The Great Flood of '08!

So, Sunday night was rather interesting... Laura and I have been on a scary movie binge lately, and on Sunday night we decided we would watch Stephen King's "It". Apparently, the movie is in two parts and (as most works of Stephen King) was about three hours long. So, we finished the movie about one in the morning. Laura had to print some sheet music for school so I accompanied her to the basement to do so.

A couple of our housemates were downstairs watching TV and hanging out, so we chatted with them a bit after Laura printed her music. While we were in mid conversation, water started trickling through the basement ceiling- then showered- and then POURED into the basement! It all happened to suddenly, there was almost 2 inches of water on the floor by the time we got out of the basement.

To add to the occasion, the water running through the ceiling triggered the fire alarm. SO at 1:30 am our house had to file out in the freezing cold as we waited for the Fire Department to show up and clear the house. On top of all this, our residence manager is out of own this week- so the RA's had to deal with a flooded house and fire alarm on their first night without the RM.

So, to stop the torrential rains in our basement we had to shut off the water- COMPLETELY. So, I went to Penn Station... to brush my teeth. Quite an adventure.

In other news, Christmas decorations are popping up over the city:

Oh, and by the way- the water is back on!

Until next time! Hopefully it will be a drier post...

Journey to the Frigid North!!

I was lucky enough to get off work a few hours early last Monday- so I decided I would finally explore the northern parts of Central Park. As you may have guessed, given this post's title, it was quite cold in the Big Apple. But I didn't let that deter me from my explorations!

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to walk through the park!

Weren't the colors great?

A nice shot of the city overlooking the northern end of the reservoir. Ah, I could've just stood right there forever- or at least until I dies of hypothermia.

There was also a very nice pond toward the northern end of the park. I was hoping to go exploring even further, but it started to get dark... I have seen Home Alone 2 enough times to know not to be in Central Park at night! So, hopefully within the next few days/weeks I will venture farther north and have another Central Park blog!

P.S. Amazed that I didn't mention what food I have eaten in this post?

NYC Election Madness!!

This has really been a great semester in New York. I have been lucky enough to be here during the election. For those of you who have been watching SNL can understand how incredible my time has been!

On Monday (the day before the election) I left work to see that Rockefeller Center had been decorated for the next day's activities. This was where NBC News would be broadcasting its live election coverage. There was a catwalk-like pathway running along he building and red, white and blue lights were lighting up the building.

The next evening, on election Tuesday, Julie and I decided we would go and check out Times Square. I was surprised, at first, that it didn't really seem that crowded. However, there were definitely many heavily crowded pockets of people watching the various screens covering the election results. After a quick stop at the Patriotic McDonald's , we crossed to the center of Times Square to watch the CNN coverage being broadcast. We were crowded in with a bunch of tourists and New Yorkers watching as the electoral votes came in. Whenever Obama took a state, the entire crowd cheered like no other! Obviously, New York voted Obama- although Staten Island voted McCain!




Anyway, it was getting late so Julie and I decided we would go back... naturally, if we had stayed only about ten minutes longer we would have been in Times Square when Obama won the election!! Just missed it by TEN MINUTES!!!... story of my life...

From My Past Zoo Trip

I thought I would upload a video from my last trip to the zoo.

Enjoy!

The Joint WOs HOPping!

So, yesterday, Sunday, Julie and I decided we were going to venture into Chinatown! I had been down there twice before. Once when I went to visit the city in May, and a few weeks ago I went to find somewhere to eat with Laura. Needless to say, we got lost and never found a place to eat.

We left around 3 in the afternoon, becuase we had to recover from the night before, and headed down the yellow line to Canal Street. Luckily Julie had researched our route in the morning, so we got there very efficiently. It was only going to be a matter of time until people realized I really shouldn't be truted with directions. I don't have that great of a track record in that department.

Canal Street was our first target for the day. It was jam-packed with crowded souvenier shops, filled with knock-off purses, pashminas, creepy little dolls singing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" with a heavy Chinese accent, and people yelling at me to buy their "sunglass". Julie did end up buying a pair of black "sunglass", after debating between the lime green and fire-engine red pair.

The problem with Canal Street, aside from being crowded, was that all the shops sold the same items- and you couldn't look at anything without someone trying to squeeze it in your hand while fishing your wallet out of your pocket. So, we decided to explore another street.



After turning off of Canal Street, the crowds suddenly dissipated and it was much quieter and calmer than before. After a quick stop inside a deli to refuel, we discovered two more upscale Chinese stores. The first one we went into had a very interesting assortment of goods. There was a table with various pens, notepads, staplers, holes punchers and the sort. It also had bedding, cd players, memory foam pillows and very androgynous clothing.

The store next door was rather exciting. It remnded me a lot of Ikea- minues the strange Swedish names gien to all the furniture. It was also a lot more colorful than most of the Ikeas I had been to. Their wares looked like they would fit in nicely into a tastfully modern Manhattan apartment.

Julie and I each had some luck in this store. I found a desk that I really liked and one of the saleswomen offered to give me a print out with its information. I'm afraid that the shipping cost to Michigan will be greater than the price of the desk! Julie bought a very colorful plate decorated with the word "Yum", and a glass reading "Drink it up!". Quite amusing.

We were rather pooped after our two hours of walking and decided that we wanted to find somewhere to eat. Speedy, who works with us at SNL, at recommended a Chinese retaurant on Mott Street called "Wo Hop". He told us that it was located in the basement of a building, it's been around since 1938- and that the floors probably haven't been cleaned since then! Sounds rather intriguing, doesn't it?

So, with Julie leading the way, we easily found our way to Wo Hop on 17 Mott Street (this is not to be confused with the Wo Hop at 15 Mott Street, because that one is not nearly as good as number 17). We go to the staircase leading undergorund to find a ten person line waiting to enter this hole-in-the-wall.

As we were waiting in line, I sent a text message to Speedy letting him know where we were. He called me almost immediately afterwards with recommendations of what to get.



Shortly after, we were lead into a small room covered with various headshots of people who have visited the restaurant. Julie and I both ordered wonton soup (one of Speedy's recommendations), Julie had Shrimp Chowfun (another Speedy favorite) and I had Sweet and Pungent Chicken.... I was really hoping that they meant Sweet and Sour Chicken- because, last time I check, "pungent" meant "smelly".

Luckily, it was Sweet and Sour- and it was delicious! Speedy was right. This was GREAT FOOD! (Yes, I do realize all my blogs mention food). The Wonton Soup was excellent too! Julie's Chowfun was great. I'd never had it before. It was a noodle dish, but what was interesting was that the noodles had a texture very similar to crepes! But seriously, Wo Hop was great! Definitely going back there soon!

On our way back to the subway, we stopped by a Chinese cnady shop. There were a ton of brightly colored candies wrapped in bright packaging with fun symbols on them. So we each bought a few to try... Apparently, the Chinese do not use sugar in their candy... and you can tell! We tried these mini-yogurt cups that were filled with what seemed to be jello.... let's just say if I ever had to imagine what pee tasted like.... I would think it would come close to that.....

So goes another day in New York City!

Check back soon!

Weekend with Molly

Molly came and visited me over Fall Break, and we did a whirlwind tour of (some of) Manhattan!

I picked her up a week ago Friday from Laguardia Airport, after quite some trouble getting there... We took a cab into the city and went out for sushi a few blocks away from the house.

Saturday we spent most of the day exploring Times Square and wandering up Fifth Avenue. I think we made it into almost every clothing store there was in Midtown!

We started our day in Macy's, the largest store in the world! Then wandered up to Times Square and along Fifth Avenue.

That night, we had tickets to see Spring Awakening. So we checked out zagat.com to find a restaurant near our show. We ended up at a very nice Italian place, which got high Zagat ratings for their food and service. As soon as we arrived, they asked us if we were trying to make a show and at what time it started. We got in and out with plenty of time to spare!
We go to the theatre, which was about three blocks from our restaurant and found our seats- which were at he very back of the theatre... Luckily, the theatre was not very deep so we still had a great view!

The show was rather different from what I expected. The stage had some seating around the sides and it was decorated in a very urban style. The time period was also somewhat mystical. "Stereos" were mentioned in the show... but in one of the scenes, students wrote on individual chalkboards they kept under their desks..... on top of that, for those who are not very familiar with the show, all of the music was of the rock genre. Though it all fit together superbly. I an definitely see why it won all its Tonys!
On Sunday we moved into the hotel, which was about 15 blocks south, in the heart of Chelsea. We then ventured down to the South Street Seaport. We paroozed a lot of the shops in the area and I was rather successful in the Express store in the shopping mall. I jokingly pointed out a black and white tracksuit, but Molly said she liked the blue and white one.... and so did I. It was a little different than most of the clothes I own- but I really like it.



That nigh, we met up with Laura and Julie and ventured to Pinkberry. Molly had the same creation I tried my first time- and she HATED it.... haha. So, we then tried Red Mango, which was two doors down. While this was better, it wasn't quite ice cream.

On Monday I took Molly to show her where I work. She got to meet Mel and Brian, who were the only ones in the office that morning. We then took a tour of the studio hoping Lenny would be in by the time we came back.

I showed her around our floor, then took her down and showed her the SNL studio. Unfortunately it was VERY empty on a monday, so there wasn't a whole lot to see.

After a quick stop at the NBC Store, we head back up to the office. Sadly, Lenny hasn't come in yet. So, we go down to the concourse with Brian and get some lunch at Cucina.

The rest of the afternoon we spend seeing more of Fifth Avenue and we take a carriage ride through central park. I thought it was kind of funny that our driver was on his cell phone while giving us the tour....

We then went into Saks Fifth Avenue and ended up in the very expensive clothing section... with sweaters for $400....

That night we ate at a great mediterranean restaurant. It was in Chelsea again. We got to sit outside along one of the side streets, which was really nice.

We then met Julie to get some Tasti-D-Lite, which, while not being ice cream, was still very good.

On our last day we walked around Chelsea. We found a great grocery store that was set up inside a great old building. It looked almost like an old bank building.

After a few more hours walking thourgh Chelsea, and a great sushi lunch, it was time to take molly back to the airport. :-( Even though it was only a short time, we still were able to see a lot and we both had a great time!

Who wants a souvenir from here?

I snapped this picture while on the bus on the way to the to airport to pick up Molly. I will post soon about our weekend... once I have all the photos on my computer!

Something funny I'd forgotten to mention....

Before I begin to tell you about this funny excerpt, I am going to have to tell you about one of the perks of interning for SNL. Since we do have quite a few late nights, for example- every Saturday, NBC wants to make sure that we get home safely (and not get mugged/murdered). So, we have access to a car service, Minute Men, which picks us up in Lincoln Towncars and drives us to where we need to go. I have taken this service home a few times when I have been a wok late, or dropping off/picking up instruments for repair. Anyway, to my story...

After the show this past Saturday, we were invited to an "intern after party" by Matt, one of he interns for the research department. So, after the show wrapped, Brian and I (Julie was still home sick) ventured off to find the Lower East side. We were supposed to take the F-train to... 14th street?- I don't remember. The point is that the train we got on did not stop where we needed it to. So, we ended up about 10 blocks too far south. So we go on the same train in the opposite direction... though this time it did stop at our stop (this still makes no sense to me).

From our stop we were supposed to take the L-train to the east. Conveniently, this station had signs that showed the time remaining until the next train is to arrive. The next L-train was not scheduled to arrive for another 20 minutes... it was already almost 3 in the morning by the time we had arrived at this station. For those of you who don't know, Saturdays we arrive to work at 11 am and don't leave until about 1:30 the next morning, we spend most of the time on our feet. That's over 14 hours of standing- which can be very tiring... So, we decided we would call it a day and just go home to sleep.

So, as we were leaving he platform to go home, Brian seems to be heading toward another train while I am going toward the exit to the street. I call down to Brian "Are you taking the subway home, or do you want to take the car service?". He replies "Yes, let's take the car service". As we make our exchange, another patron of the subway walks by and looks at us and, in quite a mocking tone, calls to us "Yes, of course! Take the car service, just like royalty"!

I could tell that the man was joking, but it was still extremely awkward. I hadn't thought about what I was saying... as much as I hate to admit it, having the car service had sort of become normal to me- I didn't realize what it must sound like to other people overhearing us talk about it..... I'm gonna have to think of some more tactful way of referencing Minute Men in public...

The Korean Food Diet

I have discovered a great diet that will guarantee anyone to lose weight! Whenever you get hungry, go to a Korean restaurant and order Bi Bim Bob! You will be guaranteed to be so grossed out that you will be turned off of food forever!

So, the Pinkberry nearest our house is in the Korean district. Aside from the Pinkberry (and a Red Mango) there are several "Korean Barbecues". Julie, Laura and I decided we would check out what these are.

The concept is similar to that of Fondue. You pay extra to have your waiter bring raw food to your table only to cook it yourself. However, this type of food is prepared at a table-side barbecue. We decided that it was a little too expensive and just ordered from the "Korean Entree" menu. Laura ordered dumplings (a very smart move), while Julie and I decided to be more adventurous and try the "Bi Bim Bob".

As a starter, the waiter brought us about ten small dishes with differently colored and shaped items. I believe it was some kind of mixture of meat and vegetables... but the strange thing was- all of it was served cold!... hmmm....



While the Bi Bim Bob looked good in the picture on the menu... in person it pretty much was a mess in a bowl. It consisted of various shredded vegetables and hamburger meat in a bowl... and surprise, surprise- it was cold too! On top of that, it was served with a small side dish of rice, which was the only edible part of dinner. Another waitress came by and, in her broken English, told us we were supposed to mix the rice with the rest of our meal....

... Clearly, we were not going to do that- we were not going to ruin the only edible part of the meal....

So, after what felt like an eternity, the waiter came and cleared our (full) plates. Just as we were making our escape, on of the other waiters dropped his tray and splattered some sort reddish-orange sauce all over her (favorite) pants. Clearly, we are not rushing to get back to that restaurant.



Anyway, on a brighter note, I wen to the Central Park Zoo this morning. While it was much smaller than I expected- the animals were very active. I managed to snap this great picture of two polar bears underwater. I also got some great video of them plaing around in the water... hopefully I'll get that on Youtube soon!

Asian Fusion Altoid Tins

Wednesdays have become our weekly pot-luck days, for us three music interns. We have decided that every week we'd each make a dish to bring in and share. September 24th was our first pot luck. We ended up with various assortments of dip and microwaved s'mores. It seemed that these dishes loosely fell under the category of hors d'oeuvres. So, we thought it would be fun to have themes for each of our potlucks. The nest week was to be Asian food.

On our way home from Pinkberry one night, Laura, Julie and I stumbled across a Korean Supermarket where I found "Sweet Korean Pancake" mix. That sounded like a good idea. So, on Tuesday night I set up a space in the kitchen. While the instructions on the box were in broken English... the labels for all the packages of mix were in Korean... so I had no idea which one was flour and which was yeast etc... There was also a mytery package which turned my dough green. (I later found out that I had purchased "Green Tea" pancake mix).

So, my batch was far from perfect:



I brought it down to the third floor kitchen, where Julie was cooking. The first thing she does when she sees my pancakes is laugh, uncontrolably. She does brave one and give it a taste. They taste half-way decent, just look like cinder. So, to make a long-story short, I headed out to Gristedes (grocery store) and bought cool whip, chocolate chips and cherries.



Surprisingly, Julie and Brian ate my concotion. Needless to say, Julie is home sick for the second day in a row. Is this because of my food? Or a strange coincidence? You decide!

The eve' of our potluck, the three of us went to see Ben Folds perform at Terminal 5. The concert was INCREDIBLE! He performed quite a few songs from his new CD, "Way To Normal". One of the highlights of the concert was his prepared piano piece, "Free Coffee". He placed Altoid tins in hs piano, creating a very unique sound. I thought that the guy playing synths was accompanying him.... but it was in fact the prepped piano!



Missy Higgins, an Australian singer/songwriter, opened for him. She did well... but I thought a lot of her music sounded the same to me. There were several parts in her songs that were incredibly beautiful- then she began to whine and moan into the microphone, completely killing the mood. Shame.

On another, completely random note (since it was a completely random encounter). I was walking through Times Square tthis morning and saw a Netflix promotional tent set up. I went to get a closer look, and saw this man....

Take Me Out To The... Press Box!?!

So, today was a very exciting day! It all started last night after the show...

... Brian's hairdresser from home is married to a former New York Mets player and they had gotten tickets to the SNL dress rehearsal. Brian told me and Julie that they may be able to get us tickets for the Mets game he next day, if we were interested in going. So, we decided to go!

Julie and I took the train to Shea Stadium in Queens. It was sprinkling when we left 305... but by the time we got to the stadium it was pouring! So, while we waited for Brian to show up we ducked into the Mets souvenir tent. We wandered around five tables of random overpriced clothes, toys and baby bottles with Mets logos on them. I was very entertained by a dancing figurine of Mr. Met (their mascot) that played Smash Mouth's "All Star".



So, Brian showed up and we tried to find the will call ticket line. After waiting for about fifteen minutes in the rain, we got tickets which read "Press" where the section and row should have been printed... which was interesting. So, after some wandering around and getting directions from several security officers we were escorted (yes, escorted) to... the PRESS BOX! It was AMAZING!

There were lots of big round tables set up with tablecloths and floral centerpieces. There were tables and tables of food- shrimp, Nathan's hot dogs, pasta bar, chocolate fountain- it was pretty amazing.





The game itself was pretty incredible. The Mets were playing the Marlins from Florida. This game was being played for the Pennan, which would get one of these teams one step closer to the World Series... so a lot was riding on this game. If they were to win, they would be getting closer to the Series and would play a few more games at Shea. But if they were to lose... that would be the last game to be played at Shea Stadium. They are in the process of finishing a new stadium to be opened this coming spring. So... we would either see the home team get closer to the world championships... or be witness to the last game ever played at Shea Stadum.

Unfortunately, he Mets lost the game. However, this meant that the "Shea Goodbye" ceremony (clever, huh?) would take place. Many of the Mets alums were called to the field to tumultuous applause... most of the people I had never heard of... but some names I had heard once upon a blue moon. Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza (always makes me think of Pizza), and... some others who I have sine forgotten.

They also honored some of the crew who have been a part of the Shae's history, and then had each of the players touch home base for one last time. hey concluded with a fireworks display and people started to disperse.

We were afraid that we would be swamped on the subway, but were lucky enough to have quite enough space on our car. We went back to Chevy's for dinner, where Julie and I ventured to on our very first night in New York... Then Julie and I paid a visit to our dear friend Duane Reed on the way home.

So, in conclusion, given that it rained a lot today, I think it would be safe to say it was a very good day after all. And now, off ot a good nigh of sleep!

Flying Metal Deathtraps to Wingardium Leviosa!

So... let me see what has gone on in these past.... 2 and a half weeks?

This past Sunday we all (Laura, Julie, Brian and I) went to Coney Island... well, we left late in the afternoon because the night before we had the SNL broadcast... and got back home at about 3am...

.... SO, twelve hours later we took the Q subway line for about a good hour to Coney Island, on the southern side of Brooklynn. After getting off the subway we ventured toward the piers.

The first thing we experienced at Coney Island was the Wonder Wheel at Deno's amussement park. The Wonder Wheel is far more than just an ordinary Ferris Wheel. Apart from going round in big circles (which it does), each carriage is hung from its own smaller circle within the wheel. Therefore, when you reach a certain altitude, your carriage is swung violently back and forth as it tries to regain its center of gravity! (See video below) Sounds great, huh?...

.... Laura didn't think so. So she watched as Julie, Brian and I climbed onto the Wonder Wheel. It was actually pretty terrifying. Even though we were inside a fenced-in cart, you could see it was a loooong way down. The first time the car swung (we were thrown back and forth about four times during the ride) I was second-guessing this being a good idea. But the more it went, the more fun it became. And we had spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean... nicely contrasting to the old dump that Deno's was built next to.


We all survived the ride and met up again with Laura. I very much wanted to go on the Spook-A-Rama haunted house ride. But no one would go with me... we all agreed that the people operated the ride were what made it scary... really, you should have seen them.

After mingling our way through the whining six-year olds in the kiddie park, we emerged on the actual boardwalk along the sea. We decided it was an ice cream/elephant ear break. So, we all got a snack and found a cozy spot along the beach to have a mid-afternoon snack.


We walked up the beach a little further before turning around and heading back toward the main strip. We stumbled across the "Irish Festival" which involved a lot of people drinking (and smelling of) beer and a U2 cover band.... and that was about it.









Anyway, it was time for dinner. We ended up going to a place that Melanie had recommended, 'inoteca. It was located in the East Village and served Tapas-style Italian food. Laura did not want to share (jk), so Biran, Julie and I had lasagne, the calamari salad, prosciutto finger sandwiches and the house special egg toast (which was delicious, just don't ask Julie about it!).

Afterwards we ventured a few blocks and subway lines to find Chickaliscious, a dessert bar! They had a large assortment of cupcakes, pudddings, shakes- anything and everything dessert related! I highly recomend it!

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful. Work has been going well, but I cannot talk a lot about it- so you'll have to watch the show on Saturday (am I plugging it too much?).

Today, however, I was free until 5. Originally, Laura and I were going to go to the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art), but we were to cheap to pay the $20 entry fee. So we thought we'd explore the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I pulled out my trusty Not For Tourists Guide and found us a subway route- and off we went!

It seems I should pay closer attention to details from time to time- especially when travelling. We ended up in Queens, which, for those of you who don't know, is on the other side of the river. So, after some debating on what to do next we decided we would go above ground and see Queens...

.... A laundromat, fried chicken express and lots of fog....

.... So back onto the subway in the opposite direction. At least we can say we;ve seen Queens!

We got off at Lexington Avenue and proceeded to go north. We didn't have a specific goal in mind, so we just wandered. We eventually turned East and headed down 3rd Avenue- where we found Dylan's Candy Bar! My cousin Amainda had recomended it to me, but had no idea where it was. So, naturally, we had to go in.

I felt like I had stepped into the world of Willy Wonka. There was candy EVERYWHERE! They had a huge pick and mix counter, candy bars, clothes, toys (all candy themed, of course), licorice, etc... There were 3 floors of PURE SUGAR! Even the stairs were decorated to look like candy.

On the third floor they had an actual cnady BAR. Similar in concept to Chickalicious- they had tons and tons of desserts. Cupcakes, cakes, ice cream- I definitely need to make a retunr trip here sometime soon!

After the sugar rush, we slowly headed back West. As we were walking down Madison Avenue, Laura spotted FAO Schwartz. Naturally we had to go in.

I felt like I was 5 years old again. I remember going into he store when I was in NEw York City in... 1994(?), so I would have been about 6 years old.

It was a little overwhelming. I hadn't really remembered how big it was.

They had a Harry Potter section which sold clothes/costumes, wands, etc... based on the books. It was all decorated to look just like the books- it was soo exciting! I never wanted to leave! So, I entertained myself there while Laura went to try out the "style your own barbie" toy. It was quite exciting.

So... that's been about it... Tomorrow's another show, so I will be on my feet for another 14 hours! But it should be fun!!

It's a breath of fresh air!

So, wow- it's been a while since my last post... let's see if I can remember all I have done since the 6th.

Well, the 7th was pretty much a repeat of the 6th for the most part... except that the evening was faaaar more interesting!

After work Julie, Brian and I headed back toward our house for dinner. We ate at the Chelsea.... something or the other. It reminded me a lot of Big Boy, minus the obese figurine at the door. Anyway, I'd say that the highlight of dinner was Julie's beverage.... which was only water. We all had water with our dinner- but Julie was lucky enough to get something extra! Her water had.... pulp...? in it.... It seemed to resemble backwash- though she hadn't had a drink from her glass yet. Calling it a water smoothie made it seem somewhat more bearable.

Anyway, after dinner, Julie had to go meet with her advisor for her other internship with the magazine the Brooklyn Rail. So as she jetted off to watch a punk-music forum, Brian and I decided we would go check out the Upright Citizen's Brigade- he had not been there yet. 

There was a show at 7:30 (it was already 6:40 when we decided to go) and a free show at 9:30. Since we had to be at work the following morning, we decided on the 7:30 show... even if it had a $10 entrance fee. 

We were both low on cash, so it was decided that I would wait in line while Brian found an ATM machine. So, I stood in a line (about 3 times the length of the line on the night Julie and I went), while Brian ventured out to find a non-shady ATM machine. The longer he took the more I worried that he would not get back in time and we would miss the show... Or we had come too late... and would miss the show.

Luckily, he came back just in time and we got in to the theatre. Unfortunately it was standing room only, but we were able to take seats on the floor around the "stage".

Tonight's performance was entitled "Azzcat". The premise was that an audience member would say a random word and the host would build a monologue around or inspired by that word. The rest of the cast would then improvise scenes based on the monologue.

That nights host was one of the writers of "Robot Chicken", so as you can imagine, he had some very interesting stories to tell. The rest of the cast was comprised of various faces, including (from my previous blog entry) "She Tried to be Normal, Scott Adsit ("Pete" from 30 Rock), and Bobby Moynihan (the newest SNL cast member). So I was very excited to see some of these people.... but little did we know what act 2 had in store for us....

.... After a brief intermission, they announced that a special guest would be joining the cast for act 2.  I was expecting some new up-and-coming comedian that I would have never heard about... but when the light came up, they asked us to give a warm welcome to.... ROBIN WILLIAMS!

It was such an unexpected surprise! From where I was sitting, I could have held up my hand an touched his leg! It is such a strange feeling having seen someone on television and in the movies soo many times, to then finally see them in person. You almost catch yourself thinking... "oh yeah, I guess he is a real person"....

So, work has been fun. I love my internship, I couldn't have asked for anything better.... Sadly, I think that is about all I can post, legally.... You'll just have to watch SNL this Saturday at 11:30 pm on NBC!

Anyway, on Wednesday night I met up with an old friend of mine from school in England. Roberta and I were real good friends, and at about the same time, we moved to Michigan and she moved to New York State with her family. We had never been able to get together until now, finally- 9 years later!

It was great to see her again. She's the first and only person I have seen since we moved away from England. It was really nice to talk to someone from that part of my life again. No one that I talk to can relate to those years in my life, because everyone from then (next to my parents and sister) live on another continent- so it was great to relive my British Elementary School memories... ah, I was very nostalgic.... and felt really old.... even though I'm only 20.... how sad s that? haha.

Later that night; Laura, Julie and I decided we would go and find Red Mango. Red Mango is basically an exact copy of Pinkberry (I know, right?) with a different (though not all that different) name and logo. The rest was identical... however, they had smoothies- so I decided I would try one... It was AWFUL! It was all pulpy and sour from the yogurt.... I really do not like CHEWING my drinks..... like Julie's water from the other night... Maybe I didn't like the smoothie because I was subconsciously thinking about that..... hmmm..... could be?

Finally, the exciting event of tonight. I was laying on my bed Facebooking, when I heard this dinging noise coming from the hallway.... kind of like someone is ringing a dinner bell..... turns out that was the fire alarm. Someone from the third floor burnt her popcorn and we all had to evacuate the house. Four fire trucks came- FOUR.... to rescue us from burnt Jiffy Pop. I have to say, I am very impressed by their response time.

Well, time to catch some z's... and try to block out the burnt popcorn smell.... where did I put my Febreze?

I'm a Chameleon!

So... it has been quite a day. I didn't think I was going to post anything today... but this evening's activities were so.... interesting, I just had to write about it.

Anyway, I will begin at this morning. After a slow morning, I went out and got some lunch with Brian- Julie was to cheap to want to buy lunch. Haha- just kidding... it is expensive here.

So we three interns then walked over to a studio in Chelsea to meet the SNL band. They are all great people and I am really looking forward to working with Saturday Night Live this semester.

We then attempted to walk back to 305.... but we were caught in the rains from Hurricane Hannah. Only Julie had an umbrella... a very small umbrella (ella, ella- ay, ay, ay, ay...) and would not share with us. So we walked through the torrential storm, which at first was very cooling, for bout five blocks and arrived at 305 soaked to the bone!

After ordering Chinese food for dinner; Julie, Laura and I ventured into the city in search of a Pinkberry ice cream store. Pinkberry is some weird frozen-yogurt from California. You can choose from thre

e yogurt flavors (original, green tea and coffee), and several toppings (such as yogurt chips, blackberries or bananas). 

It took us a while to locate a Pinkberry- so we googled it and decided to go to the Columbus Circle location. We grabbed our umbrellas and ventured out into the rain- again. We got on the red line and headed uptown. Several stops later we all seemed a little confused as to where we were. I asked if we should get off at this stop right as the doors shut and the train moved on. Turned out, that WAS our stop. So we had to get on another train back to Columbus Circle.

After some more walking around we finally found Pinkberry. We entered a Japanese neon-wonderland of bu

nny-shaped kitchen objects and frozen yogurt. We each got a yogurt and began to

 eat.

None of us were (or, as a matter of fact, still are) sure of what we thought of it. It didn't taste good.... but it didn't taste bad either. It was very confusing.... and what was very funny was that my green shirt matched the interior decoration of the store.

I highly suggest that you go check it out... it's quite an experience....

P.S. Happy 18th Birthday Claire!!!!

1-6-4!

So, yesterday started with me faxing all my forms to the HR department of NBC so that I can get my ID card to enter the building. I then called Melanie, who I will be working under, who asked if Julie and I would like to come in today to meet our other intern and get a feel for our internship.

So, we headed out to R

ockefeller Center to pick up our temporary ID's and head up to the SNL offices.

We met the other intern, Brian, from Chapman College in Caifornia. He showed me and Julie how to scan music into the computer (which, may I say, is a really thrilling job- haha). We spoke for a while with Melanie about what to expect with the internship and so on and so forth.

After we got done, around 5 o'clock, Brian came back to "305" with us. I changed and we picked up Laura (who lives on Julie's floor) an went to the "Burgers & Cupcakes" restaurant. We were originally told to avoid that place by our Residence Manager- but it was actually very good. I highly recommend their chocolate frosted cupcakes. Yum!

When we were done, the four of us decided to finally go to the South Seaport- which was great. It was a board-walk set-up, which had an atmosphere similar to that of Disney World. It also reminded me slightly of Ba

ltimore.

Julie and Laura were enthralled by the Stone Flower, which was a very interesting mixture of Claire's/Hot Topic and Tiffany's. They had a lot of very shiny jewelry and charm bracelets, as well as creepy voodoo-doll like keychains. It was quite an experience.

The boardwalk was very nicely set-up. There were several old ships docked at the pier, as well as several street performers. (See video below)

We explored the mall on the pier for a bit, but got there shortly before it closed.

So, after a little while exploring more of the area then headed back home........
........ Now continuing today's (Friday) adventure.

In the morning I went 

with Laura to the Chelsea Recreation Center to pick up our passes. We gave ourselves a quick tour of the building after we got our passes. We saw the pool and the various excercise and rec rooms.


When we got back, I headed back to NBC with Julie. We ate lunch at 'Wichcraft (a fancy little sandwich shop in the concourse of Rockefeller Center). We then joined Brian and Melanie up in the SNL offices for a few hours doing some work and getting more of a feel for our new surroundings.

After work Brian, Julie and I went to grab something to eat. We were looking for the Carneghie Deli... we found a place called the Stage Deli, and figured that was close enough- so there we went.

The Stage Deli is well known for it's tall sandwiches, each cleverly named after various celebrities (The Conan O'Brian sandwich, or the Giada DiLaurentis Salad). Brian ordered the Conan, which made the Empire State look diminuitive, and Julie had one of the regular ("If you can

 call them regular") sandwiches- which in itself required about three mouths to eat. I, on the other hand, opted for a simple Ceaser wrap- yes, I know- how boring.

Julie then decided to head back to 305. I needed a messenger bag because my pockets have been on the verge of combusting- amd the police on Tuesday have made me paranoid about pickpocketers. So Brian and I set out to find a messenger bag store. After quite some searching, I found one at the Gap. So, I now have a place (apart from my pockets) to carry all my stuff- my "man bag", as Julie refers to it as.

After a quick stop at Starbucks... or well, a rather lengthy stop, given the line... we parted ways and I headed back to the house.

Tonight Julie, Laura and I went to Little Italy in search of dinner. After several attempts and p

hone calls to find our way, we made it to the Italian District of Lower Manhattan. After I led the three of us on an unnecesary "sight-seeing" detour around 6 blocks, we found a quaint restaurant (Rocky's), where we ate.

Laura ordered an extra basket of bread with the intenrions of taking it home with her. So, she put a few pieces on her plate and asked for a to-go container. The waitress came and took her plate- but retuned without the bread... so.... um... what happened to that bread??

So... we came back to 305 and Julie and I had to fill out even more paperwork... so we headed to the downstairs computers to finish it up.... we have been here for about the past hour and a half to complete- just need to print, then we are done.

So, off to bed now- and a new adventure begins tomorrow!

P.S. Extra credit if you can tell me what the significance of this post's title is!

Cupcakes, Eunice and Rachel Dracht

I forgot to mention in my last blog how much New Yorkers seem to like cupcakes. I have passed so many shops solely dedicated to cupcakes.

Anyway, yesterday was another very busy day in the big city. Since Julie and I do not have to start working until Monday, we have quite a bit of time to do some sightseeing. The original plan was to go to the South Seaport in Southwester Manhattan. The South Seaport is a part of the city near the piers which has been recently converted to touristy shops and attractions. So that was our plan for the day.

Before we were going to go explore the ports, we wanted to get a New York City Library card. So we trekked along 29th Street to 5th Avenue... that was quite a ways, so a break at Starbucks was well deserved.

Finally we made it

 up to 40th Street and decided to first stop in the Mid-Manhattan Public Library, since it was closer. If you would have told a bus-load of 8 year old girls that Miley Cyrus was giving a free concert in the library- it would not have been as half full as it was when we got there. I think the amount of people outnumbered the books!

We got into a long line for a card. A very mousy and frantic young man, who was as stable as TNT, was attempting to get us through the line.  Finally his colleague came and helped us... or, told us that we need to get a letter from our program stating how long we would be in New York City for. Alas, no library card.

Since we were out at 40th Street, we decided we would go to the main branch (see picture to the left).

Let me me just say that it was quite an interesting adventure. As Julie described it, the library was "like a big,

 empty museum... it looks like the castle from Beauty and the Beast. "

We wandered around the library for quite a while before we actually 

found any books. We got into the large wood-paneled rooms of the library which were used in the film The Day After Tomorrow. Wha

t was really amazing was that the room smelled like chocolate!! It was absolutely incredible!... I really want to go back.

After getting lost in, then finally getting out of the library- it was decided that we would go to the Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue and 16th Street. 

The best way I could describe the market would be like an indoor arcade, with a New York City flair. 

We ate lunch at a small deli in the market... which was bordered on each side by- a cupcake shop! What a surprise. All the cupcake shop employees ate at the same deli and it looked like a gathering of the infamous Ne

w York City Cupcake Cult.

We decided we would take the elevator up to see what the top floors were like. So, we got into the elevator with two business people... and ended up at the TV Stations of NY1 News... a lady came in ad told us that this building is where they broadcast Oxygen and the Food Network! Definitely in the plans to see if we can get a tour sometime soon!

After a few hours or so in the market we decided to go back to the house... we didn't think our feet could carry us to the south side of the island.

I decided, then, to go to the Apple Store. I took one of the trains from Penn Station to 53rd and 5th Avenue- about four blocks from the store. Little was I aware that I was getting on at peek rush hour...

First of all, it baffles  that it is hotter under the ground in New York City than above. Secondly, all the Manhattan was on the subway trying to get home after work- so you can imagine how hot it was... Not only was it hot- but it was CROWDED! I hitched a ride with the sardine express!

The best part of the trip was that our train stopped in the middle of the dark tunnel, for reasons unknown. The people on the train with me didn't seem to bothered by it, so I figured we were fine. However, we just wouldn't move. The train was at a standstill for a good 3 minutes.... or as a claustrophobe may feel- 3 days!

After escaping the subway, getting to the store, and returning mainly unscathed, it was time to get dinner... which consisted of a "small" greek salad- served in a bowl that could have easily bathed me.

We then wandered over to 26th street and waited in line to watch a performance of the Upright Citizens Brigade. 

The UCB is a theatre/comedy club owned and run by SNL's Amy Poehler. Although she was not scheduled to appear that night- one of my favorite SNL performers, Rachel Dracht (aka. Debbie Downer), was.

We got to the show about a hour before it started to wait in the standby tickets line. Luckily we had come early enough that we were only third in line.

About fifteen minutes into our wait, we were greeted by a very charming old woman. She began to carry a conversation with the man waiting in front of us in line. She practically spilled her whole life story to a total stranger, when she was originally only walking down the street to get groceries. We learned all about the Red Scare, her grandchildren, and why Gristedes Grocery store was way too overpriced. We affectionately named her Eunice.

Thankfully we were admitted into the performance. The first act was a reading of a pilot for a new television show, written by one the writers of Monk. It was read by Rachel Dracht, along with other SNL performers, and some people I had seen on VH1's The Best Week Ever.

The second act was a one-woman show by an act called She Tried to be Normal. She mjst have been "one of those kids" when she was growing up.

Anyway, that about summarizes yesterday..... let's see what today will bring!

P.S. We did not get to the South Seaport that day.