Lesson 7: Keep Your Camera Handy

When I lived in the Bronx, nothing too exciting ever happened in my neighborhood. Now that I'm in the East Village, I never know what is going to happen. I've seen some pretty interesting things go by my window -- marching bands, street performers, dogs on wheels -- the list goes on! After missing some pretty unexplainable events, I knew that I needed to make sure my camera was at the ready so that when the next ridiculous thing went by I would be able to capture it. I'm sure glad I had my camera nearby when an impromptu, Mexican Parade went by this afternoon! 

I'm studying for finals when I suddenly hear this lively music outside. I go to the window only to be greeted with a street filled with hundreds of people dancing to Mexican music complete with sombreros and other festive regalia. I took a quick photo, but realized only a video would do the trick. Take a look at what I was able to capture! 

Keep in mind that this was the end of the parade, so many more people had already gone by. I have no idea what they were celebrating, and a Google search yielded no results. Whatever the occasion, I thought this was great. Where else are you randomly going to have a Mexican parade go by your window?! I'm glad I was able to document this moment.

Lesson 7: When you live in NYC, you'll never know what is about to happen next. Make sure you have your camera at the ready to capture any unexpected moments!

A Photo Update

I apologize for the lack of updates! There are a few reasons for this: (1) I'm busy with law school; (2) I'm not doing anything too exciting in NYC; and (3) I'm lazy. So here's what I'm going to do. I'll post a few photos I've taken in the past few months, and then I'll promise to update more frequently. Also, please donate to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts if you can. You can donate at the Red Cross website HERE.

 

Here's the view from the top of my apartment building in the East Village. This was way back in September. 

  

On my way home from the post office one day I spotted a Dia de los Muertos celebration happening. I was excited.

 

On my way home to New England for Thanksgiving I got to see a lot of the preparations for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here is the star you see on TV! It's right in from of the Macy's in Herald Square (by my old internship!). 

  

I was feeling touristy that morning, so I took a typical NYC shot. I mean, the sun wasn't even up yet, so I felt okay about it. Plus, when you're towing luggage through Herald Square most people think you're a tourist anyway. 

 

I'm obsessed with The Big Bang Theory, so I was super excited to see the F train decked out in BBT advertisements. Plus, it is extremely rare for me to get a seat on the F train, and, as you can probably tell, the train was really quiet this day. Bonus.

Coming from New England, I guess I never thought about how people in cities buy their Christmas trees. It's rather bittersweet for me to see the sidewalks lined with trees for sale. One block was really cool -- they had a guy playing live Christmas music on the French horn, and you basically had to walk down an aisle of the trees. The photo above shows the not so glamorous tree sales. Who would really buy from this guy? "X-Mas Tree"? Really? Okay, I guess you can't go to the nearby farm and chop one down, but at least get a better sign.

That's it for now. I hope to do some fun Christmas themed things during finals to get my mind off the tests and to at least experience the city. I'll have this up and running again in no time! 

Lesson 6: Social Media is Your Best Friend

At times I feel like living in New York City is a bit overwhelming. There are so many shops, restaurants, and events, that it's hard to even know what is good or what is available. If you're new to the city like I am, or you are just interested in finding out new things to do, Twitter is your new best friend. During my internship, I learned of the Priscilla CD signing through Twitter, and I had an amazing time. I began by following celebrities that I like, and then from there general NYC Twitter pages that talk about all that's going on in the city. Imagine my surprise last week when one of my favorite celebrities of all time casually mentioned that his followers could win tickets to his new radio show premiere. And guess who won the contest?! I have been a huge *NSYNC fan since I was eight years old, and though JT is my main man, Lance Bass is a close second. He has hosted a weekly radio show for the past year on Sirius, but now the show is revamped. It's called Dirty Pop and will be on every day at 6:00pm. I was absolutely thrilled to win a ticket, but was worried that I wouldn't make it to the show on time. I had class until 5:40 downtown, and had to get to Rockefeller Center! Luckily, I was only about ten minutes late and didn't miss much of the action. I knew Lance would be a sweetie pie, but I had no idea that I would meet some other fabulous celebrities, too! Dr. Drew was on the show, but left before the event ended. I did get to meet both Aaron Carter and Kelly Bensimon! I was absolutely thrilled to meet both of them. Admittedly, I own all of Aaron's albums and I am a Real Housewives junkie. All three were really funny to listen to, and super nice in person. Luck was definitely on my side tonight, because I was only supposed to meet Lance, but while I was in line, Aaron walked by! Here I am with him. Kelly Bensimon had already left the event while I was still waiting to get my picture with Lance, but when I got outside there she was hailing a cab! A few of the other fans and I went over to talk to her. She was so sweet, and posed for photos with all of us. I told her that I missed her on the Real Housewives, and she said things were better for her now. Look at how gorgeous she is! All in all, I had an amazing time! Not only did I get to go to this event for FREE, but they served food & drinks, and they gave us a bag of Sirius swag. All of the employees were really nice, too. They asked how we were enjoying the show, and made sure people got food and were comfortable. I got to experience this just by following Lance on Twitter! It sure pays off to spend some time browsing your feed. You never know what you will find or who you will meet! Here are some more photos from the event: Lance and Dr. Drew Paul McCartney was here! Aaron, Lance, and Kelly on the air! My free stuff! After already attending a free event! Lesson 6: Be active on social media (especially Twitter!). You will find out about great events, and you may even meet some celebrities in the process. UPDATE: I got my photo with Lance!!

Broadway | Newsies

I only lasted a few days back in NYC before heading to a Broadway show! I don’t plan on going every weekend like I did during my internship. One, I will have a much heavier workload, but I also need to be more frugal this time around. Last time I didn’t know if I would ever be returning to NYC, so I lived more in the moment. Now that I’ll be here for the long haul, I have to be more practical with my spending. But since this was my first weekend back and I’m stuck at home without any Internet or cable, I decided to treat myself. After a quick search on one of my favorite websites BradwayInformer.com using the Internet at gold old McDonalds, I decided that this was the day I would win the Newsies lottery! Boo. I didn’t win. Luckily, Newsies is one of the most popular shows on Broadway right now and has sell-out performances. That means they offer Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for just $30. Yes, that is what it sounds like. With SRO tickets you must stand for the entire performance. At first I was pretty bummed, but it actually wasn’t all that bad. I got to stand right behind the orchestra seats that people pay a ton of money for. There was even a half wall with numbered areas. That means I got my own little space to lean on. This comes in handy for certain parts of the show. Even though I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in SRO seats (or stands? Bad, I know), I was super excited to be seeing Newsies. I adore the movie, and I even went through this phase in high school where I listened to the soundtrack on repeat. I had heard from multiple friends that Newsies was amazing, and it definitely is! Of course, there are a few key differences between the show and the film, but I really didn’t mind them. The rewrite worked perfectly, and I enjoyed the new characters. I don’t want to say too much and ruin anything, but the news writer in this version is a young woman! Makes for some interesting twists and turns. All in all I thought Newsies was fabulous! The music is so catchy, the dancing is phenomenal (including a tap number!), and the cast is just awesome. The young men that perform in this show do an amazing job. You can tell they are having a great time as performers. They are full of smiles, and that just made me as an audience member have an even better time. There were a few spots that I found to be a bit slow, but they picked up again soon enough. My one complaint with SRO was that there were points in the show where I couldn’t see all of the action. The Newsies set is comprised of moving staircases, and when actors are on the top level, their heads get chopped off from view some of the time. If you’re lucky, you may be able to lean down on the ledge in front of you to get a better view. Being short like me really came in handy! At the end of the show I did go to the stage door to get autographs from the cast. You will want to exit the theater as soon as possible, as the barricades get filled up quickly. Just follow the exit signs that light up after the show. This stage door was very organized, and the actors came out rather quickly. I do have to say that part of it may be that these actors do not have to take off crazy costumes or makeup. Whatever the case may be, guys started coming out after about ten minutes, including the three lead males: Jack, Davey, & Les. None of the “older” actors or the lead female Katherine came out, but I was happy enough with the guys. They were all very gracious and posed for photos with anyone who asked. No need to bring your own Sharpie this time, as everyone had his own. I definitely suggest seeing Newsies! To enter the lottery, go to the theatre two and a half hours before the performance. Names are drawn a half hour after that, and tickets are $30 cash only and with a valid photo ID. SRO tickets are also $30 cash only. Look for the small sign that reads “Standing Room Line Forms Here.” You can enter the lottery while you are standing in line. The staff is very helpful and will repeat things if you cannot hear them from the line. Currently the show offers 28 lottery seats and 24 SRO tickets if the show is sold out. I can’t verify if this is true, but other Newsies fans that were standing in line with me told me SRO is actually a better view than lottery seats, which were on the outer edges of the orchestra. Truth be told, standing wasn’t bad at all and the view was better than many rush/lottery seats I’ve had. For $30, I am not complaining! Make sure to head over to the Nederlander Theatre to catch Newsies when you can!

Back in the New York Groove

I have officially moved back to NYC to attend law school, and things are a bit different this time around. Instead of living in the Bronx, I am literally over 180 blocks south of there in the East Village. My apartment is a bit smaller than I’d like it to be, but I guess that’s how things are here. I was super lucky last time to be living in such a nice house. Unfortunately, I won’t have internet or cable in my apartment until this Thursday (ugh!). Thankfully many restaurants and coffee places (like Starbucks on the corner) offer free wifi. At least I’m able to check my email every once in a while!

I also haven’t done much exploring of the neighborhood yet. The first day I moved in, I realized I forgot my phone charger. I desperately headed to McDonalds to use the internet so I could find where Kmart was located. Though not usually my favorite shopping place, I knew there was one nearby and that they would have chargers. That trip offered me a little peek of the area.

Yesterday, I needed to go grocery shopping. I’ll admit it -- I’m a little obsessed with Trader Joe’s. Compared to other NYC grocery stores, I have found the prices to be reasonable. Plus, they offer healthier selections and more vegetarian options for me. HopStop informed me that I could walk to the nearest location, which was about seventeen minutes away. Maybe this 0.87 mile trek is a bit much for groceries (especially when there are other stores much closer), but I just had to have Trader Joe’s! Once it stopped raining, I headed out.

Somehow I got a little lost along the way. Turns out I just didn’t walk far enough, but nonetheless I stumbled upon a Buffalo Exchange location in the process. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but more on that after my first visit there. Once I found Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t believe how packed it was! The lines literally reach the back of the store, but the cashiers move quickly. Almost everyone is buying just what they can carry, anyway. I’ll have to make frequent grocery store stops since I can only carry so much at one time. We’ll see how long it takes before I get sick of the walk to Trader Joe’s!

That’s it for now. Nothing really exciting to mention yet, except that the off-Broadway show Stomp is just a few blocks down from me. Classes don’t officially start for me until August 27^th, but I have a first week of meetings and such beginning Tuesday. I’m not sure how often I will be posting yet, but I’ll be sure to write about anything noteworthy. I’m excited to actually be living in NYC full time!

My Return to the City!

I have exciting news! I will be attending law school beginning this coming August, and thus moving back to New York City! I am absolutely overjoyed to be returning to Manhattan, especially since I will be living downtown and won't have to commute to and from the Bronx. But have no fear, Full Moon, I will definitely be returning to the old neighborhood for some pizza! 

Law school, of course, will not permit me to see Broadway shows every weekend, but I am still looking forward to finding great little restaurants, going shopping (when I have the money), and exploring the best city in the world! I hope you will all continue to read my blog as I depart for this next adventure in NYC.

Stay tuned for more updates regarding my move to NYC! 

Here's to You, Harlem

Today I was finally reunited with my favorite city thanks to a class I am taking this semester called Women, Leadership, and Community Organizing. My professor has done a lot of work in the Harlem Children's Zone, so we took a day trip down to see the site and hear from the women who lead the community projects. And yes, you read that correctly. This was a day trip. Four hours there and just over five hours back, nine fabulous young women and a professor journeyed from Massachusetts to NYC for this adventure. Though we didn't get to spend as much time in the city as I would have liked, any trip to New York makes me happy, and this one was especially inspiring. 

I'll be honest with you. I was really nervous to visit Harlem. That fear was mostly instilled in me due to my mother's worrying (it's just because she loves me), but that stereotypical idea of Harlem definitely existed in my brain, too. Even for a girl that called the Bronx home for four months, this was uncharted territory. The only time I had ever stepped foot on 125th Street before was to take the bus to LaGuardia Airport. I have to say, thanks to the work of the women we met today, Harlem is becoming a neighborhood that many people are proud to call home. 

So while my day wasn't filled with broadway shows, celebrity sightings, or even a shopping excursion, it was still an NYC experience that I will never forget. The women from Community Pride, an organization that helps Harlem residents rebuild their communities, were so kind and enlightening. Not only were they willing to share with us their personal stories of how they came to be home owners, but they fed us an amazing meal and even invited us to return any time. We even received some awesome coffee mugs & pins when we visited the Community Pride office later in the day. 

Though the adventure was a short one, it was definitely worth the sleep deprivation and hours of driving through Connecticut. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with the girls on the trip. We shared many laughs and conversations during the ride. We've even decided that I'm a reincarnate of a Titanic passenger... and a drag queen. We'll see what this news brings for me. But in all seriousness, thank you to everyone that was involved in such a fantastic day! Special shout outs to Lacie, our calm, cool, and collected van driver, and our professor Lee for organizing the trip.