accessibility4all

After sitting in traffic for three hours on paratransit, I met up with a friend for dinner at Gerbasi Restaurant on Arthrur ave in the Bronx. It’s a quaint little spot, with indoor and outdoor seating. I had the rigatoni, but fell in love with the butter nut squash ravioli my friend let me try, definitely ordering that next time.

Doorways-3

Spaciousness- Indoor: 3, Outdoor: 4

Hospitality- 2.5

Restrooms:  4

Price Range: Moderate

Food: Fair

For more info: www.facebook.com/pages/Gerbasi-Ristorante…/130863450294492

Last Sunday, I had the unlikely pleasure of attending Riverside Church. I say unlikely because I put the search for a place I could call home on hold for a long while. I found out about them through my sister/business partner last summer but didn’t follow up til recently. I’m going through a tough time and was hoping a return to church would lift my spirits, and did it ever! There’s so much to love about Riverside, it truly is a home away from home. Everyone is so warm and welcoming, it lives up to its claims of openness and affirmation with an elevator, fully accessible restrooms, ASL interpreters, and events geared toward the LGBTQ community. It felt good to finally attend a church service whose sermon had no condemning words towards my sexuality. There’s even a cafe if you get hungry after service, any place that can feed my soul and my stomach in the same day, will always get my vote!  It feels good to finally have found a church I’d feel comfortable bring anyone I know. It truly is my new favorite place! For more info visit: http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/

Things I look for in a venue while out on the town:

• Doorways/Thresholds-Doorway must be at least 30 in. wide (a few inches wider than my wheelchair)  Thresholds should be no more than an inch above the ground, or preferably non existent.
• Spaciousness- Once I get into a space, I want to be able to move around comfortably. So I tend to avoid tight/crammed spaces (unless the staff are willing to move things around a bit.)
• Hospitality-Is the staff friendly/willing to accommodate me? Are those accommodations suitable to my needs? If I sense the slightest bit of hostility/hesitation, I will leave immediately.
• Restrooms- Must be wheelchair accessible and gender neutral.

Of course these things are specific to my needs as a wheelchair user, but we encourage our readers to  reply/comment as pertinent to their own needs as well.

Created by the folks over at Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes’ LGBT Health and Wellness Project, Out for Health, the Pee in Peace App is designed to help trans*/gender non-conforming individuals find locations with gender neutral bathrooms while on the go. I think this is the best thing since sliced bread! It helps keep people safe and away from scrutiny when nature calls. As an ally in need of restroom assistance, I feel good about the fact that my friends may now be able to provide much needed help without having to risk outing themselves. On the contrary, the app is currently only available to iPhone users and the mapping location is limited to Ithaca, NY. Click the link above to learn more on how you can submit other locations and push to make this app accessible to all, because there’s no such place as the “wrong bathroom” when you’ve gotta go!

Located in Hells Kitchen, this is indeed one of my favorite places to eat. If you enjoy Southern style BBQ, this is definitely the place for you! Everything on menu sounds as tempting as it tastes. The philly cheese steak egg rolls are my favorite appetizer. My friends and I also like to down a couple shots of their Cafe Patron for celebratory purposes. Space is a bit tight, so calling ahead for a reservation is highly recommended. For more info:

http://southernhospitalitybbq.com/