Firstly, we want to say, WELCOME BACK TO CAMPUS! We’re ecstatic to be back in full force for the fall 2021 semester. After a year and a half of seeing each other through tiny rectangles on a screen, our newly hired Under the Arch staff was finally able to work together in person, and our enthusiasm since returning to the WSN office has been unmatched. There’s something about jumping out of your chair at pitch meetings, yelling ideas across the table and scribbling ideas in chicken scratch on the whiteboard that you just can’t recreate over Zoom. This special issue is the product of that chaos. 

In this issue, we’ve included a guide to places around campus that cater to students with dietary restrictions, as well as a list of stores and restaurants that offer NYU discounts. In doing so, we hope to promote healthy eating — something incredibly rare when you’re living off of four iced coffees and instant ramen between classes each day. To help you achieve a balanced diet, we’ve compiled a list of gluten-free, vegan and low-carb meals that students can enjoy without breaking the bank. 

Let’s not forget about the fun part of the special issue either: We have a guide to three spectacular art galleries that recently opened in the East Village and Greenwich Village, which feature work by women and people of color. 

In light of a seemingly never-ending pandemic, we also wanted to provide information on the city’s proof of vaccination requirement for restaurants, gyms, cinemas and so on. With these safety precautions in mind, we’ve included vaccination requirements for each recommended business on our lists. 

We hope this guide helps make the campus and city we love feel more like home. Enjoy!

Caitlin Hsu and Vaishnavi Naidu
Under the Arch Managing Editors