The Central Park Tale

One thing I quickly learned here in the city is that while everything is expensive, there are actually a lot of places to go and things to do that cost very little or nothing at all. There is a catch to this, however -- you give up your precious sleep time.

Leaving at 7:30am yesterday morning, Amy, Stef and I headed to Central Park for a 5-hour wait in line for Shakespeare in the Park tickets. I had done my research before hand, thinking it was best to be prepared -- I found that many people waited in line overnight for these tickets. The three of us decided that would not be logical, nor fun. Upon arrival we were told we had come on the perfect day -- the show we would be seeing is The Winter's Tale and because Al Pacino was staring The Merchant of Venace (the other production being put on this summer) -- the line was significantly shorter than normal and that we would definitely get tickets!

Post-line waiting, our threesome went to H&H Bagel for a snack and then proceeded to walk the Manhattan Bridge -- that is, after we made a quick stop in Times Square for a free Slurpee at 7-Eleven (it was 7/11!!) and a visit to Tudor City (the city above the city). And while the experience of walking the bridge and seeing the city from a different point of view was great, it was nothing like walking the Brooklyn Bridge -- especially since I had recently walked it at dusk, which was beautiful.

That evening we arrived back at the Delacorte Theater -- took a picture of the Romeo & Juliet Statue -- and sat down to see the stage lit by candles with the Belvedere Castle in the distance as a backdrop for the scene. It was perfect. The play was wonderful, too -- and I wouldn't expect anything less from a Shakespeare performance.

For those that don't know the plot of The Winter's Tale, it is a story of two boyhood friends (Leontes and Polixenes) who come together for a visit. After nine months, Polixenes wishes to leave and only Leontes' (pregnant) wife was able to convince him to stay. From that point Leontes believes Polixenes to have had an affair with his wife. After the baby is born, Paulina (a lady of the court) attempts to convince Leontes that the child is his. Instead he alienates himself and he ends up alone after his wife passes on. The baby, however, is safe and raised by an old shepherd. The second act tells the story of what happens...but I won't give any of that away.

Going GaGa

Until this summer I had thought the Summer Concert Series was something that only Good Morning America did. Little did I know that some 40 blocks away from the GMA concerts in Central Park, the Today Show was putting on some amazing shows in Rockefeller Plaza.

This morning -- around 3:15am -- two of my roommates, Jenna and Stef, and another friend of ours, Amy, headed over to Rockefeller Center to stake a spot for the Lady GaGa concert. The line was surely the longest that I'd seen this summer -- significantly longer than the lines from the Justin Bieber concert a few weeks back. There was tons of people dressed up for the event -- some of them I honestly thought could have been Lady GaGa herself.

Although I came along for this fun, early morning experience -- I had to leave my group of friends for what has become my favorite experience thus far in NYC! What did I do? I called Ashley, with the Today Show, to meet me outside Dean & Deluca in order to give me a PRESS PASS to stand in the FRONT ROW of the Lady GaGa concert. Being the first of the press outlets to arrive, I get the best spot in the press pin and was able to watch Lady GaGa as she practiced for the concert. The PR agents that were standing by me said that she has been the only artist to rehearse and sound check all of her songs beforehand.

When it came time for the concert to begin the Today Show hosts, Ann & Meredith, announced that more than 20,000 people had showed up for the concert (which is nearly double what the expected).

The lights, costumes and of course Lady GaGa's voice was phenomenal -- she truly is the performer that everyone says she is. I was blown away and will never forget this experience. Even as the rain began to fall, she continued to perform. And, to be honest, when she sang "Teeth" in the midst of the rain -- it only made the performance better and more dramatic. That, of the four songs she sang, was by far my favorite!

A special thanks to my internship, for giving me this opportunity and a memory I will remember forever!

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Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue

Last Thursday, after a half day of work -- which included a visit from Lindsey's yorkie, Hendricks -- I headed back to the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue for a little relaxation before a wonderful four (and a half) day weekend! This hotel is very pretty -- renovated and we lucked out by being upgraded to a suite on the fourth floor after a little mix up with the rooms!! And, by we, I mean my dad and I -- he came in town for a business trip and extended his stay to spend some time with me :)

After all of his meetings Thursday, we went to Carmine's (the Upper Westside Location -- which happens to be the first location in Manhattan)! According to their Web site: "Restaurateur Artie Cutler created Carmine’s with one goal in mind: to open a restaurant that would serve every meal in the style of an Italian American wedding feast, featuring extra large portions of home-style antipasto, pastas, seafood and meat entrees served on extra large platters designed for sharing. Carmine’s is the perfect place to casually enjoy friends and family over great food and wine, with excellent service, the way it used to be at grandma’s house."

Following the AMAZING spaghetti and meatballs we went to Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar!! I told my parents about it after I went with friends the first time and it was must-have repeat! There I had a white hot chocolate and the "dark" cookie; which is a chocolate cookie with chocolate chunks and chocolate syrup drizzled over it! Talk about CHOCOLATE-Y!

Friday was spent doing a variety of things -- starting with a walk along 5th Avenue and a stop at TIFFANY & CO where my dad spoiled my by purchasing the Tiffany & Co. "NYC Address" Ring!! It's SO beautiful and I got to bring home my first Tiffany & Co. 'Little Blue Box'! Following my little celebration in the store we stopped by the Apple Store and then had lunch at Aoki for sushi (yum!). Plus, after a quick look around Hershey's & M&M World, he took me to the new 4-story Forever 21 on Times Square!

From there we took a little break at the hotel before going over to Washington Square Park :) I wanted to go to visit the arch featured in August Rush -- however, it was also to my dad's liking because the arch is also featured in one of his favorites Barefoot in the Park. And, before walking back to the hotel to change for dinner, we stopped at Rocco's bakery for chocolate covered macaroons and Magnolia for a cupcake. :)

For dinner we went to Keens, which is a steakhouse -- it was DELICIOUS!! The story behind this place was SOOO cool -- I'll add the menu's story soon.



Saturday was a chill day -- catching up on some sleep and planning out my last five weeks in the city!!

Independence Day was a BLAST! Before heading over to the Hudson River the roomies and I spent a little time in Central Park. Then began the 4 hour wait for fireworks right off of Pier 84. We definitely melted in the sun -- but the experience was irreplaceable! There was food and music and talking with the girls!!

When the fireworks started I was awestruck! Six different barges displayed the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks! It was AMAZING! I love fireworks and this display definitely lived up to my expectations.



Today Stef and I went to the American Museum of Natural History! This place is beyond huge and also has a planetarium. We saw mammals and the evolution of man and ton of miniture displays.



We finished up this amazing weekend with The French Connection in Bryant Park, complete with a visit to Crumbs for a cupcake :)

Happy Birthday America!

Movie Premiere

Wednesday night I got the chance to see the New York City premiere of Adam Sandler's latest movie, Grown Ups, at the legendary Ziegfeld Theater!

Once arriving at the red carpet I stood with Chloe as she interviewed the stars of the movie, including David Spade and Chris Rock!! Plus, we did catch a glimpse of Adam Sandler entering the theater in his red t-shirt!!

I had never been to an actual movie premiere for the filming -- just as a fan outside Radio City for the Sex and the City 2 premiere at the end of May. But, let me tell you, knowing you're watching a movie for it's debut showing -- along side the stars themselves, is unlike any experience I've had thus far in New York.

Chloe and I got our popcorn and soda (free, by the way, and DELICIOUS), then made our way to our seats -- in the EIGHTH row of the center section of the main floor! As the movie was starting I looked around to see that the younger cast members we sitting in the row just behind mine.

The film was so funny, but also finds away to make a nice moral out of the story. I believe it will do well today on it's official opening!! Definitely go and see it if you have the chance!

Finally, a Routine!

With over four weeks completed at Hollywood Life, I feel like I've finally nailed down a solid routine. Each day I know my individual responsibilities:

Monday: Shows Intern
-Type Show List for Morning, Afternoon, Evening Shows
-Watch Shows with Interesting Celebrities, and take notes
**Yesterday I watched The View and got to right a post about Jada Pinkett Smith talking about her sex life with her husband, Will!

Tuesday: News Intern
-Type Trends List: Google,Yahoo, & Twitter Trending Topics
-Spend Out News Blasts Listing Stories from Competing Sites
**I got to write a story today about Angelina Jolie going to Ecuador and Haiti!

Wednesday: Photo Intern
-Work With Photo Department on Galleries, Splits, etc.
**Every week on Wednesdays I purchase the "weeklies" (i.e. Ok!, US Weekly, Star, People, InTouch, Life&Style) and scan the covers (for the weekly poll) and the cover stories.
**Last week I created a Megan Fox gallery for her new movie...unfortunately the movie bombed and the gallery never ran.

Thursday: Twitter Intern
-Tweet About Hollywood Life Exclusives and Update Hollywood Life's Facebook
**On a daily basis I updated Bonnie's Facebook as well with stories.

Friday: Bonnie's Intern
-Work With Jen, Bonnie's Assistant
**I got to research information about Abby Sunderland and Michelle Obama in the last few weeks.

Outside of these responsibilities I also get to attend events for the Web site -- so far I've gotten the chance to meet and/or interview Penn Badgley, Lisa Kudrow, Amy Brennaman, etc!

A Glimpse

This past Wednesday I got the chance to be the “photo intern” at work! I got to learn how to do a split photo -- where they compare two people or two photos of the same person. I also learned how to create a photo gallery -- mine was of Megan Fox. I'm not sure if it's going to go up any time soon, or ever, now that Megan recently released a new photo shoot of her in designer underwear. However, the gallery I created was a for a new movie she's in, so the gallery could be posted closer to the release date.

I really enjoyed working with our photo director, Christina. She was impressed that I already was familiar with Photoshop in CS4 -- yet another reason to love having chosen to attend Mizzou!!

In addition, today I spot with our two designers, Andrea and Jeremy about helping with graphics stuff!! We don't have an intern assigned to graphics at all during the wish and Andrea told me that around 1 p.m. every day is the time to come ask about what I can help with!! I'm so excited! It's just another thing I'm getting the chance to do! I can't wait to ask about it on Monday!

Now for another glimpse...I was within a couple of feet from my FAVORITE actress, ever: Alexis Bledel! Lindsey sent me to the premiere of "I Am Love," an Italian film staring Tilda Swinton -- who played the White Queen in Narnia. Alexis was not in the film and, unfortunately, did not stop to speak with any of the press. I was a little heartbroken; I even called my mom as I left the red carpet and nearly started crying. Nonetheless, my idol from Gilmore Girls was closer to me then I ever imagined she would be. She was just as gorgeous and she will forever be someone I look to as a role model!

Just another day at Hollywood Life! It's been a crazy four weeks!

Oh The Possibilities

You won't know you don't like it until you try.

I've learned that my internship is giving me so many opportunities, even ones I didn't think I would ever have -- ie. single bylines and working for one of the most well-known editors in New York City. But while meeting celebrities are a ton fun, I'm beginning to see that my career in entertainment news will likely end with this internship. I think this summer will be fun and exciting, full things I'll never forget -- but these experiences have only helped me to see that design is definitely my passion in this industry.

On a similar note, I did get the chance to meet a number of my favorite celebrities this week: Lisa Kudrow (Friends), Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) and Amy Brennamen (Private Practice). It's still a little surreal to know that the actors and actresses we see on a regular basis (either on TV or in the movies) are just people; being star-struck seems juvenile. Nevertheless, I did get a picture with Amy and with Penn, so I now can watch those shows and say "I met them!"

Outside of the office...it was a REALLY BUSY weekend for me and my NYC bucket list -- I knocked off ALL the locations in Central Park (with a 6 hour walk along side my friend Amy), the Met, Liberty Island (to see the Statue of Liberty) and Ellis Island. There was lots of walking and about 150 pictures taken -- and I couldn't be more happy that I did all of it.

In many respects I feel as though the end of the summer will come and I will have forgotten about something I should have done...but in the same respects -- it's only been 3 weeks, and I still have 8 more. There's so much to do...and so much to see.

Oh, New York City...

Subway: The Key to Understanding NYC

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago...I've used public transportation before -- NOTHING compares to the foreign grounds of the New York City subway system. Within the first few days of moving to the city, I honestly thought it would take me all summer to learn how the subway functions. I guess you just have to make some mistakes -- like ending up in Brooklyn late at night after riding the Staten Island Ferry -- and then the karma comes full circle; the epiphany comes.

My thanks go out to my internship, which has sent me to a number of places via the subway. Earlier this week I interviewed the women from Jersey Couture, as I said in my last post. As excited as I was to cover the interview on my own...getting to the meat packing district (where the Oxygen office is located, above the Chelsea Market) was something I wasn't sure I could do.

The Meatpacking District gets it's name from Gansevoort Market, which was home to 250 slaughterhouses and packing planets in 1900. By the 1980s, drug dealing and prostitution was what the area became known fore; however, in the late 1990s, high-end boutiques, restaurants and night clubs opened -- effectively changing the reputation of the neighborhood.

Thankfully, I did successfully complete my trip there and back with no trouble. And another successful trip happened tonight as well, in meeting up with my friend (and co-intern at HollywoodLife.com), Nicole. Our intern supervisor, and reporter for Hollywood Life, sent us to see "Camp Wanatachi" in the Financial District -- which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange. It is also home to the 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center site.

The musical was produced by the star of ABC's Legend of the Seeker, Bridget Regan, and was about two 13-year-old girls who fall in love at Christian summer camp. Sound a little out there for you? I honestly thought it would be too weird for my liking; and interests...as I'm completely in love with my boyfriend. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the story -- and the music was really good! I laughed a lot and found that the story line and character development was very relatable to my generation. In the very least, I was happy I went -- the time I spend here this summer is something of a preview of the life I want to live after graduation; so it's these experiences I know I'll remember and know it was an "only in New York City" moment.

Just to recap on the internship -- I learned how to make a poll today via Word Press (subject: MTV Movie Awards, I'll post it on my profile when it goes up this weekend) and visited Rockefeller Center to flipcam the fans sleeping out before the Justin Bieber concert on the Today Show tomorrow morning. After coming back and editing that video, Chloe (my internship supervisor that I mentioned earlier), told me that Bonnie requested me to be her "voice" on twitter for Hollywood Life. I'm not sure what that means, yet, but I will find out tomorrow after I go see Justin Bieber in concert -- I love that my internship means I get to cover stuff like that!

Lights, Flipcam, Action!

If you haven't heard of Oxygen's newest reality show, here's your chance to get the scoop!! I got the chance to sit down and interview the ladies of the series Jersey Couture today and they were a BLAST to speak with!!

On first being assigned this solo interview I was nervous that 1. I wouldn't be able to buck up the courage to ask the questions I had (considering I was supposed to be shadowing my intern supervisor originally) and 2. that they wouldn't really be interested in talking to me. Wow, was I wrong! The interview was great and so enjoyable to do. I brought a flipcam and got the whole thing on video. Plus, I finally got to hear a true New York accent (you'd be surprised by how many people in New York are NOT from New York -- myself included).

Upon returning to the office (after successfully getting on and off the correct subway cars -- I do believe that was my first successful round trip experience), I wrote the post, edited the video and was able to recall all the steps in rendering and uploading the video to fit the post! And, thus, my first solo event coverage will be up on HollywoodLife.com sometime tomorrow!

Shopping, Friends, & New York Moments

Since I've now learned I will be working 5 days a week (though permanent times have not been settled), time spent on the weekend seems to be filled with moments I wish I could freeze.Memorial Day Weekend just passed and three days never seemed so amazing. While this holiday signifies the honoring of those who have died fighting for our country, I also view it as a holiday that symbolizes living the life they fought to protect.

Shopping along 5th was like something out of a movie; especially after visiting Tiffany & Co. It's amazing how much diamonds sparkle when there's so much movement around them. And with each new display, we all fell in love.

The possibilities in the city are endless, as are the number of people you can run into. My friend, Stef, and I went to visit another friend in the financial district. As we got of the subway we ran into a sorority sister of ours. Even in a big city, you can still find the small world moments. Still, that day was spent doing a lot more firsts...including a visit to the original Magnolia Bakery (as featured in Sex and the City, the t.v. series) and the multiple Marc Jacob outlets.

Still, the moments that can only be categorized as "New York Moments" are the ones I know I will cherish forever; and I have two amazing ones for yesterday. Fleet Week is a tradition held be the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard. It is held in a number of different cities, including the Big Apple. Once the ships dock, the entire city is flooded with sailors; certainly a site to see! Tours and viewings are available on the ships through out the week and with Memorial Day, a ceremony is held in honor of those lost. During the New York City Fleet Week, ships are docked at New York Passenger Ship Terminal on the Hudson River on the West Side of Manhattan and also at Stapleton on Staten Island.

You can only imagine how large these ships are until you see one. Touring the USS Iwo Jima was breathtaking and the Memorial Day ceremony, held one ship over, was a wonderful addition to the day.

After that spectacular display, what is better than a picnic in Central Park with new friends?! We packed up a lunch, grabbed blankets, books, and magazines, and met up with everyone just outside Wollman Rink. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

We've all decided a movie in Central Park is a must this week.

New York vs. College Teachings

For three years I have been told on repeat in every single journalism course that Wikipedia is NOT a valid source...yet in only one week at HollywoodLife.com, I've used the site as a more than valid starting point more times than I can say.

On the other hand, I've also learned how happy I am that I chose to pursue a journalism degree at Mizzou. Apparently it's a godsend to be able to edit video! Two of the staff at HollywoodLife.com went to a salon Wednesday evening to get a summer makeover. Thus, I edited the video footage for them!

In the weeks leading up to coming to New York City I was scared that I wouldn't know what to do and that this internship would put me in over my head. What I have quickly learned, however, is that everything I've learned has prepared me for exactly what I have to do. I'm happy to say that my summer is off to any amazing start and that, to date, I have four bylines on the HollywoodLife.com website!!

Writing a story, reporting and publishing the finished product is something I’ve done before, many times, in fact. However, when your editor asks you to cover a movie (say Sex and the City 2) and write a review for it – it’s NOT the same! When you’re writing and covering things that you love, the interest and ideas come naturally. This first week has given me the opportunity to take everything I’ve learned and apply it to a subject I find fun and exciting. 

The next major stop: Jersey Couture Premiere with Chloe on TUESDAY!

Love at First Taxi Ride

On my first EVER visit to New York City, it was February and freezing - but it was still New York City and I still fell in love. While visiting Budget Travel magazine, the woman we met with our group told us this bit of information: "When you move to New York City, the first three weeks you will feel as though you are on vacation, the second three weeks you will hate it, and after that you will feel as though you've lived here your whole life."

After just five days in the city, I knew all my dreams about moving to city would soon come true. It was during those five days that I interviewed with HollywoodLife.com and was offered a summer internship.

Just three short days ago I moved to the big city for the summer, and the massive rush of emotions were nothing like Miss Budget Travel had explained. Instead, it was: first day panic, second day amazing, third day alright...I can do this!

My first day at HollywoodLife.com I learned how to add links to stories, edit pages, and create the Hollyscopes for the website - a job I can call my very own for the summer; something my new co-worker (and assistant to Bonnie Fuller, editor of HollywoodLife.com), Jen, was happy to pass on to me!

So, here's to the summer - to everything I will learn and to all the dreams I will see come true.