Oh New York, New York!

As I move into this room staring out my window at the Empire state building, I play Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" to get me into the City mood. I just flew a red eye from San Francisco, thank goodness for business class- I slept the entire way after downing a glass of champagne in a minute.

While I am exhausted right now, I know many of you have texted me for an update already! And as per your request I am dragging through 1:00pm with whatever energy I have left. I have completely unpacked my two large suitcases, and still have a ton of room in my two closets! :) I was also happy to find out that my room was already set up (bed, desk, dresser). To top it off, the order I put in 3 days ago on Overstock.com arrived today, as I was unpacking everything else, so I don't have to use a sleeping bag tonight!

Now to the good stuff: photos. You have seen many like these before, but mine are from a hand-held camera rather than a laptop camera.

This is my room! Behind the windows is the outdoor patio! :)


View from one side of windows: Empire State Building


My two closets:



My bathroom w/ jacuzzi tub:


The kitchen:


The living room:


The cat named Cat..who can use the toilet.


That's it for now. I'm tired. Time for a nap :)

Empire State of Mind (I had to!)

Dear all,

If I wasn't already walking on air. I sure as hell am flying now. After 6 apartment visits this weekend, through the blizzard, I have made my decision! I am in LOVE! I have chosen the room listed in the post below. Yes, the one with the unobstructed view of the Empire State building, FROM MY ROOM.

More features I saw when I visited:
+ My own bathroom with a jacuzzi bathtub that changes colors...haha, mood lighting if I may.
+ two balconies, one of which is right outside of my room.
+ on the 12th floor
+ big flat screen HDTV in the beautiful living room
+ room is furnished, with 2 CLOSETS and a QUEEN SIZE BED!
+ free gym
+ doorman
+ video surveillance from inside the front door
+ full size kitchen and eating area
+ 30 second walk from work, maybe even 15 seconds if I walk fast!

I love my future roommate too (from Cali) and his cat named Cat. AND, Cat knows how to use the toilet. HA!

I CAN'T WAIT TO MOVE IN! Time to negotiate rent. :) Wish me luck!



My cousin and I right after the blizzard...getting ice cream from the grocery store at 1 AM. He was wearing his Rainbow sandals, as always... and could have gotten frostbite. I wasn't much wiser wearing my ugg slippers with no socks... haha. Hardcore cheesin.




Columbia has primal scream too. Smith ain't so special anymore. Apparently Harvard does too. ......Well, none of them are ONLY screaming women. :) bahah TOP THAT.


I probably won't post again until the day I move in. But, don't count on it, I'm vain and like to talk about myself :)

Concrete Jungle

I have two days left in college, and you should see the apartment...It looks as though a bomb went off in here. My clothes and shoes are EVERYWHERE! I have taken a break from packing since I have not finished my final paper yet...I am one page away, although my thoughts are so scattered in this paper I might as well turn it in as is. Done is better than good, right? :) At this point, it seems to be the case...
----------
*NEWS FLASH* I received an acceptance letter to be an ambassador at the Shanghai World Expo for the USA Pavilion next summer! I can't believe I got it. I was screaming at the top of my lungs when I opened the e-mail that my roommates thought I was dying, or just clinically insane. Either or. So...my dream to go back to Shanghai has been fulfilled. They are paying for airfare, housing, and food! I'm SO stoked to go back to China...considering that someone stole my fake fur jacket that I spent hours bargaining for...



GAHHH! So happy. SHANGHAI SHANGHAI SHANGHAI!!!!

-----------
Apparently, I have pushed my date of visiting New York back to Friday. I don't even think that is enough time for me to get my paper and all my packing done. I am a huge stress case right now and cannot stop obsessing over apartment searching. I have a list of 6 apartments I have to visit this weekend, and since the previous apartments have not worked out, I have a new list of "obsessions".

This is my top choice:
30th Street between Park Ave and Madison Ave. (hopstop says that it is 0 minutes from work!)
+$2000/month
+Fully furnished- new HDTV, and a tv on the fridge...
+ PIANO IN THE APARTMENT!!++++++
+Utilities included
+View of empire state building RIGHT outside of my 7 windows.
+TWO CLOSETS!
+My OWN bathroom

Of course pictures are included... Who do you think I am?


View from bedroom window...

Kitchen

Living room.

My own bathroom w/bathtub.

Ok that's enough. I don't even want to look elsewhere. This place is fantabulous and I can't imagine living in another apartment.

However, I do have other options, all in the financial district:
200 Rector Place
100 John Street
2 Gold Street
200 Water Street

Why's it that all the lux buildings are in FiDi? Weird.

This city, the concrete jungle as they say, is going to take my money like no other...
Anyway, back to either a)writing my last page of my last assignment/paper ever, b) watching season 3 of mad men, c) packing (Yeah, right), d)continue apartment huting (it's an obsession I tell you), e) there is no e.

It's a small world, afterall.

Since I last wrote 4 days (OMG!) ago, plans have already changed. Well, I still have 8 days left in college...that won't change. But I am pretty much done with my Computer Science final, since the professor is accepting the Smith Ice Hockey website as my final, and I have finished my 10-page paper, which was changed into a 6-8 page paper, so ... I have finished my 8-page paper. All I have left...10 minute presentation on Peru's economics this Thursday and 7 more pages of my 20 page paper. The hardest task is left for last, packing. I will attempt to pack 3-50 gallon tubs worth of stuff into 1 50-gallon tub, 2 normal size boxes, and 2 suitcases plus my hockey gear. Thank goodness for the lovely ladies at Smith who offered to drive my stuff in their cars to the City during break. Thank you!!

Anyhow, I just received a phone call today from the roommate in the Hell's Kitchen apartment stating that his roommate does not want to share the apartment with a female :( While I have to make an effort to call his roommate, they have already posted an ad on craigslist with the new terms "searching for a male roommate". Gosh, who DOESN'T want to room with me? :P

Because of this, I have frantically searched Craigslist and found several other wonderful apartments, with even BIGGER rooms, and partially furnished! When one door closes, others open! Let's check them out...

Midtown West: 44th & 10th $1125/month (not enough info yet)
Pros: I'll learn Italian from the Italian roommate...and its cheap
Cons: the tenant lives right above and not enough information currently

*******Murray Hill: 34th & (3rd?): $1550/month*******
Pros:
- I want this room. period.
- HUGE 13' X 17'
- REALLY close to work, 4 blocks away.
- four AWESOME roommates, one just came back from China, another IS Chinese and all like to socialize/party, definitely allows guests (plus points!)
- private bathroom
- This is how the roommate described the immense size of the apartment in her email : " The room is a 1 bedroom within a 5 bedroom apartment. We joke that it's in the "West Wing" of the apartment because the place is so big that honestly you'd never know there were 5 bedrooms. I know that sounds crazy, but honestly, I'll go a week without seeing some of the roommates, so we're not on top of each other at all. "
- They will leave me some furniture.

Cons:
-2nd floor. (i'm picky. I want above 15th floor!)
-other than that none really.
Photos of the bedroom: It's INSANELY LARGE!


Photo of the Living room:

Nice.

Chelsea: 29th & 8th:$1300/month
Pros:
- Also, really AWESOME roommates, a mid-20s couple both work in media. One works in casting for MTV the other works in casting for the Food Network!!!!!
- from california (bonus points!) , bay area (extra bonus points)
- we have a mutual friend, already (my Park House HP went to school with one of them)-- what a small world.
- pretty close to work, a few avenues over.
- furnished bedroom (plus plus plus)
- XBOX 360 & 46" FLATSCREEN! with rockband.
- extensive dvd collection
- allows overnight guests and even has a pullout couch for guests.

Cons:
- not sure if I like a green wall in my room (yes, as I said, I'm picky)
- nothing else really. I guess it depends if my room is next to theirs...can't have a dance party in my room, even if its only myself.
Photos of bedroom and kitchen:


I have a few others I'll check out, but they're backup backup plans :)

So it is true...when one door closes, others open! Bahaha. no need to fret!
Back to finals stuff...well first, Gossip Girl actually.

Step 1: Graduate

While I only have 12 days left in college, Smith has made these next 12 days undoubtedly difficult and stressful. It's not as if I have many assignments to turn in, but the papers that I do have to complete are both assigned by a professor whom I can't seem to satiate. I have gotten really good scores and extremely poor scores from her, and there is no consistency in her grading methods. When I asked how to improve, she said she couldn't help me. Now I have one 20-page paper and one 10- page paper to write for her two different Economics classes. The 20-page paper has taken me over 3 weeks so far, and I spent 7 hours typing data series today... and three sentences. I'm still stuck on page 12. I am incapable of accepting that I'll probably get a B- in this class, but I guess as long as I can graduate, I'm golden.

A lot of you may know that I have accepted a full-time internship offer in NYC with the Advertising Research Foundation in Event Planning & management. My main tasks to complete during this internship are to:

• Assist with the planning, management, and execution of program and speaker logistics for Re:think 2010: The Annual ARF Convention and Expo (3,000+ guests)
• Assist with Management and execution of David Ogilvy Awards!

While the list has 20 other "major duties", I am most excited for these two events!

Over Thanksgiving break, I went to visit the office and fell in love with the setting. Everyone was SO sweet and I'm so excited for this upcoming semester! But first, I must graduate. 12 days until I am free...and they are going by so extremely slowly and painfully.

Before I begin my event planning 'career', I will be assisting in an inner city Chinese immersion school as a education fellow. I must say, I am probably more excited about this opportunity than anything else. I applied for this fellowship through Smith, and out of 100+ student applicants, 30 of us were chosen to be fellows in NYC, Chicago, Boston, and Springfield. I knew that this experience would be beneficial for the Peace Corps, especially at a Chinese immersion school. I am really happy to see that schools are beginning to take Chinese seriously. The Shuang Wen elementary school on the Lower East Side has their students learn in English in their morning classes and Chinese in their afternoon classes. I wish I was educated in this structure!

My on concerns now are related to housing. I have located several apartments of which I have great interest, but with every pro, there is a definite con.

Options:
The Victory: 41st & 10th - Hell's Kitchen $1425/month
Pros:

• Huge TRUE bedroom, wrap around windows with views of Empire State building
  
• Opposite side of the apartment from other roommates
• Marble bathroom
• 18th floor, doorman, tanning deck, pool table, grill, 2 terraces
• Really chill roommates, both Yale grads, common interest = sports!
• Do not mind overnight guests or bringing the party home
• Center of Hell's Kitchen= TONS of ethnic food
• rest of apartment is furnished
• lease ends when I leave
  

Cons:

• 41st street can be sketchy (alleyway behind port authority
• bedroom unfurnished
• far from public transportation, hence far from work

The Olivia: 33rd & 8th- Chelsea $1300/month
Pros:

• 16th floor across from Madison Square Garden (ice hockey!)
• Cool roommate, likes to go out & socialize
• Close to public transportation
• Free gym
• 36th floor sundeck
  

Cons:

• Flex bedroom, small, right next to roommates room
• Year-long lease (can't sign as I am only going to be in the country for 6- 7 more months)
• still takes as long to get to both fellowship and internship as the Victory (because of transfers)
• apartment completely unfurnished

Just e-mailed another girl in Murray Hill (the original location I wanted) We'll see what she responds.

Anyway, I think it best that I take a break and head out for some socializing. Sitting for 7 hours in front of my computer screen, staring at numbers did nothing for the progression of my paper on Peru. It's time to stand up and shake my booty.