Hyggehiking Manhattan's Swarthmore Analogues

Our 9th Hygge gathering of 2025 will be Saturday, September 20th, from 10am-10pm.

We'll wander through the parks, atriums, amphitheaters, food courts, beaches, and libraries of Manhattan. This particular hike highlights the vibrant and serene places that evoke the rolling hills and social hubs of my alma mater, Swarthmore College. Bring your curiosity, your stories, and your friends!

This is a 12 hour hike spanning 5+ miles, and you are free to join us at *any* point in the day 🙌. All RSVP'd "yes" and "maybe" attendees on Partiful will receive a link at 10am to my realtime location for the entire day, along with my phone number, so you can see exactly where we are on Google Maps and call me directly if you need help.

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🌿 About Hyggehiking 🌿

Hygge means "a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being."

"Hyggehiking" is my own special blend, where we engage in that conviviality while trekking through green spaces throughout our city.

I host Hygge gatherings so we can come together to make new friends, discuss fun projects we're eager to work on, dive into deep, thoughtful conversations, and meet people who can help make NYC feel like a smaller, closer-knit community. We bring our friends, family, coworkers, anyone we think would enjoy spending the day alongside a variety of curious souls.

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🗺️ Itinerary 🗺️

10am-10:30am — David Rubenstein Atrium

✨ We'll begin our trek in a public atrium that has always reminded me of the Swarthmore’s Science Center commons.

10:30am-1pm — Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Mall and Literary Walk, Umpire Rock, Hallett Nature Sanctuary

✨ Next, we'll wind through our analogues for LPAC (Lincoln Center), Magill Walk (Literary Walk), Crumhenge (Umpire Rock), and the Crum's Alligator Rock (Hallett Nature Sanctuary).

1pm-3:30pm — The 550 Garden, The Hugh, New York Public Library, Ace Hotel

✨ I haven't been inside Swat's new dining center or the new Singer Hall, but from the outside, they each give off vibes I associate with The 550 Garden and The Hugh, two large food court atriums in Midtown East. We'll eat lunch at the Hugh, then make our way to the NYPL, our McCabe Library counterpart, followed by the Ace Hotel, which, like Hobbs in the Ville, serves as a gravity well for creative and social energy.

3:30pm-6pm — The High Line, Gansevoort Peninsula, Little Island

✨ Built upon a retired rail corridor, The High Line matches nicely with Swat's train station. And for those who haven't revisited Swat's campus in a while, there are now beautiful little wooded walking trails between Magill walk and the train tracks! We'll wander the High Line until we arrive at our Parrish Beach equivalent, Gansevoort Peninsula, right on the Hudson and replete with Adirondack chairs! From there, it's just a short hop to Little Island, whose amphitheater and fragrance gardens perfectly evoke their Swat corollaries.

6pm-8pm — Washington Square Park, Percy's Pizza

✨ You can find the social energies of Parrish Commons and Tarble combined in Washington Square Park, which serves as a central hangout and meeting location for virtually any NYC denizens. For anyone hungry for Renatos Pizza, we'll wander a few blocks over to its Greenwich Village equivalent, Percy's Pizza.

8pm-10pm — The Chai Spot, Caveat

✨ Whenever I enter The Chai Spot, I'm transported back to every dorm and lounge I'd ever stumbled upon at Swarthmore. It's cozy, colorful, and incredible for quiet reading, people watching, and long-form conversation with friends. We’ll spend the remainder of the evening here, but anyone who's feeling like an Olde Club style experience can venture over to Caveat, NYC's underground haven for intellectual nightlife, which typically hosts two live edu-comedy shows every day of the week.

Below, I've shared the path we'll most likely take. You can follow my live location, or call me at any point if you have trouble finding us.

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🎒What to Bring🎒

• comfy shoes

• cash

• friends 🥰

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👋🏼About Your Host👋🏼

I'm Steve Dean, admirer of nature, denizen of the internet, steward of social and technological ecologies, dating industry consultant, and relationship coach.

Connect with me anytime through my website, Dateworking (http://dateworking.com).

I'm also building up a dating & relationship library on substack! https://stevedean.substack.com.