My roommate, Brittney, and I are back to the corporate grind after a lovely weekend in New York City. Not only did we find delicious Italian grub and swim through the Times Square Sea of People, we also enjoyed the city's diverse parks and neighborhoods-- definitely a win for my Fitbit game after a brief, cough-induced hiatus. All in all, the Big Apple was pretty sweet.
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| And yes, I did use the Trump SoHo restrooms! #ThanksTrump |
Our decision to visit New York was long in the works, but the actual trip was booked last minute. We had perfect summer weather for hours of walking around Manhattan-- with the occasional stop for cold bevs or ice cream at a street kiosk. And like any cultured 20-something American women, we couldn't help but gush as we strolled through the Upper East Side, Central Park and Little Italy about the movies and TV shows that had taken place under our feet. I kept thinking of Ilana and Abbi from Broad City and Brittney pointed out the Central Park bridge that Prince Charming likely jumped from in Enchanted.
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| A roommate portrait to hang above the hearth. |
The entertainment industry did an excellent job of making me fall head over heels for the city. It used a line baited with everything that can be romanticized about NYC, which included a large dose of Broadway. We snagged TKTS tickets to the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots. Cindy Lauper wrote the music and lyrics. It was about a transvestite who helps save this British dude's floundering shoe factory. The drag queens, glitter, dancing and endless stream of British accents made for a magical experience. We had no idea what we were getting into when we got the tickets three or so hours before curtain, but it was exceedingly entertaining and lovable.
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| Ladies and gentlemen and those who have yet to decide! |
It was also exceedingly apropos of the major festivities happening that weekend in the city. We had no idea, but apparently this weekend marked the end of New York Pride Week. Man, if we thought the DC Pride Parade was a big deal, New York's was an international extravaganza. Walking around the Christopher Street area Sunday morning, the barricades were already set, stores had rainbow balloons, flashy signs and multicolored displays, and the NYPD was overwhelmingly, yet understandably, present. I have never before seen so many police officers in the span of six blocks. At least four were chilling on each street corner keeping an eye on things. The parade itself was Brazilian-Carnival-meets-
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| Hillary remained elusive... |
And now we're back in good ol' DC in full corporate life swing. I've gotten to do some very fun and interesting things at Lidl lately, but can't talk about them here because I unfortunately really like this internship. One thing I can blab about, however, was my first Alexandria Treetop Toastmasters meeting this evening. It was an intimate affair, only six of us, but man, each person was such an impressively thoughtful and articulate speaker! I felt a little out of my league, but hey, you only learn from being surrounded by those better than you, right? Maybe by the end of this summer I'll have not only some PR expertise under my belt, but public speaking pro tips, too. It's been a long few days, so for now it's time to catch some zzzz's and have some sweet Lidl dreams.