What is the physical space like?
397 Bridge Street
Our Brooklyn hub is open to Recursers currently in batch, as well as alums.
Facilitators Sydney and Mai are available at the hub Monday through Friday to answer questions, help you find what you need, and introduce you to others in your batch. If you’re currently in batch and coming to the hub for the first time, please let Sydney and Mai know so that they can help you get settled.
Note: If you’re just starting your batch, the hub will be open to you after the first two days of orientation events online. Please check your email for a message on when hub access starts for your batch.
If you’re in batch and plan to be at the hub regularly, we will issue you a key for 24/7 access, which must be returned at the end of your batch. If you lose your key, please let Sydney or Mai know immediately so that we can deactivate it.
We have:
- Two floors to work and hang out on, with lots of tables and couch seating
- Side rooms where you can give a talk or host a seminar, or work in small groups
- Pairing stations where you can set up to pair in person or online with other Recursers
- The David Albert Vintage Electronics Lab, which includes a NeXTStation Turbo Color (with a copy of the WorldWideWeb.app!), and Olivietti, an Apple IIe, a Mac Color Classic, and many other vintage machines
- A pen plotter, a 3D printer, and a hardware room full of hand tools, wires, soldering irons, Raspberry Pis, and more, as well as board games galore
- Pairing stations
- A 1 Gbps symmetric dedicated fiber connection circuit and a backup cable connection
- A library containing several hundreds of programming books and books written by Recursers
- A kitchen with a microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, fridges, and espresso machine
- A private space for pumping or nursing with a fridge, and changing tables in our restrooms
- Cubbies to store your things at the hub while you're in batch
Why come to the hub?
Ultimately, the answer to this is individual and it boils down to: if you want to and it supports your goals for your time at RC.
Many people find it easier to connect with others in person, and to build deeper relationships faster that way. Serendipitous interactions are more likely when you can see what people are working on or overhear conversations that interest you. It’s often easier to collaborate in person, and you might find that you become energized or are able to focus better just by being around others who are doing the same, especially away from the distractions of home.
The hub is designed to support your growth and learning as a programmer. You can pair, host study groups, work on hardware projects, make art with computers, and share lunch and coffee chats with your fellow Recursers, to name just a few common activities. We also have resources and materials that you can use, such as whiteboards, projectors, a variety of peripherals, musical instruments, craft supplies, 3D printers, and more.
You can come in for one day, one week, two days out of each week, or every day of your batch: whatever works best for your goals and your life, and it's fine for your plans to change as you go. (Note: if you're an alum attending a mini retreat this summer, we expect you to spend at least three days at the hub.) Reach out to Mai or Sydney if you want to talk through how to structure your time at RC.
COVID and illness
If you feel sick, or test positive for COVID-19, do not come into the space. If you start feeling sick while you're at 397 Bridge, please head home. If you're coughing or sneezing, one of us will gently ask you to return when you're feeling better. Please don't return to the hub until you're no longer experiencing symptoms or, if you tested positive for COVID-19, until you have gotten two negative rapid tests 48 hours apart (per FDA and CDC recommendations).
Masks and tests are available in our space to everyone. Using them is encouraged, but not mandatory. RC faculty will be testing daily, and some will be masked. If you prefer that others wear a mask in close conversation with you, please feel empowered to ask them to do so. If you need support negotiating these boundaries at the hub, ask Mai or Sydney.
We have MERV-13 filters installed in our HVAC system, and fans around the space to encourage air flow. We’ll also keep the windows open as much as the weather allows. There are CO2 monitors on each floor, which faculty keep track of via an app and which you can look at anytime.
What should I bring?
When you come to the hub, be sure to bring your laptop, charger, and headphones (in case you want to get into the flow with music, or join a Zoom call). We have monitors and other peripherals you can use, and you're welcome to bring your own. You might also want to bring snacks, beverages, or a meal, which can be stored in our kitchen.
Donating things to RC
If you have something you'd like to donate to RC (books, electronics, equipment, art), please ask first. You can email us at faculty@recurse.com. If we think it would work well and be a positive addition to the space, we'll happily accept it. If not, you may advertise it on Community - New York to give away to another Recurser, but please do not leave it here.
More about the space
- There is a printer on the 4th floor near the kitchen that you are welcome to use. It is available over Bonjour/Zeroconf. The printer shows up as HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 Series. If you have trouble with network printing, there is also a USB cable attached to the printer that you can plug into directly.
- There are computer monitors, headphones, and peripherials available on the 5th floor for general use. Please remember to return them when you're done using them.
- Naps are fine. Sleepovers are not. We have beanbags and couches throughout the space, and you're welcome to take a quick nap at any time. Do not sleep overnight in the space. Let us know if you're having trouble finding housing, and we'll do what we can to help.
To see what's going on at RC, or to host an event yourself, check out our calendar. If you're interested in hosting an event but don't know how, check out the event hosting guide on our wiki.
If you host an event—or if you’re here late and the space is messy—please help us keep the hub clean and tidy. You can do this by moving tables and chairs back to their original places, bagging up garbage, making sure there aren't dishes in the sink, running the dishwasher, and clearing any food or pizza boxes that are lying around.
A few rooms and desks on the 5th floor are reserved for RC faculty. These include the two side rooms by the elevators (Shannon and the larger one next to it) and one of the two phone rooms in the back.
Please don’t plan to receive mail at 397 Bridge. If you need something shipped to you for a project you’re working on, check in with Mai or Sydney.
The RC network
RC has Provider Independent (PI) address space and an Autonomous System Number (ASN) from ARIN, the regional internet registry for North America. We have a small block of IPv4 addresses, and over 309 septillion IPv6 addresses.
The RC network is an educational resource for you to use. Please familiarize yourself with RC’s Acceptable Use Policy. If you can’t access the AUP, you may need to authenticate with GitHub first.
Guests
The short answer to "Can I bring a guest?" is no.
Our goal is to create a safe environment that is conducive to learning. Having unfamiliar people coming and going makes that harder.
You'll occasionally see non-Recursers in the space (e.g. maintenance workers sent by our landlord, employees of our partner companies, etc.). We do our best to announce guests ahead of time, make sure they're here only as long as necessary, and make sure they know our social rules to minimize disruption. We will make exceptions, but only under unusual circumstances. We consider folks who haven't yet started their RC batches to be guests in the space; please don't invite them to the space outside of +1-friendly events.
If you're a current Recurser you are welcome to give your immediate family or significant others a peek at the space, so long as this happens during off-hours, is brief, and doesn't disrupt anyone's work. Please accompany your guest at all times.
This might sound heavy handed, but it's not meant to be. If you have any questions about the policy, please let us know.
Alumni
Until further notice, alums can come to the RC hub all day every day. We would love to see lots of alums at the hub programming, pairing, and collaborating with Recursers in batch. Please do not use the hub to do work for your day job, or to take meetings.
We recently expanded alum hours since we have lots of capacity at the RC hub. Depending on our plans and demand for the space, this may be subject to change.
Family
If you are in one of the current batches and would like to give your immediate family or significant other a peek at our space, you may do so during off-hours. Please keep the visit brief, be conscious of the other people in the space, and accompany your guest at all times.
+1-friendly events
We occasionally host evening events that Recursers are allowed to bring guests to (i.e., everyone is allowed to bring a guest as a +1). We'll note specifically on event announcements whenever events are open to guests.
When you bring guests to +1-friendly events, please make sure they wear name tags and are familiar with our social rules. Please stay with them during the event, and either see them out of the building before you leave or leave with them.
Exception for RC employees' families
We have an exception to our guest policy for RC employees, who are allowed to bring their immediate families (including significant others and children) to RC even during events that are not otherwise open to guests. Attending evening events on a regular basis is part of many RC employees' jobs, and this exception makes it a little easier for RC employees with families to attend.
Family-friendly policies
These policies are intended to make RC more accessible to parents and caregivers of kids of all ages. If you are a current or prospective Recurser, and curious about how your family responsibilities might fit in with your time at RC, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Zulip, our internal chat system, also has a parenting stream, so feel free to join, participate in discussion, and reach out to other parents in the RC community.
Events
We are committed to hosting social events that better fit into a family schedule. Specifically:
- For all official RC events, even if the event isn’t +1 friendly you are welcome to bring your child/children, and to bring another trusted adult as well to help with child care at the event.
- We have added more social events to our regular retreat schedule that are either earlier in the evening or on weekends, such as daytime picnics, trips to museums, and early evening art nights.
Children at RC
RC is typically closed to non-Recursers, except for specific events. However, if you have a child, you are welcome to bring them in to RC during the daytime under the following circumstances:
- On school closure days (e.g. holidays, snow days)
- If your infant is under 6 months old
We expect you to stay with your child while they’re at RC, and to take full responsibility for looking after them, as we aren’t able to have childcare providers on staff for Recursers or childcare on the premises. Please avoid the areas designated as quiet/silent work areas, and feel free to use Lovelace, the lactation room on the 5th floor, if you need. Please let us know in advance to be expecting you.