Tag Archives: explore NYC

Alternative Thanksgiving Plans in NYC

Now that Halloween has passed, we are onto the next holiday…Thanksgiving! I myself am not from the East coast and can rarely go home for the holidays, so here are some things you can do to celebrate the festivities while away from home and family.

FIT Residential Life Thanksgiving Feast

Res-life always hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for students that stay in the city for the holiday. Take advantage of a free meal and hang out with friends on campus.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

This Nov. 28th will be the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade celebration. Come celebrate an iconic and historic NYC event along with the rest of the city either in person or live on TV. If you want, you can go the night before to watch the balloons get inflated as well.

Bryant Park’s Winter Village

Bryant Park is a wonderful place to stroll through and take a look at all the holiday gift and food shops. This is a great place to look out for that perfect present or to get a cheap bite. There is also the the skate rink which as free admissions but costs $20 to rent skates. It gets cold on the ice so make sure to bring gloves and a jacket.

Friends-giving

Gather a group of friends to have a home cooked (or ordered out) “family” meal. You can make it a potluck to make the menu easier on whoever is hosting, but make sure to contribute something to the group.

(Window) Shop around on black Friday

There are so many online and in store deals to take advantage of. Check off all your Christmas list items or just peruse. You can also stop by the famous Macy’s window displays at Herald Square along your way.

Volunteer with New York Cares

New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in NYC that has opportunities in all 5 boroughs. It requires a quick and simple orientation but after that you are free to sign up for as many volunteer opportunities as you’d like, spanning from gardening to child and senior care to tax prep.

Explore the changing season at Central Park

Get a breath of fresh air at one of the many parks around NYC. Central Park will be showcasing the full force of Autumn with its beautiful foliage. Grab a bite to eat and walk around to one of the many locations in CP, such as the skate rinks, the CP zoo, the boat launches, or the Bethesda fountain.

Visit a Zoo

Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Central Park Zoo are all open the day of Thanksgiving. Tickets for all three locations are $13 (unfortunately they do not offer a student discount). View animals such as exotic birds, sea lions, red pandas, grizzly bears, and snow leopards.

First Summer in NYC – Loved It!

This last summer was the first that I ever spent fully in NYC. Normally, I head back home to Seattle, WA and work while staying with my family, but not this summer. I worked full time as an intern at Tory Burch and moved into my first ever off-campus apartment in Chelsea. This summer gave me a taste of what life would be like after school – my own apartment, full time work, class-free schedule, and a summer social life. 

Staying in NY for the summer was a tough decision because I rarely get to see my family and friends as things are now. Ultimately, I want to move back to the west coast for work, and I made the decision to stay in NY in hopes that it would accelerate my journey to find work back home. With every job I have in the industry here in NY, I become that much more valuable to my future employers, so the more work I can get for myself, the more likely I am to be hired elsewhere.

Living in NY for the summer was a dream, other than the weather (I am not a warm/humid weather person in the slightest). As I said, I continued work at Tory Burch with my wonderful team full time. Working full time in an office environment and a team that I love was a new experience for me entirely, but I can’t wait to get back to working full time once I graduate. Not having classes also meant that when the weekend rolled around, I could actually relax and have fun without having to block out any time to work on homework. Basically, I actually got to have a life out of FIT which was new for me. 

NYC is also a wonderful place to explore with friends over the summer. There are so many events going on that you can find something to do without even planning on it. Looking back on my time here over the summer, it has made me realize that I want to live in NY after graduating because I feel that the city is meant to be lived in when you are young, and if I left to go back home, I don’t think that I would ever come back to live here. NYC is willing to give you the life of your dreams if you let it.

NYC Pride 2019 near the Stonewall Inn

Far Rockaway Beach

NY Yankees Game

Pizza with friends in the park

Village East Cinema Review

I recently went to Village East Cinema to view Lady Bird with a friend of mine. I loved the movie, but more importantly, I loved the venue and will definitely be returning for more showings in the future. It has a gorgeous interior with some old traditional movie-theater design and architecture while also keeping it modern.

Village East Cinema shows a mix of different types of movies. From “can’t miss” blockbusters, to indie films that aren’t showing anywhere else, it has movies that will catch everyone’s attention. Tickets are cheap, as they are $10 for students and $8 if you are seeing a showing before noon. Take advantage of these great prices, especially since you might have to pay twice the price to see the same movie somewhere else.

Address & Contact:

181-189 2nd Ave. @ 12th St.

(212) 529 – 6998

 

All Photos from City Cinemas

Food Review: Honeygrow & Minigrow

Introducing Minigrow!

Minigrow is a new modern foodie spot filled with healthy customize-able options. With menu items grouped by – base (such as noodles, rice, or greens), protein, sauces/dressings, toppings, and garnishes, everyone will find something that they are excited to eat at Minigrow. Their system is similar to that of Chipotle’s where you list your items to workers and they create your meal right in front of you.

Minigrow is very modern in their food choices. They source from the local community and never freeze their food before serving. It is all as fresh as possible. This all leads to some of the tastiest and healthiest food out there. Their color-scheme and interior design alone make it worth visiting.

My favorite meal so far has been spring mix salad with their lemon squeeze dressing topped with their roasted broccoli, carrots and roasted chicken thighs. It’s a pretty basic dish, but the freshness of all of their ingredients was just so evident.


Locations: 

  • 40th St & Madison Avenue
  • 38th St & Broadway – Coming This Winter
  • 29th St & 7th Avenue – Coming This Winter

All photos by Minigrow

Printfest

WHAT: PRINTFEST

WHERE: 524 W 26th St, ground floor

WHEN: October 26-28

Every year, International Print Center New York (IPCNY) hosts the three-day event Printfest. This is a time when MFA and BFA seniors from 17 schools around the area can showcase their work to a broad audience, and even sell them. You better believe that FIT is one of the included schools in this. During the event, IPCNY makes sure to offer fun printmaking workshops and even hosts panel discussions.