The Best.Weekend.EVER.

This past weekend (my 6th weekend in New York, can you believe it?) Mary Quinn came up from DC to visit. We decided to "Carpe New York" and cross some things off of my to-do list.

On Friday night we went to a Karaoke bar called Iggy's. After about a half an hour of listening to some wannabe Madonnas, we headed to a bar we like called Dorrian's. The bartender is obsessed with us and acts like we're regulars when we come in. Before this weekend, we've been there once...

Saturday we woke up and went to Dukes, a restaurant my friend JFH works at. It's weird to see that she has a real job up here...You know. One of those permanent kinds.

After a hearty brunch that went into the late-lunch hours, we headed up to Central Park to meet Wynn and Jamie for a picnic. We ate cheese and crackers, had wine and watched all of the dogs run around. I am so pleasantly surprised at how many golden retrievers I see up here. Most times they travel in pairs. I like that-- if you're going to coop a golden up in a small NYC apartment, how very nice of you to give him/her a playmate. That's pretty much an accurate depiction of me and my roommates in our small little dorm. Thank God we have each other or we'd probably go crazy and start gnawing on the furniture.

After our picnic in the park, we went to Times Square in hopes of winning the last-minute Broadway student ticket lottery. After intense research into the lottery protocol of each show, we narrowed it down to The Little Mermaid and 9-to-5. My hours of mapping out the box offices/writing down drawing times seemed somewhat in vain when we simply walked up to The Little Mermaid box office and purchased 4 tickets for $30 bucks each, just like that.

The show was incredible. Our seats were great. Everyone mobilized on stage via "wheelies," (shoes with wheels) fluttering their long protruding tails--it really looked like they were swimming. I got nervous when I remembered Ariel loses her voice 1/3 the way through the show...Thank GOD for introspective solos...Also, Flounder was a little boy with yellow, spiky, blue-polka dotted hair. He was awesome at wheelying--you could tell he's definitely had a lot of practice. After the show we went to Italian/Cuban restaurant on 2nd and 5th for dinner. It was nearly midnight by the time we finished, and what I love about New York, we weren't alone.

If you're going to live in New York, go ahead and dismiss any semblance of meal structure you might have. For me, lunch falls anywhere between 1 and 5. Dinner is usually between 9 and midnight. This is going to come as a shock to my parents because at home, lunch is usually before noon and dinner could come as early as 4:30 some days (I've seen Dad make Rose dinner at 3:30.)

New York has forced me to be flexible and has taught me how to remain positive even in the most annoying of circumstances---caught in the rain without an umbrella, stranded at a Subway station when a train hasn't shown up for an hour (note to followers: there's a good reason why you're standing at a subway station alone: the train isn't coming), or paying $6 for a box of Special K. There are too many people here, doing the same thing that you are, to complain. Plus, no one cares anyways. I definitely don't sweat the small stuff. If it takes an hour to get somewhere, I practice my Spanish by translating the Subway ads.

I've learned how to embrace every nuance of this city and simply say, "Okay New York. You're just as cool as everyone says you are. You go ahead and do whatever you want."

On Sunday, my friends and I went to lunch at a diner on the Upper West Side on Madison Ave. We left the first diner because they charged $16 for a grilled cheese (sometimes I have to draw a line with my "go ahead and do whatever you want" mantra.) After finding another place and eating some delicious chicken salad sandwiches, we went to the Met. DID YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY? The 3rd To-Do of the weekend!

(For you sharp people who have kept count and realize I only really achieved 2 to-dos this weekend, take note that I altered "throw a Frisbee in Central Park" to "have a picnic in Central Park." I looked for a Frisbee to throw...counts?)

Student tickets are only $10. We spent about two and a half hours getting lost in the winding halls of art and history. My favorite exhibit was the European paintings (from the 19th century.) I saw some of my favorite artist's work--Renoir. He was Frenchman, BFF of Monet. He and Monet once painted a scene sitting side-by-side. I want to do that someday. I'm afraid though. My two artsy friends (Caroline and Margaret) are extremely talented...If you've seen my work (a doodle here and there, a 2nd grade portrait of a clown that freaks me out every time I pull into the garage, where it hangs...where it belongs....) you'd agree that I should probably paint alone.

I saw Michelangelo's first painting, The Torment of Saint Anthony. It was a pretty wild little peice--a saintly man levitating in the air with demonic, animalistic creatures attacking him. I think my first picture was an aerial-view map of my house at age 3. I mastered the ceiling fan at a young age.

I also saw Manet, Van Gogh, Seurat, Picasso, and Degas. You know, the boys. They all say hello.

Anyways, the Met was a life highlight, and I'm hoping to go back before I leave (either there or the MOMA.) I didn't do nearly enough art-admiring damage. The visit sparked my interest to someday pay a visit to my favorite Renoir painting. It's called Luncheon of the Boating Party. AND it lives in DC. Shae, I believe a visit will be in order.

Strangers

This weekend was pretty great. My friend Calette visited Ludlow for the weekend. Despite the tight quarters, I always love having visitors. Seeing familiar faces is anything but ordinary here.

Which brings me to #1 on the list of Reasons I Dislike New York. Don't worry...it's an extremely short list. I only come up with a new reason once every week or two.

#1-- You never see the same person twice (with the exception of the other day when I ran into my spinning instructor on the street...I'm taking that as a sign to stop skipping her class.)

I take the same train at the same time every day. I've never once seen someone I've seen before. And trust me, I pay attention on the subway. I'm not one of those "I zone out and sleep on the train" people. Those people are fakers if you ask me. How on earth, or below earth, do you know you're at your stop if you're actually sleeping? Have they gotten so good at subway riding that they just know by the 6th jolt that it's time to wake up? I don't get it.

But anyways, it kind of bothers me that every one here is a stranger everywhere I go. I guess familiarity is just one advantage that the NYC locals have over us temps. That and an immunity to the supposedly "perfect" water up here...Yeah right.

I also got a pedicure at this salon called J Sisters this past Saturday. It's where all the celebs, such as Lindsay Lohan go to get special treatments that I can't divulge...What if she reads my blog? I can't go losing celebrity friends because I let their secrets slip. I have to have a conversation with one before I leave this place.

Anyways the pedicure was great. A friend I made hooked me up with it because his mom is one of the 7 "J Sisters" (owners). They're good friends with Giselle and Naomi. NBD.

An unhealthy obsession

I always say that if I believed in reincarnation, I'd come back as a Broadway star. Too bad I don't believe in reincarnation, therefore I AM a Broadway star, or am going to be.


As you read on my NYC2DEW list, I want to see 3 shows. I already have plans to do the student ticket lottery thing at 6am one morning in order to alleviate the financial burden this addiction will potentially have on me.

Mary Poppins- While standing in line for what we thought would end with tickets to either Chicago, West Side Story or Phantom of the Opera, Caroline, her little sister and I met the most charming fellow who I named the "Mary Poppins Brand Ambassador." He went by John for short. He was an actor who worked for TKTS and it was his job to provide advice and information to everyone standing in line. I instantly liked this person because of his extensive knowledge of Broadway, the fact that he was an actor and his ability to tolerate mine and Caroline's antics for a solid 10 minutes in the rain. After John's "BEST M.P. PITCH EVER" we were sold.

The show was unbeleivable. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a spectacle. The elaborate sets and costumes were always changing and there was lots of magic/trap doors/etc. To avoid ruining it for anyone, I'll just say there was some "defying gravity" sort of stuff. So cool.

Nothing like a free spray tan to start off the night.

My friend JFH told me she made 2 appointments at Dex Salon on 30th for spray tans on WNBA night. Missing the Florida sunshine and learning they were free, I humbly obliged.

We sipped wine, ate crackers, got our bronze on, and received makeup tips from professionals. It was definitely weird...but cool. I stopped asking questions about 15 minutes in and just chalked it up to, New York is weird... but cool.

Later on in the night we met up with friends at a bar called Tonic. I left Tonic to meet up with my long time friend, Ross, at the W in Times Square. Ross' parents and my parents have been friends for something like 30 years, and so by default, Ross and I have been for 21. Luckily Ross is really awesome, otherwise I'd have to say "thanks alot Mom and Dad."

The W lounge is one of the "most swankified places in town" (line from Wicked) with cool pink lights and trendy seating areas. I had a blast catching up with Ross and hearing all about Chrysler's financial problems. Talk about making my daily "what am I going to wear to work?" dilemma seem trivial. Ross is working on restructuring Chrysler's financial....sector?.....I don't know. Ya'll know how I am with this stuff.

(Wow. After reading that last paragraph, I really hope my followers don't judge my blog based on its content, but moreso on the delivery...whatever.)

The WNBA

In light of the day, I'll post about the WNBA.

It stands for the Wednesday Night Borough Association.

My UF friends (mostly sorority sisters and a few other allstars who are also up here for the summer) and I started this club to explore the nightlife various (micro)boroughs of New York City. Every Wednesday we meet after work for dinner and drinks in a different area of town.

So far we've done Times Square and the Financial District. By the way this week's WNBA Facebook thread is shaping up, it looks like we'll be in Gramercy for free drinks from 8-9. Quite a hidden little gem my friend Tawna (Redbook intern) came across.

We've found that letting loose a little mid-week helps us get through Thursday and Friday. By the time we know it, it's the weekend. Thank God for women's sports.

The roster:
-Me (coach/captain) -Caroline (co-captain) -JFH (co-founder and Cheerleader, skinny-not very athletic) -Delaparte (point guard)
Bench Warmers (yet to play, we'll see if they show tonight):
-Monetti (Point guard) -Kerry (Forward) -Tawna (point guard, so many tall people)
-Lexi (Okay, real cheerleader) -Liz (Forward) -Wynn & Bleecker (could play any position, very athletic)

THE WNBA DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE BASED ON GENDER OR SKILL LEVEL. Feel free to try out any week.

Not even working for Lysol can defend you from subway germs

So here's the deal with my internship:
I work for a public relations agency called Porter Novelli. It's a very reputable firm in the world of PR. I work on a few accounts, including Mucinex, Lysol and Walmart. I also get to dabble on the HP and Gillette accounts as well. That means I'm supposedly a healthy, germ-free, smooth legged techy...Too bad work life doesn't spill over to my real life.

PN was recently named one of the top 5 PR firms to work for, and every day I see why. Everyone is so nice, helpful, and I feel completely assimilated into the work environment even though I've only been there 2 weeks. I'm gaining so much experience that I've only read about in the my textbooks and studied in class.

A few things to note about my everyday worklife:
-I get lost navigating the office daily. My brother-in-law Patrick recently visited and I only took him to the places I knew how to get to: my kewlbicle (as I call it) and the Starbucks machine.
-My commute is only 20 minutes on a perfect day. On a not-so-perfect day (2-3 times a week) I exit the tunnel at the wrong street and end up in Fantasy Land when I want to be in Tomorrow Land. Sometimes I refer to the subway system/New York as Disney world. You can literally be in a whole other area by just getting on a little train. It's so cool.
-I work 9-6. New Yorkers are always trying to one-up the rest of the working world with that extra hour. Trust me. I always need it.

In conclusion to this work talk, I'd like to say that I'm starting to get sick. I've never been surrounded by more disinfectant products (sprays, wipes, foams) in my entire life and yet I managed to catch an illness. It's probably that "over cleaning" hygiene hypothesis thing that's finally got to me. Either that or the fact that I'm forced to nearly grind with my neighbor on the subway every morning.

I take the F train. It's slow, packed and unreliable. F stands for the obvious.

First Date Conversation Material

I had to convince myself that my life was truly interesting enough to continue with this blog. Actually, my sisters had to...

"You saw a Broadway show!" (which actually was really cool)

"You ate meat on a stick off the street!"

"That's good blog material!"

So the past couple of weeks in The City have been so, so much fun. I'm really beginning to fall in love with this place. I never thought I would considering my first two and only trips here: being trampled by the Hare Krishna parade and being snowed on while wearing a skirt during my interview. Let's just say I was a little less than stoked to live here for 10 weeks.

BUT SILLY BRITTERS. This place is unbelievable.

My Hood:

I live on the LES (that's texting jargon for the Lower East Side) on Ludlow St, just 2 blocks south of Houston. My roommates and I have appropriately coined our neighborhood "LoveLow" because we are just enamored by the area. Soho (South of Houston) is much more low key than Midtown and a little less posh than Uptown. We live just a few blocks up from Chinatown, which makes for funny smells and undecipherable signage (I could really use my good friend Stephanie Nappi, chinese-speaking extraordinare, up here).

Our area is full of young people, some of New York's most popular bars, quiant restaurants, cool, trendy people (although, everyone up here seems to be cool and trendy), and let's not forget, bargains. NY is split up into districts with names, e.g. The Fashion District, The Meatpacking District, The Bargain District. We're really close to Canal St and all of the faking it that goes on down there. I'm not complaining though. I bought a romper on Canal St. last week. Anyone who wishes to ridicule my fashion-forwardness can go ahead and Google up-and-coming trends of 2010....Rompers, jellies and fringe. That's what's up.

My Suite-ies:

My roommates are friends from home, Jamie Blacker and Wynn Smith. I've known these two since high school, so it's kind of funny we've ended up living together in New York. They share a bedroom and I have my own room. We're connected by a bathroom, Jack-and-Jill style. Our building belongs to the School of Visual Arts and we live really, really high up. (For the sake of my mom not calling me as soon as I post this saying "Brittany! You can NOT have what floor you live on in your blog!"), I live somewhere above the 10th floor, which makes for a beautiful view of all three downtown bridges. The Williamsburg Bridge and all the cars on it is what I fall asleep to every night. You wouldn't beleive the perpetual traffic coming into Manhattan on that bridge. I'm always saying to myself, "where are those people going at 2 am?" And then I remember how cool the LES is.

So Bleecker/Bleeks (my nickname for Blacker. Bleecker is a really pretty street near us) and Wynn and I have so much fun together, sometimes out of want, but mostly out of need. You see, we don't have a TV...or a couch....or carpeting for that matter...So we really have learned to rely on eachother, wine and skype for fun at night. It's actually much better than TV, although I wish I could be keeping up with Jon and Kate's drama. We all get along really well and love exploring The City together. I don't know about them, but I've come up with a list of things to do before I leave. If I don't keep a list I'll probably just spend every weekend shopping and going out.

MY NYC TO DO SO FAR:
-See a Broadway show (check)
-Go to a museum

-Go to a Yankees Game (I have a hat!)

-Throw a frisbee in Central Park
-See another Broadway show

-Eat Thai food

-Talk to a celebrity
-See a third Broadway show

-Go on a Circle Line ferry tour

-Go to the Today Show
-Visit different boroughs, and not just micro-boroughs in Manhattan.

Oh my blog.

Well here it is folks. It's what my mom and two out of three sisters have been hounding me to do for months. The most highly anticipated auto"blog"raphical thing to ever hit the Ferg family. Oh my blog.

My initial impression of blogging is that it's very intimidating....and not as fun as I thought it would be. All this white space for my thoughts, which, if I was typing a personal email, would be a playground for me. But the idea that anyone and his or her mother can read about my (seemingly boring) life puts alot of stress on me to do weird/cool/crazy things (eyemuffs, Mom and Dad). Oh well. No one except the aforementioned (did I use that correctly?) family members are going to read this thing anyways.

So before I begin, a few disclaimers:

*I use ellipses alot. That means I'm about to say something not that cool, and i'm attempting to heighten the dramatic suspense.

*I'm kind of a grammar nut, and I'll probably be typing this thing in AP style most of the time. AP style is how journalists write, and I'm not saying that this blog is in anyway a piece of classic journalism (shout out to all of my journalism major friends/past coworkers at Home Magazine. I don't think bloggers are journalists. Journalism is actually hard. This is not.) I'm just saying that's how I write 95 percent of my day-to-day life so I'm used to it.

*I may or may not make up words....I have Microsoft Word open as I'm typing this just to keep myself in check. Capeesh? See that's not even a word.

*Most of these posts are going to be about what I eat, what I wear and other random things in NYC. I work 9-6 all week, but once in a while I'll see something and say "that's going on my blog." That's the reason I decided to make this thing. That and I'm running out of cell phone minutes.

One last thing...how much editing is supposed to take place on a blog? Aren't blogs supposed to allow you to just let your thoughts and feelings flow? I must have proofread this thing 10 times!

"Blogs=an edited and glamorized account of life." -me