Final Chapter

Some lovely pictures to start off the post:

I have less than a week before I leave NYC.  Even though some of the days were long, the weeks went by so fast.  Today is my last day of work at GK, which means mom comes tomorrow to visit :)  I'm very excited for her to come here and see the city with me.   It also means that I get to go home and see my family and friends!   I've missed everyone since being here.  

This last weekend, my friend Sam Anthony came up and visited me from Thur to Sun.  It was a long and enjoyable visit.  We did A LOT!  Saw the statue of liberty, walked around the financial district a bit, shopped in SOHO, ate lots of cupcakes, went to Moma, ate at Serendipity, visited the West Village, went to Times Sq and Rockefeller Center.  It was pretty tiring, but very fun.   

Saturday night we went to dinner at this restaurant in Soho with a group of her friends from studio.  It was in a little wine cellar and they could barely accommodate an 8 person table (there were about 5 tables total in cellar).   And of the 5 tables, one of them was reserved for a "rock star".   Of course we were all curious especially since we would be sitting right next to them.   Around 9:30, Counting Crows came in to eat there.   I don't listen to their music, but I recognized them because of the lead singer's hair, haha.  It's a cool thought that a group of friends were just out to dinner and a famous band decided to eat at the same place.  That's one of the excitements of NYC.  

Speaking of celebs, I went shopping on Monday in Soho for work.   I went to this really cute Japanese children's boutique.  It was really small, so just my co-workers, myself, and one other person was in the store.   That one other person just happened to be Kerry Russell!  For a minute I freaked out a bit at the irony of running into Kerry Russell right outside of NYU.   *Felicity fans will understand :)   She walked past me and said "excuse me" and I said "oh, sorry!" and she told me, "ohh, you're ok."   :sigh:  It was a beautiful moment in time.   But of course, trying to be a true NYer who doesn't care about such trivial things, I pretended like I had no idea who she was....that is until she left the store. :)   

Ok, I guess this is my last post from NYC.   It's been quite the adventure.  I think I'll keep this blog for updating about CO-OPs from here on.   It seems to be a good way of staying in touch with family and friends.  I wish you all the best for now!

Love you and miss you,

Sam

 

Another Week, Another Adventure

Hey! Here are a few pics to start off :)

That first two pics are from Rockefeller Plaza outside the Today show.  I happened to be up in that area last Wed. because I was at St. Patricks (down two blocks) in the morning.  I decided that I still had time before I had to get to work, so I stopped by the Today show and waved at the camera as Mom, Meg, and Finn watched back home :)   Mom was performing her motherly duties and taped it for all to see. ;)

The third picture is from when I went to the Guggenheim.  The building looks so out of place considering it's resting between Central Park and some historic apartment buildings. Nonetheless, it's a really cool building to gawk at! The museum itself was rather interesting.  The artwork rests on the walls as you walk up the spiral.  It was pretty wild.  

On the work front, last week was decent.   I remained busy for the entirety of the week, so that was exciting!  I've been working a lot in illustrator and working on technical sketches, so that's actually fun!  I also made a pattern last week for an infant toddler girl poncho.  It wasn't a legit pattern in the sense that it will be used for cutting fabric, but it was still something fun and different that I got to do!  

Even though this co-op isn't over, I can't help but think about where I'm going to be heading to this summer.  As a lot of you know, this co-op hasn't been the best for me.  It's taken it's toll on me in plenty of ways.  But in the end, it's one more experience to add to the list.  I pray  that I am able to stay in Cincy this summer.  It would just be so great to be with my family and friends.  But just because this is what I want, doesn't mean it's what's best for me.  I guess I'll have to wait and see what God has in store for me.  

Hmm, what else is there to share... 

I went to the Natural History museum Sunday :)  The cool thing about a lot of the museums here in NY is that most of them have "Suggested Donations".  This means that even though it says a student ticket is $11, you can get away with handing the cashier $2 ;)  But no worries, they get their money from all of their different exhibits in the museum.  For instance, the planetarium cost $16.50!!!  Honestly, I was more excited about going to the planetarium than the rest of the museum!  So my friends and I paid for that :) I hadn't been to one in so long!  The show that was playing was called "Cosmic Collisions" and it talked about how the earth became the way that it is now, how the moon evolved, and what the future holds for our galaxy.  It was really fascinating and scary all at the same time!  It was worth the $16.50 though.  After-all, that money is needed to pay Robert Redford for narrating the intriguing documentary. ;)

Yesterday, I helped give a baby shower for a co-worker!  It was so much fun.  We had food that people made, games (which the interns worked on :), and gifts.  It was so much fun, and my co-worker genuinely loved it.  She was so surprised and so grateful for it.  I think we all had a lovely time.  Who knew work could be so difficult :P

Well, this is where I'm gonna say goodbye tonight!  I'll post again soon!

A New Week

Sorry for the delay in posts! I've been pretty occupied with quite a few things...

Last week was a very busy week for me at work. I compiled a denim trend book for both newborn boys and girls. This was pretty stressful for many reasons, but now I am happy to say that the project is finished and it looks fairly good. This is going to be an awesome piece to add to my portfolio *with a few minor changes ;) The other cool thing is that people at OshKosh, Target, and Carters will be seeing the book I created!  That's rather exciting!!

Even though last week was a great learning experience, I am nearly confident when I say that I am not here in NYC for this job.  Of course, the job took me here, but this whole experience has been more about knowledge, growth, and understanding in life.  Twice this past weekend I felt judged.  Neither time was directed at me specifically, but at both Catholics and Caucasians. Never before in my life have I really felt like a minority.  It wasn't until moving here that I began to really understand what it means to be one of few in so many different demographics.    

On a different note...

As I mentioned before, my friend Sam came for a visit this past weekend.  I took Friday off of work so that I could spend the day with her and two other friends (Nick and Sarah).  It was such a great day.  We walked around Soho, the East Village, went to Chinatown for dumplings (8 for $3!!!), and of course got some lattes from a cute cafe on Mott st. Friday night the four of us went to Brooklyn to see Sam's brother (Keith) and his band play.  We also got some amazing pizza before the show.  I ate the largest slice of pizza that I've ever seen in my life!  It was so good!

Saturday was filled with walking...lots and lots of walking.  I met up with Sam, Keith, and his friend for some "authentic belgian fries" at Pommes frite ( www.pommesfrites.ws ).  I learned a lesson for us all that day....NEVER eat a regular batch of french fries from there by yourself.  It's simply way too much for one person.  After fries we went to Chinatown to get Vietnamese coffee (which is apparently coffee with sugar and condensed milk).  It tasted great and it was only .85 c for an 8oz cup.  Doesn't get any better than that.  Afterwards we walked the Williamsburg bridge to Brooklyn where we ate at a Mediterranean restaurant.  It was a cute little place and they served an awesome drink that was Lemonade made with Rose Water & mint.  I've been thinking of it ever since :)

Celebrity Spotting:

On Saturday I saw Heidi Klum outside of the tents for Fashion Week at Bryant Park.  And yes, she is every bit as beautiful in person!  On Sunday I saw Lucy Liu outside of the tents as well. Who doesn't love Fashion Week in NYC! 

Well, I  best be on my way!  Hopefully I'll update again soon.   I have so much to share :)  Until Next Time!

Times Square

At the moment, I'm sitting at a starbucks in Times Square. Things have been rather nice lately. This week at work I went to a vintage shop which is by appointment only. It was extremely organized and had an amazing selection of clothing from different eras. It was a lot of fun to be able to go there!

Other than that, there aren't too many things to report on right now. Yesterday I went out with a few friends to the J.P. Morgan Museum. While that may sound a bit dull, it was actually rather amazing. There was a library that housed 15,000 books! It was gorgeous, Megan--you would have loved it! There was also a gallery with Morgan's art collection. There were pieces from Degas, Pollock, Monet, OKeeffe, and plenty of others. That's definitely something that I love about NYC...all of the artwork. I can't help but laugh at myself over that. I use to despise museums. I found them so boring and I had no idea about art or design. It just shows you how someone can change!! ;)

From a food aspect, I've tried something new this week! I had korean food for the first time!! Actually, I had it twice in one week! It's fairly good, but it can be pretty spicy!!!! Haha. I had some squid without realizing it, so that was an adventure! But another positive thing that has resulted from all of this is that I can use chopsticks now!! This is a great accomplishment in mind. :)

Mom booked her ticket today to come and visit me in March! I'm so very excited! We're going to see the Statue of Liberty, go to the Met, and try to see a Broadway show! We're also trying to get tickets to see Regis and Kelly! :D ***Crosses Fingers*** Mom also informed me that I have about 58 days left. This co-op is flying by in comparison to my last one!

My friend Sam is coming up to visit the wknd of Valentines Day! That will be a lot of fun!!!! I'm not sure exactly what we will be doing just yet, but I know that her brother Keith is playing a show in Brooklyn and we'll be in attendance :)


Things have definitely turned around for me since being here, and I'm so glad to be where I am at this moment in time. For once, I'm finally soaking in the present and not worrying about the future. :)

Talk to you all soon.

Life's Not So Little Adventures

I know I haven't updated in a while, but I have a few good reasons! Well, mostly just one: my internet isn't working!! I'm writing this from Starbucks! It's frustrating all around, but hopefully the kinks will be worked out soon :)

I'm finally posting a few pictures! Sorry for the long wait!! I just didn't have many images truthfully! But this weekend was simply wonderful! I went out with a new friend from UC, one of her friends who also goes to UC, and his friend. I went to Chinatown for the first time and ate at a restaurant there. I tried lots of new things there!!! I had some kind of shrimp dumpling, fried tofu, some kind of green veggie, a sesame roll, a custard tart, and some lovely tea! It was a lot of fun to try all of these new things. I did resist a few things though... like chicken feet. I realized that I'm not that adventurous!

After Chinatown, the four of us went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was very excited to go here!! Let me just say that the Met is everything you imagine it to be and more! It took 4 hours to go through 1/2 of the museum. Needless to say, I'll be returning before I head home. :) Aside from the amazing artwork there, I had a fabulous time with these new found friends. Everything in NYC is so much better when you get to share it with someone else. I'm so fortunate to be getting to know some fellow UC students better while I'm here. These are friendships that I get to take back with me :)

As for my housing situation, I am all settled into the Webster Apartments! It's a great place to be for sure. I'm located on W. 34th st which is a perfect location I'm finding. I'm not too far from the bottom of Manhattan (makes for an easy trip to see the Statue of Liberty when it warms up a bit!), I'm less than ten blocks from Time Square, I'm on the same st as the Empire State building, I can walk to Bryant Park and the midtown Manhattan Library, and I'm only 25 mins away from work!

Speaking of work, I got to go to NJ on Friday! It was pretty exciting. My supervisor and I took the Path train over and went to Target to go shopping. That was a lot of fun :D Work is getting better for me. The people are so kind, and everything is so laid back. Lets just hope I get to do more design work!

Well, it's about dinner time for me here! So I best be going, but I'll leave you with a few images :)

Miss you all

The New York Dream?

Today, people of all ages seem to make their way to New York City. Even during the early 1900s, the Titanic made an effort to reach the great city of New York. Everybody comes here in hopes to get something out of the city that they somehow hadn't miraculous obtained elsewhere. So what is so magical about this skyscraper city? Why do people from all over the world feel drawn to make a voyage to NYC? If I find out, I'll let you know.

It's been a week now since I've moved here, yet it feels like it's been a month. I moved out of the original apartment I moved into, started work, and best of all, have been sick. Let's start with the apartment.

First of all, the bedroom I was in was about 10 x 10 ft. No joke. and somehow I was expected to share this doorless "bedroom" with another girl from UC. The powder room was barely big enough to dust your nose, the dog that was living in the apartment was trying to eat my food and enjoyed releasing various things from its body onto my "bedroom" and kitchen floors, and the apartment was in one nasty location (we can just leave it at that). I guess I am just high maintenance. I know that NY apartments are notorious for being small and delicate, but maybe I'm just not cut out for the typical NYC apartment. All I ask for is cleanliness and some form of personal space. Is that asking a lot? Maybe it is, I don't know. Anywho, now I'm staying at the Pod Hotel on E. 51st st. I have my own little room and share a bathroom with the rest of the floor. There are lots of youngins here and plenty of accents to go around. *Shout out to my mom for finding this stellar deal ;). However, my housing adventure doesn't end here. I'll be making one more transition next wed. as I move into the Webster Apartments on W. 34th st. Webster is pretty much an all female dorm with single rooms for all. One of the other interns at Osh Kosh raves about the Webster and claims the food they serve you isn't too shabby. Sounds good enough for me :)

Second, I started work this week. It's super laid back and it's everything you imagine it to be. Osh Kosh is on Broadyway ave in SoHo (Which I love!). It's in an open loft with hardwood floors, green walls, and racks of baby clothing as far as the eye can see ;) For those of you slightly unsure about what I actually do, I'm a technical design intern for Genuine Kids--Osh Kosh. Genuine Kids is a line of Osh Kosh's that is only sold in Target stores. I work on both the boys and girls lines for GK. It seems like I'll be working a lot in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop which is pretty exciting!!! I'll be doing sketches on the computer and making technical flat drawings of garments to send out to manufacturers. I even get to use a wacom tablet, which I actually love!!! Other perks about the job: Get to wear Jeans, don't start work until 9:30, there's a nice kitchen for making waffles for breakfast, and Dean and Deluca is just down the street :P

Third, I've been sick for half this week. Not just a manageable "I have a cold" sick. More like the "hey, I'm not going to work for 2.5 days" sick. I'm not a 100% sure what I have, but it's either the flu or strep. Let's just hope the antibiotics work, because I haven't gotten to explore too much of NYC yet! I guess I have a few months to do that tho. Patience is a virtue, right?

i hope this post doesn't sound like a complaint. This week has been a challenge for sure, but I have faith that things are starting to turn around. I'm so fortunate to be here right now and experience a new environment on my own. Yes, it's a bit scary, but this is sure to be a growing experience. One more thought before I leave you: Thank you to everybody that helped me in my search for housing. I have a great family and amazing friends that really stood by my side and threw lots of ideas my way. (Esp Mom, Dad, Meg, Brian, Amanda, Mike, Melissa, Sam V, Keith, Rich, Mike C, Rachel, and anybody else I left out!!).

**I'll post pictures soon!!!

Ok, that was a long post, hope I didn't bore you!

-Sam

New York City

I thought keeping a blog would be a good way to keep my friends and family posted on my adventures. Currently, I just moved to NYC for three months. I'm living in the east village and working in SoHo for Osh Kosh. I start the job tomorrow, but so much has happened in these past two days. I moved here Friday, January 2nd and after a long day of traveling and NY mayhem, i passed out for a nice and long "nap". Upon waking up on Saturday, I realized that I was foodless, and journeyed to Jungle Jims with my apartment-mate Kevin. It was a first experience for both of us. People shoving each other out of the way for sourdough bread and enjoying goat cheese samples while waiting in the 15 minute check out line that wrapped around the store. It was practically an amusement park for the food-challenged.
Later that day, I had my first subway experience as Kevin and I headed to Rockefeller Plaza to see the glamorous New York Christmas Tree. If any of you have watched the lighting of this Christmas tree in the past, you know all of the hype that goes on surrounding this tree. Therefore, I naturally expected the Christmas tree to be as tall as its surrounding skyscrapers, or at least taller than a Red Oak. But unfortunately, it wasn't even knee high to a grasshopper. I paused when I saw it and said to myself, "This surely cannot be THE tree." But of course, it really was the tree. And, Nestled on top of it was a glorious Swarovski Crystal Star. That was quite a beautiful sight in itself.

Next to the tree was the much talked about Rockefeller Plaza Skating Rink. If I talked to you before leaving, I probably told you how I wanted to go ice-skating here. Then reality hit as I noticed that it costs $30, yes you read that right, $30 to go ice-skating. However, I wasn't too heart broken about this. It turns out the rink is about as big as the one in downtown Cincinnati. However, I did get to see where the Today show is filmed! That was exciting. and I saw THE Saks Fifth Avenue. That was rather exciting :)

While in midtown NYC, I caught a glimpse of Times Square, but I didn't get a chance to walk around it (dinner was almost ready back at the apartment), so I have to save that for another day! BUT, I did happen to stumble upon Magnolia's Bakery. So I made sure to get a famous cupcake from them!!!! And before I walked into the yummy bakery, I sang out loud some lyrics from "Lazy Sunday" http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/chronicles-of-narnia-lazy-sunday/2921/ :

Two! No, Six! No, Twelve! Baker’s Dozen!
I told’ja that I’m crazy for these cupcakes, cousin!


I patiently waited in line, not knowing what to expect. And then the moment arrived when I realized that Magnolia's bakery offered two different kinds of scrumptious cupcakes: vanilla and chocolate. I knew right then that Vanilla was the key to happiness. And let me just tell you, that was quite possibly the best $ 2.80 cupcake I've ever tasted. And my, my, was it worth it. So if any of you come and visit me in this big 'ole city, we shall venture together to the tasty world of Magnolia Bakery.

Until Next Time..,