Every Yalie has a soft spot for GHeav. It’s more than a 24-hour deli: it’s the place for countless late-night cravings, snack runs between classes and comfort food after a long day. But what would it be like to spend an entire day inside GHeav? With our laptops, some snacks and permission from the manager, we were determined to find out.

We arrived full of ambition — laptops ready, thinking we’d knock out some assignments between snack breaks. But our dreams of productivity quickly faded. The only available power outlet in the whole store was covered in ducktape — it really wasn’t our place to remove it — and the Reggaeton playing in the background gave the place a lively vibe, but didn’t exactly inspire focus. Instead, we settled into people-watching mode. If only there was anyone else in the store at that time in the morning… after about an hour of introspection and staring contests — Maria 14 – Laura 0 — we learned a new expression, when our dear friend visited us: “Our face card doesn’t decline” — whatever that means in American. 

Finally, the first wave of customers came in with a specific goal: finding snacks that could be eaten quietly in the library. Boredom hit so hard that we were eavesdropping on their very interesting debate: which snack is quieter: pringles or pretzels? Their final pick: pretzels. We didn’t want to intrude then, but pretzels are definitely not silent — do better. Some suggestions: fresh fruit, a smoothie, matcha or coffee — or even better — not spending your Saturday in a library…

Hours stretched on, and we did what GHeav regulars do best: we ate. We tried the iconic Marilyn Monroe and Chicken Cutlet sandwiches — solid choices — some better than expected deli sushi, a banana peanut butter Tru Fru and even mini carrots to “balance” things out. Ginger shots seemed like a good idea to counteract the snack overload, and before long, our table was a mountain of wrappers. Not to self: we will not have a ginger shot ever again unless forced.

As the day dragged on, we needed new entertainment. A friend saved the day with a deck of cards, turning our table into an improvised poker setup. Another friend dropped by, carrying valuable gossip. We pretended we were in a relationship podcast — overanalyzing a case dear to us — and GHeav became our studio. Somehow, after these friendly visits and varied distractions, it became clear that we were leaning into the 24 hour experience, finding ways to make the space our own.

When night fell, the scene shifted. GHave suddenly came alive as Yalies dropped in after their night-outs. Snack choices went from “What’s quiet in the library?” to full-on post-party indulgence. Sandwich production reached levels we had never seen, as Yalies kept on ordering. At one point, even YDN’s WKND editor Nora made an appearance — thank you! — to honor our legendary feat.

By the early hours, exhaustion hit hard. We sprawled on the benches, wrappers everywhere and the only thing that kept us going was the DJ mixes we were experimenting with on our laptops. We were the party; Gheav was the party.

We stayed away from Gheav for the following 48 hours. It felt like the right thing to do. What first sounded as a materialization of the childhood memories of 24-hour challenges on YouTube will forever hold a special place in our hearts for the next four years. At the end of the 24 hours, we’d gone from customers to GHeav residents.