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.

Whirlwind

It has been quite a few days so far... in short, I moved in on Sunday around noon- and it's all been pretty much a blur since then.

So, Sunday morning I got up at 6:30 am to shower and finish packing. Molly spent the weekend, so she drove me to the airport at 8 o'clock. We got to the airport a little before 9, and checked in- Molly escorted us to the security gate to catch our flight.

The airport and the actual flight were pretty much uneventful. We landed at LaGuardia at about 11:40. When my mom and I were waiting for our luggage, a girl, Hannah Trager, came up to us and asked if I was from Albion. It turned out she was also doing the New York Arts Program, so we shared a cab to the house.

After a short cab ride, we arrived at "305". I marched up the four(!) flights of stairs to my closet... i mean... room(?). It's rather small and designed for two people- which would be absolutely awful. But since I have the room for myself, it worked out perfectly. 

After I got settled, my mom and I walked to Rockafeller Center (where I'll be working) and had lunch in the cafe at the water fountain.

When my mom left, I met up with Julie Kocsis (she is doing the same internship as me) and some girls from her hall to go grocery shopping. Julie and I then went for a walk to familiarize ourselves with the area and ended up walking to Times Square, where we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

My first full day in New York City was Monday. Julie and I had planned to go see more of the city today. In the morning she had some errands to run, so I set out to find the Chelsea Market near "305".

I started venturing north waiting to get to 16th Street.... it took me about 5 blocks to realize that I was going in the completely wrong direction! So I had to turn around and head back... about 15 blocks only to find that the market was closed on Labor Day.

So, Julie and I met up and took the subway to 86th and explored Uptown and Central park for a few hours. She then returned to the house and I took a subway to Times Square- I had a few errands to run.... My room is quite lackluster and I was hoping to lien it up with a few posters. So I went to Virgin Records-  but to my disappointment, they had none that pleased me. 

So I took the red line downtown to get back to our building... It turns out that I got on the express train, which took me about four stops too far... so, therefore I had to switch trains and backtrack to 28th street to get back home.

Monday night we had our first house meeting. It was the basic rules of the house- what we are and are not allowed to do, what our chores are, yadda, yadda, yadda.... This was the first time I got to see everyone living in the house. There are about 25-ish of us living here this fall..... less than half of Fall '07. 

After our meeting, I went for a walk with Christoffer, a guy from Sweden/Denison who lives in my hall. We walked East and got some better bearings for the neighborhoods we are living in.

Tuesday morning, today, we had our orientation for NYAP. We all gathered at The People's Improv Theatre, where all the advisors for NYAP talked to us about what to expect from our internships and the city. Two NYPD detectives (who, I swear, stepped out of Law & Order to talk to us) gave us safety tips for walking and living in the city. They had the stereotypical color-coordinated suits, and talked out of the sides of their mouths.

After a quick bite to eat, the NYAP group met at the Circle Line pier and took a 2-hour cruise of Manhattan. I took plenty of photos... so they should be on facebook soon!

After our tour, we had dinner catered at the house.... I was absolutely exhausted so I took a nap.. then I explored a bit more and found a three story KMart at Penn Station- haha, thought that was kinda funny. So I did a bit of shopping... and now here I am sitting in our lounge typing this blog!

It still hasn't hit me that I am living in New York. It's still kind of surreal. I'm sure once I start working regularly it will sink in... so, we'll see!

Stay tuned for more!