10 Things They Don’t Tell You about Máchova

 

 

1. If you are a loud person, the people living with you in Machova might not be your biggest fans. The walls are thin, and I mean paper thin, like they might as well not exist at this rate. You can hear EVERYTHING. Your neighbor is having a conversation with their roommate? You can hear it. The person downstairs is bumping Eminem (not loud at all) at 12am? You can hear it.

2. Laundry is a process and a half. If you are planning on doing laundry, you need an entire day. It takes approximately 5 hours. Also some of the washers and dryers have VERY specific instructions, such as you need to manually do the spin cycle yourself, and if you don’t take the clothes out before the power runs out on the timer, you have to pay an extra 20czk to unlock the door. Also, with the dryers, your clothing is most likely to come out a little damp. And I’m pretty sure they eat your socks too because I’ve lost all of mine.

3. It is so easy to get to campus and any part of Old Town. It won’t take you more than 20-25 minutes to get anywhere that you could possibly want to go (unless you are trying to get to Osadni, which is about 40 minutes away by tram). The 22 Tram stops right at the top of the hill, which will take you straight to campus, and if you walk down a little further, you can take the Namesti-Miru subway too.

4. The Portravinys (bodegas) around Machova are going to be your best friend. Most are cash only, but they contain every kind of snack food you could ever dream of, and most even have enough food to do your daily grocery shopping. The people there will start to recognize you because you will be there every day (at least once, sometimes up to 3 times).

5. Like in Osadni, you are responsible for cleaning your own room and dishes, but the cleaning people come Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and it is truly amazing.

6. My personal favorite thing about living in Machova is the amount of stuff you have next to it. Bageterie Boulevard (an amazing sandwich shop) is right down the street, the Prague Beer Museum is a 3 minute walk, there is an amazing brunch place called Marthy’s also down the street, grocery shops everywhere, a KFC, a McDonalds, and even an amazing EDM club- you don’t even need to leave the area to have an amazing time.

7. There is a very intense heating system in each room, perfect for making your room cozy. I would recommend turning it off at night however, because it gets very hot and no one likes waking up in a pool of their own sweat.

8. The study lounge is even more beautiful in person than online. It has the most comfortable couches and chairs, computers and a printer at your disposal, and the most gorgeous view of Prague imaginable. There is a terrace that overlooks the entire city with floor to ceiling windows letting in so much natural light, but unfortunately, the guardrails only go up to your waist, so you can’t go outside onto it. Regardless, who wouldn’t want to study in a room overlooking the entire city?

9. There is an RA on every floor, and if you have an odd-numbered suite, you will be living with one. The RAs are mostly relaxed, until 10pm hits and it’s quiet hours. Most of the time though, you won’t even see your RA. However, beware that because of the NYU Prague dry dorm policy, if they catch you drinking, they will make you pour out your alcohol, a painful process for both you and them. The more friendly you are with the RAs the better, and they usually make for good suitemates.

10. The WiFi is not the best. It cuts out A LOT. Even though most suites have their own WiFi, it’s still a struggle. The router for my suite was literally situated behind my bed, and I still don’t get a good connection.

Machova is one of the best places to live, and I honestly wouldn’t trade my experience in this dorm for anything in the world (except maybe a penthouse in Old Town Square).