Sunday, July 17, 2011
Today was pretty low key but still fun. We decided not to sign up for any of the day activities. Instead we wandered around the “home area” (Union Square and Washington Square area). We went to Max Brenner for lunch and later shopping. My roommate, Laurel, and I are both obsessed with book stores and in Union Square there is a 4 (or 5) story Barnes & Noble! A lot of time was spent in there. There were so many books I wanted to buy, particularly European history books. I only ended up buying one, the biography of Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser. I’ll buy the rest online! These past weeks we have been students at NYU so of course we needed to go to the NYU bookstore and buy some swag! Unfortunately, every piece of clothing I liked didn’t have my size in stock. We also tried out a cupcake shop in the area called Crumbs. I bought a plain chocolate icing and white batter, it was yummy! The day was concluded with a pizza party with the other students.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
My co-worker, Stefanie, and I were given the afternoon off of work, so at 1pm we decided to wander around the city. Seeing as we are restricted to the “home area” when not on group outings or at work, we took advantage of the time we had off - to shop for gifts. Our offices were a 10 minute walk away from Times Square, so that’s where we headed. First we went to a souvenir shop in Times Square. Then we walked through the Square to the Rockefeller Plaza, where we went to the NHL and NBC store. It was extremely hot, so we headed back to the dorms for a quick break and some lunch. Then we were out again! Just outside of our home area is Christopher St. Its a street with cute little boutiques. I heard of a vintage boutique (Claudine) on that street so we went looking for it. Turns out, it’s no longer there - or we are blind. Instead we checked out some other boutiques. I walked into Albertine General and to my surprise, had my first and only celebrity spotting. In the boutique was the personal shopper and Liv Tyler! I didn’t want to ruin her peace so I didn’t say anything, I just looked at the clothes in the store. The clothes were really cute but as I checked the price tags I slowly put them back. Really expensive, something an actor could afford though! As we walked out of the store I told Stefanie, she didn’t even notice! Funny thing is, when I arrived in New York I watched a couple of Chelsea Lately interviews, one being Liv Tyler. Later that night we had class, the final class!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Fun day! On Tuesday, Stefanie and I were told that we didn’t have to go to work on Wednesday. Normally, if we didn’t have work we would need stay in the “home area”, however, we’ve been itching to go to SoHo and explore. So, the rebels we are signed out as if we were going to work and headed off for our “day of adventure”. We took the subway downtown, arriving on Prince Street. Walking out of the subway, seeing SoHo, and knowing I had the freedom to wander around and explore was amazing. I don’t know about you, but SoHo kind of feels like the Europe of New York to me. It has an individuality to it that’s enjoyable to walk through. I knew going there I wasn’t going on a shopping spree, but regardless, browsing around is just as fun! We wandered around and went into a couple boutiques. One of the boutiques was LF. We were only in there shortly because if was really expensive, but boy did I love those clothes! While walking we cam across the store DASH. It’s the store the Kardashians own (there was a TV series of them coming to New York to open it). I went in and asked if I could take pictures, they said yes, but not of the merchandise. While taking a photo at the logo in the front of the store we chatted with the door man. He ended up giving us his card telling us he has connections in New York to the best hot spots. I’m not sure how sincere it was, but it’s pretty cool. After a couple more shops, we left SoHo taking the subway up to 23rd street. In Madison Square park is the Shake Shack. We had both heard amazing things about the burger and milkshake place, so it was obvious that we had to try it out. The location, being in the park, was great. I ordered the Shack Burger and it was the best burger I’ve ever eaten! After that, we headed back to the dorms. Later that night we had a small group outing to the Upper Eastside to 16 Handles - a.k.a. the most amazing frozen yogurt shop! Everything is self-serve and there are numerous toppings and yogurt flavours. It was extremely delicious! The actual restaurant was super cool too. There were colourful lights and places to sit; somewhat like a club. It ended up being a really fun day; not to mention we didn’t get caught!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Later that night, around 8pm, my three roommates and I went to Max Brenner for dinner/dessert. Max Brenner is a specialty chocolate restaurant. All though they offer regular meals, they are best known for their sweets. Ever wonder what a chocolate pizza tastes like? The four of us split the fondue for two; we had heard great things about it. It came with two chocolate dipping sauces, fruit, marshmallows (with a fire to roast them on), brownies, and cookie chunks. It was delicious. While we were contemplating ordering more fondue or some lava cake, the feeling of complete fullness and bloating kicked in. Fondue for two was plenty for four! I really recommend Max Brenner for all you chocolate lovers!
Friday, July 22, 2011
The final day. After a short day of work, I headed home to the dorms to chillax and pack/clean some more. Around 7pm, the four of us roommates (Laurel, Meredith, Cristi, and I) went to dinner with Meredith’s parents at Haru, a Japanese restaurant in Union Square. The spring rolls were delicious! After a nice meal, we rushed back to the dorm for room inspection. Nine o’clock quickly arrived. Everyone headed over to the Palladium for the talent show and the surprise. To be honest I was expecting the talent show to be a bust, but it was good. The MC was a really funny Italian boy, so it was quite entertaining. To conclude the talent show there was a slide show of our four weeks accompanied by New York inspired songs; you know Empire State of Mind was one of them! Now every time I hear the song Good Life by One Republic I remember my experience in New York and I miss it. The surprise at the end was a dance party, which is what I was hoping for all along. I had so much fun dancing the night away on Casino Night and I was excited to do it again. We stayed until midnight then headed back to the dorms. I had many goodbyes to say, which was really sad. The odds that I will see everyone again is, well extremely unlikely. I do hope that I get to see those who I became good friends with again. If all else fails, there is Skype! My roommate Laurel was leaving for the airport at 4:45am so we both stayed up and hung out until then. When she left I went to sleep. I couldn’t believe it was all over, being in the empty room was really weird. I didn’t leave for the airport until noon.
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