After we talked to Nelly, the woman we're renting from, we decided to walk around our new neighborhood and get familiar with it. There is an amazing organic food store with really cheap fruits and vegetables and everything organic that I know I'll be buying from and a regular grocery store pretty close to our apartment which is nice. We stocked up on little necessities for our apartment and purchased some food and wine for the night and came back to our place and made a really nice dinner. Then we had some wine and hung out on our fire escape - it was all-in-all a really great first night!
Sunday May 31st Lauren and I found out that the above ground M train 3 feet from our apartment will keep us up half of the night:) (our room is closest to it) but like everything else here it's something to get used to and I'm sure I'll think Menomonie is too quite once I move back in September. BUT we woke up kind of late and decided to exlore Manhattan and find the locations of our jobs. Both Marissa (who is working for JonValdi) and I work in the Uptown Fashion District area (I'm located on 39th and Broadway) and Lauren(who is working for Angel Chang) is farther away than us on 8th Ave. Katie (Marissa's friend who is living with us) Marissa and I have all been to NYC before so we showed Lauren Times Square and she fell in love just like we knew she would! After our little exploration trip we got in touch with my cousin, Michelle who lives and goes to school out here and met some of her friends in Brooklyn and had the best BBQ I've had in a long time. It's so nice having someone out here that we already know, it makes this giant city feel a lot more homier.
Monday June 1st was the first day of work. I was supposed to meet the two other girls I'll be interning with (who both happen to go to Stout with me) at Starbucks about 45 mins. before our start time, which is 10am. BUT we accidently got on the wrong F train and ended up way down at the beginning of Broadway and luckily Lauren was with me and we navigated our way back to my place of work just in time - which was about an hour and half of traveling around the city. The place I work is called Dallin Chase (www.dallinchase.com) and the main designer is a really nice guy named Jason and we're working closely with his assistant designer, Jill - who also went to UW-Stout and couldn't be nicer. The day was filled with many errands for trims, fabrics, trips to our pattern and sample maker around the Fashion District. We get about 45 mins for lunch 12:30-1:15 which is nice and there are definitely a lot of fun places around Broadway to grab a quick bite. Walking around all alone was really intimidating at first but by my second trip I knew exactly where I was. I sewed on labels, worked with patterns, sewed on belt loops and got to hear the designers input on some fun stuff. I definitely belong in this city and I'm so happy I found this internship - which also happens to be perfect for me, everyone is very laid back and slightly messy (just like me) and so far, I'm in love.
After work I met up with Michelle and Katie who were on 35th and 3rd at a bar for dollar beers to celebrate our first day of work with Marissa and Katie and another girl who is from Stout, Sarah came too. We ordered Thai food (yes they delivered to a bar) and had a lot of fun!
Living in NYC is my one and only dream and having it finally come true is such a blessing to me and I feel so lucky! Please keep in touch! I would give you all my address but I'm not 100% sure what our apartment number is, but next posting I will definitely let you know!
LOVE YOU ALL AND I WILL UPDATE SOON!
