new york, new york!

a few weeks ago i spent a wonderful day in one of my favorite cities: new york.

my former professor set up a tour of the new york times with one of the editors for a small group of students/alumni. it felt like such an honor to just be in the place where the most well-known newspaper in the world is put together. watching those talented reporters was like staring at true celebrities for me. we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, which made it feel like even more of a classified privilege.

he did give us each a copy of his section's budget (which is a newspaper's list of what stories will be printed the next day) and i totally laid it across my desk at work the next day, hoping someone would get a glimpse of it and think i had a job offer from the times. because i'm just that crazy and that much of a dreamer.

the pulitzer wall was awesome, and so was the chat the editor had with us in a conference room. he is the kind of brilliant person that in only 15 or so minutes of conversation, you are completely inspired. things he mentioned in passing or as anecdotes have already helped me in my writing at work. those are the kind of people i need to hang out with. (and the kind of person i want to be!)

after our tour we ate a delicious overpriced lunch and it started downpouring. of course that doesn't stop new yorkers, the streets were still packed. of course i had not brought an umbrella in a spirit of optimism and neither did my friend bridget.

"oh life's for living, let's go!" bridget said. she is a great kind of friend to have, as you can tell. so bridget, virginia (who wisely had an umbrella) and i navigated our way around and had a fun rest of the day at bryant park, the library, central park and finally a coffeehouse in greenwich village.

we almost missed our train home and had to sprint several blocks. only because we got caught up talking at the coffeehouse. hilarious. and then the police officer i asked for help directing us through the train station misled us.  all day i'd been asking people for directions and every time i'd say to my friends how friendly and helpful new yorkers are - even though they would have every right in my book to be snobs and ignore annoying tourists like me - and of all people it was a cop who misled us. sheesh. but we made it.

 bridget and virginia in bryant park.



new york public library = gorgeous.



just a heads up: if you travel with me you will be asked to participate in at least one random photo op i make up. some of you know from experience. almost everyone acts like they hate it at the time, but they always love it in the end.



library foyer. aka the beautiful place carrie bradshaw almost got married.

what better way to end a post about new york than with a little carrie bradshaw style and wit ...

{source: google images}

"they say nothing lasts forever;  
dreams change, trends come and go ...

but friendships never go out of style.”

[carrie bradshaw]