Welcome to the Big Apple

Hello everyone!
    This is my very first blog post.  I decided to start this little blog so I could keep my family and friends updated with my life, school, and everything that I have been doing in NYC.  I have now been here for almost a month and a half and I am amazed at how fast the time has gone.  I thought I would do a little review of what I have been up to so far...

I've set up my room.

I've explored the city.

I've made some friends.

And I've even had a few celebrity sightings....

Can you tell it's Madonna, there in the middle? I promise it's her.  She was in Central Park directing a movie (I'm not sure who advised her to get back into movies...but that's besides the point).  I've also managed to run into Kanye West, a day after his embarrassing VMA performance (which I was too scared to point out to him) , Zach Braff, and Wyatt Cenac from the Daily Show.

       Besides stalking celebrities and going to classes, I've really just been getting used to the city.  This last weekend I went to dinner with my dad's friends at a restaurant in the Upper West Side, then explored Columbia University, which I had never seen before.  While I must say that the campus was beautiful, I am very happy with my choice of NYU.  The neighborhood is better, the students are more down to earth, and I just recently found out that the NYU political science department was ranked 4th in the country! (http://nyunews.com/news/2010/10/01/01rank/)

        On Saturday I went to an incredibly hard spin class with a friend (which I am still VERY sore from), shopped in Soho, which is minutes from my dorm, saw "The Social Network" with one of my suitemates, and ended the day with dinner at a small Spanish restaurant near campus to celebrate a friends birthday.  Throughout dinner, I was also checking on the Oregon Football game, which they thankfully won.  Overall, Saturday was the perfect fall day-sunny, but with crisp, cool air that reminds you of pumpkins, apple cider, and thanksgiving. 
       However, on Sunday the rain came back.  These last few days, it's hard to tell that I left Oregon it's been so rainy and gray (my umbrella even broke from the wind!).  So I spent the end of the weekend doing laundry, cleaning the apartment, and drinking coffee in a cafe in the East Village while studying for the upcoming week.  The cafe was very cute and I loved getting to spend time in a new part of the city, I hadn't yet spent much time in.  They even had this mirror in the bathroom...

 
After a long afternoon of studying, I was just not willing to believe...

Anyways, it is now Monday evening.  I am sad the weekend is gone but looking forward to the next!  It will be a busy week with a Spanish test tomorrow (wish me luck!), two assignments, lots of reading, volunteering, and club meetings.  I'll keep you updated!


<3 from NYC