Tag Archives: exploring

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

How I Made My Summer ’19 Decision

Recently, I went through a very difficult decision process to sort out my summer plans. For context, I am a junior soon to be heading into my senior year, and I am originally from Washington state. I have been working as a production intern at Tory Burch since the Fall semester and was offered an opportunity to stay with them as a product development intern over the summer. I have yet to stay in NY over the summer, and I always miss home this time of year since I’ve been away for so long. There were many things to consider when debating to accept this offer from Tory Burch. I wouldn’t be able to see my friends and family from back home over the entire summer, I wouldn’t be back in the PNW during one of my favorite seasons, and I wouldn’t be saving money from not paying rent. It is also my last summer as a student and I wanted to be very careful with how I used this fleeting freedom. On the other hand, if I stayed with Tory Burch, I would be building my resume and developing more skills and experience to further my career and eventually achieve my long term goal; I eventually want to move back to the West coast and work for iconic outdoor apparel and lifestyle brands, with one of my top picks located in Seattle, WA. If I stayed in NY over the summer, I would be helping my future job search when applying for positions back home, but was this worth not seeing my friends and family? In the end, I chose to take the internship with Tory Burch with hopes that working towards my long term goal would be best for me. There was really no right or wrong decision in this situation for me because I could see myself being both thankful and regretful at the same time for making either decision. Sometimes, you just have to push aside your critical analysis and just make a decision when one is needed. It made me realize that I’m at a point in my life where my choices are going to have direct consequences on aspects of my life, and that real planning needs to be put in place if I don’t want to lose control of my life. One thing I did to sort out my decision was I put together a 5 year and a 10 year life plan for myself, mapping out different aspects of my life, including career, health, and relational. These things are important to think about and develop an understanding of what you want. It’s never too early to start planning.

Florence, Italy at Your Hands!

HELLO FELLOW TIGERS!!

My name is Maria, I have started my 4th semester in FIT. However, I started classes a little far away from campus. Where? In Florence, Italy! Now you may ask “what is she doing over there?” Well let me explain….

At FIT there are many options for studying abroad, it all depends on the major you are studying. As a fashion design student one of my options was to study in the “the cradle of the renaissance”, that is Florence, Italy. And so I chose this option for my second year of AAS.

You cannot imagine how excited I was to start my journey abroad. In the month of August (2018) I had my bags all packed and ready for what was coming. I heard great stories about my classmates’ experiences abroad and was ready to start my own.

Our host in Florence is Polimoda fashion institute right in the historic center. The main campus itself is a gem, with frescoed ceilings and walls, it sure takes you back in time. The design lab in Scandicci has everything you need for the realization of projects. Since the program admits a certain number of students, professors are by your side to assist you.

In the following blogs I will be going in deeper into my experiences during the last and this upcoming semester.

Ciao, Maria

A view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

Florence, Italy: A view from Piazzale Michelangelo

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