Good Times

Andrew, Claire, Tyler, Me, Zach, Abby and Matt

My internship ended on Friday and I headed to Quogue as soon as I said my goodbyes. I met up with Andrew, Claire and Abby for a ridiculous weekend which will be remembered for a long time to come.

Claire and Helen at Mustachio Pistachio

Friday night is a bit of a blur but I remember going to the dock and and ate pizza before going to one of the annual summer parties, Mustachio Pistaschio. Basically, everyone drew mustaches on their faces and played beer pong. Afterward the party we went to Casey's, a bar in Westhampton. We got home around 3 a.m. after begrudgingly paying the cab driver $8 per person for driving less than 3 miles.

The next morning we woke up and watched Andrew and Matt play in the tennis tournament against these two young guys, one of whom had an awesome backhand. They won their game and we sang their praises as we headed off to the beach.


I'm glad I was able to get back to the beach before I head back to Texas this week.

dw

TV on the Radio

I saw TV on the Radio in Brooklyn the other night. They put on a good show. They played all of my favorites except:

• "I was a Lover"
  
• "Stork & Owl"
  
• "Playhouses"

I'll post a video of "Staring at the Sun" when I get back to Texas.

dw

Fun in the Sun

I went to the beach this weekend and spent time with Andrew and his family. It was nice to have a few home cooked meals and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. I'm going back next weekend, too. Can't wait.


Also, I moved out of my dorm and am staying with a friend in Midtown while I finish up my internship. I'll be back in Austin around August 21.

dw

Weekend Wandering

I spent Saturday hanging out with Emily and Lauren. The three of us when to high school together and haven't been able to meet as often as we would have liked this summer. We had lunch at Cozy Soup n Burger and got ice cream from a Mister Softee truck across the street.

After eating we walked...everywhere. We walked around in Chelsea, West Village and the Financial District. Some of the places we visited along the way:

In Chelsea -
The High Line: A railroad track which has been converted into a park.
Chelsea Market: A wide assortment of imported and gourmet food may be found here.

In West Village -
Magnolia Bakery: Awesome cupcakes.

In the Financial District -
Battery Park: Great place to watch the sunset.

Here's a picture of Lauren enjoying her cupcake:




Oh, I almost forgot. We after visiting the market, we found a park nearby and sat down to relax. Emily had an interesting encounter with a bird:

In the Heights

Image Credit

I went to my first Broadway production today with Taylor and her friend from school. We saw In the Heights and I was blow away, really. It won 4 Tony Awards last year: Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestration.

I'm definitely going to try and see another show before I leave.

dw

Coney Island

Alex came came back to the city last weekend. On Sunday, we had breakfast at Delicatessen as we tried to think of something we could do to fill our day. We thought about going to MoMA, but we decided to do something outside since the weather was nice. After much deliberation, I suggested that we go to Coney Island since neither one of us had been.

We hopped on the subway and were at Coney Island about 45 minutes later. Once we made it to our destination, I paused for a moment to take in my new environment. I was greeted by a case of sensory overload that you wouldn't believe - people, music, food and laughter all around me. We walked up and down the pier and watched the little kids run around in their swim suits and chase bubbles. Coney Island is a great place to people watch. The crowd was diverse: black, white, young, old, fat, skinny. Some people had on too much clothing, some didn't have enough. But everyone was having a good time.

We walked over to Nathan's and waited in line for about 20 minutes for hot dogs. The hot dogs didn't look like much, but they were surprisingly delicious to say it was just a weenie on a bun. As we walked down the pier in the other direction, we found an ice cream stand and heard people cheering and laughing in a large semicircle. We joined the crowd and watched as the dj played music and people danced until they were drenched in sweat.
Maybe I'll jump in next time?

dw

Something To Consider: Be Nice

Image Credit

Something happened this morning and it really made me take a step back and think about things.

I woke up around 6 a.m. and decided to go for a walk. I got dressed, grabbed my phone and headed out the door. As I walked to the elevator I realized that I didn't have my wallet - no cash, credit card, room key or I.D. to swipe in and out of my complex. As we're all painfully aware, I have a habit of bundling all of my valuables in one place. I walked back to my room and hoped that I'd left the door ajar, of course it was locked and shut. After going downstairs and speaking with the guard, I was informed that I would need to wait until 8 a.m. when one of resident assistants is on duty.

It was a beautiful morning and I refused to let this minor hiccup disturb my good mood. I had a nice walk and was surprised to see so many people out and about so early in the morning...and on a Saturday at that. I get back to my place around 8 a.m., thinking the R.A. would be on duty. FAIL. I was less than thrilled when the guard told me that no one would be on duty until 9 a.m. What happened next was unexpected.

The guards in the NYU dorms rotate every 8 hours or so and by the time I'd returned, a new guard was on duty. Here's a snippet of our exchange:

Me (looking through the glass partition where the R.A. usually sits): "Is the R.A. on duty? I left my key and I.D. in my room and need them to get back in."

Guard: "What's your room number?"

Me: "1005"

Guard: "Ok, well, I'll help you out this time as long as you don't tell anyone. I'm really not supposed to do this."

Me: "Oh, great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

And with that, he used his key to go into the room where the R.A. sits and gave me a key to my room and told me to bring the key right back with my I.D. so I could swipe in (they are supposed to charge $25 per lockout). I got my wallet from my room and went downstairs to return the loaner key when it hit me: I've seen this man almost everyday since I've lived here and haven't spoken to him besides the occasional "good morning" or "good afternoon." Aside from his physical appearance, I knew nothing about this unique individual to distinguish him from the man sitting in his seat only two hours before. He didn't have to help me at all. He didn't owe me his kindness, and honestly, I'd done nothing to deserve it.

We spoke for a bit and introduced ourselves. Turns out this guard has a name - Frank. I plan on giving him a gift card to Starbucks (Edelman client).

Now, a moment to reflect. I know you're probably reading this and thinking "He gave you a key - big deal." But, it really is a big deal.

For the most part, I'm pretty good about speaking to people and learning names of those who pass in and out of my life everyday. It is quite easy, especially in a time-starved city like New York where everyone is rushing to get somewhere, to get into a routine and stick to it. Everyday, I walk out of this building and go to work. After work, it's drinks / dinner with friends or an event to mark off my "things to do in New York" list. But at the end of the day, I'm back at my place and hardly pay any attention to the people who sit at the front desk.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to get to know the gatekeepers in my life and I challenge you to do the same.

Lesson Learned:

• Be nice. It doesn't take much to speak to people.
  

dw