Last week in NYC

My trip in NYC has come to a close. I am officially back in PA and already missing that homeless man who shouts in the streets (Laf residents know who I am talking about...)

During my last week in NYC, I wanted to make sure I made the most of the time I had left. SO, I visited most of the major monuments and had a food adventure almost every day. Between my finals and after my classes, I went across the Brooklyn Bridge! It was an accomplishment I waited for all semester and I finally got to do it.

I also visited Pommes Frites - a place with authentic Belgian Fries! It comes with specialty sauces like Mango Chutney or Vietnamese Pineapple. You can also go for the more traditional things like ketchup or vinegar. But the fries are cut/fried fresh and the perfect snack. Crispy on the outside, soft and hot on the inside!

Friday was my final day at TODAY. Even as I write this, I feel like the whole experience has not quite sunk in. I spent a lot of my time at NBC had the chance to meet a lot of wonderful people. My last day consisted of helping the Top Dog finalists get set up on the plaza and working the front desk one last time. Production wise, I got to see how the professionals move a story idea from paper to Studio 1A. These last four months gave me the best foundation to start my career and now I can develop my skills to work towards this level. I got a taste of the real thing and I cannot wait to go back.

Personally, the people who I got to work with became some of my closest friends in NYC. I look forward coming to work and sharing stories with my coworkers. Today has some of the best people on their team, and their interns are no exception. When I went visited some other departments, the intern team is nothing like the one I witnessed at the Today show. We became a very close-knit group and I hope to work with all them again someday. Until then, I wish all of my friends from Today the best of luck finding jobs :).

After work I headed back to NYU one last time for the Spring in New York Farewell Social. Along with the pizza, soda, and cupcakes, it was NYU's way of congratulating us in the program for being a part of the program. Four months from when I started this, I am glad I was a part of this. SNY had a group of students willing to take a risk, pick up their lives from their home school, and take a chance by living in the city. Some people signed up because they were thinking about transferring already, others needed a break from the drama in their lives, for some it was a great opportunity to grow as an individual. Everyone I have met in the program has grown up so much since we first started. We became more independent, sociable, and courageous. Four months in the city I made new friends, tried new things, and learned how to live a full life! Never live in fear because fear will hold you back from doing things you want. SNY'ers I'm going to miss all of you very much and wish we had a reunion already.

As a side note, I've learned the value of a dollar.

Friday evening, I rode the Staten Island Ferry one last time and then took a trip to the Village. Pictured here is the outside of Monica's apartment in Friends :).  Sorry for the dark picture!!

My friends and I wanted to have a fancy final meal and came across Mercadito Grove. Finishing up my food adventures, I needed more noteworthy images! This is a Camaron Ceviche made with shrimp, pico de gallo, tangerines, jalapenos, in a citrus-guajillo broth. Something new and delicious!

For dessert we had orange flan. It was a little to creamy for me, but because it was 6.50 (3.25 between my friend and I) I'm going to say it was delicious.

When my packing began, I pulled out my collection of Playbills that gathered over the semester. I've seen a lot of shows and I'm glad I saw almost every one that I wanted. My favorite might still be Wicked, but Memphis is close, followed by Next to Normal and In the Heights. But each show is incomparable to the other. With these shows and my Musical class, I can pretty much tell you everything about Broadway shows...hopefully.

As a final goodbye, my dear Cousin took me out for Brunch, Saturday afternoon. We went to Pastis and for the first time I had Eggs Benedict! A toasted English muffin with smoked ham and warm poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce.

Now I want to take this moment and thank my cousin for everything he has done for me. My cousin has been there for me during this whole experience. He made me feel at home during my first weeks and taught me how to navigate the city. We gotten a lot closer these last few months and makes my stay in NYC even more special! Thank you!

To make sure nothing got left out, I traveled to Grand Central terminal! Nothing too exciting, I just wanted to say I went there. Plus, I needed my clock picture:

And finally! The very last thing purchased in NYC was :

French Onion Soup from the The Famous Cozy Soup n Burger. A perfect way to end my trip. For some odd reason, all good memories are linked with a purchase of Onion soup. I didn't even plan for this to happen, but it did. (I really wanted to try a bunch of different onion soups across the city, but I never got around to it)

That concludes my semester long adventure in NYC. After this, I might use the blog for my thoughts or anything interesting I come across...

Just for the record, I realized I took a lot of pictures of random things. I want to thank my SNY friends for cooperating with me and understanding that I needed to take a picture of everything. It became a serious issue, but I enjoyed being able to share my experiences with the everybody!

Until we meet again...Goodbye New York City. You've been wonderful to me.