Today was a pretty low key day. The roommates and I went to Central Park and tanned. I then made the first journey to the New York Health and Raquet Club. I wanted to attend Hatha Yoga but confused the times. When I tried to leave I must have written down the wrong locker combination and had to have the lock cut. It was quite embarrassing. The NYHRC was really really really impressive. Like the rest of the city, very overwhelming. It isn't like good ol' BUFF!
Since Sex and the City Movie comes out on Friday we decided to see the very first show. We brought in the movie right with drinks and then the movie. We found a nice rooftop bar called Me Bar behind our building. It had a great view of the Empire State Building. We then went to the 12:01am show at a local theater. There was a crazy buzz everywhere. The line was soooo long and everyone had really stylish clothes. I'm not going to lie, I went to Forever 21 today and bought a new outfit for the occasion. =) I really enjoyed the movie. It was funny because the character Jennifer Hudson played was a girl from St. Louis that lived in an apartment with three girls at the fine age of 21. Does that sound like someone we know?? =)
Speaking of St. Louis, a group of people made a comment about St. Louis that I did not appreciate. When "Louise" was talking about St. Louis, one guy in the group behind me said "I thought only hobos lived in St. Louis!" I almost had to get up and turn around and display my recent "New York Attitude." I decided to not make a scene.
Seeing this movie really made me want to live in a certain New York City. I have found that there are very many different New Yorks even though they are in the same city. I hope I will eventually find the one I am in love with. I know it seems kind of confusing when I type it, but if you compare all of the shows on TV (Law and Order, SATC, Gossip Girl, etc.) each one portrays a different view. I know it is sad and I can never live the movie or tv show, but I like the New York the SATC characters live in. Who knows...maybe someday.
Another great aspect of the movie was the clothing...maybe that's why i like their new york...it was phenomenal! I wish I could throw an outfit together like they do! Since moving here I have learned you can wear whatever you want and still fit in. You can wear any color schemes, patterns, whatever you want and still look amazing. It's truly the thrown together, but put together look that I envy. People walk around in crazy clothes with confidence and look great. I noticed today when I was buying clothes that I was a little bit more daring. I definitely bought some items today that I wouldn't think of buying in St. Louis. I hope my NYC wardrobe will work in St. Louis. If not, I will proabably have to go back to my old, comfy stlye. =(
As we were walking out of the theater there was a camera crew interviewing people for the Channel 4 News. I was sooo close to being on TV twice this week!
Well, today was probably one of my more normal nights in the city. I'm sure as time goes on more and more of these nights will happen.
Per my sister's request, I started taking more photos. I promise they will be posted tomorrow in a slideshow.
-Sam
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
lost on the subway..
Today I actually was able to sleep in until there were really loud sirens outside. It was nice to sleep til 11 since i haven't had much sleep lately. Andrew and I went out last night for Sangria on Bleecker St. I never caught the name of the place, but Andrew knows it, so I'll have to ask him. It was nice to go out and do something at night. This truly is the city that never sleeps. There were people everywhere at 2:30 am!
After getting ready I walked to Chelsea to figure out where MSLO is located. After sitting by the Hudson River for a few minutes I decided to call Robin and go to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was such a nice day here so the walk across was amazing! Kind of scary though because you could see all of the cars below you since the walkway was boardwalk style. I'm super glad we did it. Next time I hope to go to Grimaldi's Pizza at the end. Supposedly that is Frank Sinatra's favorite pizza place.
Getting to the bridge was quite difficult for me. I actually took 3 wrong trains trying to get there. I was frustrated but my confidence was brought back up tonight when I knew where I was at when I saw the Trader Joe's and was able to get Andrew and I back to my apartment at 4am. I hope more of this will happen as the trip goes on.
Coming back to the apartment I had to quickly get ready and then meet up with Andrew for dinner with some friends from Washu. We went to Mama Mexico for dinner. It was decent but super super pricey. Let me put it this way, $40 for a pitcher of margaritas....I decided to opt out.
From there we went to McSorley's Old Ale House. It was a lot of fun. It was a traditional Irish Pub that had great house beer....definitely my favorite place so far. We then went to HiFi and it was okay...not many people were there. One of the Mathletes from Mean Girls was there. He must attend NYU. All of the places we went to were in the Lower East Side near NYU, so all of the bars were college bars. After HiFi, we traveled to the Beauty Bar which was essentially an early 80's bar with crazy decor. Very punkish and there were old hair dryers as seats. Quite amusing...the people were too! The carded at the door, since I'm a cool 21-yr old now I can actually go places and show them mine. The bouncer guy actually didn't believe it was real. I had to whip out my awesome Maryville ID, but I don't think he believed that either. IL just got new ID cards and it looks really fake. I hope this doesn't turn into a problem this summer. No one has seen this type so they look super funny.
After all of this, we then decided to get pizza...do you know how hard it is to find pizza at 3am on a Wednesday night? Well we did, it was really good. I look forward to the Grimaldi's mentioned above.
Well, now that it is 4:20am and I'm safe back in my apartment, I will be waking up at 5:30 am for the Regis and Kelly Show. I know I mentioned the Today Show in an earlier post, but we decided to go the this one instead because they have the same guests and my roommate's friend is an intern there.
Tonight was the best night of them all, I am super glad i was able to hang out with some familiar faces. We have plans later this week.
Happy early Thursday!
<3 Sam
After getting ready I walked to Chelsea to figure out where MSLO is located. After sitting by the Hudson River for a few minutes I decided to call Robin and go to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was such a nice day here so the walk across was amazing! Kind of scary though because you could see all of the cars below you since the walkway was boardwalk style. I'm super glad we did it. Next time I hope to go to Grimaldi's Pizza at the end. Supposedly that is Frank Sinatra's favorite pizza place.
Getting to the bridge was quite difficult for me. I actually took 3 wrong trains trying to get there. I was frustrated but my confidence was brought back up tonight when I knew where I was at when I saw the Trader Joe's and was able to get Andrew and I back to my apartment at 4am. I hope more of this will happen as the trip goes on.
Coming back to the apartment I had to quickly get ready and then meet up with Andrew for dinner with some friends from Washu. We went to Mama Mexico for dinner. It was decent but super super pricey. Let me put it this way, $40 for a pitcher of margaritas....I decided to opt out.
From there we went to McSorley's Old Ale House. It was a lot of fun. It was a traditional Irish Pub that had great house beer....definitely my favorite place so far. We then went to HiFi and it was okay...not many people were there. One of the Mathletes from Mean Girls was there. He must attend NYU. All of the places we went to were in the Lower East Side near NYU, so all of the bars were college bars. After HiFi, we traveled to the Beauty Bar which was essentially an early 80's bar with crazy decor. Very punkish and there were old hair dryers as seats. Quite amusing...the people were too! The carded at the door, since I'm a cool 21-yr old now I can actually go places and show them mine. The bouncer guy actually didn't believe it was real. I had to whip out my awesome Maryville ID, but I don't think he believed that either. IL just got new ID cards and it looks really fake. I hope this doesn't turn into a problem this summer. No one has seen this type so they look super funny.
After all of this, we then decided to get pizza...do you know how hard it is to find pizza at 3am on a Wednesday night? Well we did, it was really good. I look forward to the Grimaldi's mentioned above.
Well, now that it is 4:20am and I'm safe back in my apartment, I will be waking up at 5:30 am for the Regis and Kelly Show. I know I mentioned the Today Show in an earlier post, but we decided to go the this one instead because they have the same guests and my roommate's friend is an intern there.
Tonight was the best night of them all, I am super glad i was able to hang out with some familiar faces. We have plans later this week.
Happy early Thursday!
<3 Sam
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
early morning, hopefully late night!
Today started out bright and early at 5:45am. If you are a Today Show fan, you may have been lucky enough to catch my TV debut that lasted approximately 2.3 seconds! Mater Dei Band was in town and they invited me to go to the Today Show with them. I was completely convinced when I found out it was Sex and the City Week on the show! Therefore, Liz, Alexis, and I trekked out in the rain and met up with them. We were hoping Samantha (Kim Cattrell) would come outside...but she didn't. We plan to go back on Thursday when Sarah Jessica Parker will be there. I'm a big fan of the Today Show. I think it's great!
After the Today Show Alexis and I had breakfast at Toasties East. It was super good and super cheap! We were planning on going somewhere randomly. One of the promoters on the street directed us to this place. The man was quite interesting. He had been guiding people into resturants for over 25 years. NYC has really opened my eyes to all of the jobs people do. I have never realized all the little things out there that people enjoy. We randomly walked into St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was the nicest church. I love how it is in the middle of a crazy busy city.
After breakfast I wondered around Mid-Town getting some things for my apartment....nothing too exciting. I then went to Staten Island to visit Amy (James's cousin) and Robin (James's mom). Amy's husband is apart of the Coast Guard and is posted in NYC. I was happy to know where Amy lives so I can go visit if I ever want to. I had to take the Staten Island Ferry to get there. It was nice to sit back at watch the city and see the Statue of Liberty. In Staten Island, Robin and I went to lunch and then back to the apartment. We just sat around and talked and played a game with Amy's son Grant. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.
I just got out of the shower. I feel so gross all the time. I will probably feel clean for about another 32 minutes and then need to shower again. =) Oh well, it's NYC!
Tonight I am going out with Andrew (a friend from home). I am not really sure what we will be doing. I think we may go to Bleecker Street. I am excited for my first night out. I haven't gotten much sleep in the past 48 hours. I'm assuming the entire summer is going to be like this. I guess I will sleep on August 13th!
Amy really helped me learn the subway system today. I feel so much more confident now. Today was not as stressful as yesterday. I am looking forward to learning more about the transit system and slowing down. I feel as if I've been here for 2 weeks already...it's been more like 36 hours! I have so much to do here!
Have a great night!
-Sam
After the Today Show Alexis and I had breakfast at Toasties East. It was super good and super cheap! We were planning on going somewhere randomly. One of the promoters on the street directed us to this place. The man was quite interesting. He had been guiding people into resturants for over 25 years. NYC has really opened my eyes to all of the jobs people do. I have never realized all the little things out there that people enjoy. We randomly walked into St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was the nicest church. I love how it is in the middle of a crazy busy city.
After breakfast I wondered around Mid-Town getting some things for my apartment....nothing too exciting. I then went to Staten Island to visit Amy (James's cousin) and Robin (James's mom). Amy's husband is apart of the Coast Guard and is posted in NYC. I was happy to know where Amy lives so I can go visit if I ever want to. I had to take the Staten Island Ferry to get there. It was nice to sit back at watch the city and see the Statue of Liberty. In Staten Island, Robin and I went to lunch and then back to the apartment. We just sat around and talked and played a game with Amy's son Grant. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.
I just got out of the shower. I feel so gross all the time. I will probably feel clean for about another 32 minutes and then need to shower again. =) Oh well, it's NYC!
Tonight I am going out with Andrew (a friend from home). I am not really sure what we will be doing. I think we may go to Bleecker Street. I am excited for my first night out. I haven't gotten much sleep in the past 48 hours. I'm assuming the entire summer is going to be like this. I guess I will sleep on August 13th!
Amy really helped me learn the subway system today. I feel so much more confident now. Today was not as stressful as yesterday. I am looking forward to learning more about the transit system and slowing down. I feel as if I've been here for 2 weeks already...it's been more like 36 hours! I have so much to do here!
Have a great night!
-Sam
Monday, May 26, 2008
finally here!
After the long wait I am finally moved into my New York City apartment! Everything is great so far....especially having four girls in a one bedroom apartment! =)
I am exhausted from all the packing/unpacking, birthday celebrations, Kate's graduation party and traveling. Robin and I's flight was delayed an hour this morning for about an hour. You may think it was because of the monsoon in St. Louis, but no, it was because of computer issues. I passed out on the plane, so I when I woke up an hour later and discovered we were still in STL I was quite confused...Oh well, we made it!
James's cousin Amy Gay and her sister-in-law Jenny Jenne picked us up at the airport and then brought me to my apartment. It was great not having to lug all of the baggage through the subway. That would have been horrible! After I dropped off my bags Robin, Jenny and I went to eat and then to Chinatown/Canal Street to look at all the fake purses. Wow. Was the an experience. We went to some of the sketchiest places. Up three flights of stairs, secret rooms in stores, it was nuts. There were some great looking fake Coach, Gucci, etc. purses. I can't wait to go back with Alicia, Katrina, and the Timmermann Family girls.
After leaving Jenny and Robin I kind of became overwhelmed. I had to get on the Subway myself and get back to the apartment. I am quite surprised the way I am reacting to New York. I initially thought I would have no problem. The area I am in is very touristy, so I think I am overwhelmed by all the other people that do not know where they are going...like me. Luckily my roommates know where they are going. My mom gave me this book called "Not For Tourist" it gives a description of each neighborhood....for my neighborhood it said "this is where you would take your family from Iowa." I didn't quite get it when i read the statement in STL Seeing the area today I completely understand it! This is the shopping district with many of the national chains. I think it will take some major getting used to, but I'm ready for the adjustment.
My roommate Liz and I went to Trader Joe's today. We walked into what we thought was Trader Joe's but it was the wine store of Trader Joe's...we didn't know where the food was. After buying our bottles of 2 Buck Chuck, the lady explained to us that in NY it is against the law to sell wine and food in the same place. It doesn't make sense though because they can sell beer with the wine. Therefore, TJ's had to buy another store for food two doors down. Quite confusing, but I guess it works for them. The food store was so crazy. I was once again overwhelmed. In St. Louis I can lesirely walk around the store and enjoy the process. In NY I had to make my purchasing decisions in 2.4 seconds.
All and all, New York has been an interesting adventure. It was hard saying goodbye this morning to my family, but i think we all know this summer is going to shape my professional future. I am so fortunate to have supportive family and friends. I miss you all!
As I sit here at my computer with the windows open I am starting to think about going to bed I am starting to realize how my life is really going to be different here. Beginning with sleep, it will be much different hearing all of the horns, traffic, sirens, and people from the 22nd floor compared to the silence of the North Elm in Breese in my peaceful bedroom. Here's to the start of this great new adventure with many new experiences to come.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments about my trip!
xox
-Sam
I am exhausted from all the packing/unpacking, birthday celebrations, Kate's graduation party and traveling. Robin and I's flight was delayed an hour this morning for about an hour. You may think it was because of the monsoon in St. Louis, but no, it was because of computer issues. I passed out on the plane, so I when I woke up an hour later and discovered we were still in STL I was quite confused...Oh well, we made it!
James's cousin Amy Gay and her sister-in-law Jenny Jenne picked us up at the airport and then brought me to my apartment. It was great not having to lug all of the baggage through the subway. That would have been horrible! After I dropped off my bags Robin, Jenny and I went to eat and then to Chinatown/Canal Street to look at all the fake purses. Wow. Was the an experience. We went to some of the sketchiest places. Up three flights of stairs, secret rooms in stores, it was nuts. There were some great looking fake Coach, Gucci, etc. purses. I can't wait to go back with Alicia, Katrina, and the Timmermann Family girls.
After leaving Jenny and Robin I kind of became overwhelmed. I had to get on the Subway myself and get back to the apartment. I am quite surprised the way I am reacting to New York. I initially thought I would have no problem. The area I am in is very touristy, so I think I am overwhelmed by all the other people that do not know where they are going...like me. Luckily my roommates know where they are going. My mom gave me this book called "Not For Tourist" it gives a description of each neighborhood....for my neighborhood it said "this is where you would take your family from Iowa." I didn't quite get it when i read the statement in STL Seeing the area today I completely understand it! This is the shopping district with many of the national chains. I think it will take some major getting used to, but I'm ready for the adjustment.
My roommate Liz and I went to Trader Joe's today. We walked into what we thought was Trader Joe's but it was the wine store of Trader Joe's...we didn't know where the food was. After buying our bottles of 2 Buck Chuck, the lady explained to us that in NY it is against the law to sell wine and food in the same place. It doesn't make sense though because they can sell beer with the wine. Therefore, TJ's had to buy another store for food two doors down. Quite confusing, but I guess it works for them. The food store was so crazy. I was once again overwhelmed. In St. Louis I can lesirely walk around the store and enjoy the process. In NY I had to make my purchasing decisions in 2.4 seconds.
All and all, New York has been an interesting adventure. It was hard saying goodbye this morning to my family, but i think we all know this summer is going to shape my professional future. I am so fortunate to have supportive family and friends. I miss you all!
As I sit here at my computer with the windows open I am starting to think about going to bed I am starting to realize how my life is really going to be different here. Beginning with sleep, it will be much different hearing all of the horns, traffic, sirens, and people from the 22nd floor compared to the silence of the North Elm in Breese in my peaceful bedroom. Here's to the start of this great new adventure with many new experiences to come.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments about my trip!
xox
-Sam
Sunday, May 25, 2008
almost time to leave!
Today I am trying to finish packing everything up. We have Kate's graduation party at 2pm. Robin is picking me up around 3:30am for our flight at 6am. I'll be in NYC by 9:30 and checking-in around 1pm. I am so excited, I can barely stand it!
So much to do, so little time...
So much to do, so little time...
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