not really. but as close as I'll ever get.
Just returned from a quick (too quick) 24 hours in New Jersey where I was visiting my dear Jackie (who I met studying abroad in London). In fact, she was the first person I met there... she and her dad and brother were checking into the dorms at the same time I was, and her brother helped me carry my bags up to my room. Jackie is one of the few people who I can freely talk about my study abroad adventure with, seeing as she was involved in pretty much all of it. From our historic London walking tours with Mary Carroll, Bavarian beer challenge tour in Munich, romantic trip to Paris, 2-day rendezvous in Berlin, and week-long Italy trip.... Jackie (along with Jen and Alex) was pretty much always by my side for the most amazing 4 months of our lives. Anyway, all four of us understand how much each other misses Spoons, Tesco, chocolate croissants, Kennedy's, Borrough Market, cheap airfare, and an endless list of other things. And we don't even have to think twice about saying, "That time I was in Paris" or "When I was in Germany.." because we all can relate to it. In the 24 hours Jackie and I were together, I think I found about 23 things to relate to European something or other. Things that reminded me of something that happened to us in Europe. And any other person would be so sick of hearing it by now...
Actually, this guy stopped us outside Qdoba the other night, because he saw Jackie's british flag shirt and thought we might be from England. I wish. But we talked with him about where we studied and yada yada, because he was British (so good to hear that accent). I think that conversation made our night. As did the yummy queso burritos from Qdoba.
I went to Jackie's straight from work on Friday, taking the NJ Transit train from Penn St. It was a quick 15 minute ride to Newark, where Jackie picked me up and drove me about 25 minutes to her home sweet home. Ah, suburbs. Green things. Trees. No over population. No bad smells. Fresh air. So much happiness. We had Qdoba for dinner and then met up with some of her friends and went to a local bar. My life was an episode of Jersey Shore for approximately one hour. Then we booked it and went to her town's diner (I guess Jersey is known for diners) and I had a delicious milkshake and some waffle fries. mmm mmm gooood. And then. We slept. Although original plans for Saturday called for a trip to the beach and boardwalk at the Shore, we decided to just wake up whenever we wake up.
1:30 p.m.
Oops. No beach day for us, but we had just enough time to get over to the bagel shop to get me one of Jersey's finest. Yum. I now know why Jersey people rant about their bagels. They were pretty good if I do say so myself. Although, Murray's bagels right next door to my apartment in the city, is equally yummy.
So instead of getting a sun burn, I opted for a tour of Jackie's town and a little trip to Rutger's, where Jaxxx goes to school. Then we returned to her house, watched Letters to Juliet, and watched the main character frolic through Italy, wishing we were back doing the same :( Boo. Homesick for Europe. Jackie's dad grilled up some delicious steak and chicken (like, really delicious) and we just hung out for a bit until it was time to take the train back into the city.
I know, I did SO many things in Jersey. But not really at all. which is just how I liked it. Suburbs, relaxation, sleeping in, good food, Jackie <3, made another friend (Jackie's dog Ice)... a break from the city, even if it was for 24 hours, was oh so nice.
It was back to work on Sunday and today, where I have been working on some more College Football Preview stuff and the usual weekly edits. I can't believe I have 3 weeks left. Insane... I'm definitely not ready to leave yet. Boo... time flies.
Now it's time for two days off. YAAAAYYY! Time to do some laundry, grocery shopping and exploring. Can't wait.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
weekend with my Mama
For me, a Tuesday/Wednesday is my weekend. And while sometimes I really wish I didn't have to work Sundays, I absolutely love my mid-day weekend. Peace and quiet, independence, sleeping in, exercise (sometimes) and cooking a good dinner.
I'm starting to really get used to this lifestyle. Ask any of us ASME interns, and we'll say it already feels like we're in careers and are grown ups out in real world. Do I really have to go back to Marquette, take classes and study?! I really don't get to work at Sports Illustrated? Boo.
Oh quick off the subject note: Go USA women's soccer!!! Every desk television was watching the game vs. Brazil on Monday (Sunday?) and it was so, so exciting. I was never really interested in soccer, especially women's soccer, until I wrote that women's team preview for a June issue. So come time for the Brazil game, I knew all about the USA's history with Brazil in World Cup play and how especially intense that game was. With Abby Wambach's header to tie up the game, and Hope Solo's save in penalty kicks... USA beat Brazil. I literally had chills. What a great game. And... today! USA beat France in the semi-finals (which I was able to catch a part of). 2 goals in about 4 minutes. On to the finals!!!
Anyway, back to the real subject of this blog post. After a long Sunday and Monday of 12 hour work days each, aka 24 hours of work in 4 days.... my mom came into town to visit!!!! Wooohooo! A much needed break from work and hectic things. I met her Tuesday morning at her hotel by Penn Station area, we dropped our stuff off then headed to the Time & Life building so I could show her where I spend my working days. Then we grabbed lunch at Au Bon Pain and went to Times Square so we could wait in line at the TKTS booth in the hopes of grabbing some discount tickets for a Broadway show. After waiting, and waiting, we snagged some tickets to Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. It's really popular on Broadway right now, and I remember hearing a lot about it in London.
Then it was over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the hopes of seeing the McQueen exhibit. I recently became aware that my Time & Life ID gets me free admission to several museums in the city, including the Met. But, I didn't know that I could also get a guest in for free. Sweet perks! I think my mom was impressed haha. We went to get in line for the McQueen exhibit, then after seeing the line wrapped around the whole museum... decided to forgo it. No time to wait in massive lines. So, gift shop it was. I got this really cool poster/print of an American flag but in the stripes is a written out, scribbly/artsy First Amendment phrase. Call me a journalism nerd.
After going back to the hotel to get ourselves together for the musical, we grabbed a really yummy dinner at this Heartland Brewery place near Radio City. And thankfully it was in walking distance of the Priscilla theater, so we easily got over there and grabbed our really good seats! I knew the show was going to be an over the top, fancy, high class drag show of the sorts, but other than that, I didn't know what to expect. I'm not going to spoil the plot, but there were a lot of sequins, glitter, bright colors, neon lights, feathers and everything else fabulous. The music consisted of a lot of Madonna and other "diva" songs like "It's Raining Men." And it was hilarious! Basically, it was a great mother/daughter's night out show. So fun!
And then. Dessert time. I had to introduce my mom to Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding. /I needed an excuse to get Magnolia's Bakery for the second time in 24 hours. Yes, the night before Steph, another SI intern, and I got some Magnolia cupcakes. Can't resist the attraction of Magnolia.
One of my favorite parts of her visit: getting to stay in the hotel with her. 2nd comfiest bed ever. 1st being my home bed. And it was so nice to sleep in and not get woken up by the sounds of the city and/or the massive sunlight that pours through my apartment window.
After a lovely continental breakfast at the hotel, I headed to work for a intern event of the sorts, with Time Inc. editor in chief John Huey. aka he's the EIC of all Time Inc. magazines aka he's the man. We had lunch and listened to him speak about the history of the company as well as about his background. He was quite the character. Southern accent, serious yet witty and absolutely hilarious. He was telling us to be excited about our jobs and that it's no good to be bored at a job... and he says, "I think that if you're bored, you may as well be dead."
Following that lunch with Huey, I met up with my mom at the Museum of Modern Art gift shop, grabbed lunch at this cafe place nearby and did some shopping in the area. Then it was time to grab our stuff at the hotel and part ways. boohooo! It was so great to have a few days break, see my mom and get some rest at the same time. :)
Upcoming plans: ASME has a luncheon at Glamour tomorrow, birthday party for Cathy (ASME intern) tomorrow, the SI interns have a lunch with Terry McDonnell (SI editor in chief) on Friday, then Friday night/Saturday I'm headed to Jersey to visit Jackie!!! :) And I'm not coming back until she shows me these amazing Jersey bagels I hear people rave about.
This is a scary thought but, I basically have 3 weeks left here. 3 weeks left of the most amazing internship ever, 3 weeks of NYC galavanting and exploring, 3 weeks left of this taste of awesomeness that I want for myself after graduation. I guess this summer is supposed to show us if this is what we really want, and while NYC is growing on me, what I do want is a job in magazines. Absolutely.
NYC and I were doing pretty well until Saturday night when a cockroach decided to scurry up my leg. I still get the heebie jeebies from it. yuck.
Well, that's all folks. Until next blog post. xxx
I'm starting to really get used to this lifestyle. Ask any of us ASME interns, and we'll say it already feels like we're in careers and are grown ups out in real world. Do I really have to go back to Marquette, take classes and study?! I really don't get to work at Sports Illustrated? Boo.
Oh quick off the subject note: Go USA women's soccer!!! Every desk television was watching the game vs. Brazil on Monday (Sunday?) and it was so, so exciting. I was never really interested in soccer, especially women's soccer, until I wrote that women's team preview for a June issue. So come time for the Brazil game, I knew all about the USA's history with Brazil in World Cup play and how especially intense that game was. With Abby Wambach's header to tie up the game, and Hope Solo's save in penalty kicks... USA beat Brazil. I literally had chills. What a great game. And... today! USA beat France in the semi-finals (which I was able to catch a part of). 2 goals in about 4 minutes. On to the finals!!!
Anyway, back to the real subject of this blog post. After a long Sunday and Monday of 12 hour work days each, aka 24 hours of work in 4 days.... my mom came into town to visit!!!! Wooohooo! A much needed break from work and hectic things. I met her Tuesday morning at her hotel by Penn Station area, we dropped our stuff off then headed to the Time & Life building so I could show her where I spend my working days. Then we grabbed lunch at Au Bon Pain and went to Times Square so we could wait in line at the TKTS booth in the hopes of grabbing some discount tickets for a Broadway show. After waiting, and waiting, we snagged some tickets to Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. It's really popular on Broadway right now, and I remember hearing a lot about it in London.
Then it was over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the hopes of seeing the McQueen exhibit. I recently became aware that my Time & Life ID gets me free admission to several museums in the city, including the Met. But, I didn't know that I could also get a guest in for free. Sweet perks! I think my mom was impressed haha. We went to get in line for the McQueen exhibit, then after seeing the line wrapped around the whole museum... decided to forgo it. No time to wait in massive lines. So, gift shop it was. I got this really cool poster/print of an American flag but in the stripes is a written out, scribbly/artsy First Amendment phrase. Call me a journalism nerd.
^from the rooftop of the Met
After going back to the hotel to get ourselves together for the musical, we grabbed a really yummy dinner at this Heartland Brewery place near Radio City. And thankfully it was in walking distance of the Priscilla theater, so we easily got over there and grabbed our really good seats! I knew the show was going to be an over the top, fancy, high class drag show of the sorts, but other than that, I didn't know what to expect. I'm not going to spoil the plot, but there were a lot of sequins, glitter, bright colors, neon lights, feathers and everything else fabulous. The music consisted of a lot of Madonna and other "diva" songs like "It's Raining Men." And it was hilarious! Basically, it was a great mother/daughter's night out show. So fun!
And then. Dessert time. I had to introduce my mom to Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding. /I needed an excuse to get Magnolia's Bakery for the second time in 24 hours. Yes, the night before Steph, another SI intern, and I got some Magnolia cupcakes. Can't resist the attraction of Magnolia.
One of my favorite parts of her visit: getting to stay in the hotel with her. 2nd comfiest bed ever. 1st being my home bed. And it was so nice to sleep in and not get woken up by the sounds of the city and/or the massive sunlight that pours through my apartment window.
After a lovely continental breakfast at the hotel, I headed to work for a intern event of the sorts, with Time Inc. editor in chief John Huey. aka he's the EIC of all Time Inc. magazines aka he's the man. We had lunch and listened to him speak about the history of the company as well as about his background. He was quite the character. Southern accent, serious yet witty and absolutely hilarious. He was telling us to be excited about our jobs and that it's no good to be bored at a job... and he says, "I think that if you're bored, you may as well be dead."
Following that lunch with Huey, I met up with my mom at the Museum of Modern Art gift shop, grabbed lunch at this cafe place nearby and did some shopping in the area. Then it was time to grab our stuff at the hotel and part ways. boohooo! It was so great to have a few days break, see my mom and get some rest at the same time. :)
Upcoming plans: ASME has a luncheon at Glamour tomorrow, birthday party for Cathy (ASME intern) tomorrow, the SI interns have a lunch with Terry McDonnell (SI editor in chief) on Friday, then Friday night/Saturday I'm headed to Jersey to visit Jackie!!! :) And I'm not coming back until she shows me these amazing Jersey bagels I hear people rave about.
This is a scary thought but, I basically have 3 weeks left here. 3 weeks left of the most amazing internship ever, 3 weeks of NYC galavanting and exploring, 3 weeks left of this taste of awesomeness that I want for myself after graduation. I guess this summer is supposed to show us if this is what we really want, and while NYC is growing on me, what I do want is a job in magazines. Absolutely.
NYC and I were doing pretty well until Saturday night when a cockroach decided to scurry up my leg. I still get the heebie jeebies from it. yuck.
Well, that's all folks. Until next blog post. xxx
Saturday, July 9, 2011
life.
warning: long blog post. mostly about nothing. but hopefully still interesting.
let's backtrack to Tuesday/Wednesday, my two days off that blended into my awesome 5 day 4th of July weekend.
didn't do too much. surprised? But, on Tuesday I walked over to the Chelsea market because I heard they have great asparagus there. Really. Kirsten made some for dinner the night before, I tried a piece and was like wow, I need to get myself some of that asparagus. And being a fan of Milwaukee Public Market, I figured I should also become friends with the Chelsea Market. So I went. Ended up getting asparagus, broccoli, squash and a cucumber. Then I went to the bread place and got a loaf of bread, even though I was so flabbergasted a bread place wouldn't have a bread slicer. like what am I supposed to do with a loaf of unsliced bread? the butter knife I have back at the apartment wasn't gonna be too much of a help, either. oh well.
walked back to my place and stopped at this bagel store on the corner called Murray's Bagels. I've never been there and have been meaning to... so glad I finally discovered it because wow. best bagel ever. I had a multigrain bagel with strawberry cream cheese and it was delicious. then I went to Trader Joes for some real grocery shopping. Trader Joes is not that affordable back home, but in the city, it's the most affordable grocery store. welcome to new york. and no matter what time you go, there are always lines, and it's always a can of sardines. In a city there isn't a lot of space for a big grocery store, so they kinda pack it all into one small store with narrow aisles. Whole Foods has the right idea with its two-floor concept, escalator for grocery carts and all. Now, if only their food wasn't so overpriced.
On Wednesday we had an ASME lunch at Real Simple, which thankfully was in the Time & Life building so I knew exactly where I was going, working a few floors above it and all :)
Up until April, I had never heard of Real Simple. It wasn't until I saw it on the magazine list for ASME and after I heard several fellow interns rave about it (cough Chelsea), that I kinda got the idea of it. We met with the managing editor (aka editor in chief) and several other editors of Real Simple, and they all told us how they got started in the industry and how they ended up at RS, and then gave us some advice for our career pursuits. Real Simple is a very clean cut magazine, lots of white space, very organized, and graphically designed to be very straight forward and eye appealing. Although it appeals more to middle aged women of a higher income level, and isn't a magazine I would necessarily subscribe to, I can certainly see why it's so successful. According to the editor, for the readers of RS, it usually is the only magazine they read, and in the past 10 years the magazine has been around, circulation has increased to well above 1 million. Oh, and the editor, was very Real Simple. Wearing a white, clean cut dress, not overly made up, funny but stern when necessary, nice, intelligent and knew a hell of a lot about magazines. Basically, awesome.
Thursday! Finally got back to work. I was actually missing it. Missing work? Yes. I continued working on this reporting assignment, that I probably can't say anything about considering magazine privacy and stuff, but it involves me interviewing a lot of people, and handing over my notes to our SI writer so he can pursue further interviews and write this great story. I wish people did my research for me when I wrote stories! Then I continued my fact checking duties and the like. I'm glad I'm getting to do these interviews, but at the same time, I'm craving more to do. I feel like I'm capable of doing so much more than checking stories. Obviously it's important work and someone has to do it, but I want to do MORE!
Also, a great thing happened Thursday. my first paycheck finally arrived. they forgot about me the first go around, so a got a bunch of paychecks in one this time. All I have to say is, thank you New York for being that greedy with your taxes. Blah!!! i hate taxes.
Thursday night there was a happy hour for ASME interns and our assigned mentors, mine being the stylewatch editor at People.com, Katie is her name! She and I traveled to the bar together, where we chit chatted the whole night with a few interns and several mentors. I met the features editor at Time Out NY, which if you ask me is an awesome job... knowing about all these great things to do and see, and the best places to eat. I asked her to recommend me a great Spanish restaurant. She told me "Bocqueria" Ahh, it would be named after the best market in Barcelona <3 Then I also met with a newly named associate editor at InStyle, who was also very nice! Love these meet and greet sessions.
Friday--- much of the same thing. interviewing, fact checking. got lunch with Lizzie, we found this little hole in the wall deli where I got a really yummy chicken Caesar salad.
Today/Saturday--- ventured down to Herald Square in the hopes of finding some new shoes for work at the big Macy's there. Too bad the Macy's is a city in itself. 3 Starbucks, and 5 restaurants inside.. never mind 8 or 9 floors of stuff? When I finally got to the shoe department, I was intimidated by the number of people, and the amount of shoes they had. Crazy to say the least. And when I finally navigated to the shoes I wanted, of course they were sold out. Ugh. This is what I get for going to the Macy's, and on a Saturday afternoon at that. Online shopping, here I come.
I did strike gold at H&M, where I bought two work/nightlife dresses, and two sets of feathery earrings (one red, one brownish) If anyone was watching the security camera while I selected feather earrings... they must have been either entertained or wondered if I was absolutely crazy. I spent an embarrassing amount of time selecting the best, most in tact, un frayed red feather earrings.. finally chose a pair.. went downstairs to pay... decided I didn't want them anymore and wanted the brown feathers... returned upstairs, sorted to find the best brown feather earrings... went downstairs... returned upstairs to grab the red feathers so I could buy both pairs. WOW. I finally made it out of H&M a happy camper. best feathers I could find and all.
My oddities don't stop there. At that point, after shopping, I was craving, I mean craaaving Jamba Juice. It had to happen. So I looked up locations on my phone and headed to Penn Station where there supposedly was a JJ. Had to go inside the station, wander through what is probably the most sketchiest train station ever, and did not find the Jamba Juice. So, in frustration but determination, I went in route of another JJ that would be on my way back to the apartment. Stopped to get a quick bite to eat at Pret A Manger. The tuna sandwich is better at the Prets in London... probably because they put cucumbers on the sandwich instead of lettuce... a little British thing I still do with the sandwiches I make now :) gotta keep what little British is in me alive.
I'm leaving Pret, walking toward Jamba Juice, but then I see this sign at a burger place that say "voted best shakes in new york city" so, poor Jamba Juice craving could not beat out the new chocolate milkshake craving. Went to this place, threw down $5 for what I thought would be a life changing milkshake. The waitress lady goes to the freezer, pulls out a blender with pre-blended milkshake and pours it into a cup for me. Umm. Best milkshakes should be made upon order. So the milkshake was good, that's for sure, the best, though? Well, haven't had another milkshake in NYC yet, so I'll get back to ya. It wasn't too awe-inspiring. Tasted of hershey's syrup. Meh.
On my walk back, wishing I had gotten Jamba Juice, I ran into a street fair that went from 24th st. to 14th st. (aka a street away from my apartment), so I browsed through, stopping to look at some jewelry for sale, picking up a delicious looking cannoli for a late night snack, and grabbing a $1 lemonade.
I would say it was a successful day, wouldn't you? Weird? Absolutely. But successful nonetheless.
Tonight I'm meeting up with Julia, a good friend from high school, who is visiting the city. Julia studied abroad in London, too, and there I met two of her friends Caroline and Karen, both of who we will be hanging out with tonight! London reunion. Kinda.
.....
Not to make this novel blog any longer, but one quick thing:
I've had this recent idea about post-graduation plans. Call me crazy, but I'm really set on doing a month-long service project in Buenos Aires after I graduate. I'd still be able to move to NYC by the end of the summer and start job searching. I know that if I don't do it now, I'll never get the chance. I've found a few great programs that don't charge much, if anything for the actual program. A lot of service programs do charge thousands, which is silly because why should I pay to volunteer? The programs I'm looking at ask for a few hundred, as a donation of the sorts, because they are non profit agencies. I'd have to pay for housing, at either a home stay, community living house where a bunch of the interns live, or even at a local university was one of the options. I'd definitely only go for 4-6 weeks, because I do not want to be gone for that long. Although, I'm sure I'll hate to leave when I have to.
Why Argentina? Well, my argentine friend David has only spoken good things about it, I know several people who studied abroad there, Buenos Aires is a really popular and hoppin' city these days, and Argentina is supposedly the safest country in South America.
Why a Spanish speaking country? I am wanting to improve my Spanish, and the only way I can really do it, is by immersing myself in the culture. Yeah, a month might not make me the best at Spanish, but it will do more than another semester Spanish class will... where I learn the same grammar rules and vocab each time...
Anyway. I want to do this. And I think, assuming everything goes well, that I will. I'm already getting excited about the thought of me in Argentina.
let's backtrack to Tuesday/Wednesday, my two days off that blended into my awesome 5 day 4th of July weekend.
didn't do too much. surprised? But, on Tuesday I walked over to the Chelsea market because I heard they have great asparagus there. Really. Kirsten made some for dinner the night before, I tried a piece and was like wow, I need to get myself some of that asparagus. And being a fan of Milwaukee Public Market, I figured I should also become friends with the Chelsea Market. So I went. Ended up getting asparagus, broccoli, squash and a cucumber. Then I went to the bread place and got a loaf of bread, even though I was so flabbergasted a bread place wouldn't have a bread slicer. like what am I supposed to do with a loaf of unsliced bread? the butter knife I have back at the apartment wasn't gonna be too much of a help, either. oh well.
walked back to my place and stopped at this bagel store on the corner called Murray's Bagels. I've never been there and have been meaning to... so glad I finally discovered it because wow. best bagel ever. I had a multigrain bagel with strawberry cream cheese and it was delicious. then I went to Trader Joes for some real grocery shopping. Trader Joes is not that affordable back home, but in the city, it's the most affordable grocery store. welcome to new york. and no matter what time you go, there are always lines, and it's always a can of sardines. In a city there isn't a lot of space for a big grocery store, so they kinda pack it all into one small store with narrow aisles. Whole Foods has the right idea with its two-floor concept, escalator for grocery carts and all. Now, if only their food wasn't so overpriced.
On Wednesday we had an ASME lunch at Real Simple, which thankfully was in the Time & Life building so I knew exactly where I was going, working a few floors above it and all :)
Up until April, I had never heard of Real Simple. It wasn't until I saw it on the magazine list for ASME and after I heard several fellow interns rave about it (cough Chelsea), that I kinda got the idea of it. We met with the managing editor (aka editor in chief) and several other editors of Real Simple, and they all told us how they got started in the industry and how they ended up at RS, and then gave us some advice for our career pursuits. Real Simple is a very clean cut magazine, lots of white space, very organized, and graphically designed to be very straight forward and eye appealing. Although it appeals more to middle aged women of a higher income level, and isn't a magazine I would necessarily subscribe to, I can certainly see why it's so successful. According to the editor, for the readers of RS, it usually is the only magazine they read, and in the past 10 years the magazine has been around, circulation has increased to well above 1 million. Oh, and the editor, was very Real Simple. Wearing a white, clean cut dress, not overly made up, funny but stern when necessary, nice, intelligent and knew a hell of a lot about magazines. Basically, awesome.
Thursday! Finally got back to work. I was actually missing it. Missing work? Yes. I continued working on this reporting assignment, that I probably can't say anything about considering magazine privacy and stuff, but it involves me interviewing a lot of people, and handing over my notes to our SI writer so he can pursue further interviews and write this great story. I wish people did my research for me when I wrote stories! Then I continued my fact checking duties and the like. I'm glad I'm getting to do these interviews, but at the same time, I'm craving more to do. I feel like I'm capable of doing so much more than checking stories. Obviously it's important work and someone has to do it, but I want to do MORE!
Also, a great thing happened Thursday. my first paycheck finally arrived. they forgot about me the first go around, so a got a bunch of paychecks in one this time. All I have to say is, thank you New York for being that greedy with your taxes. Blah!!! i hate taxes.
Thursday night there was a happy hour for ASME interns and our assigned mentors, mine being the stylewatch editor at People.com, Katie is her name! She and I traveled to the bar together, where we chit chatted the whole night with a few interns and several mentors. I met the features editor at Time Out NY, which if you ask me is an awesome job... knowing about all these great things to do and see, and the best places to eat. I asked her to recommend me a great Spanish restaurant. She told me "Bocqueria" Ahh, it would be named after the best market in Barcelona <3 Then I also met with a newly named associate editor at InStyle, who was also very nice! Love these meet and greet sessions.
Friday--- much of the same thing. interviewing, fact checking. got lunch with Lizzie, we found this little hole in the wall deli where I got a really yummy chicken Caesar salad.
Today/Saturday--- ventured down to Herald Square in the hopes of finding some new shoes for work at the big Macy's there. Too bad the Macy's is a city in itself. 3 Starbucks, and 5 restaurants inside.. never mind 8 or 9 floors of stuff? When I finally got to the shoe department, I was intimidated by the number of people, and the amount of shoes they had. Crazy to say the least. And when I finally navigated to the shoes I wanted, of course they were sold out. Ugh. This is what I get for going to the Macy's, and on a Saturday afternoon at that. Online shopping, here I come.
I did strike gold at H&M, where I bought two work/nightlife dresses, and two sets of feathery earrings (one red, one brownish) If anyone was watching the security camera while I selected feather earrings... they must have been either entertained or wondered if I was absolutely crazy. I spent an embarrassing amount of time selecting the best, most in tact, un frayed red feather earrings.. finally chose a pair.. went downstairs to pay... decided I didn't want them anymore and wanted the brown feathers... returned upstairs, sorted to find the best brown feather earrings... went downstairs... returned upstairs to grab the red feathers so I could buy both pairs. WOW. I finally made it out of H&M a happy camper. best feathers I could find and all.
My oddities don't stop there. At that point, after shopping, I was craving, I mean craaaving Jamba Juice. It had to happen. So I looked up locations on my phone and headed to Penn Station where there supposedly was a JJ. Had to go inside the station, wander through what is probably the most sketchiest train station ever, and did not find the Jamba Juice. So, in frustration but determination, I went in route of another JJ that would be on my way back to the apartment. Stopped to get a quick bite to eat at Pret A Manger. The tuna sandwich is better at the Prets in London... probably because they put cucumbers on the sandwich instead of lettuce... a little British thing I still do with the sandwiches I make now :) gotta keep what little British is in me alive.
I'm leaving Pret, walking toward Jamba Juice, but then I see this sign at a burger place that say "voted best shakes in new york city" so, poor Jamba Juice craving could not beat out the new chocolate milkshake craving. Went to this place, threw down $5 for what I thought would be a life changing milkshake. The waitress lady goes to the freezer, pulls out a blender with pre-blended milkshake and pours it into a cup for me. Umm. Best milkshakes should be made upon order. So the milkshake was good, that's for sure, the best, though? Well, haven't had another milkshake in NYC yet, so I'll get back to ya. It wasn't too awe-inspiring. Tasted of hershey's syrup. Meh.
On my walk back, wishing I had gotten Jamba Juice, I ran into a street fair that went from 24th st. to 14th st. (aka a street away from my apartment), so I browsed through, stopping to look at some jewelry for sale, picking up a delicious looking cannoli for a late night snack, and grabbing a $1 lemonade.
I would say it was a successful day, wouldn't you? Weird? Absolutely. But successful nonetheless.
Tonight I'm meeting up with Julia, a good friend from high school, who is visiting the city. Julia studied abroad in London, too, and there I met two of her friends Caroline and Karen, both of who we will be hanging out with tonight! London reunion. Kinda.
.....
Not to make this novel blog any longer, but one quick thing:
I've had this recent idea about post-graduation plans. Call me crazy, but I'm really set on doing a month-long service project in Buenos Aires after I graduate. I'd still be able to move to NYC by the end of the summer and start job searching. I know that if I don't do it now, I'll never get the chance. I've found a few great programs that don't charge much, if anything for the actual program. A lot of service programs do charge thousands, which is silly because why should I pay to volunteer? The programs I'm looking at ask for a few hundred, as a donation of the sorts, because they are non profit agencies. I'd have to pay for housing, at either a home stay, community living house where a bunch of the interns live, or even at a local university was one of the options. I'd definitely only go for 4-6 weeks, because I do not want to be gone for that long. Although, I'm sure I'll hate to leave when I have to.
Why Argentina? Well, my argentine friend David has only spoken good things about it, I know several people who studied abroad there, Buenos Aires is a really popular and hoppin' city these days, and Argentina is supposedly the safest country in South America.
Why a Spanish speaking country? I am wanting to improve my Spanish, and the only way I can really do it, is by immersing myself in the culture. Yeah, a month might not make me the best at Spanish, but it will do more than another semester Spanish class will... where I learn the same grammar rules and vocab each time...
Anyway. I want to do this. And I think, assuming everything goes well, that I will. I'm already getting excited about the thought of me in Argentina.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
4th of July
Here are some photos from our NYC 4th of July celebrations. We started the day with a barbecue in the financial district, came back for a nap, then went down to the Hudson for the Macy's fireworks show. Watching beautiful fireworks while hearing Beyonce perform on a stage nearby? Awesome.
^me, Kirsten, Ryan, Rosie, Maggie, Emily, Morgan (photo credit to Emily!)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
weekend in D.C.
hello!
I've been back from D.C. since Sunday night, but July 4th kept me busy so I'm only getting to my blog now.
I arrived in the Capitol at around 10 p.m., where my lovely Marie picked me up at the bus stop and took me back to her lovely summer abode, the downstairs apartment of a family friend's amazing house. She had a nice little set up and I had my own futon for the weekend. And Marie had even made us a huge banana bread, which became our go-to snack all weekend.
We dropped off our stuff and walked up the street to this hipster ping pong table/bar place called Comet. After trying this yummy beer called Old Chub, we tried our hand at ping pong for a while. Then it was back to the apartment for some rest... we had a busy weekend ahead of us!
On Saturday we started the day by taking the metro to Eastern Market, a really popular market that has fruits, veggies, crafts, artwork, jewelry, etc. Marie picked up this really pretty bracelet and I settled with a fancy schmancy pair of silver earrings for $6. So I guess not that fancy. But cool nonetheless.
Then we walked to get lunch at this burger place called "The Good Stuff" which was opened by a Top Chef winner/contestant named Spike, who happened to be at the restaurant at the time (although no one recognized him beside me and Marie!). I ordered a cheeseburger and Marie had the turkey burger, then we got some fries to split. YUMMMM. soooo delicious. Marie and I always went on dates to Sobleman's, the best burger place in Milwaukee (sorry AJ Bombers), so it was only normal for us to be eating delicious burgers and fries together. All in the name of America... seeing as it was July 4th weekend, we decided it was completely ok to engage in perhaps fatty eating.
After that, we walked over to the Capitol building, passing the Supreme Court and Library of Congress along the way.. all three buildings of which I don't think I've been to before. Last time I was in D.C. for more than a day, it was when I was 12 maybe? My family and I did the whole museum thing and I basically left hating the city because... 12 year olds do not like museums? But if you followed my London blog, you know I am now quite the museum connoisseur. And if I had more than 2 days, I would've gladly gone back to a few of them.
Aside from the Capitol, Supreme Court and Library Congress, I have also been to most of the monuments, thanks to that family trip, and my quick day trip to D.C. last October. Lucky me, was assigned by my Milwaukee Magazine internship, to board a Boeing 747 with 200 WWII veterans and fly to D.C. for the day to see the war monuments. That was an incredible experience. Click: Honor Flight
Anyway, here are some photos of the Capitol area...
Then we walked over to the Newseum, yes a museum dedicated to NEWS! A journalist's heaven basically. Out front there were the day's front page from a newspaper in each state.. so cool.
The museum itself was 4 or 5 floors, so there was a lot to see in the two hours we had. Although there is a lot to talk about, my favorite exhibits were the photograph exhibits....
front pages throughout the past few hundred years...
and Sept. 11 exhibit, which even had a piece of the trade center wreckage....
After stopping in the gift shop to get a mug that says "Trust me, I'm a reporter" and a magnet that says "Not tonight dear, I'm on deadline" and a little plastic color changing cup that has the first amendment on it... we headed back to the apartment for some quick R&R before dinner.
It was 90 degrees and sunny both days I was in D.C. ugh. but, thankfully there was no humidity. AND, I'm so proud of myself for lathering on the sunscreen both days. This redheaded, freckled, pale skinned Irish girl made it through the weekend sunburn free. It's a miracle. No, actually, it's just me being smart about the sun for once :)
Saturday night we got dinner in this young area called Adam's Morgan. We ate at The Diner, as it's called, where I ordered the meatloaf and tater tots (America!) and Marie had mac & cheese (America!). All of it was delicious.. and we left feeling awkwardly full. Yet satisfied.
I slept in a bit on Sunday, we grabbed brunch at this really hoppin' open air restaurant (somewhere in d.c.?) then headed to the highly anticipated ZOO!!! Yes, the zoo. I went to the National Zoo on that 12-year-old trip and remember really liking it.
When we got to the zoo, it took us about 25 minutes to see an actual animal. A few of the exhibits were closed or the animals were nowhere to be seen... I was also really disappointed that the panda exhibit was under construction. No pandas??! Boooooo...
But, we did see some awesome tigers, lions, a prairie dog that had the hiccups and some elephants.
Pictures!
So the zoo took up most of the day, and by the time we got back to the apartment, I had to pack up and go to the bus station :( sad.
Marie was such a great host and showed me so much of D.C. that I haven't seen before, and my 12-year-old hatred of D.C. is no longer existent! D.C., while rough around the edges as most cities are, is still very unique and charming. And the weekend was a much appreciated get away.
And now I'm back in NYC, the concrete jungle, where I have one month left of my internship! Ahhh! Already half way over. Time flies... and still so much to do. Yikes...
But after that little D.C. break, I'm feeling more refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things. Gotta make this last month count :)
Sayonara.
I've been back from D.C. since Sunday night, but July 4th kept me busy so I'm only getting to my blog now.
I arrived in the Capitol at around 10 p.m., where my lovely Marie picked me up at the bus stop and took me back to her lovely summer abode, the downstairs apartment of a family friend's amazing house. She had a nice little set up and I had my own futon for the weekend. And Marie had even made us a huge banana bread, which became our go-to snack all weekend.
We dropped off our stuff and walked up the street to this hipster ping pong table/bar place called Comet. After trying this yummy beer called Old Chub, we tried our hand at ping pong for a while. Then it was back to the apartment for some rest... we had a busy weekend ahead of us!
On Saturday we started the day by taking the metro to Eastern Market, a really popular market that has fruits, veggies, crafts, artwork, jewelry, etc. Marie picked up this really pretty bracelet and I settled with a fancy schmancy pair of silver earrings for $6. So I guess not that fancy. But cool nonetheless.
^free samples!!
Then we walked to get lunch at this burger place called "The Good Stuff" which was opened by a Top Chef winner/contestant named Spike, who happened to be at the restaurant at the time (although no one recognized him beside me and Marie!). I ordered a cheeseburger and Marie had the turkey burger, then we got some fries to split. YUMMMM. soooo delicious. Marie and I always went on dates to Sobleman's, the best burger place in Milwaukee (sorry AJ Bombers), so it was only normal for us to be eating delicious burgers and fries together. All in the name of America... seeing as it was July 4th weekend, we decided it was completely ok to engage in perhaps fatty eating.
After that, we walked over to the Capitol building, passing the Supreme Court and Library of Congress along the way.. all three buildings of which I don't think I've been to before. Last time I was in D.C. for more than a day, it was when I was 12 maybe? My family and I did the whole museum thing and I basically left hating the city because... 12 year olds do not like museums? But if you followed my London blog, you know I am now quite the museum connoisseur. And if I had more than 2 days, I would've gladly gone back to a few of them.
Aside from the Capitol, Supreme Court and Library Congress, I have also been to most of the monuments, thanks to that family trip, and my quick day trip to D.C. last October. Lucky me, was assigned by my Milwaukee Magazine internship, to board a Boeing 747 with 200 WWII veterans and fly to D.C. for the day to see the war monuments. That was an incredible experience. Click: Honor Flight
Anyway, here are some photos of the Capitol area...
^favorite photo!
^Marie and I
Then we walked over to the Newseum, yes a museum dedicated to NEWS! A journalist's heaven basically. Out front there were the day's front page from a newspaper in each state.. so cool.
The museum itself was 4 or 5 floors, so there was a lot to see in the two hours we had. Although there is a lot to talk about, my favorite exhibits were the photograph exhibits....
front pages throughout the past few hundred years...
and Sept. 11 exhibit, which even had a piece of the trade center wreckage....
^newspaper front pages after the attacks
^wreckage
After stopping in the gift shop to get a mug that says "Trust me, I'm a reporter" and a magnet that says "Not tonight dear, I'm on deadline" and a little plastic color changing cup that has the first amendment on it... we headed back to the apartment for some quick R&R before dinner.
It was 90 degrees and sunny both days I was in D.C. ugh. but, thankfully there was no humidity. AND, I'm so proud of myself for lathering on the sunscreen both days. This redheaded, freckled, pale skinned Irish girl made it through the weekend sunburn free. It's a miracle. No, actually, it's just me being smart about the sun for once :)
Saturday night we got dinner in this young area called Adam's Morgan. We ate at The Diner, as it's called, where I ordered the meatloaf and tater tots (America!) and Marie had mac & cheese (America!). All of it was delicious.. and we left feeling awkwardly full. Yet satisfied.
I slept in a bit on Sunday, we grabbed brunch at this really hoppin' open air restaurant (somewhere in d.c.?) then headed to the highly anticipated ZOO!!! Yes, the zoo. I went to the National Zoo on that 12-year-old trip and remember really liking it.
When we got to the zoo, it took us about 25 minutes to see an actual animal. A few of the exhibits were closed or the animals were nowhere to be seen... I was also really disappointed that the panda exhibit was under construction. No pandas??! Boooooo...
But, we did see some awesome tigers, lions, a prairie dog that had the hiccups and some elephants.
Pictures!
So the zoo took up most of the day, and by the time we got back to the apartment, I had to pack up and go to the bus station :( sad.
Marie was such a great host and showed me so much of D.C. that I haven't seen before, and my 12-year-old hatred of D.C. is no longer existent! D.C., while rough around the edges as most cities are, is still very unique and charming. And the weekend was a much appreciated get away.
And now I'm back in NYC, the concrete jungle, where I have one month left of my internship! Ahhh! Already half way over. Time flies... and still so much to do. Yikes...
But after that little D.C. break, I'm feeling more refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things. Gotta make this last month count :)
Sayonara.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Finally, this week is over.
This has been the worst week in a long time.. one of those nothing goes right weeks.. when so many frustrating annoyances keep happening, resulting in an amplified rawr!!!
Yes, I feel like letting out a dinosaur rawr! RAWWWRR! okay. good. got that out of my system.
I don't want to talk a lot about my particular annoyances, but I will say that I am #1- so ready to have my studio at Marquette next year! I think having my own room in the fall and the spring set me up for a big fail this summer. Not that I haven't shared a room before, not that I don't like roomies.. but I do like having personal space! Also, Rheanna's and my room has this awkward 2 foot gap at the top of the wall (NYU's way of claiming it's a bedroom when it probably never was...). So basically, our bedroom is a poor excuse for a bedroom. Blah! We're learning to deal with it though.
#2- I'm sick of feeling lost in this city! I thought I had the transportation system under control but then I got totally lost the other day and missed one of the intern lunches AT HEARST TOWER!!! aka the most beautiful building in NYC (for journalism nerds). Anyway, I was so mad at the subway system (obviously the subway is the scapegoat of my anger) that I trekked to the nearest Jamba Juice and ordered a MEDIUM. that's right, a Medium smoothie. Take that subway. Then I laid in Central Park :)
#3- My Strongbow glass, taken from City University's campus bar in London, is MIA. I am so depressed. That glass is so sentimental and I have no idea where it went. It grew legs and walked away. being in NYC made it all independent or something. But really, I want it back. Sooner the better.
#4- Also sick of feeling dirty, sweaty and gross in this city. I swear, I look all nice in the morning before work, but once I step in the subway station, I suddenly get this opposite car wash effect where I come out of the subway looking god awful. How do all these beautiful professional working people stay beautiful?
#5- And why are there so many people in this huge city, yet I feel so lonely? I'm like a little ant. No one knows me here... which in some ways is kinda cool, but in others, is just weird. I miss Marquette where I can say hi to multiple people while walking around campus. I want to know people! Bah humbug.
That quote "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere..." in Alicia Key's song is so true. NYC is easy peasy when you're a tourist. Hotels, Broadway, shopping, eating out, M&M world, you name it. But when you're living here? Not so easy. Fun, yes, but I dare you to find me someone to says it was an easy transition to live here. This city definitely tests your limits..
Point is: if I can survive this summer and come out happy, successful, with friends and new tricks to avoid subway-makeup-destruction... then I can possibly say that I made it here. Maybe.
So anyway, after a frustrating week, it's time for my 5-day weekend, thanks to having the 4th off, and my usual Tuesday/Wednesday off.
I am headed to WASHINGTON D.C. to visit Marie for two days. Cannot wait to see here! Lucky me, gets to see Marie twice in a month. :)
NYC and I are on a break for the weekend. Catch ya later big apple.
This has been the worst week in a long time.. one of those nothing goes right weeks.. when so many frustrating annoyances keep happening, resulting in an amplified rawr!!!
Yes, I feel like letting out a dinosaur rawr! RAWWWRR! okay. good. got that out of my system.
I don't want to talk a lot about my particular annoyances, but I will say that I am #1- so ready to have my studio at Marquette next year! I think having my own room in the fall and the spring set me up for a big fail this summer. Not that I haven't shared a room before, not that I don't like roomies.. but I do like having personal space! Also, Rheanna's and my room has this awkward 2 foot gap at the top of the wall (NYU's way of claiming it's a bedroom when it probably never was...). So basically, our bedroom is a poor excuse for a bedroom. Blah! We're learning to deal with it though.
#2- I'm sick of feeling lost in this city! I thought I had the transportation system under control but then I got totally lost the other day and missed one of the intern lunches AT HEARST TOWER!!! aka the most beautiful building in NYC (for journalism nerds). Anyway, I was so mad at the subway system (obviously the subway is the scapegoat of my anger) that I trekked to the nearest Jamba Juice and ordered a MEDIUM. that's right, a Medium smoothie. Take that subway. Then I laid in Central Park :)
#3- My Strongbow glass, taken from City University's campus bar in London, is MIA. I am so depressed. That glass is so sentimental and I have no idea where it went. It grew legs and walked away. being in NYC made it all independent or something. But really, I want it back. Sooner the better.
#4- Also sick of feeling dirty, sweaty and gross in this city. I swear, I look all nice in the morning before work, but once I step in the subway station, I suddenly get this opposite car wash effect where I come out of the subway looking god awful. How do all these beautiful professional working people stay beautiful?
#5- And why are there so many people in this huge city, yet I feel so lonely? I'm like a little ant. No one knows me here... which in some ways is kinda cool, but in others, is just weird. I miss Marquette where I can say hi to multiple people while walking around campus. I want to know people! Bah humbug.
That quote "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere..." in Alicia Key's song is so true. NYC is easy peasy when you're a tourist. Hotels, Broadway, shopping, eating out, M&M world, you name it. But when you're living here? Not so easy. Fun, yes, but I dare you to find me someone to says it was an easy transition to live here. This city definitely tests your limits..
Point is: if I can survive this summer and come out happy, successful, with friends and new tricks to avoid subway-makeup-destruction... then I can possibly say that I made it here. Maybe.
So anyway, after a frustrating week, it's time for my 5-day weekend, thanks to having the 4th off, and my usual Tuesday/Wednesday off.
I am headed to WASHINGTON D.C. to visit Marie for two days. Cannot wait to see here! Lucky me, gets to see Marie twice in a month. :)
NYC and I are on a break for the weekend. Catch ya later big apple.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I've been in NYC for about a month now. And it's been an interesting month to say the least. I have such a weird mindset about this summer. On my days off, I do a little exploring.. but not usually. I just don't have the energy. I work at least 9 hours, 4 days a week... not that I mind being in the office because I love my internship and all... but when I do have a day off, all I want to do is chill. I want to sleep in, catch up with friends online, run some errands.. but mainly just veg out.
So much of me says Jen! Go explore the city! But the other part of me says "Why go outside in the humid weather and crowded streets when I can sit in my air conditioned apartment?"
I know, I know... it's a horrible way to think. I can't really explain this post-abroad feeling of being worn out and adventure-filled. I love adventures, but I just had a 4 month adventure and I am completely fine with sitting around. Don't get me wrong, I jump at the chance to go somewhere I haven't been. But I'm definitely not waking up at 8 a.m. to get in a full day of activities.
After 4 months of no responsibilities, I am so thrilled and eager to finally have a huge responsibility: WORK! And especially when it involves something I'm so passionate about and interested in. All I want to do is work, work, work... meet people in the industry.. do journalism related things.. plan out my life after college. I had my fun in Europe, and not that I can't have it here, because believe me, I do, but I am more motivated to work than I am to explore a new area of Manhattan. Does this make sense?
Let's see... this past week the ASME interns had another event, this time at the CUNY grad school of journalism. It was a reception/reunion of the sorts, so a bunch of former ASME interns were there. It was so funny to watch them all reunite since leaving their ASME summer.. I told a few of our interns "That's going to be us in a few years!" I talked with last year's ASME Sports Illustrated intern, as well as a former ASME intern who now works at Psychology Today aka one of my favorite magazines. I don't know why I like it so much.. maybe it's because it appeals to more than psychology nerds... anyone can read it and understand it. It's so great to see past ASME interns with successful jobs in the city. Very comforting.
The most exciting part of this week was Thursday, when the new issue of Sports Illustrated came out.. the issue with my first ever SI byline!!! It's on page 55 :) I am so so so excited! An unexpected part of my internship, but a great one nonetheless.
Also exciting: I met with the editor of SI on Friday afternoon, just to introduce myself. He was very nice and we had a short, but great conversation about Marquette's magazine (the Journal, for which I will be EIC of next year), as well as what I've been up to at SI.
Saturday was my lazy day off, the awkward day in between work days, in which I just want to sit around and not feel guilty about it. So I did that for awhile, then Rosie and I went over to Chinatown for a little bit and I was able to snap some photos with my new SLR. Nothing too exciting, but it was fun to get out for a little bit. Saturdays are hectic in the city. So many people who don't know how to walk correctly (yes, you must walk like a New Yorker when in New York), so much trash on the streets, dirty-ness, gross smells, hot/humid weather. I do love NYC, really, but I miss less-congested cities, and I miss... green things. Like grass and trees. I think it's about time I visit Central Park...
I need to move to the city once I graduate, and I can see myself living here for a few years... but this is not a forever type of place. At least not for me. In the grand scheme of things, I don't want to raise a family here. For the time being though, my newly 21-year-old self can keep up with this exciting and fast paced lifestyle.
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