Ground Zero: Project Rebuild

It's strange to think that in 8 months it will be 10 years since the September 11th attacks. Ask almost anyone where they were and what they were doing and I bet they can tell you. (I was sitting in my eighth grade choir class). Having been to see the Twin Towers in 2000 and having seen Ground Zero several years ago, I knew it was a place that needed to be revisited while I was here.

A few days ago, Amanda, Claire and I made the trip downtown. We ended up circling the entire grounds, stumbling into a few awesome buildings and learned about the progress being made at the Memorial Preview Site. Things have changed a lot since I had been there last and it is proving to be an exciting time to see those plans taking shape. In case you don't know or haven't seen, New York is actively working on some exciting projects of growth to rebuild the area around the towers. The first thing they are doing is building something called the Freedom Tower, which will be completed around 2013. It will stand at 1,776 feet day (anyone seeing an important date here?) and will serve as a beacon of freedom, hope and represent the strength of our people.

They are also currently working on the Memorial. Over 5,200 entries were submitted and the winning design, "Reflecting Absence" by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker was selected. It consists of two massive pools (complete with the largest man made waterfalls running down the four sides) set in the footprint of the original tower locations. The names of nearly 3,000 victims will be inscribed around the edges of the Memorial pools. Surrounding the memorial will be an eight-acre plaza with over 400 trees to create a tranquil setting for those to remember the victims. The trees were selected within a 500-mile radius of the World Trade Center site and from parts of Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. that were also affected that day. I would very much like to come back and visit what is sure to be a beautiful site.

There will also be a museum built to create an experience and accurate timeline of the events that happened on 9/11. The museum will be underground, on the site where the towers once stood and there will even be pieces of steel from the original buildings on display. I urge you to visit this site, it will keep you updated on all plans and projects regarding Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

While it is hard to think of that day and what it means to so many people, I know that we are a better and a stronger country now. This rebuild is a symbol to the rest of the world that we will not back down, tolerate, give up or forget what has happened. It is a sign of freedom, strength, humanity, healing and everything that we hold dear. This is what we have been waiting for. A physical, tangible place to hold onto while taking the next step forward. While it is not yet completed and I know there is lots more to be done, I can say this, it definitely brings me hope for the future.


“Maybe the past is an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you are to become who you will be.”---Sex and the City

Dance! Got canned heat in my heels tonight baby...

New York City Ballet

I've been rapidly checking things off my NYC Bucket list in the last week or so and I wanted to blog about my latest. On Thursday, Amanda and I didn't have plans and wanted to figure out something to do. Seeing the New York City Ballet was something we had been wanting to do but we were unsure of how much tickets would cost us. After a little light research on the internet and one phone call later, Amanda managed to score $15 student rush tickets for the Thursday showing! We were so excited to have found such a great deal, but thought for sure that we'd be sitting way up in the nosebleed section. Boy were we wrong! Not only did we pay $15 but we got (basically center row) orchestra seats! We couldn't believe our luck! The NYC Ballet performed three separate acts, the first, Mozartina, a more traditional ballet set to Tschaikovsky's Suite No. 4. The second, Concerto DSCH (and my personal favorite)  was a fast paced modern choreography number and the third, Cortege Hongrois was a dance based on a courtly parade. It was so unbelievably beautiful and the two and a half hour performance seemed to fly by. A truly unbelievable New York experience that I will never forget. We hope to get tickets for the upcoming performance of Swan Lake in February!

"When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep walking."---Carrie Bradshaw

Our amazing $15 orchestra seats!

Lincoln Center

Love this poster

A Change of Color

Lately I've been feeling like I needed a pick me up. Something to get me out of this funk of been in (most likely due to lack of work, sheer boredom and the task of trying to live off of less than $3 a day). It has been a while since I dyed my hair and I had always wanted to do it again and go darker. Amanda and I decided to stop by our local Duane Reade and pick up a bottle of the perfect shade of chocolate brown, a good winter color. I was nervous since the last dye job didn't go exactly as planned, but felt fine with my hair in the hands of Amanda (she's done this before). I have to say, I'm pleased with the results. The first two days are shocking and the color (at its darkest) always takes some time to get used to. It's been almost a week and it has turned into such a great color. I've been getting compliments left and right (which leads me to believe that people actually prefer this shade on me better!)

Before hair dye

After hair dye

On a completely different note, this past Wednesday I attended a DG Dinner. When I moved up here, I wanted to get involved with the sorority as an alum but also wanted to reach out to others and make more connections. I've met some really great people over the past couple of months and I decided I'd attend one of their regular events, DG dinner, where they dine out together at a restaurant about once a month. This month's choice was Keste, a tiny pizza place in the Village. They had delicious food and wine and I got to meet some new DG's. It's so cool to find out that there is a sister I can count on no matter where I go or end up!


"As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, wouda, buckle up and just keep going."---Sex and the City

A Very SJP day...

I have some very exciting news to share. 
After years of being obsessed with Sex and the City, wishing I was like Carrie and moving to New York, I really hoped I'd spot a celebrity or two. Well, I can now say that I have seen Sarah Jessica Parker in the flesh! Amanda has a website that she checks for movie filming locations and she noticed that Sarah Jessica is filming a new movie. We trekked downtown to Wall Street and decided to explore for a little while. We saw plenty of trailers for equipment and dressing rooms but no film crews. Just as we were about to give up, Amanda spotted a small crowd of people. We ran across the street and saw a film crew, lighting set up and tons of extras standing outside. We saw two directors chairs inside the building and none other than SJP was sitting in one! It was the first day of filming her new movie "I Don't Know How She Does It" about a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her family. It was so crazy to see her in real life as I feel like I've come to know her on the screen. And she looked totally fabulous-like she was Carrie Bradshaw! 

Hard to tell but she's wearing the green coat in the director's chair

Still on a high from seeing SJP, we had been wanting to see the original Carrie Bradshaw apartment. It turns out that I have just another reason to love living in the West Village. The apartment is located at 66 Perry Street, about a five minute walk from my place. And, SJP and Matthew Broderick live just behind on Charles Street. I still can't believe it all happened. I hope to go back to the set again to watch some filming, but for now, I can die happy! So I'll leave you with one last quote, I think it's rather appropriate... 

"So just live. Make mistakes, and have wonderful times, but never ever second guess who you are, where you've been, and most importantly, where it is that you're going."---Carrie Bradshaw

All I do is WIN, WIN, WIN!

So I'm writing to you after a very exciting week. I still cannot believe that we are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Amanda and I had been looking forward to going to the Auburn bar to watch the game with our fellow fans for weeks and we decided to prepare by getting there early. We arrived around 6 p.m. and I'm glad we did because we were able to snag a table and watch pregame. Lots of people started piling in and by kickoff the bar was packed. If we couldn't be in Glendale or Auburn, this was the place to be! It was so exciting to watch with other fans but it was such a nerve-racking game! After the final field goal the bar exploded. After the win had sunk in, we all went outside to roll the only tree in sight....sort of an unofficial Toomer's Corner. It was the best way to watch the National Championship game!

On Tuesday, we were in for our second snowstorm this winter. When I woke up on Wednesday the city was covered in at least 6 inches of snow! Being from Alabama, seeing snow for extended periods of time is shocking! I'm still getting used to it. Amanda and I decided that we wanted to cross some more things off our "NYC Bucket List" and decided to go sledding in Central Park. Unfortunately, we didn't have actual sleds, but made do with plastic tubs from Bed, Bath and Beyond. That idea failed miserably and we went all over the city looking for real sleds. Finally, Amanda found a place that sold them and we decided to go back to the park for round two the next day. We had such a blast sledding down this huge hill near 72nd and 5th and had most of the hill to ourselves! Here are some photos of our adventures below:

In keeping with trying to cross things off our NYC Bucket List, Amanda had been wanting to go to a museum for a while and since we both happen to be poor, unemployed graduates, we found out that you can attend museums on certain days for free. We trekked up to the MoMA on a Friday night and got to see the works of Jackson Pollock, Monet, Picasso and Warhol. Below are some of my favorites:


"Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."---Carrie Bradshaw

Fabulous Lives

So I've promised to be better about blogging and I'm trying!
I've had a few days of down time since I got back to the city from spending the holidays at home and Amanda and I have taken full advantage of this time to cross several things of our "NYC Bucket List". 
I have been dying to go to Shake Shack, a burger, fries and custard NYC institution whose only other competition and comparison is In-n-Out Burger on the West Coast in California. On Saturday night, Amanda and I decided to try out one of it's four locations on the Upper West Side. I know we will be making a trip to the original location in Madison Square Park when it warms up because they only have outdoor seating! We ordered Shake Shack burgers, fries and split a mint chocolate chip frozen custard with chocolate fudge truffle and whipped cream. It was delicious and we were stuffed! A true New York experience and now we're hooked!

On Sunday, we decided to do a little shopping. Figuratively speaking, as we didn't actually buy anything but instead had loads of fun going to Bloomingdales and Saks and pretending we had lots of money to spend. We had a mini fashion show and tried on lots of expensive formal gowns. Here's a few of our favorites: 

"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with them."---Carrie Bradshaw

White Christmas

So I feel like I've been apologizing a lot lately for my lack of blog posts and the length of time in between them (but I've made it one of my New Year's resolutions to be better and I promise I'll try!) I really have had so much going on that weeks fly by before I can find the time to sit down and write. I guess that should be a good thing that I'm so busy, right?


December was a  busy month with my cousin Camilla coming over from England for a quick visit and Amanda arriving at the Markle. I also finished up the last few weeks of my internships at MVP NY and Beauty Blitz. I had a great time at both and learned tons of things that will hopefully help me land a full-time job! I also spent a few weeks working as a personal assistant to the VP of Glocap Search, a recruiting firm that helps individuals find jobs in the financial job market. I will be meeting with her again soon to discuss the possibility of a full-time position with her. And of course, I've also been babysitting like crazy!

Our lovely tree

SNOW!

The one and only photo I took of our cabin!

I really enjoyed being at home for two weeks over the Christmas break. As many of you know, I wasn't home for very long over Thanksgiving so it was nice to be able to relax for a more extended period of time this trip. I got to see a few friends, spend time with family, enjoy home cooked meals again and just enjoying being lazy in general. I also got to see Michael a good bit and we spent New Years near Asheville, NC. And the best part of the trip, it SNOWED on CHRISTMAS. Yep, that's right. My first White Christmas and I had to come all the way back from New York just to get one! Well, more blogs to come soon about what I've been doing these past few days!


"After a while, you just want to be with the one that makes you laugh."---Mr. Big, Sex and the City