THE TRUTH.

People ask me about life in the city.

“How is it? Seems like you’re having a fabulous time.”

People ask me what I’m doing after graduation.

“So what do you want to do exactly? Are you going to move here? To LA?”

Well, people have also told me that my blog has allowed them to get insight into something they haven’t done, or haven’t chosen to do in their life.

I feel like I have more than done justice to the amazing, wonderful, opportunities in this city. (Such as seeing Penn Badgley filming a scene for his new movie from five feet away ;).So, now it’s time for a post about realities. Realities about life in the city and realities about well, realizing how I want to live my life. (Dun, dun, dun).


Life in the city is wonderful, but it also extremely overwhelming at times. I’m going to be brutally honest. Living in Midtown is often less than desirable. Before you jump all over me for sounding unappreciative, let’s remember that my first blog posts pay fair tribute to the amazing view that I have and that I still appreciate every time I look out my window.

I think that people sometimes forget that just because you’re living in a big city, you still might want some “normalcy" too. Midtown doesn’t really allow for my definition of that. The number of tourists is outrageous. It’s extremely hot with nowhere for the air to go because of the tall buildings and excessive concrete concealing it in like some sort of life-size incubator. It’s dirty. And most of all-ITS LOUD. The honking horns and sirens never stop. The whooshing of Lincoln Tunnel will sometimes wake me in the middle of the night for fear that something is collapsing outside my window.

I have recently discovered why places like the upper East Side are excessively expensive. I think there are hidden charges for the “quietness.”

Anyway, there is no such thing as a quiet, pleasant stroll around Midtown. The crowds are really, well, intense and I’m sure they will only continue to grow as we head into July, aka, prime tourist time.

One change I have found in myself that seems induced by city life is that I am a little more on edge than normal. New York is relatively safe, but you do need to constantly be aware of your surroundings and if you’re trying to get anywhere on schedule, you have to be aggressive. You have to actively know where you’re going and not be afraid to literally “cut people off" while you’re walking. Yes, I’ve become one of those impatient (wannabe) East Coasters. But seriously, all of the people moving slow with their eyes turned upward instead of in front of them can be exhausting. The constant stimulation of movement and loud noises is a lot to take in 24 hours a day.

There. I did the semi-unthinkable. I said I don’t like Midtown. The area where I am living my “dream summer” in New York. But honestly, I would be doing my own credibility an injustice if I wasn’t honest about my experience.

I will give it this-it’s incredibly convenient. It’s close to my work and I have access to almost every major subway line I need. And my dislike of Midtown isn’t some kind of hatred that I’m obsessing over. It’s more of an observation. The same kind of observation you make when you order something you don’t like at a restaurant but you don’t send it back because in reality-it’s not that big of a deal. So I don’t like Midtown, that’s okay. I’m still enjoying myself and am thankful for the positives-the number one being that I’ve made some great friends where I’m living.


Well, that’s almost enough honesty for one night. I really have had a lot of “reality-checks” lately though, and I’m definitely planning to put them on here in future posts. After all, this blog is about my “experiences while living in the city” and that means the good, the bad, the fabulous and the ugly.


For now I will leave you with a quote from Sabrina: a movie that everyone MUST see at some point:

"I have learnt how to live... How to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And I will never, never again run away from life.”

While I'm at it, I can think of a few cities that deserve credit in teaching me how to live, through the good, the bad, the ugly and the GREAT-


Tulsa gave me Hanson, fountain drinks, and a home that really, really feels like mine. Door County taught me how to love and that certain experiences will become a part of you forever. San Diego taught me how to be a better driver, that you can’t take best friends for granted, and that its okay to admit when you just want to go home. Norman gave me the opportunity to actually like school and to realize how cool it is that people you knew in the sixth grade could end up being your roommates one day. Florence allowed me the chance to rediscover both confidence and happiness after I sort of lost myself for awhile. Prague was a true example of “it’s not where you’re going-its who your with,” but it never hurts when “where you’re going” is some of the most fairy-tale locations on the planet. Brussels taught me to run in the rain and not care. New York is teaching me that its not “what career” I have that matters to me, it’s the experiences that I want to have in my life and it’s the people that I want to share them with that really do matter the most.

So here’s to being honest. To saying, I don’t know if I’ll move to New York or LA. I don’t know if I want to work in film. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I graduate. BUT I am a very lucky girl and I couldn’t be more thankful for the experiences I have had this far in my life.

Here’s to learning to live one day at a time.

Cheers to good things...whatever they may be for each of us :) (And mega cheers to you if you actually read all that!)

A working gal

"and I'm feeling the pull
dragging me on again
and I'm feeling so small
against that big moon sky tonight"
-Listening to: "Feeling the Pull" by The Swell Season (If you do one thing today download this song by this wonderful Irish duo)

Today was my first working girl day in NYC. I can only hope that this is the first of many many to come in the future.

I didn't have to be at the office until 10 a.m. Seriously? I didn't know jobs existed like that. However, the fact that I was wide awake at 5 a.m. this morning didn't exactly allow me the chance to sleep in. In New York, the morning sun likes to come blaring through the window at about 5. I didn't mind it too much though, I'm not a huge fan of sleeping in anymore anyway.

The office I work at is right by Fashion Ave and the Garment District. It's an exciting area to be a part of on a work day. The location is only ten minutes from the W, which is extremely convenient. I felt that the vibe was one hundred percent different today, the first work day of the week, in comparison to the weekend. I actually liked it much better today.

It was exciting to be amongst the people who were on their way to work. The weekend was filled with mostly tourists wandering the streets, but today the real New Yorkers were out. Papers were for sale on street corners and men in business suits pushed past me, coffee in hand. I love knowing that I get to be a part of that working crowd, at least for a couple of months.

The movement and energy I felt around mid-town today was similar to the energy that I love so much about the financial district. I was glad to find it here too. Being located near such huge tourist destinations I didn't know whether I would be able to distinguish between the commercial tourism and the local working crowd, but today I could.

I arrived at work ten minutes early, the same time as one of the producers and another intern. He was shocked that we were there "early." It made me chuckle, again, to think that I seem to have the one internship where they don't expect you to be early and you don't have to be there until mid-morning.

The three producers and other two interns in the office are all incredibly nice. It is a very relaxed atmosphere on the 16th floor overlooking midtown. I spent most of the day transcribing footage for their latest project. While I can't go in to much detail about the content, I can say it relates to the politics and racism in New Orleans and it was absolutely fascinating. I cannot wait to learn more about the process that goes into making documentary films. After one day of working in an office responsible for creating award winning ones, I already have higher esteem for these types of films than I did even when I woke up this morning.

During my lunch break, I went with Kristen, another intern, to grab a sandwich. She pointed out that directly across the street from our office is the place where the contestants on Project Runway go to get all of their fabrics, so that was my fun fact of the day. Speaking of fashion, it was fabulous to see all of the different looks people were sporting to work today, especially being near Fashion Ave and the Garment District.

After a solid first day at work, I went back to the W and found myself crashing at about 7 pm. Ever since I have been in New York, my body seems to have no idea what time zone it's in. I know that a one hour time difference from home isn't enough for me to really feel, so I'm assuming it must just be some kind of adjustment to living a completely new lifestyle. All I know is that I'm ready for bed at about 8 pm and completely wide awake when the sun is coming up. Needless to say, I'm trying to fix this issue-so I had a nice big cup of coffee after dinner and decided to take a stroll down my street around dusk. I felt kind of ridiculous when I considered the fact that a "stroll" down my street consists of passing places such as Macy's, Madison Square Garden, and all the while enjoying the grand presence of the Empire State Building towering above. Can you tell I'm still a bit awe-struck?

I've also decided I have a strange love for Penn Station. While I'm not a huge fan of the subways, this station isn't too bad because it is also where the Long Island Rail Station is. There are always pretty decent musicians playing in it, so it's kind of fun to walk through it. On Monday when I was down there some one was playing an instrumental version of My Heart Will Go On. No joke-it was great.

Anyway, tonight on my walk, it was just beginning to get dark enough for the huge LED sign at Macy's to illuminate the whole intersection on the corner with the colors of the advertisements. In a twisted, technology-induced way, it was kind of cool.

Well, that's the end of my rambling for the day. I didn't manage to get around to taking many pictures today, so I will leave you with the not-so-attractive picture of my damaged feet.

This is New York baby...