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!