Only one week left in the City :(

It has been yet another busy last two weeks... I have been working with PR doing media lists - continuing to find different media sources for magazines, newspapers, TV, and radio for 10 different cities in the US. After compiling that list, I would search for contact information for each one. Over the past few weeks, I've continued to research for Macy's finding new designers. This has been my favorite project because I fall in love with designers and get to promote them to my bosses. I have a list of 9 designers to show them and then they will chose a few to send on to Macy's. Hopefully one day I'll see one of the designers that I helped find in the store :) I would probably have a mini heart-attack at the excitement, but it would be well worth it!!

Mom came to visit me two weekends ago, and we had a fabulous weekend! We saw Jersey Boys Thursday night, which is now one of my favorite shows. We did the double-decker tour on Friday and hopped on and off all day. We browsed around SoHo and then ended up down by the South Pier and had lunch. We then went to Greenwich and shopped around. We headed back to our hotel and then went to Addams Family, which was amazing as well!!! Saturday, we went to the King Tut Exhibit, and much to our dismay, there is NO King Tut in that museum - I know he wouldn't actually be in there, but the famous mask with the gold pharaoh wasn't there. It's still in Egypt. I felt cheated. ALL of the advertisements show the mask of King Tut - this is false advertising and ILLEGAL!


Mom and I going to the 3D video about mummies - Ooh Aah!

Anyway after running through the exhibit as fast as possible to find King Tut, we headed back down to Greenwich for some more thorough exploring. We meandered back to our hotel and got dolled up for HARRY CONNICK JR :) :) It was BY FAR our favorite show we had seen. He was A-MAZING. He was funny, he played 2 pianos, he played the trumpet, he sang like an angel, AND he could tap dance!!!! What more could you want?!?!









After the show, we went to Serafina for dinner - If you are EVER in NY, this restaurant is AMAZING! I recommend the crepes with ricotta cheese and fresh tomato sauce or the homemade pasta with chicken and peas in a cream sauce. It's right across from David Letterman, so be sure to go everyone!

This past weekend Kate's friend Kylee came to visit. We went to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) and learned about the history of the building.







We then went to St. Patrick's Cathedral - this was Kylee's first time to NY so we had to cover the basics.





We then went to Spice Market down in the Meatpacking District. It was delicious!!! I'm not for sure the type of food it is, but it's delicious! The atmosphere was really cool too.



We then went to see Jersey Boys - yes for the second time :) We love it THAT much!!!!

Us with Frankie Valli :)

On Saturday, I wondered around West 72nd and Broadway and met up with people from work. We were working the concerts in Central Park for our agency. The bands playing for that day were all Latino, and we were there representing one of the bands. We handed out flyers to people and free cards to download music. It was really fun to "work" while listening to the different bands. I then went to meet up with my roommates at the MET. After walking around the MET and seeing the Monet's and Van Gogh's, we headed to Union Square to eat dinner. We went to Republic, it's another Asian type restaurant, also VERY delicious. After dinner, we went to Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar aka Heaven on earth. It was delicious!!! We definitely chocolated (my made up word) ourselves out. We had a chocolate pizza with marshmallows and the sampler platter, which consisted of chocolate egg rolls, chocolate fondu, chocolate bark, chocolate biscotti, chocolate waffles, chocolate anything!!!! It was awesome. Epic moment for the chocolate lovers!



On Sunday, we took it easy after all of our eating :) Our FAVORITE thing to do in New York. I did get my hair chopped off, which was fun. Meanwhile outside the salon, the movie Premium Rush was filming with my fav actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Unfortunately he was not there because he had gashed his arm open the previous day doing one of the stunts :/ He had to get 31 stitches... The hard life of a movie star...

-The guy in the red is the stunt double for Joseph-

Well I believe that is about all for now :) Hope you're enjoying my blog... I know I keep forgetting to post, but things are SOOO busy!!!! I absolutely love it here, and I just may be back here in a year - for good. Or well for a few years :)

New Hair :) Better pictures to come!!!!!

Busyyy Busyyy Bee

Last week was CRAZY busy! I worked in the PR department, in accounts, and for one of the creatives... I searched for Hispanic events happening in Tampa and in Orlando for PR, I double-checked a new website for Vonage (down to the fine print!), and for Susan, I'm now OFFICIALLY helping her with Macy's!!!! Susan is one of the co-founders of The Vox and asked me to help search for international designers for Macy's. Kurt, another intern, and I are on the project with Susan and another employee, Adolfo. Kurt and I have decided once we get a list together of potential new designers, we'll have to take a field trip out in the city to go visit these designers. It's been a fun task indeed, but so far I've had NO time to do it! She said if anyone else had a project we have to complete it first, then work on her project :( And of course everyone has had projects for us!!!!

This past weekend Dad and Pam came to visit me. He got here late because he missed his flight due to traffic issues and then they lost his luggage!!! After a bunch of haggling and another trip to the airport, it all got sorted out. On Friday, we went to the Intrepid museum and went in a submarine that was sitting in the water - DEFINITELY could not live in one of those things for 3 - 4 months. Can't believe what they went through!!!! We also saw the Black Bird, which flew from LA to NY in 1 hour!!! It flies 4,000 miles an hour. It was used as a spy plane. After that, we took a double-decker night tour of the downtown area and of Brooklyn. It was gorgeous! The city always is so beautiful at night, especially the Brooklyn Bridge! On Saturday, we took the double-decker again, but this time it made stops. We went to China town to see what fakes we could find, then ventured down to Ground Zero. We went to the World Trade Center museum, and it had a lot of interesting artifacts. I honestly was spectacle about the museum because I wasn't sure what it had inside. I had heard it was just photographs... It's a great museum considering it's only been less than 9 years and they're still building the memorial. It has a menu from Windows on the World that was found in the debris, and many other items with stories explaining its significance. I would definitely recommend it. After that, we headed down to the pier by the Brooklyn Bridge. We had crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and mussels! We then took a helicopter ride of the bay area around NY - it was a great way to see Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty! Afterwards, we went on the Shark. It's a speedboat ride of the harbor - what they don't tell you is you WILL get wet! By the end of the 30 minute ride, we were entirely soaked from head to toe! It's the closest thing I've been to swimming all summer, so I was content. We finished the double-decker tour at Central Park and strolled through to the Dakota. We then briefly went to Columbia to show them the grounds and then caught a taxi to go have dinner. We ate at a steak restaurant that was amazing! I tried lobster for the first time, which was OK. Dad and Pam told me it wasn't a very good lobster and to not make an opinion based off of that. The steak on the other hand was delicious! It was a great weekend despite it's beginning with the lost luggage. We had a great time!

Starting off this week, PR asked me to develop a media list for 10 cities and the client wants it ASAP. Oh gosh! This sounds completely doable, right?! Except the fact that we had to find 5 different sources of Hispanic magazines, TV, radio, and newspapers for each city AND a description about each source! After two long days at the office (and I mean staying in over time), the project got done. Despite the stress of the pressing deadline, I enjoyed the actual project, and it was more experience that most internships don't offer! Also, today I went to a meeting for Vonage to add in the "legal lines" in a commercial - you know the part at the end about "don't take this medicine if you might be pregnant. consult your doctor if this medicine is right for you" - except it was about phone offers for Vonage. I got to witness Emilio, Vox's Account Executive, interacting with the production team, and the creatives. I got to see how the AE has to make sure what the client wants is in the ad meanwhile the production team and the creatives are satisfied with the visuals. I really enjoyed it! More "real world" experience if you will. That's an update for now! More things to come :-)

My life at the Vox

Last week I worked on my competitive deck for Macy's. I analyzed Macy's competitors - like Kohl's, JC Penny, etc. - I looked at their media expenditures and in what mediums they spent - like TV, magazines, newspapers. The information was all for the Hispanic market. It was good practice to see how I would compile a competitive deck when I am working in the "real world." There is a chance the agency could use this information for Macy's. I present the deck tomorrow!!

My favorite project from last week had to do with the new Material Girl line from Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, which is being launched August 3rd! This was a project from the PR department. I read blogs in Spanish on Vogue, People, Cosmo, and any other major fashion blogs to see what the fashion buzz was in the Hispanic market. I read about what designers are the current must-haves and what the anticipation was about Material Girl. I thoroughly enjoyed this project :) After we hear back from Macy's about the work we have done thus far, we'll get the go ahead to do more!!

On Thursday, we watched a presentation from Aldofo, an employee at The Vox, about international designers that could be potential new lines for Macy's. They asked us, the interns, to voice our opinion about the designers that we liked. It was Heaven for me! Roberto, the CEO, made us name our 3 style icons and the stores where we shopped. It became a
brainstorming session for how Macy's could change or do something new. This is the best of both worlds. I get to do advertising for fashion! I get to voice my opinion about designers I'm passionate about and who I think play a role in the style of our society. Roberto said if this is something I'm really interested in, I can ask to help out with the project! Who knew after writing the fashion blog for Vox, that I'd actually be doing more in fashion?! This definitely gives me hope that I can work in the fashion world without knowing how to sew :)

On Friday, Kate's friends Jaryn and Keegan - who lived next door to me in the dorms - came to visit. We went to dinner at our favorite little restaurant Toast (it's been on The Hills a bunch) and went down to the SoHo area. On Saturday, we got an early start and went down to Times Square. We got student tickets for Mamma Mia and then took a double-decker tour of NYC. It was amazing! I learned so many things about NYC that I'd never known. So many things about the Titanic survivors and about WWII veterans. It was very interesting. After the tour we wondered around Rockefeller Center, got cupcakes at Crumbs (best place ever!) and sat in Bryant Park. We then went home to freshen up and head to dinner at Maria Pia for some Italian food. It was DELICIOUS! Truly one of my favorite meals in NYC. We had Caprese and everything. After dinner, we went to our show. I LOVED Mamma Mia, mind you I am biased because I LOVE the music. I refrained the entire show from busting out in song with the performers. The 80 year old man beside me from Greece, however, could not. He was tapping his feet and moving to the music the entire show. It amazed me because he didn't know a lick of English, but knew EVERY word to that show. He was there with all of his family, and I'm pretty sure they went to the show for him.

On Sunday, for Jaryn and Keegan's last few hours in NY we went to Central Park to see the Dakota, Imagine, the Boathouse, and everything else along the way! We ate lunch in the Boathouse - still my favorite place ever!!! We then went and sat by the "conservatory water" - better known as the place in Stuart Little where he drives the little boat or it made an appearance on Gossip Girl where Jenny Humphrey gets in with the wrong crowd. Anyway it's a little pond with all the white sailboats that you can rent and get the remote controls for them. We then walking down 5th Avenue to the bottom of Central Park where the Plaza is and FAO Schwarz. Jaryn and Keegan got into a cab, and Kate and I headed to Sephora for a little make-up time :) We then walked over to Times Square where I saw the World Cup final game being played over the largest screen I'd ever seen. Vendors were selling Netherlands and Spain tshirts and everyone was getting excited for the game. Kate went with her boyfriend's parents to see West Side Story, and I went to my friend's apartment in the East Village to watch the game. Spain won in overtime!! It was a glorious moment, and my friend Megan and I went to get yogurt in celebration! We then went to church that night since we'd both been busy and hadn't been able to go. It was great! -Read prior post- It reminded me how lucky and privileged I am to be in New York for the summer! It reminded me praying is a privilege, and I need to remember to that praying is about God and not just about my wants. After church, Megan and I went to Chipotle and had the chicken tacos - that was my first time having the tacos and they are delicious. We talked about where we want to live and work and had a great day of bonding!!!

Anyway - I think that's a HUGE filler on everything that has been going on :) :) I have my presentation tomorrow at 12:00 for Macy's competitive deck, and hopefully I'll be working on more Material Girl stuff!

XOXO!~

Just some thoughts :)

I will be posting more shortly... but for now:

After writing all of these blogs about my wonderful experiences here in NY, I think it was only a matter of time before showing my thanks and appreciation for this opportunity. I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I'm thankful for the chance to be able to live here for 10 weeks! Not to get sappy, but I am so blessed to be able to be here and to take advantage of this chance to work in New York. I went to church with my friend Megan, and he was talking about prayer - how it's not a slot machine where you say the right things and God will give you whatever you want. He said we have to remember that God is the center of our prayers and not the things we're asking for - this led me to think about my experiences here and the fact that I AM here. God did answer my prayers and allowed me to be here for the summer. I'm just truly thankful to Him for this! I'm also thankful for the experiences I have had so far and for the wonderful people I have met while here. I'm thankful for the future experiences in these final 4 weeks - I know there's a lot more yet to come! Thanks to everyone who reads my blog - it shows your support for me and for my career in the Ad world :)

XOXO!~

P.S. I'll be posting more tomorrow about all of my adventures from last week! It was a great week and weekend!!

4th of July!!!

This past week has been a whirlwind! My roommate Molly had a friend in town for the past 2 weeks for a mini internship. Since she was here for such a short stay, we have been doing as much as possible! Last Monday, we found out that Taylor Lautner was going to be on David Letterman and what else would we do but go stalk the poor kid. My friends Kate and Megan saw him go in the show around 5ish, weathered out the rain, and were still there by the time I got off work and met them. We watched Taylor come out of the show in his gorgeous suit that he wore to the Eclipse premiere. He looked terrified when he came out the back door, but who wouldn't be with 500 frantic stalkers screaming your name?! Anyway he was a trooper about it and signed tons of autographs and took hundreds of pictures - we were very satisfied! After he zipped away with his body guards in his black SUV, we tried to figure out where the Eclipse premiere was going to be. For some reason, they would not release the location, so all five of us were frantically searching on our phones to see if we could find any clues on where to go - mean time, Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth hopped out of their SUV and ran in the backdoor of their broadway show... No big deal. Finally, a celebrity sighting without having to hunt them down!! It really does take a lot of effort to stalk celebrities. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of them... I was too busy staring at them with my mouth hanging open. Next time, next time.

On Tuesday, some of my fellow interns wanted to go have a drink after work... well of course this turned into a 2 hour shopping spree! We finally ended up in SoHo for dinner. We were wondering aimlessly and found this small little restaurant on a side street. We went in and scoped out the place and decided it would do. Another intern, comes running in to us and asked if we had seen Kelly Rikka when we walked in. We asked who is Kelly Rikka? Our friend said the cute blonde with the hott husband?! It then clicked - Ohhhh Kelly Ripa?? She was eating outside right in front of the restaurant's door, and all four of us had walked right past her without noticing. Gabrielle and I decided we needed to have a fake phone call so we could go outside and see for ourselves. We pretended to give our imaginary friend directions to the restaurant meanwhile glancing over at Ripa's table.... ANOTHER celebrity sighting?!?! After Prince Harry, I had seen Taylor Lautner, Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth, and Kelly Ripa in a span of 24 hours?! Finally, a true New York experience.

Besides all of my celebrity stalking, I have been working on tons of different things at work! I have helped the PR department with researching different media figures. I've been working on a competitive deck for Macy's - where I analyze other brands' media buys, TV commercials, etc. I'll be working on that again this week. We double-checked the infamous 7,702 translations for any final errors before sending it to the client. It's been great working a little in different areas - definitely keeps me entertained by doing something new everyday :)

To celebrate the 4th, we decided to pack a picnic and head to Riverside Park. We had a great little spread and laid out our blanket on a hill overlooking a baseball field next to the river - we thought that was very patriotic. To add to it, there was an American flag somewhat flying next to the field - pictures/videos to come soon - The Macy's firework show was great! We were a little high up to see the entire show, but it was beautiful. My mom told me later it was the largest fireworks show in the U.S. - pretty cool stuff!

Anyway, I was feeling bad for failing on my blogging duties, yet again! It's not that I don't have things to post, I just never have time... Hence my laundry is still sitting there :/ Maybe tomorrow! Night :) :) XOXOXO

Oooop and here's a pic of Taylor Lautner for those who don't use Facebook ;)

7,702 Translations and a Weekend of Royalty

I know I have been failing on blogging... But here is an update on everything!!

At work, I was asked to do a sample of translations for Vonage. Emilio had me translate 21 phrases to see if the Art Director and one of the Senior Account Executives approved of my skills. After getting my sample approved, they provided me with 7,702 phrases in Spanish to translate in English - Oh, and the client wants it ASAP. No big deal. This started on Monday afternoon and continued all the way through Friday morning! I translated 400 phrases an hour... These phrases are search terms that people Google about Vonage. Although I was going cross-eyed and could have sworn I was getting carpal tunnel, it was great practice for my Spanish. After completing the entire list on Thursday afternoon, the team looked over my work and only had MINOR changes!!! This was the best news I could have received. I had been successful in translating almost 8,000 phrases?! I came back into work Friday morning to edit the list before sending it out to the client.

This past weekend was a HUGE success :) On Friday after work, Molly, Ashton, and I headed to Central Park for a late lunch. We picked up sandwiches from Loeb Boathouse and headed to a nearby pond. We sat in the park for 3 hours and talked and enjoyed the scenary. This pond is the one with the sailboats you can rent and drive around. It was absolutely gorgeous and one of our new favorite spots!



After the park, Molly, Megan, Ashton, and I went out to a bar called Gatsby's down in SoHo on Spring Street. It was an adorable red little pub! My friend Catherine from work and her brother met us as well. The DJ created mixes of Backstreet Boys with Snow Patrol - definitely revived the old songs.

On Saturday, Molly and I woke up and headed to Citi Field to the Mets game. Prince Harry was in NY for 3 days for his 2nd visit to the city and was throwing the first pitch for the Mets. Since Molly is OBSESSED with the royal family, we decided we'd make it a weekend full of Prince Harry. When we got to the field, we found out we could stay at the field level to watch Harry pitch and then go up to our seats. We got fantastic pictures and enjoyed the adorable redhead laugh about his pitching skills :)





After watching the pitch and grabbing some hot dogs, Molly and I headed up to our seats on the TOP ROW of the stadium! We decided we didn't mind this because we were in the shade and had the perfect breeze blowing on our backs.

Our free hats - so attractive, we know!

Citi Field

After our adventure at Citi Field, we headed back home to meet friends for a late dinner in Greenwich Village before calling it a night.

On Sunday, we headed to Governors Island to watch the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, which Prince Harry was playing in of course! Nacho Figueras was playing in the game as well - he's the Ralph Lauren model :) We arrived to Governors Island at 12:30 and the game started at 3. It was SO hot but luckily we had Molly's umbrella, even though that was only minor help.



the group - Molly, me, Megan, Ashton, and Rian

After taking lots of pictures of the polo field to distract ourselves, the game finally started! We then were quickly entertained to watch Harry and Nacho prance around.
:)

Nacho Figueras



With a weekend full of stalking royalty and crossing off the bucketlist, we had a blast and filled our weekend to the fullest!!

Until next time Prince!

-Governors Island-

Lady Liberty

Friends in the city

On Thursday afternoon, Mom, Aunt Karen, and Taylor came to visit me for the weekend. We had a wonderful visit from seeing the Guggenheim to visiting the UN - we conquered New York. After I met them at the hotel, we visited Columbia and showed them my living situations. We then had dinner close to campus before going back to the hotel for an early night. On Friday, we hit the ground running and went to the United Nations for a tour - Did you know the UN has its own stamps?! We then headed to Times Square to check out the ticket situation for a broadway show. Instead of waiting in the 2 hour line for half-price tickets, we bought some from a man for Billy Elliot. We then proceeded down to where my "office" was in Chelsea. On the street where my building is, there are tons of antique stores. We wondered through these on our way through the area. We ended the tour in Madison Square Park, which is sandwiched between the Flat Iron Building and the Empire State Building. We enjoyed a coke and chocolate gelato while we took in the scenes, then headed back to our hotel to get ready for the show. All dolled up, we headed to see Billy Elliot. We realized our "sweet" tickets were actually not all together, so Taylor and I headed to one section and mom and aunt k to another. The show was incredible, yet interesting. Within the first minute of it starting, little Billy had already dropped 3 cuss words - slightly shocking, but hey it's New York - and the dancing was incredible! Who knew a 12 year-old could dance like that?! After the show we headed for a late dinner at Bond 45 - pricey but delicious.

On Saturday, we woke up and headed to the Guggenheim. Deciding we weren't too interested in the art inside the museum, we entered to see how much of the infamous dome and architecture we could see for free. Luckily, the main dome is in the area that general admittance can see. We took our tourists photos and headed out.



We then went to Central Park for some exploring - we saw the Jackie Onassis Reservoir and then ate lunch at the Loeb Boathouse. Definitely a highlight for me! The boathouse is GORGEOUS. We discovered that you can eat the cheap menu, but still sit inside - win win! We sat right next to the fancy dining room eating our $5 sandwiches and were happy as a clam.

Outside of the Loeb Boathouse

View from inside the Boathouse

After lunch, we wondered over to Imagine to pay tribute to John Lennon and show Tay The Dakota. After walking all over Central Park, we took the subway down to Times Square to get tickets. After getting off the subway, we saw that Broadway was closed off and markets filled the streets! We were ecstatic!!!! We asked an owner of one of the vendors, and she said they have this market ONCE A YEAR - can you believe the luck?! We found some great buys and headed to the ticket booth. This time since it was after 6 there was barely a line. We decided on Chicago with 3rd row seats! We went to a cute Italian restaurant across from the theater for a glass of wine while we waited for the show. This Chicago was really cute and different. It had more slapstick humor and was entertaining. After the show, we headed to Toloache for Mexican food :) It was delish! Nothing better than a margarita and some guacamole!

On Sunday, we went to see ground zero. Mom and I hadn't been since January of 2008, Aunt Karen had gone in December 2001, and Taylor had never been. It was definitely different from when we had been there 3 years ago. The new buildings are underway, and the designs are posted everywhere. First we visited the church St. Paul's chapel, which survived the 9/11 attack and is where George Washington ate dinner for his inauguration. It was literally right next to tower 2 and is truly remarkable that it survived. Inside the chapel is tons of memoirs including letters from people around the country and badges from volunteer firefighters from different states. There was a service at noon that the church, which it has everyday in remembrance of 9/11. It was really cool to see how the church still shows compassion for those who died 9 years ago. We walked down to the fire station to see if it still had a museum. It was closed, but there's now an official World Trade Center museum. The fire station still has the plaque of the 5 men its station lost as well as a poster of every NY firefighter that died. It has a huge plaque along the side of the building with the World Trade Centers being hit and the firefighters with hoses and running to the buildings. After walking around the grounds, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up for an early dinner at Buddakan.

We went early to Buddakan to have a drink at the bar and to enjoy the scenery. This restaurant was used in Sex and the City movie for Carrie and Big's rehearsal dinner. Everything from the grand dining room to the front door were shown in the film. The red room, where we ate dinner, was used in the New Years scene with Standford. Since this is a big Sex and the City landmark, I had to order a Cosmopolitan in honor of the fab four. After a great dinner, we wondered the streets and headed back to our hotel. It was a wonderful trip, and I was so glad I could share NY with them :)

The dining hall of Buddakan - the table in SATC movie

My Cosmo :) Bday compliments from Annabelle!!

FINALLY 2-1 :) WOOP WOOP

On the big day, I went to work at 10 and had breakfast with my new fellow co-workers. To start the day off, my "boss" Gabriel asked me if I was drunk already. I told him no, and he said he figured I would've started drinking at midnight. *tisk tisk* I finished writing my fashion blog for the Vox's website - which is in the process of being posted (yayyy) - and told Gabriel we were all going to lunch. Again, my boss hassled me about drinking. He asked me if I was going to have a "liquid lunch." I just laughed, and he responded with "Well we won't judge you." And with that we were off to lunch.

After picking up our food at "On-the-Go," one of the interns, Kurt, convinced me that I should go buy my first legal beer to drink with lunch. We headed off to Whole Foods to pick out which beer would be the epic first. We settled on Leffe - a Belgium beer - and headed back to the agency... After everyone stated the fact that it was my birthday, and I thought I had made it clear that I was turning 21, THEY ALL had to make a comment about drinking at 2:00 at work. Including Gabriel who had suggested it in the first place! The CEO of the company, whom I had met for the first time that day, teased me about drinking on the job... After all this harassment, the interns and Adolfo came around the corner with a piece of tiramisu and a candle (separately) singing happy birthday... They couldn't find any real candles, so a candle in a candle holder made do. It was a very eventful birthday at work and really fun.

Once I got off work and came home, my roomies had little gifts for me! Kate had bought me cupcakes from Magnola Bakery, which is famous because in an episode of Sex and the City the girls went there. She got me a red velvet cupcake - because she knows I adore red velvet cake, and a CARRIE BRADSHAW cupcake :) :) YES, a cupcake named after the fabulous character from SATC. It was the perfect gift! And then, Molly gave me a bouquet of gerbera daisies from her and Kate with a card for a pedicure. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER :) :)

THE CARRIE BRADSHAW CUPCAKE



After we were all fancied up, we headed to dinner to Gabriela's, a Mexican food restaurant close to our apartment, and had my first legal margarita. The food was absolutely delicious, and we were all completely stuffed. After asking for the check, the waiter brought out Mexican vanilla bean ice cream with a candle and the staff sang happy birthday :) It was the perfect ending to the perfect birthday.

Pictures from In the Heights

From left to right: Kate, me, Paulina, Megan, and Molly - outside of "IN THE HEIGHTS"


With Corbin Bleu :) :) He loved us for sure!

More Adventures in NYC

Over the past few days at work, I have been working on a fashion blog for Vox Collective's website. My boss asked me to write about the fall 2010 fashion must-haves, and what the essentials will be in Texas. I was in Heaven!!! My first "real" assignment, and my boss wants me to write about fashion?! I could see the envy in the other interns' faces as they had to write about the BP oil spill. I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship so far, and I'm excited as I begin to actually do some work.

On Friday, we worked for the first 30 minutes and then my really amazing boss told us to stop because the world cup was on. Adolpho - crazy Peruvian - bought Dunkin doughnuts and coffee for everyone, and we all watched Mexico vs. South Africa. Got to love Fridays!! After the game, I worked on my fashion article some more and then headed for some lunch.

After getting off work and taking a much needed nap, three of my roomies and I headed out for dinner at our new favorite restaurant - Toast. For the reality TV people, its the restaurant regularly shown on "The HIlls." I'm not sure if it has made an appearance on "The City," but it has become our new favorite place.


This is my roommate Molly and me going to Toast.

Today, Saturday, we slept in and catch up on my TV shows while Kate had to go in to work at Fox. We met her at Times Square when she got off and went to purchase tickets for a broadway show. "In The Heights" had 5 seats together with a good view, so we snatched them up. We grabbed dinner at Famigilia - another one of our favorites - and headed to the show. A-MAZING!!! Besides the fact that it has Corbin Bleu from all the High School Musical movies, it was truly wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the singing and the dancing. After the show, we decided to hang around and stalk the cast. We got a picture with Christopher Jackson - one of the main guys and was on Gossip Girl - and a picture with Corbin Bleu - of course! As we were leaving, Molly touches Corbin's arm and says in her adorable Southern accent, "I just have to tell you that you're precious." Corbin reaches back to her and was very appreciative. We laughed so hard. Only Molly would do something like that. We've now decided that we will stalk the cast after every show we see. Definitely worth it!!!! Pictures with Christopher and Corbin coming soon :) :)

Another Day at the Vox

Today wasn't fairly uneventful... During the morning, the two other account service interns and I had nothing to do other than try to think of ways to decorate our hideaway in the back. We were missing our partner in crime - Brenda - who is the finance gooroo at Vox. I ended up watching an episode of The Office instead.

By late afternoon, Emilio - one of the Senior Account Executives - invited us to listen in on the pre-production meeting for the Vonage commercial their shooting on Friday. He warned us these meetings can last up to 2 hours long. Apparently in these meetings the entire team goes over every little detail that will be in the commercial. We double checked every single line the actors say, the actual casting, the clothes, the location, EVERYTHING. We sat in for a good 2 hours and then decided to leave around 6. It was a great experience to see what an AE actually does for a commercial. Emilio described to us in full detail the process of developing a commercial or any advertisement.

Hopefully I will continue to have experiences like these :) It's awesome just to observe what I hope to be doing someday!

NYC is FREEZING and raining - It has been in the 50's here!!!!! Definitely was NOT expecting this kind of weather. Hoping for some sunshine tomorrow :)


^view of the Empire State Building from the "small" conference room right by my desk... not too shabby!

First Day of Work :)

So I had my first official day of work today! I knew it was going to be good whenever I stepped off the elevators and instantly saw a "giant-sized" book of Andy Warhol sitting on the coffee table. They had modern-style rocker chairs and a low black leather sofa and a blown-up picture from a recent campaign in Italy for a fashion designer. I was so excited to see the rest.


The infamous Jackie Brown, who had interviewed me and who has been emailing me for the past 2 months, came out and greeted us waiting in the lobby. She took us back into one of the conference rooms and went over the basics. We then went on a tour of the agency. It's small, but so awesome inside!! It has beautiful hardwood floors with gorgeous sites of the city through every window. Through the window in our conference room, I had a clear shot of the Empire State Building. INCREDIBLE. It is a very open layout and has a kitchen in the far corner.

I'm with the Client Services team, which is the liaison between the agency and the client. We keep everyone happy :) My computer is in the back of the building where the CEO, CCO, and CFO sit. I absolutely love the atmosphere, and the people are just as great. The two men who are head of my department are Emilio and Gabriel. They are hilarious! I will not have a problem working with them. I was working on my computer and Gabriel walked up to go use the "lounge" room for a conference call. I said "Hola" to him, and he said "I hope that's not the only Spanish word you know." I gave him a gasp look, and he laughed and said they had another blonde who is fluent in Spanish in the agency, who they love to tease.

I didn't do a lot of actual work today. Gabriel emailed us PowerPoints about the agency and about Hispanic markets. We also started to do some research on Macy's. Emilio came back to our area towards the end of the day and said he would try to get us some more work tomorrow. He said we would hopefully be sitting in on a conference call tomorrow for Vonage - a cell phone company - and we would help write the creative brief for a new Facebook application. We will get to learn how Emilio and Gabriel write the creative briefs. We then will make a competitive deck for either Vonage or Fifth Third Bank (one of our other clients). This is where we analyze the competitors of our clients and analyze their markets.

Anyway - I love my agency, and I'm so excited to be working there :)

A few pics in NY!

First night in New York with Kate at Times Square


Flat Iron Building right by my work!


My new Theta friend, Rian, from TCU. We kited our new friend!

First Weekend in the Big Apple

So I know I've been failing at blogging - all 50 Facebook posts have reminded me of this. I will catch you up to speed on my new life in NY.

On my first day in the city, my new roommate Kate and I ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant close to Columbia. We both were exhausted from long days, so we headed down to Times Square for some wondering around time. After some much needed time in Sephora and a lipstick purchase, we headed to Junior's for some world famous cheesecake! We both got the delicious chocolate swirl cheesecake :) DELISH! After eating about half of it, we smuggled the other half into the theaters and went to see Killers. The movie was awesome!! We laughed and cried through the whole thing. Definitely didn't expect it to be that good.

Saturday was a very relaxing day - we slept in, then worked out. We had a wonderful late lunch at a restaurant down Broadway from Columbia. Then headed to Pinkberry's for some yogurt and explored a park nearby. After hanging out in the park and watching odd children play, we headed to a nearby market to pick up some groceries. After coming back to the apartment and taking a brief nap, we got dressed and headed to the Lower East Side to meet some friends. Kate has a friend, Megan, interning in NY that she knew at TCU. So we met up with Megan and her friend, Rian, also from TCU and checked out the nightlife. We had a very adventurous night and met a guy named Jared from New York. He told us to go meet his friends and so Rian and I got up to head that way. A girl asked us if we knew Jared and we said yes, so she showed us to three other guys - whom we assumed were Jared's friends. After 30 minutes or so, we finally asked our new friends how they knew Jared. With blank looks on their faces, they asked "Who's Jared?" They had no idea who that guy was, but we all laughed and continued to talk. It was a very eventful evening.


Our new friends that do NOT know Jared.

On Sunday, we slept in yet again and caught up on all the missed TV shows I didn't see while I was in Spain. I finally dragged myself out of bed and Kate, Molly (one of our roomies), and I met Rian and Megan at Union Square for some amazing pizza. After dinner, we all went to church at Apostles. The pastor is from Texas, so we felt a little at home. We then strolled home and got ready for bed.

Today, Monday, Molly and I mastered the subway for going to work. It will take me about 40 minutes to get from my apartment to the front door of Vox. There are 2 Starbucks and at least 2 bakeries between my subway stop and Vox - I think I will be fine :) The actual block where my building is has 3 antique stores!!!!! One of them had a beautiful pair of vintage Monolo Blahnik shoes shining in the window display :) The antique store that is in my building had a window display full of jewelry!! I will definitely love going to work! At the end of my street, if you look left up Broadway you can see the Empire State Building and if you look right down Broadway there is the Flat Iron Building. I am at 28 West 25th Street - which dead ends with Madison Square Park. I am in Heaven :) Molly and I went to explore the Madison Square Park area and found TONS of deli's everywhere! So for lunch, I can stroll half a block to MSP, pick up a sandwich, and go sit at one of the 30 tables and chairs set out in the park and either stare at the Flat Iron Building or the Empire State Building depending on which way I want to face. I AM A VERY HAPPY KID!

After all of our strolling around, we walked down to Union Square again for some much needed shoe shopping at DSW. We loved the entire area from where I work to walking down Broadway to Union Square. It is shopping paradise! Amongst these streets is the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt, the 40/40 Night Club owned by Jay Z, and many other amazing things!

So I know I haven't posted since I arrived in NY - but I hoped this helped catch you up to speed! I'll try to be a better blogger!!

Off to the Big City!

This is a picture from Spring Break 2008, when I visited Columbia University for the first time. Tomorrow at 7:30 AM I will be leaving Texas to return to the Big Apple for the 4th time! I cannot wait to meet Kate's and my new suite-mates for the next 10 weeks! I will be starting work next Tuesday, June 8th :) Can't believe it's all finally happening!