Work, Play, Pride

Wow! I’ve been in New York City for four weeks now! A whole month! Time has really flown by! I still have quite a chunk left but I feel like I’ll be on my way back to Aggieland before I know it!

This past week wrapped up my third week as an intern with Deloitte and my second week at the client office. I was quite busy the vast majority of the week working on different assignments which was great because I love having work to do! The other two interns and I have all agreed that we got super lucky when we were assigned to our client. The team is just so nice and fun. They are more than willing to answer our constant questions and give us opportunities to experience different aspects of the audit whenever they can. Some interns switch clients halfway through the internship while others stay on the same client the whole time. At first, I was thinking I wanted to switch clients so I could experience different industries or businesses. However, I feel like I’ve just gotten comfortable at Company ABC and I’m glad I’ll stay working for them for the remainder of my internship. I can’t imagine having to switch and readjust to a new team now!

Funny story: Tomorrow I will be on a plane back to the Lone Star State to attend the Deloitte Intern Conference in Dallas at Deloitte’s state-of-the-art training facility, Deloitte University. I’ve heard SO many stories about how amazing DU is from various friends, interns, and Deloitte employees so I’m extremely excited to finally get to go! The conference will be until Wednesday and then I’ll be headed back to the Big Apple just in time to celebrate the 4^th of July!

This weekend I didn’t do a whole lot of exciting things but there were still some experiences worth mentioning.

Friday after work, one of the other interns and I went down to Stone Street in the Financial District to have drinks with some other Deloitte interns. Stone Street is this cobblestone street filled with tables and benches and lined with bars on either side. As you can imagine, it was packed on Friday afternoon but it was really neat. It felt great to sit outside and enjoy some nice conversation. After we got our fill of Stone Street, my friend and I found a little Mexican restaurant where we ate outside and talked for several hours. It was a wonderful girls’ night!

Stone Street
Photo Credit: GoldmanProperties.com

Yesterday I slept in…LATE. I reserve that luxury for Saturdays and Saturdays ONLY. Once I did pull myself out of bed, I got ready and went shopping on 5^th Avenue near the Flatiron District. I also explored the area I’ve been living in a bit more to see what was around. All in all, it was a pretty casual day but I liked just strolling about and taking in the sights, smells, and people.

Today was much more eventful than yesterday! I met my friend for brunch at this super hipster coffee shop down the street called The Grey Dog. When you step inside it feels like you just stepped into a mom and pop shop on the Mississippi River or something! Then of course, you look out the window only to see a yellow cab, reminding you that you are, in fact, still in New York. They had music going that made me feel like I should be fishing on the bayou or riding Big Thunder Mountain at Disney World. The music combined with the décor of the shop made for a really fun atmosphere! I would definitely go back! Also, their French toast was SO GOOD! I didn’t order it, unfortunately, but my friend did and I got a taste. It was so SO delicious! Next time, I’m going for the French toast!

After brunch, she and I walked to 5^th Avenue to get us a good spot to view the NYC Pride Parade. I’ve never been to a Pride Parade before, but I figured if I was going to experience one, mine as well make it the New York City one!

The LGBT community sure does now how to have a good time! Today was perhaps one of the hottest days I’ve experienced in NYC so far. Those who were marching in the parade had a LONG trek to make with the bright sun beaming down, but THEY NEVER STOPPED DANCING!!! They never stopped being enthusiastic and proud! One thing I took away from today is how proud the LGBT community is to be who they are.

I will say, there were times throughout the parade I got a tiny bit emotional. I have always been taught to treat others the way I want to be treated. Throughout my nearly 22 years of life, I’ve had gay, lesbian, and bisexual friends. I saw the way people bullied or made fun of them because they were born different than what some believe to be the norm. To me, it just wasn’t right. It’s never right to ridicule and show hatred to people who are different. Seeing what I saw today at the parade gave me hope that one day the hatred can end. That my friends will be able to marry who they want to marry. That they will be fully accepted for just being the person they were born to be.

There were SO many people filling up the sidewalks and cheering as, I can only guess, thousands of parade participants marched by. Corporate sponsors like Diet Coke, MasterCard, Wal Mart, and Delta, along with LGBT advocacy and support groups had floats or large groups of enthusiastic people dancing down 5^th Avenue in rainbow colors showing their pride. Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and many other New York politicians walked along with them, showing their support. There were members of the New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department who marched along too. This elderly couple stood alongside us and the man said there were maybe two firemen and three police officers who marched in the very first parade. He said it was amazing to see so many joining in now. The wife just nodded her head, smiled, and continued watching the flashy parade go by.

The start of the NYC Pride Parade

Actor Jonathon Groff serving as one of the Grand Marshals

Governor Andrew Cuomo marching along

Seeing a community of people so united and prideful was definitely something I’ll never forget. No matter what your personal beliefs on this matter are, I think we can all agree that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion. That everyone deserves love.

After all, love is louder than hatred.

Love is love.

XOXO,

Alex

P.S. This week I figured out how to open the window in my dorm! It was quite complex but now I can listen to the sounds of the city while I write!

Third Week's A Charm

Week three in New York City proved to be a very eventful one!

My first week at my assigned client’s site went really well! The team there is extremely nice and welcomed the three of us interns who are joining the team for the summer with open arms. The first day was a bit relaxed but come Tuesday they were giving us real work to do and I think all of us enjoyed it. Working in an office building like the one where the client is located, you have to get a security badge so that you can get in and out of the building and in and out of the audit team’s floor. I must say, it makes you feel really important when you can just swipe your badge and it lets you in to a super fancy office building. I also have a security badge for Rockefeller Center which is equally as thrilling!!

Going back and forth from work each day, I made several observations regarding the subway. As noted last week, crowded subways are definitely not my thing. However, it looks like getting off around 6:00 every afternoon all but guarantees a very close and compact ride home! One day, I actually let two trains go by because they were so full! NO WAY was I going to try and shove myself in there! Luckily, the subway I take comes about every five minutes so it wasn’t too long of a wait for a less crowded train.

The second observation is that I’m turning into a germ freak like my mother. Going down into the subway is what I would imagine going into the belly of Satan must be like. It’s HOT and GROSS!! When I come up from the tunnels below, I instantly GermX my hands! It just makes me feel better!!!! I can’t help but feel so grimy and dirty! I try my best to only use one hand to hold on with and also to leave my phone in my purse so it doesn’t get all disgusting. Needless to say, I’m definitely utilizing a good amount of hand sanitizer, but I guess that’s a good thing! Mother is proud!

The third observation is one that I find quite strange. On Tuesday, I got on the train and immediately saw a little boy sitting there playing Fruit Ninja on his GameBoy. (I know this because he had the sound turned up on the game!) About three stops later, while still looking at the GameBoy, the little boy gets up and walks off the subway, presumably to go to school. I realized that what appeared to be a seven year-old kid just rode the subway to school BY HIMSELF! I saw this almost every day! A kid who was going to school on the subway! I know that it’s probably a New York thing and people who have grown up here and have chosen to raise their kids here are probably extremely comfortable doing this but OH MY GOSH it just baffles me! Not sure I could let my baby ride on a subway alone!

Now, let me tell you about some fun things I did this week!

On Wednesday afternoon, my roommate and I went down to Battery Park to take a look at the Statue of Liberty, at a distance of course, and we got to see the most beautiful sunset! There was a nice breeze and a lot of boats out on the water. We walked around a bit and got to see The Sphere sculpture that stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. It was damaged during the events of 9/11 and moved to Battery Park as a temporary memorial for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks that day. Right next to it is the eternal flame which was ignited the day of the attacks to honor all those who were lost. I know I’d seen The Sphere before but it was so long ago I didn’t really remember it. All in all, it was a wonderful evening!

The Sphere

The Eternal Flame

Friday night I FINALLY went and saw The Fault in Our Stars movie. I laughed and I cried. The book was amazing and I think they did a fantastic job on the film adaptation. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort were absolutely on point as the two leads. It’s a story that definitely makes you grateful for your health and the health of those you love. Now, I’ve never gone to the movies in New York before. Those who know me know that movies are my life!!! College Station has spoiled me with their $4.75 movies! When I went up to the box office to purchase my TFIOS ticket, you can imagine the almost heart attack I had when the guy said $13.75! It literally PAINED ME to pay that much for a movie!! Ugh!!! Safe to say I probably will not be seeing another movie while I’m here but we’ll see!

American Museum of Natural History

Yesterday I went to the AmericanMuseum of Natural History for the very first time. For those who have seen Night at the Museum, this is the museum from that movie! Let me just say, this place is massive!! It’s about five stories full of exhibits and activity areas. There is so much to see and absolutely NO way you could see it all in a day. It’s a really fantastic museum though and the three hours I spent roaming the exhibits with a friend of mine were a lot of fun.

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall

Milstein Hall of Ocean Life

T-Rex in the Saurischian Dinosaurs Hall

After we left the museum, we walked across the street and went into Central Park. We found a nice rocky area that was situated right on the edge of the lake and decided to chill there for a bit. While we were relaxing, we noticed across the lake a couple in a row boat. The boat was off to the side sitting idle, unlike all of the other row boats that were going back and forth in the center of the lake. The woman in the boat started putting her hands up to her mouth and then back down again in what clearly appeared to be a freak out! Then the guy reached across, grabbed her face and pressed his forehead to hers. Here is where I start thinking that perhaps the guy had just proposed. Then they kissed. And the people in the row boats near them began cheering. And that’s how I became certain the couple in the row boat across the lake had just gotten engaged! It was super adorable and romantic. Such a cool thing to get to witness! We walked all around the park some more and I finally got to see Bow Bridge, which is the bridge that you always see in movies where they film scenes on a bridge in Central Park. After that, we got to my favorite area of Central Park, the Bethesda Terrace. Once there we saw two couples taking engagement pictures and a newly married bride and groom. Saturday was definitely a day of love, people!!!!!

Bow Bridge

Bethesda Fountain

Bethesda Terrace

I just realized this blog post is turning quite lengthy and I apologize! Last, but certainly not least, I just wanted to discuss the churches I attended last Sunday and this Sunday!

Last Sunday I went to the Church of St. Joseph, which is also the NYU Catholic Center I believe. It isn’t too far from the NYU campus in Greenwich Village and is run by the Dominican Friars. The church was quite simple, but the choir at the 6:00 evening Mass was absolutely outstanding!! I’m pretty sure they were all trained singers and their harmonies and arrangements of the songs and Mass parts were just amazing! I will most likely try going back there because of the music!

Today I went to mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Due to the restoration project currently underway, the inside of the church is almost completely covered in scaffolding. One would think that would be distracting, but there is something about that cathedral that just demands your full attention and reverence. It was a great Mass and I enjoyed being able to go back there.

Restoration on the outside of St. Patrick's

Scaffolding on the inside

My view when I looked up!

Sorry for the chapter book I just gave you! Hope it wasn’t too painful to read! I’m really loving my time up here and am just truly grateful for this opportunity. New York has always been a dream of mine and it’s a blessing to get the chance to live it out, even for a short time. Wishing wonderful weeks for all!

With Love,

Alex

P.S. I was asked for directions three times this week! I guess I'm starting to look local! 

Working Girl in the City

My first week as an intern at Deloitte was a success. This week was mostly spent training and learning about Deloitte and their processes for certain things. I met a lot of my fellow interns, most of which are from the tri-state area. I was surrounded by some awesome accents all week! I was also told I don’t really have an accent for being from Texas. I’ve never really felt I had a strong accent but most of the time people up here can tell I’m from the south. (I say y’all A LOT!) I also got a lot of shocked faces when I told people I was from Texas. (When I followed that up with “I go to Texas A&M” I either got an “Oh okay” or a Johnny Football comment, surprising right?!) Many of them wanted to know what I was doing up here. I just explained it was always my dream to live in NYC and now I’m getting to see if I could actually do it. On the first day, we had a partner at Deloitte come and talk to us and, as it turned out, he was an Aggie too! It was so crazy to me that I was all the way up here and on Day One, I encountered another Aggie. I went and spoke to him after we wrapped up that afternoon and he was so kind and encouraging. There truly are Aggies everywhere!

All in all it was a good week, albeit an extremely exhausting one! Going from being a college student who sleeps in until 9:00 most days and takes frequent naps, having to work 8:00-5:00 was perhaps the most challenging part of the whole week! It takes some time to adjust to that kind of schedule and because of that, I’ve been living a bit of a boring existence, unfortunately. When I told my mom about how all I did the past week was wake up, go to work, go home, eat dinner, go to bed, and repeat, she said, “Welcome to adulthood!”

This week did allow me to get better acquainted with the subway system here in New York. I also got to experience several rush hour subway rides coming back from the Financial District. Getting on the subway at Wall Street at 5:00 PM GUARANTEES you’re going to feel like a sardine in a teeny tiny little can! I had several people in my bubble for several stops until I was finally able to squeeze off the train and walk home. The first overcrowded ride I had, there was an older man with sunglasses on and a bit of a beer belly standing next to me. Pretty much the entire ride, his belly was up against me and I couldn’t get away because I was surrounded on all sides! He didn’t seem to really notice. I DEFINITELY noticed. I don’t like people in my bubble! The next day was better, but I fear there are a lot of crowded subway rides in my future. No doubt by the end of the summer, I won’t even mind it when an old man’s beer belly is invading my space!

On Friday afternoon, all of the Deloitte interns had a welcome event where we got to network with interns from different functions and meet our advisors and counselors. It was a really fun time filled with mini-golf, food, and conversation. Friday night I went to dinner to celebrate a new friend of mine’s birthday. We went to a delicious Italian restaurant called IL Cantinori that’s not far from my place. There was great conversation, yummy food, and delicious cheesecake to end the night.

Yesterday one of my roommate’s and I spent the afternoon shopping on 5^th Avenue. We decided to make a pit stop at Magnolia Bakery, which is very well-known for its delicious sweet treats. I got a red velvet cupcake, which was divine, and a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream, also delish. I would recommend dropping in for a treat there! We did have to wait in a line outside of the shop but it moved quickly. After we picked up our cupcakes, we went to Five Guys for burgers and fries. This was my first Five Guys experience and I quite enjoyed it! The burgers are really good, as are the fries!

June 14th also brought forth major milestones for two of my best friends since elementary school. One of them welcomed into the world a beautiful baby girl while the other got married to the man of her dreams. While I couldn't be there to celebrate these events with them, they were on my mind all day long! I am so happy for both of them and am so blessed to still have them both in my life. 

Today the skies finally cleared from a week of rain and the sun is shining! It’s truly gorgeous! I’m going to church later this evening at St. Joseph’s, which isn’t far from my dorm. Tomorrow is the first day I will be at the client’s office whose engagement I will be working on all summer. Due to confidentiality, I will refer to my client as Company ABC. So, tomorrow is my first day at Company ABC and I’ll be meeting the rest of the engagement team there. I’ll get to begin doing actual audit work and really seeing what it would be like to work in public accounting. It’ll be a long week but I’m looking forward to it!

In all of my down time in the afternoons where all I want to do is be lazy, I've been able to watch all three seasons of ABC’s Scandal. If you haven’t watched this show, I would HIGHLY recommend it! The acting is incredible and the writing and storylines are intense and, well, scandalous. Olivia Pope is a character every girl would dream of being like, except for maybe the whole affair with the married President part. I finished the third season this morning and now I’ve got to pick a new show to watch. More details on what I choose to come next week!

Also, Happy Father’s Day to my amazing dad! His constant encouragement and support is what got me to where I am now.  Love you, Dad!!!

I hope everyone has an amazing week! I’ll be writing up something new next Sunday! Stay tuned!

With Love,

Alex

P.S. Here's a picture I took yesterday afternoon of the Freedom Tower. It's a beautiful thing to be able to look out of my window and see.

Welcome to New York City

In honor of my summer in New York City, I gave my blog a facelift!! It has been over a year since the last time I posted BUT I am going to do my best to post at least once a week this summer while I’m interning in the Big Apple!

Washington Square Park

Today marks the end of my first week in NYC. I was so blessed to have my Nana accompany me last Monday up to the big city and to help me get settled in at my dorm at NYU. The dorm has been quite fantastic so far. It is much bigger than I anticipated and very clean and nice. I have two roommates who are from different places across the country and are spending the summer in the city interning and doing research. The dorm is down near Chelsea and SoHo where I haven’t really explored much so I’m excited for that opportunity. Washington Square Park is only a couple of blocks away which I am loving!! I can walk down there and read a book under the shady trees while listening to the sounds of the city.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a Broadway junkie! (As I write this I am watching live red carpet coverage for the Tonys!) Nana and I were able to catch two shows while she was still up here. On Tuesday night we saw Of Mice and Men, starring James Franco and Chris O’Dowd as George and Lennie, respectively. It was perhaps the best play I have ever seen in New York. Everything about it was fantastic but above all was the fantastic talent. Everyone in the cast had strong performances but, of course, the two leads were standouts. Chris O’Dowd, however, stole the show! His performance as Lennie was absolutely stellar. Everything from his line delivery to his small mannerisms and little hand motions, he truly gave an all-around amazing performance. Here’s hoping he wins the Tony Award tonight! (UPDATE: Bryan Cranston won…guess if you’re gonna lose, it’s less painful if it’s to Bryan Cranston!)

The second show Nana and I saw was A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and it was FANTASTIC! I’ve never seen a performance like it before! It was unique and absolutely hilarious! The staging was so different and seemed to pull some elements from old time Vaudeville. The singing performances were absolutely stellar. I’ve seen a lot of Broadway shows here in New York and the singing in this show was perhaps the greatest I have ever heard. The acting was also fantastic, especially by the two leads, Bryce Pinkham and Jefferson Mays. Jefferson plays eight different characters in the show and that in itself is a reason to go see this show!  If you want to laugh your pants off and see what Broadway truly is about, go see A Gentleman’s Guide! (UPDATE: A Gentleman’s Guide is now the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical!!)

After Nana left on Thursday and onto Friday, I spent some time walking around my new home and getting acquainted. On Saturday I went to several bars with some friends and had a wonderful time. One of those bars was an old school speakeasy! What an experience! I’m so obsessed with Gatsby and the Roaring 20’s so Bathtub Gin was definitely a dream. On the outside you see a coffee shop, but step inside and the host reaches under the counter and flips a switch to open the door in the wall. Once you step through, it’s a completely different atmosphere. Jazz music and dim lighting sets the mood and the staff is so nice and attentive. Also, the bathrooms were really great too! I would highly recommend Bathtub Gin if you’re in the city and looking for a great place to go out for drinks.

This morning I went to church at the Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua which is run by the Franciscan Friars in SoHo. The church was absolutely GORGEOUS! There were tons of stained glass windows and the altar was so stunning. It was a wonderful Mass celebrating the Pentecost! After Mass, I met a friend at a great restaurant called Cafeteria and had some delicious food and conversation.

Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua

The altar inside St. Anthony's

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I start my audit internship with Deloitte. I accepted my offer for internship with Deloitte nearly a year ago and now it is finally here! It would be a lie if I said I haven’t been super anxious about the internship. It’s always nerve-wracking to start something new, so I know the nerves are natural. Today though, I have relaxed a bit. First days are inevitable and necessary so there’s no point in being scared. There will be many other interns in the same boat as me so I won’t be alone. Mostly now I’m just nervous about navigating the subway properly so I’m not late! I’m ready to begin the internship so that I have something to focus on and so that I can meet people!

This summer is going to be an adventure! I’m going to do my best to share it with you! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin my internship tomorrow!!

With Love,

Alex