without the judgement you’d face in the lobby. You’ll never find a ton of people spending time in there to interrupt your weeping. At most, you’ll scare a high school tour group or two.

The next time you find yourself about to lose it over not getting your favorite seat in class, check out some of these great places to break down in peace.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, March 20th print edition. Email Alyssa Kelly at [email protected]