British Invasion

Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged-so much has happened! I'll try to recap the most important/most exciting events from the last few weeks. I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my cousin Camilla from England on Monday, December 1st (which also happened to be the same day that one of my best friends from college moved to the same place I'm living here in NYC). Camilla had never been to New York and I was so excited to show her around the city. I had to work a double shift that night (Beauty Blitz internship from 10-6 and Anthropologie from 7-close). When I left my internship that night I was feeling a little funny and when I got off the subway all hell broke loose. I threw up on my way out and ended up not being able to go into work. I spent the entire night feeling horrible while Amanda (who had literally been in New York a total of five hours) came to the rescue bringing me supplies and entertaining Camilla for the night. I was feeling much better in the morning but decided to take it easy and rest the next day. Camilla and Amanda took a trip out to Staten Island to ride the ferry and see New York by water. From what I gather, it was a very cold trip!


On Friday, I was feeling up to moving around so we decided to spend the day doing lots of touristy things. We took a stroll up to Rockefeller Center to window shop, see Christmas decorations, Radio City, the tree in Rockefeller Center and shop. We headed up to Central Park next and stopped into FAO Schwartz and Tiffany for some fun. We took our time strolling down 5th Avenue taking in the craziness of the Christmas season in the city. We came back that night and had dinner and then walked down to Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker Street for desert. We had a pretty chill night watching movies and talking about our plans for the next few days. 

On Saturday, Camilla and I got up early and headed to Central Park to go ice skating at Wollman rink. There are several rinks in the city (Rock Center and Bryant Park) but I had decided that in order to get the quintessential New York experience (and see the park as well) we should go to Wollman. It was very crowded and a little intimidating getting onto the ice for the first time in years (the last time I skated I was probably in middle school) but after a couple of laps we started to get the hang of it. After about an hour and a half we were so exhausted we decided to call it quits for the day (so we'd be able to feel our legs, calfs and other muscles the following day!) We took a quick walk in the park over to the Mall and Literary Walk, the Boat House and Strawberry Fields. We headed back to the Markle for lunch and quickly got ready and headed over to Bar 515 in Murray Hill to watch the SEC Championship game. It was so insane and packed with people! Camilla had been to Auburn and attended a football game so we thought we'd show her the large Auburn following in NYC. It was such an exciting game and a great end to the night!

On Sunday, we got up very early and took the subway over to Port Authority. I've been hearing about this amazing outlet, Woodbury Common, located an hour north of the city so we decided we'd make a shopping day trip out of it. We took a bus up to Central Valley (not a bad ride) and were prepared to shop 'til we dropped. When we arrived it was bitterly cold (flurries!) and we weren't expecting the outlet to be so large-it was seriously a small shopping village! We tried to strategically plan out what to do, but in the end we spent about 8 hours shopping and could have stayed another day (had we had the funds to do so). It had some of the most amazing stores from Tory Burch, J Crew, Longchamp, L'Occitane, Ann Taylor, French Connection, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, David Yurman and more (about 220 in all!) When Amanda and I get jobs with real money, we are going back for a major shopping spree! When we got back that night we grabbed a quick hot dog on the street for dinner (a very New York thing to do!) and settled down to watch Love Actually. 

On Monday it was back to reality as I headed off to my internship and Camilla went back to England. It was an amazing weekend (despite being unexpectedly sick) spent with some of my favorite people doing fun things. 

"They say life's what happens when you're busy making other plans. But sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you're waiting for a table."---Sex and the City

HOME!

Hi everyone!


I had a great time being home for Thanksgiving (my first trip back since I moved up here) but it wasn't nearly long enough! I arrived on Saturday November 20 and had to come back on Thanksgiving day (I unfortunately had to work Black Friday weekend at Anthropologie). It was great being able to sleep in my own bed, eat home cooked meals, wake up whenever I felt like it, see old friends and spend time with family. I also made sure to have a little taste of the south with some mexican food (something I have been craving and unable to find up here) and Zaxby's. I also enjoyed the weather...it was in the 60's and 70's every day and I got to wear a t-shirt and flip flops! I also drove my car for the first time in two months. It felt a little like being in a video game since I've become so used to subways, walking and cabs but I quickly got the hang of it again! While I was home I also saw Harry Potter-something I've been counting down for for quite a while! It definitely lived up to the hype and my Christmas project is to re-read the 7th book (and work my way backwards if there is time!)

Now, on to the most exciting part of the trip-getting my braces OFF! I went to the orthodontist at 8:15 a.m. that Tuesday morning. Everything looked good and was in order so they started to take my braces off. I thought that someone would have invented a liquid that would dissolve the glue and help the braces come off more easily but clearly that is something that still needs some time. Not only did they pry my brackets off with what seemed like pliers but they then proceeded to literally shave the glue off with a sharp instrument for the next two hours and all the while it sounded like they were cracking my teeth! And I thought getting my braces put on was traumatic! Finally, after what seemed like forever they were finished! After a few x-rays and some molds I came back a few hours later to pick up my retainer. I'm so glad to have them off and can't wait to get them whitened and cleaned soon!

I was sad to have to leave home on Thanksgiving day but was able to eat a HUGE meal before I left. Travelling on a holiday does have its perks as it was an empty flight and the airports weren't crowded.

Now, I'm back in New York and enjoying all of the excitement that Christmas in the city brings. I'm also looking forward to Amanda moving to the Markle and Camilla coming to visit! More to come!

"I have low self-esteem, but I express it the healthy way...by eating a box of Double-Stuff oreos."---Miranda Hobbes

Familiar Faces

Hi all!
Lots of exciting things are happening here. Still no job yet, although desperately looking...but I am looking forward to some things coming up. My good friend Amanda, who I went to Auburn with is moving up to New York on November 30 to try and find a job in the PR field. I am so excited that we will be living in the same building and hope that we will get to spend more time together exploring the city and loving our lives (and hopefully we'll both land full-time jobs while we're at it!). 


I am also extremely excited that my cousin Camilla will be coming over from England for a quick visit from December 1st-6th. I can't wait to show her around the city. Our big plans include: a trip to Woodbury Commons (an amazing outlet mall an hour north of NYC), shopping around at the holiday markets at Bryant Park and Union Square, ice skating/enjoying Central Park, burgers from Shake Shack, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, drinking Manhattan's in Manhattan (cheesy but awesome!), the Staten Island Ferry, a few museums and exploring Greenwich Village and SoHo. Did I mention she was only here for 5 days!? Expect several exciting blog posts to come about all of our adventures!


It seems as though my life is just a series of countdowns. Here's what I'm looking forward to next: 
3 DAYS until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
4 (and a half) DAYS until I am home for Thanksgiving
7 DAYS until these wretched braces come off for good!
14 DAYS until Amanda moves to NYC
15 DAYS until Camilla arrives from England


"Maybe mistakes are what make our fate...without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart...and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."---Sex and the City

Late Night!

I've been so busy lately but I've been doing a lot of fun things (plus working!) I went to The Village Halloween Parade on 6th Ave. with some friends on Halloween night. It was bitterly cold and we stood outside on the street and watched the craziness for over 2 hours! Lots of interesting people in interesting costumes to say the least. I've also been continuing on with my internships and logging plenty of hours at Anthropologie on the other days.


In other news, I've accepted a creative writer position with My Genesis magazine, a magazine that is based in Atlanta and New York and is dedicated to the exposure of driven individuals who have broken barriers, eliminated obstacles, and achieved incredible career, personal, and entrepreneurial success. I'm excited about getting the chance to write more and to see my work in print!


Now on to the exciting part, the thing I've been excited about for an entire month. Attending the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show.  I managed to get tickets for the Tuesday, November 2nd taping and went with two of my friends, Sharrie and Marisa. We arrived at 30 Rock to pick up the tickets (which I found out that they were first come first serve...and we ended up at the end of the long line of audience members). It didn't matter if we were the last people to get admitted as long as we got to go. As we were waiting in line, about 15 of us were pulled aside and asked if we would like to have "band bench" seats and go on stage with The Roots. Of course we accepted...it meant TV time and getting to meet Jimmy and the band! We had an amazing time in the audience. Jimmy's guests were Zach Galifianakis (from the Hangover) who was super hilarious and there promoting his new movie Due Date. Up next was Danny Boyle who directed the movie 127 hours starring James Franco. The movie, based on a true story about a mountain climber in Utah who becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. It looked so intense and amazing! Then our fifteen moments of fame came as we went on stage to dance behind The Roots and Kid Cudi. We even got to talk to Jimmy! It was a stellar night and something I will never forget! If you missed the show, you can check out the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon clip here and see us on tv!


Miranda: "I had to walk all the way from the subway in these heels. My feet are killing me."
Steve: "Why didn't you just carry them and wear sneakers like everyone else?"
Miranda: "Stop. You can take me out of Manhattan but you can't take me out of my shoes."---Sex and the City

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hi all!
Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged. Sometimes I feel as though someone has hit the fast forward button and it's stuck there. It's nice being so busy but when I sit down I realise how exhausted I actually am. I've been putting long hours in at both internships (Beauty Blitz on Mondays and Wednesdays and MVP NY on Fridays). In between that, I've been squeezing in Anthropologie shifts left and right! I'm sure I'll look back on all of this and wonder how I ever did it, but in the meantime its ok (as long as its for a short period of time!) I'm dreading tomorrow as I intern 'til 6 p.m. and then have to go in to Anthro from 7 p.m. 'til who knows when!


On my off days (not many of them) I've been relaxing mostly. I've applied to several jobs (some of them looked really exciting) and a few paid spring internships so I am hoping to hear back and see what happens! I also had a great night out with some girls from the Markle (it was a mix of Americans, English, German, Australian and Brazilian!) We went to a BBQ restaurant for delicious (and happy hour cheap!!) margaritas and mojitos! New York is very expensive so I'll be saving up all week just to do it again!


Some things to look forward to in the next few days: Halloween Parade and festivities, a possible Knicks game, seeing Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots and work, work and more work!

“The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them, and others you don’t. But, in the end, they’re the people you always come home to. Sometimes it’s the family you’re born into and sometimes it’s the one you make for yourself.”---Carrie Bradshaw

One Month and Counting...

Well I'm writing today to say that I've officially been here for one month. And it feels weird when you think about it. Time here seems to speed up and I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I'm thankful that there is a new day to go and explore and do new things but it also means its one day less I have to find a job. As I'm sure everyone knows it's been extremely tough for everyone to find a job and I have been no exception. I started seriously looking for jobs back in March before graduation (because I knew how hard it would be) and I still find myself seriously looking. I try not to get discouraged, especially when I have two really great internships right now but its just so frustrating to not be getting paid for something that you got a degree in. If what I've been doing doesn't prove that I'm trying as hard as I can using every means possible-then I don't know what is! Sorry for the soapbox, but it feels better to tell other people who are going through the same thing how I feel.


With that being said, I have accepted another internship position and just started work on Fridays. Back when I was applying for internships (because jobs right now are literally impossible to find) I had received two great offers but felt I only had the time to do one. Now that I've gotten more of a schedule, I was lucky enough for the opportunity to do them both. I will also be working at MVP NY (Morris Visitor Publications). They produce Where and In New York magazines monthly as well as a Where Guestbook New York, QG: New York City's Quickguide and In New York Map. These materials serve as the travel companion for all of New York City's visitors and tourists and offers information on shopping, dining, lodging and activities. I'll be working in the editorial department creating listings and fact checking. I'm super excited about gaining more experience in this industry and hopefully being one step closer to a FULL-TIME PAYING JOB in the near future. 


On a side note, I'm still having a great time here in the city and I've even met two Delta Gamma's. I had recently joined the NYC alumni chapter and reached out to some girls who were in similar situations as me. After lots of planning and going over each other's schedules, we decided to meet up at Dos Caminos, a nice Mexican restaurant close to where we all work. It is such a small world meeting other sisters and we had a great time talking about where we were from and what we are doing in New York now. We are even planning some fun events including a trip to the movies and even a Knicks game!!


"I need money. You know money. I need to know what you know about money."---Carrie Bradshaw

Whirlwind of a weekend

Amazing views of the Manhattan from Brooklyn!

Let me just say I have never been so tired in my life. These past four days have been packed full of fun and activities but after having settled back in to the monotony of doing laundry and applying for jobs it hit me. I am exhausted and will probably go to bed at 8 p.m. tonight (something I don't do unless I am deathly ill). 
First, I would like to apologize in advance for the length of this post, but so much has happened that I want to share! 


THURSDAY: 
For those of you who haven't kept up, my friend Amanda has been in New York for the past week and a half setting up meetings and searching for jobs in the PR industry. She's been staying with her grandparents in New Jersey and commuting in to the city everyday for meetings. This past Thursday (I had the day off!), Amanda and I decided to do some sightseeing after her morning appointment. We headed into Brooklyn for Grimaldi's pizza (yes, you read that right...I've now eaten there twice since I moved here three weeks ago!). Now that I've discovered this place I want to take anyone that visits me there and share the amazingness with them.  It was just as good the second go around and after we had finished lunch we decided to walk to Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan. We had done this once before and it was so much fun we decided to do it again. It didn't hurt that it was one of the prettiest days we've had in Manhattan too. Once we got back into Manhattan we headed over to Canal Street and Chinatown in an attempt to find a Burberry side satchel. Sadly we left empty handed, but still enjoyed walking past all the shops. Our final stop for the day was Times Square. It was fun being touristy and taking pictures of the all the madness. We made sure to stop in to M&M World where I got a bag of yummy chocolate and then headed over to the Yankee Clubhouse shop so that Amanda could buy some Yankee fan gear. 

Grimaldi's for the second time!

Brooklyn Bridge

Love the lines on the Bridge

Artwork that I purchased on the Brooklyn Bridge

Cheesy tourist

Heavenly chocolaty goodness

FRIDAY: 
It was "Round 2" for Vicki and Amanda go sightseeing. Our first order of business was to head over to Mood Fabrics near Times Square. I am an avid Project Runway fan and have always wanted to go into Mood. Even though I can't sew or make my own clothes (a talent/skill I would dearly love to have!) it was fascinating being in the store. I even tried to find that adorable black, white and purple houndstooth fabric Mondo used for the Jackie O challenge. Right before we were about to leave we ran into Swatch, the "famous shop dog" that has captured the hearts of Tim Gunn and viewers alike. This pudgy, black and white Boston Terrier was just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen and if my handbag had been big enough (or Swatch small enough), Mood would be looking for a new replacement dog. After perusing through fabric at Mood, we headed back through Times Square on own way downtown.We headed over to Kleinfeld, the wedding dress shop where they film "Say Yes to the Dress." Amanda had been dying to go there and was practically skipping down the street as we approached the store. We didn't go in, although we did admire some gorgeous gowns in the window and we even got a sneak peak at Sarah, our favorite Kleinfeld consultant! Across the street I spotted an interesting looking building that looked just like an old church. It turns out that Limelight Marketplace is a boutique type department store that is actually housed in an old church. The outside is so old and the inside looks just like Bloomingdale's....an interesting contrast and a great find for the day!

Times Square!

Crossroads of the World

SATURDAY: 
Today was a very long day as well. I got up super early (for a Saturday morning) and headed over to the Broadway Theatre and sat outside for an hour and a half to get tickets for Promises, Promises. I was told by some friends that you can get ridiculously cheap student show tickets and decided to try it out. I was third in line and got tickets for Amanda and myself for the matinee showing that day. I've wanted to be able to see a show since I got here but with ticket prices so steep, didn't think I'd be able to. Not only did we get such a great deal, but I've been told by just about everyone how fabulous this show was. And boy was it. It certainly did not disappoint. I was entertained from start to finish and it was amazing seeing both Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. A Broadway lovers treat! To cap off a great day we decided to go and cheer on our Auburn Tigers at 515 (an Auburn bar where alumni go to watch the games). It's such a fun atmosphere to cheer on Auburn next to people who went there too. Such an exciting game and a huge win for us! (FYI...Auburn is ranked #7, Alabama #8...all is right and good in the world)

Waiting on our train!

With Sean and Kristin of course!

Promises, Promises!

At 515 in Murray Hill cheering on our Tigers

SUNDAY: 
Sadly, Amanda had to return to Atlanta but today was a big day for me. I recently transferred to one of the Anthropologie's up here and today was my first day. We had new hire training in the morning where I met some of the new hire employees and got acquainted with the new store. Hope to start working some real hours very soon! Thank you for sticking with this post to the bitter (and long) end. Here's an appropriate quote to leave you all with...


"I like my money right where I can see it...hanging in my closet."---Carrie Bradshaw

I think I'm in love....with beauty that is.

So today was the second day of my internship with Beauty Blitz and I'm in love with my job! I spent the morning working on the Free Style giveaways and then worked on creating the Free Style content for the month of October. I took the press releases and other information given about each daily product and came up with a short, snappy blurb about what each product was all about. It was actually a lot of fun learning about different items, whether it be hair, skin (face or body) or fragrances and can now safely say that I am addicted to all things beauty. I've even started keeping my own list of items to try out and I want to share two of them with you. The first, is the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask, which is a jet black mineral mask that gets rid of all the skin's impurities and the other is the ESPA Pink Hair and Scalp Mud, a scalp treatment made from red and white clay that is supposed to work wonders! I also got to work on the Insider Tricks section and did a story where I talked about Nikki Reed's makeup products and techniques from the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party! Oh and the best part about working in the beauty industry...lots of free goodies to try! 


On a side note, Amanda and I indulged ourselves a bit yesterday and stopped at Magnolia Bakery for a sweet treat! The pictures say it all. I can't get enough of these things (what are they putting in them?!) 


"I will never be the woman with the perfect hair, who can wear white and not spill on it."---Carrie Bradshaw

Blitz and Glitz

Well today was my first day of my internship with Beauty Blitz, an all-online beauty magazine. I took the subway over in the morning (not a bad commute!) and arrived at 11. When I walked in I was shocked by the size of the office. It was smaller than my room here and had about five desks and computers in it. I'm surprised we all fit! That's New York for you I guess. I spent most of the day learning and familiarizing myself with content management systems and figuring out how to access certain documents. I then worked on updating the Free Style section of the website. I was in charge of selecting the winners for the daily product giveaways and then had to compile a list for our records. Then I notified the contact person or company so that they could send the product to the winner. Believe it or not, it took most of the day, but it was fun seeing who won and what types of products they were receiving. For lunch, I went down the street to the most amazing gourmet deli. It had an enormous selection of sushi, salads (and every topping imaginable) and a large variety of hot items. I've never seen anything like it! Before I left for the day I packed up a couple of boxes full of beauty products. Beauty Blitz gets so many samples and free products that they donate some of their items to women's shelters and women in need. Overall, a good first day. Looking forward to Wednesday!

"When you are young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or a heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop be fun and start being scary?"---Sex and the City

Carlo's, Friendly's and Denville Dairy oh my!

Well I've had a couple of very packed, fun-filled days!
Amanda arrived in New York on Thursday to visit her grandparents and schedule several meetings with PR firms and contacts in the hopes of getting a job. I recently joined an organization for women in communications and told Amanda about a PR networking event they were having. She of course wanted to come and even flew up a day early to join me. When she arrived after lunch, we headed out to Hoboken to visit Carlo's Bakery.  Amanda had been this summer with her family-and I having watched the show was a big fan. Twenty minutes door to door and we had arrived at Carlo's and there wasn't even a line! We of course got all sorts of goodies including their famous cannolis-which were excellent.

Carlo's Bakery with our goodies!

Later that night, we attended the networking event where we met all sorts of women in various industries of communication. While we enjoyed the people we talked to (I even met a Delta Gamma!) we paid $19 for one drink. I don't know if that's normal in New York City but for a poor college graduate, it definitely hurt the pocketbook a bit. (To make ourselves feel better we did label it as a 'work expense'.)


On Friday, Amanda and I ventured over to Canal Street and had lunch at an amazing restaurant, La Mela, in Little Italy before Amanda's meeting. For the weekend, we decided to get out of the city and head back to the 'burbs. Morristown, NJ that is. When we arrived we had a girls' night out at a Mexican restaurant in Hanover, which made my day! It's funny the things you miss when you leave home and Mexican food, at least the kind I'm used to, is impossible to get up here. I already had one interesting experience in the West Village but was pleasantly surprised by my second experience in New Jersey and the similarity it had to our Mexican food back home.


On Saturday, Amanda and I walked to Friendly's and enjoyed burgers and their famous ice cream before the Auburn game. I've never been so glad to see such a boring game after all these close nail-biters! We had a lazy Saturday, which consisted of watching the LSU vs. Tennessee game (can you believe that ending!?), the Alabama vs. Florida game (painful and embarrassing) and a massive meal at an Italian restaurant. As if we couldn't eat anymore, we stopped at Denville Dairy for ice cream!

Our favorite place in New Jersey!

On Sunday we headed to church and enjoyed a huge brunch at a local diner after. I then headed back to New York in the afternoon so that I would have plenty of time to get ready for the first day of my internship Monday. Overall, a nice relaxing weekend away from the city!


"Every once in a while, a girl has to indulge herself."---Carrie Bradshaw

Channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw

View from my window-be jealous!

Hello!

I'm creating this Sarah Jessica Parker inspired blog for two reasons. One, as a journalist I feel as though it is essential to have one in this tech-savvy, social media world and would also be a good way to stay involved with my writing. Two, I can't keep track of who I'm telling what to and would like a way to share my adventures about my new life with all of you!

For those of you who don't know, I have been obsessed with New York for as long as I can remember. I came to the city for the first time when I was 12 and always said I would live there one day. After graduation I couldn't think of a better time to risk it all and move there. I've been talking about it for so long that it feels so weird to be living here now. 

I've been here now two weeks on Friday and I've secured a part time job at Anthropologie and will also be interning with Beauty Blitz until the end of the year. You should definitely check out the website-its very sharp and you can even sign up to win free beauty products! I'm very excited to learn more about beauty and digital media and gain some great experience.

I've been adjusting to the city, which included taking my first subway ride by myself (and I didn't get lost, which is astounding due to my appalling sense of direction!), navigating various parts of the city and fitting in a little sightseeing. I'll post a couple of pictures (most of which are on facebook) of what I've been up to. Please check back in soon! 

"So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. So many mistakes."---Carrie Bradshaw

Grimaldi's Pizza-Brooklyn

Home Sweet Home!

Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man

Central Park with new friends