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!
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| The Sphere |
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| The Eternal Flame |
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| 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.
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| Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall |
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| Milstein Hall of Ocean Life |
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| 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!!!!!
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| Bow Bridge |
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| Bethesda Fountain |
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| 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.
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| Restoration on the outside of St. Patrick's |
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| Scaffolding on the inside |
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| 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!
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