11 p.m. rolled around, and that’s when I realized there was simply no way for me to finish my 2,000 word essay before bedtime. Admitting defeat, I shamefully shrunk into my hoodie to avoid all interaction and walked to Bobst Library with my laptop in tow, gearing up for a miserable all-nighter.
I needed coffee, but the Goddard Starbucks had already closed. At 11:15 p.m., I decided to trek all the way to Carlyle Court for the nearest Starbucks that was still open, picked up a Peppermint Mocha with two extra shots of espresso — if I was going to be up all night, I figured I deserved a festive drink. I grabbed a slice at Joe’s Pizza across the street and reached Bobst at 11:38 p.m. That was when the night truly began.
After 20 minutes searching for a floor with the proper level of silence and another hour drafting my paper, I gave myself a Snapchat break. When I opened a hotpot photo from my friend, I couldn’t resist the call for food. It was 12:39 a.m. I headed to LL1for Bobst’s vending machines, got myself a pack of skinny pop, kettle-cooked jalapeño Lays and party mix along with 75 cents someone forgot to pick up (thank you whoever you are).
At 1:10 a.m. I reached 500 words. I downloaded Grubhub only to find out that Boka closes at midnight on Sundays. My stomach growled with anger and sadness while my mind filled itself with images of Korean fried chicken. Fellow NYU students, however procrastinative you are, please don’t pull a Bobst all-nighter on Sunday. For this reason only.
I settled for the apple I stole from Downstein.
It was 2:03 a.m. when the four espresso shots in my Mocha wore off and the coffee machine at Bobst broke down. “Should have gotten that cold brew,” I thought to myself. There was no choice but to take the walk to McDonald’s on Broadway for an americano. Round two of coffee was acquired at 2:25 a.m. Before heading back into the horrific reality of my night, I got myself a slice of Artichoke Pizza and paid the tax with the 75 cents from the vending machine (again, thank you kind stranger).
At 4:30 a.m., I finally finished the essay and then proofread it while enjoying all the snacks I bought. The caffeine kept me awake (and my hand shaking), although I almost dozed off at 5:40 a.m. after the third read-through. I headed for the vending area one last time for a bottled mocha Starbucks Frappuccino.
Finally, the sun came up and I came back to life. At 6:34 a.m., I printed my essay, loosely sticking the pages together with my eco-friendly stapler. After treating myself to one episode of How I Met Your Mother, I made my way to Lipton Dining Hall for a heartwarming breakfast. And that’s how I survived my all-nighter at Bobst.
Email Alex Tran at [email protected].
