9 DAYSSSS

Holy span of not blogging, it has been 9 days since I've touched my computer, let alone visited my beloved blog website. Not only do I have disgruntled viewers but also VERY MUCH to update about. How to approach this...a few mini updates or one super long one? I'll just type and see what happens...if I even know how to do this still...

:: [[Preface]] ::

Before I go into this, let me inform you all that this speccccial mister mister (joe) and his friend (jeff) visited me this week from the 22-29th ...thus my lack of blogging/tweeting...so although I haven't been online updating the world, I've been doing lots to update you on. Thanks again to them for an amazing week :) cant wait for irish car bombs at icon upon my return!

NEW THINGS I'VE DONE!

Lets start with the beginning!

--Tried new food...the saga continues, with the AMAZING "Pop Burger"

The burgers here (you got 2) were sooo nummy and little tiny guys too... cute huh? They were like 8 bucks and the fries were extra (like 2 bucks extra! what the hay?) so was it worth the price? Not really, I'd rather go to Shake Shack. But it was convenient and its making my tummy rumble so I guess thats a good sign...

--Eat in Little Italy

Speaking of tummies RUMBLING! Oh my gosh, last time I was in NYC with Ms Katie Long, we treated my cousin Laura to a dinner in Little Italy and it was the best italian food I'd ever had...besides of course my moms cooking ;) lol

When Joe came in (knowing our mutual love of food), I knew that I had to make him venture down there and try some of the deliciousness. He said more than once... "ya know st louis has the hill right? they have pretty good food ya know..." Until we found this place...

He's now a believer. As am I, again. We ditched his buddy Jeff and went to La Nonna on his 2nd to last night here for a night just for us and it was soooo great there. We sat inside because it was so HOT but the ambience was really nice there. Then we got the food (he got veal and I ordered chicken) and it was mindblowing. Oh my goodness...Seriously amazing. And the prices werent bad which was great. Definitely a must do for Little Italy dinner, if you ever visit. Unbelievable. It will be hard not to go back there consistently

p.s. thanks again for dinner joeyyyy ;)

--Visit Statue of Liberty

This is the only "Major Tourist-y Thing" I haven't done on my ventures up to the big city and I DESPERATELY wanted to go. I figured, its $12 and once I do it one time I probably wont want to visit again so I decided to wait til Joe and Jeff were in town so that we could all go together (they had never been to NYC before). Our "cruise" led us around Liberty Island, where stood the beautiful lady liberty herself and gave us the option to roam around on the island. Anxious for our next stop (Ellis Island), we decided to stay perched on the boat and spend our day at Ellis (much recommended, I really doubt I missed anything too great at the Statue....you can't even go up to the crown yet) But anyway that leads me toooooo.......


--Visit Ellis Island

I could write a whole blog on this and maybe later if I can't sleep I'll go more into depth with my thoughts on 'ol ellis but for now I'll be brief....and honest. I always thought of Ellis Island as a place that people viewed with HOPE and HAPPINESS and ANXIOUS feelings about joining the American Race....but this establishment and the museum inside really made me second guess that. Ellis Island was a very difficult place when it was used for immigration. People would spend every cent that they had and uproot their families and their lives, travel for weeks in poor conditions across the ocean, reach ellis island and then....wait. Some for days or weeks, others for months....sometimes up to 8 or 9 months. Sometimes they would even get rejected...and then what? Families had to prove so much through intelligence tests, psychological tests, prove they were "of good character", that they had a job, that they could provide for their family, that they would help in the improvement of the country, etc. And sometimes, the good ol U-S of A wasn't very nice.

STORY I HEARD: This one documentary was a girl telling her story that she tried with her family when she was like 6 years old. She didnt know any English but was really smart and picked up some English clues on the boat over. When she arrived at Ellis Island, she had to take a test to see if she knew how to read or to speak english. She got every single answer right just from the few clues that she picked up, and the officials decided that she was either really smart (but yeah right, she IS from hungary) or lucky. Luck wasnt enough to get you into the country and if she was that smart, she could use that negatively. Result: She got rejected. Her mother stayed behind as her family entered the US and they lived on Ellis Island with nothing but what they gave them for 6 months. You can see places where they lived and the meager portions they were given in my facebook album. They finally were allowed in but her father had to pick up a job almost immediately to prove that he could support them.

Just one of the stories. I really thought going there that it would be a triumphant "YES WE MADE IT" type of place. But it was eery. Like it was a ghost house. And the picture galleries explained that the photographers felt the same way when they visited 50 years after it was abandoned.

Definitely something to check out for yourself. It was very eye opening.

--Kiss someone in Times Square

No pictures but I get to cross it off the Bucket List of things I wanted to do here! Can anyone guess who it was?! lol

--Visit the Whisper Room in Grand Central Station
[[no picture either but who wants a picture of someone whispering? who am i kidding, emma will take probably 20 when she visits haha]]


THIS PLACE IS COOOOLLL!!! First of all, I love Grand Central. I walk through it every day on my way to work and I think its beautiful and amazing every time. It's a huge maze and I think its so interesting. There is one dome in the train station that is hallowed so perfectly that if you stand facing the wall in one corner and whisper, someone on the opposite corner can hear your perfectly. Well I put it to the test twice in the past 9 days and it is a really cool thing to check out! I loved it, so fun

--Drink all day watching a World Cup Game

I'm bitter we lost, so this is all.

Oh annnd that i bought a kick a$$ shirt that says heart=soccer ball (see below picture) from the Puma sponsored World Cup center by Wall Street and got my name screenprinted for free on the back! Thanks Puma! I like your shoes by the way!!

(Cheers to the best nation in the WORLD even if we didnt win one stupid soccer/"futbol" game...)

Love to all

HAPPY NOW SARAH?!?!?!?!?!? lol

what im doing when im not on rooftops

"In New York. concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do.. now your in New York! These streets will make you feel brand new, big
lights will inspire you...no place in the world that can compare..."
-Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys

Typical I know but I had to, I still love that song.

Slightly unrelated but I have to mention, I love that my friends are randomly dedicating shots to me when they go out and calling them the "New Yorker". For those who have done so, (Emma, Jordan, Bret, Laura, Joe and Alex) you rock. I'll take a shot for you called the "Boogie" :)

ONWARD!

This was a looonggg freakkinnnnn weeeeek! We all, at the office, were like LETS GOOOOOOOOO on friday when we got to leave. And the sad thing is that theres not much to report. I mean, I did the same kind of things I've been doing. I created samples for a big company (which was pretty cool) and got to meet with the lady who creates all the patterns for a White House Black Market about different upcoming trends in the color world, so that was interesting.

This weekend I didnt do much...I met up with the roomies at a bar which was fun...I loooved the area...It was right near SoHo by Spring St. in Nolita and SO MUCH FUN!! (I'm writing the location so if I come back in a year I can remember to go!) and then last night..if you read my last post...I bailed on a sweet party...But today was nice. Lounged, visited central park, walked around SoHo and little italy, and ate in chinatown (BEST AND CHEAPEST FOOD EVERRRRR)!

Good week/weekend!! Not very exciting but thats ok because I'll have lots to post about this week!! Why you ask? Because

JOESSSS VISITINGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!! (...and jeff haha) This means I get to be a tourist for a week lol I'm trying my absolute hardest to fit in but this week I'm gonna go all out and be a crazy tourist with my camera. Sorry New York. I'm from Springfield this week... not an nyc wannabe!

"i cant get no satisfaction, and i try"

i had a philosophical moment yesterday. thus, a short, philosophical post. not into that thing? stop reading now.

just some thoughts:

SO. There I was. Standing with old friends, new friends, free drinks, live reggae band, on a rooftop in manhattan, great atmosphere, great people, full view of all the major landmarks, cool summer night...I truely felt like Carrie Bradshaw. What was going through my mind at this point? Let me tell you.

"My feet hurt. I'm tired. It took us so long to get here. I'm not the biggest reggae fan. I wanna wake up early tomorrow so I can be at central park by like 11/12...." onnnnn and onnnnnn

like ew. what the hell is my deal? there I am with the DREAMMMM LIFE i'd always wanted (okay so a dream life would include a salary but you get the point) and all I wanted to do was leave....the party at least, not my life. just to clarify.

But seriously I did. And as my friends danced the night away and laughed behind me and debated mizzou vs. msu, met new people and were having the FABULOUS SATC night i should've been having, I stood by the ledge and looked at the city. That made me content enough. I didnt wanna be a downer and peace out too early, I mean Lindsay was gracious enough to get us into this party. But that's all I wanted to do...stand there and just look at the city.

I took a minute to really look at everything and have a "is this really happening?" second...but then I started to think about life...

{{begin philosophical moment}}

This is what I contemplated and feel free to lend your opinion. Are people ever going to be satisfied? Better yet am I?!? I mean, on paper that sounded like one hell of a good time, right? I think so, at least. But I really just wanted to leave.

I couldnt decide why my dream wasnt so glamourous as I was living it and I decided its one of 2 things....

1. You dont consider the reality when your living in a dream world....

.........OR..........

2. I suck.

Naturally, I let myself go on this one and decided that its number 1. This isnt the first time i've realized this but i'm the kind of girl that needs to learn her lessons a few times for them to stick. Of course I knew that I would be working, getting tired, not feelin like going out, having nights that kind of fail, etc. But not on nights when you party on a rooftop with tons of people, an amazing band, lots of friends and new people to meet, free drinks and a view of the empire state building, chrysler building, and all of midtown. No, those nights would be perfect and there would be nothing to complain about.

If this dream came true and slightly let me down whats next? I'm already like this with clothing (bad example who isnt) but seriously...I'm gonna get an amazing apartment and what...look for a new one sometime? Wish I lived somewhere different? Get the best job I could ask for and wish I worked less?

Where would it end?

{{End Philosophical Moment}}

That was it really...will it ever be enough? I couldve pushed through the blisters, the pounding headache, the crabby attitude and the millions of yawns and had a kickass night like the rest of them i bet. But I left. Crawled into bed...not exactly the dream I expected...

But then again, I did wake up with no hangover...

as celine dion said it, its all coming back to me now

so 3 weeks in and i feel very much adjusted to this place. so much so, that im not even too wowed by it anymore. example..




my attitude the first time i was here:
WHOOOA!!! LOOK AT THOSE BUILDINGS! SO OLD AND BEAUTIFUL! SO MUCH HISTORY! I WANNA SEE THIS AND THAT AND EVERYTHING! WOW TAXIS! SO MUCH WALKING!! SO MANY COOL RESTAURANTS!! THIS PLACE IS AWEEESSSOOOOMMMEEE!!!!

my attitude now:
skyscrapers? theyre everywhere. and they block the sun and create wind tunnels.
the architecture? its all gorgeous but i dont really have time to appreciate it all...
landmarks? once youve seen em once theyre not so exciting
taxis? theyre loud obnoxious and they smell...and can kill you
the walking? tiring. and i miss my car.
the restaurants? still cool but who are we kidding, im addicted to my food...


isnt this sad? I'm in New York City and these things have become so out of my attention range that I dont even notice them anymore. These gorgeous buildings, monuments, etc. have all become just a background to me. This city, as I told my mom today, is just another city. It functions all the same. People are working, going to school and living their lives. It's just like any other city to me now and I guess it's maybe because I'm getting used to it or because some of the glamour has kind of been depleted after being here for a while but it really is just like any other city...just bigger...and older...and stinkier...and this is seriously how i've been seeing things...

-----UNTIL-------




I met up with an old friend of mine, Kelly Williams (pictured above), who is in town for 5 days with her boyfriend (also in said photograph)! They've never been here and got in town right about when I was getting off work so I told them I'd meet up and show em a fun place for dinner and show em the basics of the city.

It really reopened my eyes to how freakin kickass this place is. WHAT HAVE I BEEN THINKING??!! THIS IS NEW YORK CITY!!?!? ...just like any other city yeah RIGHT!

It was a very refreshing experience. They saw things that I haven't noticed in the longest time...they saw the little sights I now overlook, they were amazed by people and sights that I had forgotten, they were intimidated by the grandeur of the city that i now wake up to everyday in ease...

they were so blown away and I totally remembered how that felt. I stole this quote from, duh, lindsay schallon and I will share it will you guys:

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest for something. Of these three trembling cities, the greatest is the last--the city of final destination, the city that is a goal..." -E.B. White, Here is New York

Kelly and the man friend, reminded me of the reason I am here. Dont get me wrong, I'm still workin hard and trying my best to everyday try something different and meet as many people as I can. But I've lost the sparkle. The...look-up-at-the-empire-state-building-with-your-jaw-dropped-saying..."wow"...type of it factor. But they brought a little bit of that back to me.


What I've tried recently:

-Shake Shack! Delicious cheap burgers, amazinnnggg fries! 45 minute wait in line but totes worth it if you ask me.

-Grappa....if you've never tried this, do it once and never again. It's a very very very strong italian desert wine and i personally thought it was horrible. However the italian guy who brought it to the office (he was visiting from our Italy office) and say that we needed to "Drink to LIFE!" at 11am thought it was the most amazing liquid on the planet. Will I ever have it again? No. But its something I can now say i've tried.

-South Street Seaport Riot: SOOO! Maybe you heard, maybe you didnt. For those who didnt, I witnessed quite the uproar here the other day. There was a free concert hosted by Paper Magazine and the 2 artists coming were Hanson (I was actually way super excited) and DRAAAKKKEEE (again, if you dont know, hes huge right now...and hot)!! Well this got people pretty pumped and they planned on having it at the S. Street Seaport which is just a huuuuugggeee boardwalk/pier with a bunch of shops and restaurants. They expected 10,000 people to show up and more than double (yes that means over 20,000) showed up and caused a little bit of a scene. People were on balconys sliding down the awnings of shops below and falling through, throwing benches off the restaurant balconies, throwing chairs, utensils, glass cups, etc. pushing people to the front of the stage to the point where people were ducking to the ground so as not to get hurt...a little ridiculous. Well long story short, the NYPD deemed the venue unsafe and shut down the whole production... :( sad face. no free drake show. but a crazy sight nonetheless!!



This picture just shows like 1/8th of the crowd...craziness...I caught the tail end of it...ps. I bet these guys are thinkin "yoo..GTL? Whats goin on, ya know?"




Monday-Thursday is always a little boring for me...work til late, dinner, shower, and then it's not too long til im off in dreamland. I'm doin my best to find some fun after work things to do. For instance, one day this week I hung out in union square and another night I went to a local pub and watched the NBA finals with my roomie! See ...(picture below) ! Not completely boring :)


Joe visits next week (yayyyy!) and then right after that I go to Boston with j-town (aka my sister), then Laura Schmaltz is coming in town (hopefully with Lisa), and then Emma and Leah and then 5 days after that, I'm home! Times about to really fly!! I'm so excited to play tour guide!!









I love you all! Dont hesitate to tell me when these get boring!

I was very happy and very sad today...

"There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna wanna make it move. There's always gonna be an uphill battle and sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side...it's the climb" -Mileyyy

(yes, everyone. a miley quote. sorry boutcha)

14 days and 6 hours=how long it takes for the homesickness to begin.

Maybe it's the fact that all the girls went to the lake this weekend and I couldn't be there and they had the most fabulous time. Or maybe it's that I got 2 letters from Joe in the mail today (thanks again, by the way). Or maybe it's that I wanna know whats going on in the World Cup so bad because I think it's so fun but all of this is so over my head and I just want one of my guy friends to help me figure out what the hell is happening. Or maybe it's just because I've been gone for 14 days and 6 hours...

That kinda seems long now that I type it out.

This weekend was ultra-fab though. I loved it...a lot. Met some people that could get us into these gorgeous VIP rooftop parties and we didnt pay a dime for anything...it was amazing. The places were so beautiful and extravagant, I felt kind of out of place but I did my best not to show it. Had some relaxation time in Washington Square park with my roommate, did some shopping with the roomies (i'll get to that in a sec) and then we went to dinner at an inexpensive spanish restaurant. They had a great veggie salad with an olive-vinaigrette...it was so interesting and verrry yummy. Good times with friends :)

About the shopping...

WOW. If I can say that I've learned one thing so far through this whole thing, it's that its all about who ya know that matters. And one person that I love that I know = Cydney Newton. We've known each other for 4 years know...she's the girl in the city that I know the best and we've spent a lot of time together. Anyway, she is interning with a brand called Tucker by Gaby Basora. I've never heard of it but I'm finding its quite a popular label. She's known for her creative prints that she creates herself and the only fabrics she uses are silks and light light cottons. Very flowy, pretty and comfy clothing...however, it retails anywhere from $150-$450...Nothing I feel like spending anytime soon, thats for sure. I appreciate quality clothing but I also appreciate my credit score...one day though. Anyway today Tucker had a "sample sale"!! YAYYY!!! For those who dont know, a sample sale is basically a way to sell their new lines for way cheap in order to promote the new clothing that the label has coming out. It's also a way to get rid of old merchandise. Well today was an invite only sale and since Cydney is an intern, my roomies and I got an invite!!! Most of the time, sample sales are still out of my price range...something that may have been 600 bucks is marked allllll the way down to 120? still not doin it.

But this was DIFFERENT!!!!

She had dresses, skirts, camis, button up tops, etc. all for $25!!! I was soooo excited!!! That also crosses something off my bucket list for the summer! (Buy something ultra fabulous to remind you of your trip to NYC that isnt from forever 21)

I love the jacket I got...and I also bought a dress for my sister, Jayme. I know she'll love it.

And then you know the rest, we went to dinner, came home, hopped in the shower and now im sitting here listening to rufus wainwright and typing to all of youuuu!!



I am missin Springfield though. Especially when I wanna go out. Of course it's fun to go out here and yeah i can maneuver around the city soo easily now and I understand what areas to stay out of and how to NOT approach people on the street and blahhhh blahhhh blahhhhh. But honestly at the end of the day, I still know NOTHING about this city. I don't feel safe being out because there are some creepos here. The people I go out with aren't girls in my sorority, or the guys who lived next door for 2 years or all my girlfriends...and were definitely not going to places like Icon or the Boogie where you know 85% of the people there...

I dont trust the city, I dont trust the people here and thats something that I think will always kind of be with me. Of course, I dont mind going to a bar with 5 or 6 msu girls and having a beer (for 4$ normally, keep in mind. i know, sick) but sometimes I wanna have a trops-trolleys-boogie-bubbles-icon night ya know??

I miss my girrrrrls. I miss my boyyys. I miss joeeee. I miss my car, I miss springfield, I miss my family being 2.5/3 hrs away. I miss coryell. I miss angie, darby, harper, oakley and finley vincent (the girls I babysit and their mom). I miss my girls so bad though. It makes me sad we all wont be there when I go back.

But i'll be back in noooooooooooo time, and i know that. Just one of those days I guess...ya know, maybe it was just cause it was rainy? I need to stop analyzing this.

style and the city!

Dear Sex and the City fans, please let me preface this by saying that my roommate stood next to Mr Big on the subway today. That is all.

For those of you who dont know, people have always said that the newest trends start on the 2 coasts and move inward as time goes on. So, with that said, I wanted to let my fellow Missouri loves know what trends are to come in 2 years, judging by the fact that they are popular right now. I chose 3 things that I cant go 5 blocks without seeing more than 1 person wearing... ENJOY!

1. Straw bucket hats

Maybe its because its been so warm here but this is a staple of NYC summer10 im finding. A light cami, leggings/shorts and a straw bucket hat and your ready to run around the city like you own the place. These are evvverywhere. Along with...


2. Ankle wrapping flops

These are arguably the most popular thing on the street here. Every color, texture, fabric, etc. ALL new yorkers have the ankle wrapping flip flop. I feel like I need to buy a pair to bring back to the midwest! haha but seriously these shoes are everywhere..literally. From older women, to young children, every type of style, etc. Buy a pair and be ahead of the trends! You heard it first...

3. Sheer Sheer Sheer!

I think its because it gets so hot here but the less you can wear here in the summer the better, im finding. As I said in an earlier post, you feel alll the weather changes here due to all the walking and exposure to the elements. A light lace shirt with a bandeau bra underneath is a fun way to switch it up. Ive fallen for this trend and I see it a lot...this picture shows a classy way to do it if its a little too risque for ya!

Just a few ideas for you friends in the center of the country! Maybe these trends will move a little quicker!

**pictures ganked by CharlotteRusse.com and AmericanApparel.com

I learned how to add pics :)

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, its is something one creates" -Thomas Szasz

2 weeks down, 7 to gooooo..

I feel like I've been here forever! I've been stayin busy, trying new things..I'm loving the challenge of trying to accomplish all of the things on my bucket list...of course I'm adding more to it as I go along, only making it more difficult, but still all the more enjoyable! :)

I still really feel like I fit in here. Granted I haven't even been here that long but I really have to keep in the back of my mind whether or not I could really up and move in the future. I think that right now I could. Again, it's only been 2 weeks so who knows how that will change...and the one thing I've learned about life is that you can't plan anything. Either way I love it here and every day is a newww adventure!

NEW THINGS IVE DONE:

-Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

(I've decided to start adding pictures. hope you enjoy..?)

This was cool. The view was amazing of the city and the bridge is so old and just beautiful architectually. GETTING THERE was quuuuite the struggle and definitely a workout but I think it's something fun people should try to do if you've got some time to spend here. I went with my roommate Dora when we were up wayyyy early one morning before work!

-Visit the MET!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was something that I've always wanted to check out. The place, first of all, is absolutely GINORMOUS! it looked like it was like a mile long or something...and the exhibits were amazing! They had artifacts from different times and periods and paintings that were sooo famous (and the ORIGINAL one!)....it was just absolutely breathtaking. My favorite part was the "American Woman" exhibit. There's always one fashion exhibit being shown in the Met and The American Woman is the one that is currently being shown. It had original garments dating all the way back to the 1700's up until the 1940's. Original pieces by houses that are still so famous today: Lanvin, Chanel, YSL and then pieces by Charles Worth who basically began the world of haute couture. If this is all over your head, it was basically just phenomenal.

-Visit Ground Zero and say a prayer

On Friday, I got the day off from the office. So I explored the lower half of Manhattan. Walked around battery park (which is where the ferrys leave to take people to either Ellis or Liberty Island, Wall Street, and then finally Ground Zero. The area was all fenced off and they were starting construction on a different building. The whole premises felt eery and reflecting back on September 11 while standing on the grounds where this horrible day occurred made it feel like not a day had gone by. It was very sad, and very difficult not to be emotional. There was a mural put against the building that was next to the WTC site as well as a small museum (they are working on another) and seeing all the names of the people that were killed because of 9/11 makes you thankful for what you have.

-Saw the Flatiron building

This is a funny story, i think. sooo me cyd and her roomie Maria were walkin down the street, trying to find a Verizon because my phone wasnt working :( anyway, im standing next to this old building and I said.. "Ya know, I REALLY wanna see the Flatiron building...that's something that I haven't done yet and I'd really like to do that..." keep walking along....start to enter the subway across the street and we turn around and BAM! that building I was just walking next to WAS THE FLATIRON BUILDING!!! ohhh fate, you silly thing. It was really funny, I loved it. I had a slight freakout about how funny that situation was and snapped some pics. End of story, maybe I butchered that but it was a really strange timing type of thing.

of course, I'm still lovin it. and i like to think that I'm getting better at the picture taking. However, I'm worried i'm losing my "blogging" spark. Do people really wanna read about all the stuff I'm doing? Is this boring? What am I leaving out? Let me know! :)

LONG POST WARNING

So its been 10 days. Officially. A lot can happen in 10 days ya know. Apparently, proof of Kate Hudson, you can't lose a guy but what does she know....

All I know is that I, in 10 days, have fallen madly, crazy, upside down, your-going-to-have-to-bribe-me-to-ever-leave LOVEEE with this city. Going back to springfield will definitely be bittersweet...*please note the sweet part of that word. I AM coming back. and I AM excited to see everyone and go to Trolley Tuesdays :)*

Whats so different about New York, you ask? Well let me just tell you. Besides the amazing landmarks and the obvious impressive history of the city itself, i just plain like the culture here. It's definitely a 180 from Springfield...or really St Louis in most ways...and those differences are difficult. SO I've comprised a list of my fav things about living here and my least. Please comment if you have any questions, concerns, etc. Please and thank you have a nice day.



ASHLI POLLARD'S REALLY POPULAR LIST OF THINGS SHE....

LIKES:

• Public Transportation

Ok let me preface. The subways smell. The old ones are gross. There are homeless people everywhere. I get it. But ya know what else I see? How simple and easy it is to get around. That the new trains are so NICE!! There are performers (like really good, i'd pay money to see them) everwhere with their violins, cellos, circus acts, etc. all over the subway stations. I think its really cool. I love the subway. I love that I can get uptown in 10 minutes where if I walked, it would take 2 hours. I love it when guys give up their seat for a girl. I love it when random things happen on subways like when I was on the downtown 6 and this guy got the WHOLE subway car to sing clap and dance to "CELEBRATE" while we were in motion. the thing was PACKKKEEEDDD too!

I love walking. I think its cool that Manhattan is so compact that it takes a minute and a half to walk one block...even if it does take 5 minutes to cross an avenue. But if youve never been here you probably dont know what I mean. It doesnt matter. I like the walking, you get used to it really quickly. And its not like Springfield or St. Louis where you have like one barnes and noble so if you have to go to one you know its location. There are like 20 different barnes and nobles, 150 starbucks, 65 paneras, etc. Anything you want is, in fact, in walking distance. And if your location isnt, a subway is! VOILA! I LOVE IT! It's also a lot safer to walk and text than to drive and text...except I've almost gotten hit by a taxi that way (these drivers are craaazy)...

• New York restaurants

As I was just telling my good friend Jeff Wasserman, my favorite thing about this place is the lack of chain food restaurants. Besides the tourist trap of the city, Times Square, I DARE you to find a chain-food restaurant business somewhere in the city. I'm sure you can do it but it's a lot more rare than you think. I have seen onnne in my time here. Every place is someones own. They chose the floor, the walls, the menu, the floor layout, the recipes, etc. Everything is made to order and oh my gosh sooo good! No matter where I've gone something on the menu is a specialty there. I went to this place the other night with my friend Steph and literally, there were 3 chairs there. Thats how small it was. I guess it was more of a to go place but we sat down. And it was the BEST gyro i've ever had. And i've had a few...im slightly obsessed. Thats just one example...blueberry pancakes at "Westside" in..guess where...the West Side?! I've never ever had a pancake like that before. Its just amazing really, I could eat for hours.

• Proving stereotypes wrong

I'm going to make this short and simple. Everyone here that I've met is soooo nice. And also, almost none of them are from here. Like Hi, I was born and raised in NYC. No way. Everyone here is/was trying to make some success for themself here and everyone kind of bands together. Theres a really cool unity about it that I've never witnessed in another city. It's a nonjudgment "help-a-sista-out" type of thing. I love it. Sidenote: NYPD officers have been the nicest. Swear on it, I do. And theyre always genuinely worried that I REALLY understand the directions they gave me lol

• The art of the city

Of course Im referring to the museums: The Guggenheim, the Met, MOMA, etc. But more than that, this one is simple too, the architecture of all these old buildings really just blows my mind. Grand Central is one that always makes me in awe. It's just beautiful and I love the set up, the columns, the tile floor, the entrance, its just SO awesome.

• Having a sweet job

Can we say SHWINGGG! I wont get into details cause I dont want to violate confidentiality (see revised post earlier where I disclosed all info from my job. If you saw that, feel lucky, you know more than most people will from reading this. wanna know about my job? ask). I will say this. ITS F-ING AMAZING! I love it. I love the owners (who i work with very closely), I love the responsibilities, I love the history but mainly...ohhhh myyyy goddddd do i love the client list! We work with larrrrge quantities if you buy from us...(I think our minimum is 500?) so we work with everyone from Walmart to the people who make graduation gowns to the people who make body bags (morbid, huh...but kinda cool?), to flotation devices, to....drumroll...Michael Kors, DVF, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Miu Miu and then large companies like Victorias Secret, Hollister and A&F, Puma, Adidas, Urban Outfitters, etc. I get to work with these companies closely and make decisions that affect what their next fashion choices will be. And sometimes, they listen!! It's pretty sweet. Besides the not paid thing.

DISLIKES:

• The smell

Obvi.

• The New York sensitivity to weather

Ok. THE MAIN difference between life in MO and life in NYC--not the weather. Nope weathers actually just the same. Gets just as hot and just as cold, just as much time in all the seasons and everything. However when your walking down the street 6 blocks to get to the subway and then 6 blocks when you come out and you have to wait to cross streets and you look freaking fabulous cause it took you 20 minutes to do your hair and your new heels make your butt look good....YOU HATEEEEE that its raining. Or snowing. Or that the sun is beating down on you so bad you cant tell if someone threw a bucket of water on you or if your just sweating. Or when the wind is blowing so badly that your convinced that dust spec that blew in your eye is really a large tractor. You feel ALL the elements here....which I guess could be kind of poetic? But its not. Its miserable and you have to prepare for everything. EXAMPLE: left my place today because there was a 20% chance of rain in Manhattan. Did i bring an umbrella? no sir, not for 20%! Did it rain so hard you couldnt see 2 feet in front of you aka possible monsoon weather? Why yes it did! There you go folks. My reason for not liking the weather which brings me tooooo.....!!

• Not using a car

Last but not least and probably the most obvious of all, I miss a car. My car. Anyones car. Being in a car, period. And a taxi that goes bumper to bumper in stop and go traffic for 15 blocks and smells worse than a subway doesnt count as a car. Thats a tragic misfortune, not a vehicle. But seriously I miss it...

And now Im being a negative nancy lets end POSITIVEEEE!

Bottom line. Its different. Everything here is different. And like I said above this list is shortened. Theres obviously way more I can (and will!) discuss ... like Central Park or how every single guy here thinks they have the right to my phone number just cause I happened to make eye contact with them. These make the pros and cons list as well. Im sure you can guess which goes where.

Sorry about the long post I just wanted to make up for being such a bad blogger this week.
What is to come?
My thoughts on Central Park, my trek across the Brooklyn Bridge, my feelings about the Yankees, and the 3 trends I see everywhere and got really excited when I realized I could wear them all together!! YAYYY!!!

Love you all!! Good night!!

(P.s. the thing i realllllyyyy miss the most is the dirty dozen aka my homegirls...I love you all so much and I'm really doing my best to keep in touch..if i'm sucking miserably text me! i miss you all!!! cant wait to see your faces!)

wait, its been only one week?

Just my average morning in my new life.
Wake up in the most miserable heat wave of my life (have I mentioned my place isnt air conditioned? Yeah, kill me now.), decide what my plans are and head out into the world.

Today was only slightly differently. Woke up, check (and thanks again to the man upstairs for another chance at this thing called life!). Made plans for the morning, check.

And here comes the change.

So. Many. People. Were. Moving. Into. My. Building.

And so it hits me.
Today is Sunday. Sunday=move in day. Which means, last Sunday=my move in day. Which in turn, means I've been here officially for a week.

YAYYY i've survived 7 days.

But more than that, its only been a week?! Like just one? But it feels like 4! I know the city so well! I understand the subways almost completely! I feel comfortable at work! I slightly have a routine!

How's it going so far, you ask? or not? Too bad. It's going great. I really love it here. I love the dynamic of the city, I love the island and how its set up where every couple blocks has its own personality, I love the food, I love the culture, I love everything.

I dont miss driving. I dont miss the areas I was used to. I don't miss Springfield. I dont miss St Louis. I dont miss my bed.

....yet.

I dont know when I'm gonna be ready to go back, but it kinda makes me nervous its only been 1 week. I got a whiiiile to go in this place and if I had to guess, I'd say my emotional breakdown will probably come around week 6. Joe will be here during week 4 and I move out at week 9. Yeah...get ready for some emotional blogging around week 6. However, that is the week I'll be with JAYME! (Note to my sister: lets have some fun. It's gonna be a rough week.)

I am missing my girls though. I love the girls I know here and we're having a super fabulous time runnin around the city like its our playground and being each others stand-in bff's. I just wish my homies were here...the "dirty dozen" as emma calls us haha if any of you are reading this, I miss you like crazy. I'm doing my best to keep in touch with you. And if I havent spoken to you, I love you, and I cant wait to see you. Trolleys and boogie upon my return? Please? ok great. Lumiere for all my stl friends ;)

I'm also missin Joe...wont go a lot into that because he knows...and everyone would probably be grossed out by the romance details lol...but I will say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. <3 See you soon, dear. You're the best thing ever

Anyway, today I bought a book...and returned it and bought another book lol..Clockwork Orange. It's crazy interesting and I was drawn to it so much. So much so that I went BACK to the bookstore to return the book I had originally bought lol...what a nerd, right? Dont worry I know. But today was a beautiful day. Christina Benson and I bought our books (this was round 1 for me) and went to Central Park and sat in the field reading/people watching/life discussing. It was such a great relaxation thing. It will be my sunday routine. So loved it. After that, we went back to B&N so I could exchange books and we actually stayed there for a couple hours reading some more. Lazyyy sunday and it was great.

Love you all, I'm gonna go people watch in Union Sq. No big.

each day..better than the next

welll besides the fact that my phone was dead all day, today was really great. woke up early with plans to hit up staten island for their lovely beaches and meet up with my mizzou lover lindsay and her MU girlfrands! we were movin pretty slow, i gotta be honest...it was probably the hottest day of the summer so far...ridiculous.

Anyway, what great day isnt complete without 2 bros $1 pizza?!?! So (naturally) thats how we began. With a slice in hand, we began our adventure. if we had EVEN KNOWNNN what we were getting into...

Found the subway, headed downtown to the ferry stop by battery park. Waited 30 ungooodly long minutes for the ferry but let me tell you that was one of the coolest things ive done yet. A peaceful FREE ferry ride on the water with an amazing view of the city? Count me in! I thoroughly enjoyed it...

After the 15 minute subway ride, 30 minute ferry ride, we werent even 1/2way there...we, then, had to sit. and wait. for a bus. that never came. ok it did. but it took forever. and ever.

Done complaining, long story short it took us 2 hours to get from the East Village to South Beach on Staten Island. But it was a good time! We hung out on the boardwalk, laid out on the beach, caught some rayyyss, did some pretty legit people watching and decided to call it a day.

I like living so close to the beach but I was ready to go back to my skyscrapers and taxi cab island. (lol "my"...cause i've lived here likkee sooooo long) how am I supposed to go back to springfield after a summer of this if, after just one short week, I'm already having withdrawals after 5 hours!??! I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I get there...a lot can happen in a couple months.

Cool story time!

So after stoppin off in Chinatown for some yummyyy dinner (yes, at "big wing wong"...who names a restaurant that?! lol but I guess we're the weirdos that chose to eat there..), we hop on the 6 uptown to go home. the SECOND we get on this train (packed might I add), there was this older guy with a grin ear to ear singing AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS some song about a girl. He was so great and so happpyy and started singing "CEELLLEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON!" and he was SO happy that he got the WHOLE CAR to sing along with him!!!! it was so amazing we all were just dancing and singing along with this guy on the subway...I didnt want it to end. I shouldve taken a picture but I was so in the moment!!

Anyway I'm on the phone with this pretty cool cat ;) so I'm gonna go...that was basically the end of my day. I love you all, Im having a blast and I think of everyone all the time...Ill keep the updates coming

SHOUT OUTS

To those who read my blog, it makes me excited to think that I have people who actually read this lol like i'm cool or something

cause lets get serious we all know im not.

but I just wanted to shout out to you, so here goes:

1. The 'rents, you guys rock
2. Joeee xoxoxoxo
3. Ashley Caryn lol
4. Cousin Moira
5. Chris Keenan
6. Jack Blair
7. Jayme Pollard
8. Kristina Roberts
9. All others I forgot or don't know about yet. Make yourself known and I will add you!

So to you 8 followers, I give you all my love!!

best day yet

Today, being Friday, turns out the office does 1/2 days (SUHH-WEEEET!)! Also sweet? Our office is only like 3 blocks from this one place in NYC that I think is pretty cool....maybe you've heard of it? People call it...I think it's called...Times...Yea, Times Square!

Anyway, jokes aside, instead of headin back to the Village (where I leave...Greenwich Village to be precise. Not to be pronounced Green-wich like Joe lol but "Gren-itch"...I live in the East Village. But ANWAY), I decided to stay in Midtown where Times Square and the Garment District are (I work in the Garment District). This is probably confusing..

Well anyway, I wandered around the city today. It was great alone in the city time. I've been trying to lay off on a lot of the pictures cause I want to blend in as one of the New Yorkers here ya know? Don't wanna be tooooo touristy! But in Times Square, that's all it is. I'm finding nobody that lives here goes to Times Square...its just a huuuuge "been there done that" area...no reason for the natives to hang out there. Nothing too great but the lights (which still get me). After hangin out with myself, I met up with my friend and former DZ lady, Cydney. She was coming from one direction on 51st and I was coming from the opposite way on 51st. Where did we just so happen to intersect?

In heaven.

Seriously.

Heaven also known as 5th Avenue.

For those of you who dont know much about NYC, this is where all the most expensive, luxurious, creative, innovative designers have their flagship stores. Hell, ABERCROMBIE is even there and was 4 floors...it was the craziest thing, that place, but thats another story itself (SIDENOTE: Lindsay Schallon, if your reading this, you MUST visit A&F at 56th and 5th Avenue....its absolutely CRAZY! I'm so happy we didnt work at that location lol)

There was everything: Versace. Dior. D2Squared. Chloe. Celine. Van Cleef. Gucci. Prada. Miu Miu. Prada. Burberry. Burberry Prorsum. It was unbelievable. I peed in my pants a little bit maybe even.

Okay I didnt but anyway. It was fate that we met where we did. The mothership was calling to my heart lol

After that cydney and I ended at the bottom of Central Park and watched some street performers for a while...they were AMAZING i have some videos of them I should put up.

Following their breakdancing performance we walked down to the Lincoln Center at the opposite side of the bottom of Central Park and headed North to ....

DUN DUH-DUH-DUHH!!!!!!

MAGNOLIA BAKERY!

What is Magnolia Bakery, you ask? Only the best thing in Manhattan! In New York City! In America! IN THE WORLD!

The cupcakes=phenomenal.
Their icing=lifechanging. (this means a lot coming from me, I detest icing. on anything. except my ears...**that was a joke, get it? diamonds? how to lose a guy in 10 days? whatever)

But I dont go there for those...ohhh noooo sir. I'll make my trek out to the Upper East Side for one thing and one thing only. Their BANANA PUDDING! omg this stuff will seriously make any person a believer in the power of sugar and its effect on ones mood. No joke. Its chock full of banana pudding (obvi), cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, vanilla wafers, graham crackers and chunks of banana! The best part? It's not realllly sweet. Like overwhelming. And again, trust me. I have the smallest sweet tooth of anyone. If I can handle it, anyone can..

It made my day. and if you visit the city, I will not speak to you unless you try Magnolia. in any sense. However, stay away from the coffee and gank a cupcake instead.

So that was my amazing day. Im back at my room now hangin with the roomies...we are all blogging haha i love it.

Now I'm gonna shower and meet up with my friend Cydney again! One of the designers I got to know @ St Louis Fashion Week (Love Brigadddee! SHOUT OUT!) is having a party 3 blocks from me so were gonna go see them :) I'm even gonna rock my LB skirt for them!

Should be a great end cap to an amazing day! Cant waittt!!! have a good night friends :) i miss you soooo!

deets on my job

ALRIGHTTT the loooong awaited post about the job...well internship. either way.

first off let me preface with the fact that I'm not a good explanation-giver. I overcompensate/dont include important details because I assume theyre understood/just suck at story telling. bear with me, my jobs legit.

SO the story. basically, I was given an internship by the lovely and talented Ms Jillian Lewis when I met her @ STLFW. However, not being a design major anymore and wanting to focus more on sales/promotion/product development, I decided to look elsewhere.

First stop: Craigslist.

Holy plethora of job opps. Seriously.

Anyway, I make a stock "give me an internship, im free work and I will be there all hours of the day if need be" e-mail and sent it to probably over 150 businesses. Luckily, about 149 returned my email (Note to self, when looking for a job, refer to Craigslist). As I'm weeding out the ones that sound stupid (sales associate? done that. bitch work for a designer in Long Island? not all about the hour commute. only need someone once a week? not worth my time), I left about 55 or so that sounded really interesting and sent them my resume. Sadly enough, only about 10 replied after that. I thought I had a real legit resume too...still.

Basically I guess I'm not gonna tell you the story of how I went into my first day thinking it was a different internship cause its not that great of a story and I summed it up pretty well in one sentence, but there ya go. I went into my internship thinking it was a showroom experience selling designers' lines to dept store (which I wouldn't mind doing).

Man was I wrong.

((NOTE: due to confidentiality clauses, I removed the company and the work im doing...but let me say, I love it))

I'm definitely going to learn more than my 4 credit hours I'm getting for this.

I work a lot too. I like that, I love working, I love taking pride in my work and honestly, I didnt fly halfway around the country spending a ridiculous amount of money not to be working my tushy off. I'm here to learn and to work and of course to have a little fun in between ;)

So thats the basics I guess. I hope I didnt completely butcher it...I think that its gonna be a really good opportunity and I think the references that I got from here will really help me get somewhere in the future. But only time will tell!!!

Love you all, miss you and I'll update again soon!










for those of you who arent up on your "abreves" (abreviations if your really slow), deets is short for details; i bet you've been wondering this whole time, havent you..

things to do while being a glamazon new yahhhkaaaahh (note the accent.)

And I'm back! Today was my first "day" at work...basically just doing paperwork. by basically i mean thats all i did. Tomorrow counts my first REAL day in the office! EEK!

My plan for the day was to bounce around and run some errands with my time off but that was an epic fail. First of all, I was terribly distracted. Shiny lights, important names on buildings, a 3-story forever 21...you see what I mean. Anyway, I get back to my dorm after my hour of signature signing and understanding "terms and agreements", got my NYU id and as i'm heading out to begin my bouncing....rain. From the sky. Now, normally, this isnt that much of a disaster as much as an annoyance. I'd grab my shirt, hold it above my head long enough to make it to my car and then complain about the weather till I arrived at my destination.

However, I'm not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Here its a completely different story. You have to really plan before you leave your place in the rain. Do you have the right shoes? Where is the umbrella? How long will you be out? All of these questions just racing because you'd be walking in this stuff.

SO, I decided to do my "inside errands". I added pictures on facebook, organized my room, began my internship class questions that I have to answer and filled out what I could in my workbook and now, voila! updating my blog for all you millions of readers. Even though I think Joe and my parents are the only 3 that check this lol

I decided to follow in the steps of my lovely dear friend Lindsay Schallon who also is out in the city here with me (as well as a former HCO employeee hollaaa!! they trained us well linds) and made "to do in the city". And by "made" i mean, took lindsays, copied it and changed some stuff around. Let me know what you think:

1. Attend a Broadway Show.
2. Go to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium and cheer for the opponent (opposite of lindsay lol)
3. Go to a Red Sox game at Fenway and cheer for them
4. Eat Chinese in Chinatown DONE
5. Eat in Little Italy DONE
6. Fist pump at a club on the Jersey Shore
7. Buy something classic and fabulous and not from Forever 21 to always remind me of my summer in the city DONE yesss tucker
8. Sight a celebrity and/or a movie being made DONE
9. Visit Coney Island and go on the ferris wheel
10. Lay out in Central Park DONE
11. Eat a slice of NYC cheesecake! DONE
12. Visit the Statue of Liberty DONE
13. And Ellis Island. And find my familys name. DONE
14. Go jogging in Central Park.
15. Get into VIP in a club DONE
16. See a local band DONE
17. Try on something at Bergdorfs or Barneys.
18. Have a girls night out that lasts until the morning. DONE
19. Try NYC sushi DONE
20. Go back to the Live with Regis and Kelly Show, I loved that last time i was here
21. Kiss someone in Times Square (whooos the lucky guy?!?! lol) DONE thanks joe
22. Make friends with a stranger. DONE
23. Visit Ground Zero and say a prayer. DONE
24. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. DONE
25. Visit the Met DONE Guggenheim and MOMA
26. Hang out in the library where Carrie and Big SHOULDVE gotten married. DONE
27. Sing Empire State of Mind on top of the Empire State Building
28. Visit Carnegie Hall
29. Go to Atlantic City for a night and make a couple hundred bucks
30. Go to Boston for the 4th of July and witness the biggest party in the US ...change of plans...
31. Eat a hot dog DONE , pretzel and Philly Cheesesteak from a vendor.
32. Try food from different cultures: Morroccan, Thai, Portugese, etc. DONE
33. People watch in Bryant Park for an afternoon. DONE
34. Visit the Whisper Room in Grand Central Station DONE... SO COOL
35. Try Grappa wine with my boss while at work for his birthday (not really on the list but...) DONE
36. Visit Serendipity
37. Go to the Today Show and see someone perform
38. Visit Love Brigade in Brooklyn!!
39. Drink all day watching a World Cup game DONE
40. Eat "ny lux" --huge breakfast food here
41. Visit the Hamptons
42. Go to a wine tasting
43. Be a part of a riot at the Drake show at S Side Seaport DONE
44. Witness the largest Gay Pride Parade in the USA
45.



help me out! give me some suggestions :)

Have a good day peeps, cause so many people read this lol