Monday, July 19, 2010

London

And the excitement continues. After a Week with the Lythgoes, Adi and I went on a little trip to Europe. Our first stop (well, besides Paris for a few hours) was London. We flew all night so we were anxious to find our hotel and get settled.

But here’s the thing, our hotel was stupid! We booked it at least 6 weeks in advance and they even sent us a nice email telling us that they were excited for our stay. So imagine our surprise when the woman at the front desk gives our room away to the family in front of us right before our eyes (because their rooms weren’t ready) and tells us she has booked us a room at another hotel and a cab will take us there. Wait…..what?? We have been here 2 seconds and don’t even know where it is but Okay I guess. She assured us it was a nice hotel but still….we weren’t off to a great start.


So in a cab to the new hotel…where the woman argues on the phone in front of us about how little we are paying for our room. Uncomfortable. But we finally got all settled in and it was time to get ready to head to Piccadilly Circus to see Les Miserables.

Anyone who knows me knows that I was insanely excited about this part of our trip. I found out that Nick Jonas was in the play and I won’t lie, I was a little nervous. I have been waiting for years to see Les Mis and now some Jonas Brother was going to ruin my experience?! Great. Well guess what? He was brilliant. He played Marius and was better than I could have ever imagined. Well-done Jo-Bro! But really, the play was amazing. I would have seen it every day we were there if I could have.

Let’s backtrack for a sec and mention that the tiny little street Les Mis was on was also hosting some sort of gay pride extravaganza. It was entertaining to say the least. Adi and I agreed that we had never seen so many attractive and ineligible men in one place ever. There were plenty of unusual ones as well. Feather boas, short shorts, bare chests (and maybe a bum or two), cowboy hats and fake tans were also well represented. It was great.

Day two was jam-packed. We started off by heading to King’s Cross to see none other than Platform 9 ¾. I am not even going to play it cool and pretend I wasn’t excited. I was excited. Then we headed to Tower Bridge and Tower of London where some old man decided to hit on Adriel and I and gave me the nickname of “Beverly Hills”. We also saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, Tate Museum-Modern (wow. I love art but it was kind of horrible), Waterloo Station (Jason Borne, anyone?), Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Westminster bridge. Like I said, we were busy! So we decided that a real meal was in order after our long afternoon. So, you know how people say food in England isn’t great? Yeah, well they aren’t kidding. And for the love Europe…would it kill you to use ice cubes?! It was probably the most horrible thing either of us has ever tried so we ended up getting McFlurries after. At least they use English Candy so it was a little different.

After dinner (if you can call it that) we rode the London Eye. It was so cool to see London from that high up and at night. After walking at least 10 miles we decided it was safe to say we had gotten our money’s worth for the day.

The next morning we checked out of Hotel Hell and headed to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. I think that was one of my other favorites of the trip. Then we headed to Hyde Park to see the famous Peter Pan statue and then to Harmon’s, Piccadilly Circus (on a wild goose chase for a rugby jersey) and then back to pick up out bags where surprise, surprise, the woman was rude. SO we decided we deserved some marmalade for our troubles and maybe a handful of cereal. Yep, that’s right, we stole it. It only took us 3 trains (and almost some tears) to finally catch the underground to the airport and then we were on our way to Schipol!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Connecticut

After my internship I was lucky enough to stay with the "CT Lythgoes" –and I loved every minute of it! Terry drove all the way down to pick me up in New York and bring me back to their house. Talk about nice!

And I got to see these cute faces!


Living so far away from them, it was so much fun to spend some quality time there. I nearly died trying to keep up while working out with Amanda, I got to do hair and nails with Posey and Felicity, saw some pretty amazing art and rocket launching by Ian, read books, caught up on my Disney movies and got sticky and messy with Everett, and made a fool of myself while doing anything to get Rowan to laugh—which wasn’t hard. And in case you were wondering, I have dubbed him the most delicious baby in the world. He really is pretty great.

They also took me to see some of the most darling towns in Connecticut, we went cherry picking (where we found the most beautiful nest), played at the beach in Rhode Island, saw Toy Story 3, built forts, and they even got me to like Lady Antibellum. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect week and it was so much fun to spend time with everyone since we rarely see each other.


Thanks, Lythgoes for such a fabulous time! I can't wait to come back!

Last Day in NYC

They say all good things must come to an end. I was sadder than I thought I would be when my last full day in New York came around. I didn’t have work but most of my friends did so I decided to take the day and say goodbye to all of my favorite places.

I started walking. Goodbye Brant Park, goodbye cute yellow gate, goodbye times square and the police station, goodbye TKTS stairs (our fail-proof meeting place), goodbye Magnolias Bakery, 750 7th avenue, Canal Street and China Town.




It was a great day, to say the least. I gave my first dollar away to a street performer and even saw the second most attractive guy the whole trip. And did I mention I just happened to stumble upon a random Katy Perry concert? Yeah, that happened too.




Chad and I got tickets that morning to see Jimmy Fallon. Of course, since it was a lucky day already, we got even luckier. We were pulled out of line and got to go dance up with the band that performed. Fortunately I talked a girl into switching spots with me so I wasn’t front and center.

After we had dinner at an Irish pub, said goodbye to Crumbs, another favorite bakery, and then met up with Jayson at Grand Central Station to say goodbye and get one last McFlurry with him.


Then back on the subway for our last trip on the 1 Train to Harlem and home to pack. It really was the perfect ending to my New York experience.

The next morning we all checked out of the "I-hotel" and then headed our separa
te directions. Sad!



I know it seems like I just played for two months but I promise, I worked too. I didn't talk much about my internship because I didn't have any exciting pictures to go with it but really, it was a wonderful experience. I got to work with some pretty amazing people at Goodman Media and I loved every minute of it. And our boss took such good care of all the interns! I loved all of the clients I worked with and experiencing what it is like to work at a major PR firm. I won't lie, I kind of loved it and the thought of going back after I graduate is so exciting. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Broadway, Brooklyn and The Bronx

BROADWAY:

I didn't see a ton of shows in NY but the shows I did see were amazing!


Lauren and I went and saw Mary Poppins with my mom and aunts when they came to visit and I loved every minute of it! The only thing that could have made it better would be if they sang "I love to laugh"..it's my favorite!

Then a few of us girls decided to see Phantom. I saw it once before in LA but it was just as good the second time--even being in the VERY last row! We were all exhausted afterward because it was so intense.

And then there was Promises Promises. It was one we all wanted to see from day one because Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes were in it but we kept going back and forth after hearing mixed reviews. But Chad and I went on a whim one night to celebrate our last weekend in New York and we were so glad we did! Sean Hayes was hilarious and made the show!

And look who we ran into after...


BROOKLYN:

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was probably one of my favorite things we did the entire time we were in New York. We went to Brooklyn one night after work and had pizza at a cute little place and then walked over to the bridge after. By then it was dark and you could see the lights throughout the entire city and reflecting off of the water. Despite the fact that we were dangerously close to being run over by bicycles more than once, it was a perfect night!



THE BRONX:

I got a call from the Connecticut Lythgoes one Saturday morning saying that they were on their way to the Bronx Zoo. So, Lauren and I decided to go meet them. We didn't realize what an adventure we were in for! Our journey involved subway changes and being the only white people on an out of control shuttle bus that drove us through The Bronx. I think people thought we were lost. We would have preferred traveling underground so we didn't have to actually see the city but, oh well.
It was worth it and so great to see the Lythgoes! I hadn't seen Posie and Ian for years!


Oh yeah...and I RODE A CAMEL...in a dress....in The Bronx. Who would've thought?