My last weekend in New York City was perfect!  Friday was a day just for myself to do a little shopping, see my favorite places one more time, and walk through Central Park.  I was wondering around the city from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM [FULL DAY].  I was exhausted but I was determined to spend every minute I could out and about.  

Saturday was a "girls day" with Julia and Marjorie.  We started the day off right with brunch on the Upper West Side before we headed down to Soho and Little Italy.  Before we knew it, it was HAPPY HOUR!  We got on the subway and took it straight to Brother Jimmy's BBQ to end the day with drinks and snacks.....three hours later we went back to the Upper West Side for one last drink in Riverside Park.  I cannot believe how close the three of us have gotten over the past few weeks!  I am going to miss my life in the city but I know I'll be back to visit soon!

I have been SO BLESSED with this opportunity and I'm sad to see it come to an end but lucky for me I have wonderful friends and family waiting for me in North Carolina! <3

 

Today was my last day of work!  Julia and I spent a lot of time this week making paper butterflies but today all of our work paid off.  We both got the chance to help with the butterfly installation in one of the plaza front windows. I think the best part about helping with the install was that people kept coming up to us asking about the window display and complementing us on what a good job we were doing -- those moments are what make the hours of hard work worth it! The window is not completed yet but both plaza front windows are scheduled to be complete by the end of tomorrow [so hopefully I will be able to see them before I leave the city]! 

Two more days to enjoy this beautiful city until I am on a flight home to High Point, North Carolina! :)

Yankees vs. Braves Game

Well today at work was not all that interesting...but after work Julia, Cody, and I headed to The Bronx for the New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves game.  It was nice to get out of Manhattan for a little while  to enjoy a great game of baseball. We did not stay until the end because it IS a work night and I still have some homework to do before I go to bed.  Goodnight...

Well, Sunday marked the start of my last week here in the city.  It is a bitter sweet feeling because I am ready to be home but I am not ready to be more than a subway ride away from  my favorite places in New York City!  I am determined to make the most out of this last week and therefore I spent the entire afternoon in Central Park on Sunday enjoying drinks and snacks with Hayley, Drew, Dominick, and Jenna -- followed by a manicure and workout. [SUNDAY FUNDAY]  My plans for the rest of the week include going to a Yankee's game, shopping in Soho, laying out in the park, and brunch with the girls from work! :)

This is one of the ten windows at the Rock Center store that I am currently working on with the rest of the visual display team.  We have been adding parts to the display little by little depending on when the different elements are completed.  The palms in the left corner are what Julia and I worked on last week and today we helped lower in that white chair from the balcony above!  Hopefully before the end of the week I will have another updated picture of this window to show everyone!  Unfortunately, I will not be working when the rest of the windows are completed but Julia and Marjorie have already promised to send me pictures of the new installations.  

Wow! I cannot believe that I only have one week left in New York City! This week at work was exhausting because we are right in the middle of production for the new home display windows.  For the last part of the week, Julia and I were given the responsibility of a few larger tasks to complete together.  It was a bit nerve racking but we pulled through.  One project took seven hours and the other one took ten!  Working on the same project for several hours is tiring but now it's time for the weekend! My cousin Drew is in town [first time to NYC] and therefore most of the weekend will be spent with him, Hayley, and Dominick.  We all enjoyed a great lunch and tonight we are having dinner at Brother Jimmy's BBQ! Can't wait... :)

Tomorrow we will be hanging around Battery Park and the west side!

It has already been a tough week and it is only Tuesday!  The chaos all started on Monday when Julia and I had to uninstall the home windows.  The process took two and half hours of pushing, pulling, drilling, and boxing!  At first we were unsure if we would EVER finish but we were able to complete the task and we only sustained a few minor scratches and bruises. Once everything was cleared out of the windows we started repairing the art wall that stays as the background for all window displays.  That took us right up until lunch when it was time for me to call it a day!

Today got off to a stressful start because it was MY turn to be on "plant maintenance."  Although taking care of the plants may sound like a simple task, it is not.  Some of the pots are homemade and therefore cannot always withstand the wear and tear that comes along with being part of the store's display.  I was anxious about the task even before I got started because Saturday Julia told me about her awful experience with some of the plants leaking all over the tables and floor.  Since she also informed me that she repaired all of the broken pots, I assumed the problem was fixed for the time being.  [I was wrong...]  As soon as I got to the first large plant on the floor I started to water it and next thing I knew the water was seeping onto the floor!  I ran to get paper towels and was able to clean up the mess while the plant sat in a trash bag to prevent any further damage.  That got my heart rate going but I continued watering the rest of the plants.  I successfully watered all of the plants in homemade pots without anymore complications! I continued plant maintenance on the basement level where all the plants were in normal pots. Such a relief.  I thought I was almost done when...yet again another plant started to flood the floor! -- Needless to say, I was so happy when it was all over with.  Throughout the course of the day two more plants started to leak but thankfully I did not have to deal with them.  I'm pretty sure I lost a few years off my life with the stress those plants put me through but it is just all in a day's work! Tomorrow it will be Marjorie's turn to be on plant maintenance. [She's thrilled.] :)

I had a great time with Jordan this weekend!  It was so nice to have him up here even if it was only for a weekend.  The sun stayed out for most of the time except for a little rain on Saturday.  However, Saturday was the best!  Jordan and I started the day with a quick trip to Rockefeller Center so he could see where I work and how I get there every morning [which includes walking across Park Avenue, past The Palace Hotel and Saint Patrick's Cathedral].  Then we got lunch in Times Square and did a little shopping followed by drinks at the Frying Pan with Julia and Cody.  Later on we had dinner in Chelsea and while at dinner we remembered Cody telling us about a mini golf located along the Hudson River. Next thing I knew we were on a hunt to find it - and we did!  We got to the mini golf just as the sun was setting [the views were beautiful off Pier 25].  And last but not least we ended up back at Times Square.  By midnight it was time to retreat back to 92Y before a lovely Sunday afternoon in Central Park.
I couldn't have asked for a better weekend in the city! Tomorrow starts my fifth week in New York so now I really need to figure out what all I want to do before I head back to North Carolina...

Wow! I cannot believe that it is already Thursday night - I am completely exhausted from these past few days. The picture above was taken at the front entrance of the Upper East Side store.  I helped make all of those paper poppies [my favorite flower]! Yesterday I worked at the Upper East Side store with Julia and Marjorie and today I stayed at Rock Center to help out with the trial and error phase of the next windows. After work on Wednesday I decided to go shopping in Chelsea and ended up seeing Teresa from the Real Housewives of New Jersey!  It was my first celebrity sighting but hopefully not the last. 

Tomorrow I will be back at the Upper East Side store for a half day!  Jordan will be arriving in New York City a little after lunch.  I absolutely cannot wait to show him around the city and take him to all of my favorite places!  Unfortunately until then I will be catching up on some homework assignments...

Well Monday turned out to be a pretty great day considering Marjorie, Julia and I had to be at work an hour early.  We volunteered to help out with the long list of morning tasks that needed to be completed and it paid off.  We were allowed a two hour break for lunch!  The three of us shared a wonderful lunch in Soho before ending the day at our internship orientation.

Today I only worked a half day and spent almost all of my time helping out the merchandise team. I set up sale signage and helped with placement of merchandise in the home section of the store.  I also spent a lot of time retrieving merchandise from the various storage rooms [I am pretty sure I have seen every single one of them after today!]  Now I plan to try out my membership at the 92Y May Center for Health and Fitness! :)

Friday

I had an early early morning on Friday.  I woke up at 4:15 AM to get ready and head down to the Today Show. My parents were already on their way to New York City and were planning to meet me at Rockefeller Center as soon as they could get checked into the hotel.  Luckily, I was able to get a spot right beside the stage - it was unbelievable how close I was to The Band Perry! I got to watch them perform three songs for the Toyota Summer Concert Series.  My parents were not lucky enough to make it in time to hear the band play but that was alright since we had many other fun activities scheduled for the afternoon!  We started our morning by walking along the promenade from Tribeca down to Battery Park.  We stopped to get lunch at a restaurant along the Hudson River before getting on the Staten Island Ferry for a chance to see the Statue of Liberty close up.  Eventually we made our way back up to Rock Center where we shared a pitcher of "skinny" margaritas at a bar located where the ice skating rink is in the winter.  Mom and I did some shopping and then the three of us went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  It had been a long day so we didn't stay out too late.  We all needed a good night of sleep before the rest of our weekend could begin.

Saturday

The American Museum of Natural History was the first stop on our Saturday To-Do List.  It wasn't quite was we were expecting and so we only went into the exhibits that we were most interested in.  We walked on the Upper West Side for a little bit until we decided on a place to eat  lunch before we went to Soho for more shopping! On our way back to the hotel we made a stop at Bryant Park and the New York Public Library.  It was the first time any of us had been inside the library and I must say it was gorgeous!  The architecture in New York City never ceases to amaze me.  To end our night we got dinner at Rare Rooftop Bar and Grill -  The food and views of the city were perfect.

 

Sunday

Sunday was all about spending time on the Upper East Side [my neighborhood].  Once we checked out of the hotel and dropped off our stuff at my room, we walked along the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It can take days to see everything "The Met" has to offer so yet again we visited the areas we were most interested in so we could save time.  One of those areas was the Roof Garden [picture above].  There is no doubt about it that this was our favorite part of the entire museum.  We relaxed on the roof with a drink before heading down to Chelsea for the rest of the afternoon. Soon it was 5:00 PM and time for my parents to head back to good ole High Point...

Well I certainly had a great weekend in the city with my parents and I hated they had to leave but I've still got three more weeks in this beautiful city until it is my turn to go back home!

Thank the Lord for three day work weeks!  I had to spend Wednesday and today all by myself at the Upper East Side store.  I missed hanging out with the other interns but I was happy I could be of some help to the other store.  Their new windows are supposed to be completed by next Friday! [And they've still got a long way to go...] After all this hard work I have put into making paper flowers,  I cannot wait to see how the windows turn out.  On Monday I will be attending an intern orientation at the Soho store with Julia and Marjorie.  We will be meeting all of the new interns including the three that will be coming to help out at Rock Center...but until then I will we hanging out with my parents! :)

Fortunately, this morning at work was pretty laid back because the visual design team was finishing up their presentations for this afternoon's meeting.  To keep ourselves busy, all three of us interns did a walk around the store to make a list of anything that needed fixing.  For the most part we spent a lot of time in the display windows. [Something I will never get used to!] The display windows are very tiny and it is hard to maneuver in between the different set-ups.  People outside on the street stop and watch us  like we're a circus act, just waiting for something to go wrong.  To get away from the store and the Rockefeller Center crowd, Julia and I enjoyed our lunch at Bryant Park.  We needed time to relax before the important afternoon ahead of us!
I never really understood how a meeting could take longer than an hour - but today that all changed.  The meeting for the new summer windows took three hours!! And I am positive that if more time was available it would have taken longer.  There wasn't even time left to debrief so I assume that is what we will start with tomorrow morning...

Sunday morning was spent down at The Frick Collection.  For those of you who may not know, "The Frick" is the former residence of Henry Clay Frick, an industrialist in the mid to late 1800s. Henry Clay Frick had a passion for collecting great works of art; and in his will stated that his home should be converted to a museum following his death.  Although The Frick Collection includes painting by some of the greatest European artists, I enjoy going to The Frick  because I find the reformer residence truly breath-taking...

North Park - Tribeca 

Obviously I was missing Cherry Grove Beach this weekend! I spent my entire Saturday and Sunday afternoons by the East River and the Hudson River.  Both parks were the closest I could get to the ocean and although they were lovely, nothing comes close to being at Cherry Grove Beach with friends and family.  I even spent Memorial Day by the Jackie Onassis Reservoir by beginning my afternoon with a short walk and ending my day by reading a magazine just below the South Gate House on the reservoir.  Now all I have is a three-day week at work until my parents arrive Friday morning!

I got a late start to my day of site seeing because I spent the entire morning catching up on some much needed sleep!  I had planned on taking a nap after work yesterday but the sun decided to come out so I wondered around the city until it was time for dinner in Tribeca with Cody and Julia.  Julia and I had been waiting all week to go eat in Tribeca and I have to say it was exactly what we needed after our last two days of work at the Upper East Side store.  Thursday and Friday were spent making hundreds of paper flowers for one of their new summer displays.  Julia, Marjorie, and I made the best of it though.  We listened to music and started making plans for a girls night out! :)

View from Brooklyn Bridge Park

 Although today was cloudy and muggy, I was determined to spend my Saturday outdoors!  I took the subway to City Hall where I started my walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  The views you get from the bridge are amazing and I loved seeing the boats on the East River.  After the 30 minutes it took to get across I sat down to rest and take in the scenery from the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  After that, I walked back across the bridge and took the subway to the south west corner of Central Park.  I enjoyed a late lunch from Whole Foods at Columbus Circle then strolled up the west side until I reached the crosstown bus.  Once back on the east side I spent some time in the park until it started to pour down rain!  Luckily, I wasn't too far from the Plaza Hotel where I decided to take cover from the thunderstorm.  The storm passed shortly and I headed back to the 92Y where I will enjoy the rest of my night relaxing in my room...[possibly with a Crumbs Bake Shop red velvet cupcake!]

 

 Bug Wall Installation

Rain, rain, go away! Trying to get around this city with an umbrella is a challenge...and I didn't get the memo that everyone brings a plastic bag to put there umbrella in while running in and out of buildings and stores.  Don't worry though; I got one now!  -- This morning at work went by pretty fast, I started out by vacuuming sand out of a display case with a "ghost buster" backpack vacuum. [Stylish]  After finishing some repairs for the display windows I painted paper bugs that will be going up in the store tomorrow morning.  There will be 100 of them on one wall in a grid pattern and I can't wait to see how the display turns out!  That concluded my day of work and then I headed off to Whole Foods, my new favorite place ever, to do some grocery shopping.  I met back up with Julia at work around 4:00 PM to starts our trek to the East Harlem TARGET!  It was just what I needed on this gross rainy day.  Julia and I looked through all the clothes and were amazed to see the prices were just like back home; even the groceries!  I got myself a new pair of sandals and some strawberries.  Trip = Success :)  Now it's time to do some much needed internship homework  for ASU and prepare myself for yet another rainy day...

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend in New York City.  I slept in on Saturday morning but it was well worth it!  I took a quick shower and headed to Union Square Farmer's Market.  Most of the locals do their grocery shopping there for fruits, vegetables, and fresh flowers.  I was a bit overwhelmed by everything but next weekend I plan on buying myself some flowers to put in my room.  On my way back I stopped at Fishs Eddy, a cute kitchen accessories store, to buy silverware and a plate. The rest of my afternoon was spent window shopping at Bloomingdale's, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman, and Tiffany's.  I ended my Saturday with take-out and a movie!

I arrived at Rockefeller Center yesterday morning at 6:30AM!  Although early, it was not early enough.  The stage area to see Usher was already filled up but luckily I was able to watch him warm up from across the street.  After he finished the last song I made my way to Starbucks for coffee and lemon pound cake [Thanks, Dickerson Family!]  I made my way back to the plaza before I had to be at work and saw Matt Lauer and Al Roker! Maybe next time it will be Kathie Lee and Hoda...

I cannot believe that my first week of work in the city is almost over.  It has been a great week as well as an exhausting one! I only work until noon tomorrow so I have a full day planned for myself.  I will be waking up at 5:00 AM to get ready so that I can hopefully get a chance to be on the Today Show!  And after work I will walk up a few blocks to World Market where I will enjoy lunch in Columbus Circle or Sheep Meadow. [I haven't decided yet] As for the perfect end to my afternoon, I will make a quick trip to my room at 92Y before I take a stroll down the mall in Central Park...I am so blessed to have this opportunity!

Second day on the job went great! The time flew by - that's when it hit me that I really am doing what I love! Today the store was having a huge sale and the was opening an hour earlier which meant getting all the signage ready in before 9:00 AM.  After we finished the sale signs, Julie and I met the spring interns who are working their last week in the store.  They helped create the amazing whale for the Earth Day windows that made their debut in April.  As for the rest of the day we helped prep and paint wood for a new wall that will be located on the bottom floor.  [During our lunch break we splurged for some delicious dessert at Magnolia Bakery!] We were unable to finish the wall but there is no doubt we will be able to install it before the doors open tomorrow!

Today was my first day on the job! I arrived just in time to meet the other intern, Julia, waiting outside the door ; for now it will just be the two of us working at the Rockefeller Center location.   Julia and I were introduced to Sarah, the Display Coordinator, who took us around the entire store, including the outside, where we got to see the best view of the display windows! We began our duties by watering the plants, checking on all window and store displays, and repairing any display items that needed fixing.  After all the repairs were complete, the store opened and we retreated upstairs to learn about the inspirations that led to each window.  It really is amazing to see how the same inspiration board can lead to so many different display windows throughout stores all across the United States. I cannot express how anxious I am to be a part of the what's to come...

New York, New York

As many of you may know, I am currently entering my senior year in the Interior Design Program at Appalachian State University with a minor in Business.  A few months ago I was offered a wonderful opportunity to be a Visual Display Intern for a retail store at Rockefeller Center.  The internship program gives student designers from an accredited university the opportunity to create and install window displays with fellow designers throughout the United States.  I will update this blog with images and descriptions of the projects I will be working on, as well as my experiences in the city!