Lesson 4: It's Okay to be a Tourist Sometimes

Yesterday was a great day here in New York City. The weather was bright and sunny, and a warm 70 degrees. My boss gave me the day off to enjoy the day and explore the city, and that's exactly what I did! I usually don't like to make myself stand out as a tourist, mainly for safety reasons, but sometimes it's great to experience the city as one. My housemate Jason and I started off the day at the Empire State Building Observatory. For $21 you can go up the 86th floor, which has an outside observation deck, unlike the 102nd floor that costs $15 more. Besides being a bit cold and really windy, it was great! Jason even paid for the audio tour, so he was able to point out some cool landmarks for us to look at. Here are some of the many pictures I took. The city looked amazing!

That brown building is where I work! 

If you look closely you can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance! 

 

After the Empire State Building, we shopped a little in the Macy's at Herald Square. I've been here a number of times since it's just a few blocks from where I work, but this was an exciting visit because we saw Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear! He was busy filming, so we weren't able to meet him, but I snapped a couple pictures of the back of his head. 

Next we headed off to some of the fancy shops on Fifth Avenue. The only thing I purchased was a shirt at Armani Exchange (for only $13.88 might I add), but I enjoyed the area. We saw some landmarks along the way as well. Here are pictures of the Trump Tower and the hotel from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (one of my favorite movies!). 

The last big adventure of the day was a trip to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Jason and I met up with my friend Bri from school, who happened to be in the city for a week-long externship. I had been to this museum before during a visit with my dance class back in high school, but it's always something to check out. It is a little pricey (I paid $35 with a student discount of $3), but it includes a cool showing of The Wizard of Oz in 4D, complete with smell-o-vision and bubbles. Plus, there have been many additions to the museum since I've been last. The figures are also rotated every 2-3 months, so you have the chance to see different ones every time you go. I was just happy to see that *NSYNC was still there! Here are some of my favorite pictures:

Kim Kardashian

Bri and I with the Spice Girls

My favorite boys, *NSYNC

Lady Gaga

Lesson 4: While it's usually good to blend into the crowd while New York City, going to tourist destinations and whipping our your camera can be a lot of fun. Just remember to stay safe and be aware of your surroundings. 

My Internship (So far)

This past week I began working at my internship. I'm working in a small law office. It's really laid back (be jealous, I get to wear jeans), and so far my projects have been pretty cool. My boss is really nice, and seems to trust me and the quality of my work already, which is great. I like that it is low key, but the commuting is rather tiring. I have to take a bus, a train, and another train before I get to work. The commute is about an hour each way. If I can get I seat, I pull out a book to read. On the way home, however, the trains have been really crowded. I'm sure within a week or two I'll get used to it. 

One of the great things about my job is the location. It's on Park Avenue right on the corner of 34th street. On that street there are lots of restaurants and places to shop. Ever heard of Macy's, the world's largest store? It's just a few blocks down. When I got out of work the other day, I took a walk down 34th. Since I'm on a tight budget, I only let myself buy things in Sephora, where I had a gift card. I figure if I can save most of my money for the end of the semester I can go crazy then. I also hope so see at least a few shows while I'm here, so I'm saving for those as well.

Other than that there hasn't been anything else exciting going on. The weather has been pretty bad lately (tons of snow!), so I don't feel like leaving the house unless I have to. So far it looks like this coming week is going to be sunny! I can't wait for that. Also, I would love some visitors! Just something for you all to keep in mind :)