Day 2

Basically, today was all about being a tourist. We left the apartments at around 9 and headed to the nearest subway station, which is about four blocks away, to buy our unlimited metro cards(!). Then, Meg and John (my professor and her husband, also a professor from Olaf), took us on a brisk walking tour around the city. John had his guidebook, so we stopped everywhere of significance between our apartment and the Staten Island ferry. I thought the ferry was actuallykind of a waste of time because it was so packed with tourists that we really couldn't see anything, and then we didn't even get a chance to explore Staten Island. Just got right back on another ferry and came back to Manhattan. At least the people watching was interesting. I still can't get over how many different languages are spoken here.

Our first subway ride was to the 14th street and

8th ave subway station which houses the public art exhibition Life Underground by Tom Otterness (whom we get to meet soon!).

Then for lunch we took the subway to Chelsea and spent an overwhelming (that seems to be the adjective of the trip so far) hour at the Chelsea market. There was SO MUCH to choose from. At least 10 different bakeries and seafood and soups and sandwiches and gelato and literally anything you might want. I ended up getting a half of a tomato and mozzarella sandwich with a cup of Maryland crab soup. And then of course a small cup of gelato. Good, but pricey. Tomorrow I think I'll have to stock up on sandwich supplies so that I'm not forced to buy a $12 lunch every day.

Next we walked up to the High Line. This was probably my favorite part of today. Picture the roof of Regents above Manhattan and stretching for about a mile. It's a part that has been made from a section of the city used to lift dangerous freight trains off the streets.

After that we spent some time at Central Park, and then a bunch of us navigated the subway systems back to our neighborhood and found a ridiculous FIVE STORY ART SUPPLY STORE! So cool. For dinner we ate at Lombardi's, which is the self-proclaimed first official pizzeria in the US. I also found a really cute indie bookstore called McNally's just about four blocks from the apartments, which I'm sure I'll be revisiting many more times.

Love,

Jackie

Day 1

So I made it safely to the city. The flight was easy and quick, and I even successfully navigated the shady cab drivers (thanks mostly to my prof and her husband)! My first exposure to New York driving was definitely a shock... but it's good to be back in a place where people actually use their horns. As we drove up to the city, I was completely shocked by how BIG it is. It literally takes up the entire horizon. I'm so used to tiny little Minneapolis, that this was completely unbelievable. I'm still overwhelmed.

The "apartments" are quaint -- at first we thought there were only two twin sized beds and one tiny couch for four women. We immediately pulled the two beds together and shoved as many blankets into the crack between them as we could, thinking that three of us were going to have to sleep there, but it turns out that the couch is a pull out. Thank god. I'm looking forward to making good friends here, but I didn't really want to have to get that close. And as far as cooking my own meals, which I was really looking forward too, I'm probably going to be doing more cooking pasta and pouring a can of store-bought marinara sauce on top. There are NO cooking appliances. :(

So after arriving, a bunch of us decided to venture out into the wilderness in search for some food. We found a pizza place that was pretty empty. It was good enough, and cheap, but I'm definitely looking forward to my first real new york pizza sometime soon. Then we walked up Broadway for a good six or seven blocks, avoided the religious zealots shouting passages from revelations into a loudspeaker (it literally echoed up and down the entire length of Broadway... freaky), and amazingly enough navigated ourselves through China Town and Little Italy back to the apartments. It was a good introduction to this gigantic city, but tomorrow is going to be the real deal. I think we're going out to Brooklyn and then making our way back to Soho. Should be exciting! Hopefully it will help me feel less overwhelmed. There are so many different people here. And they speak so many different languages.

Sorry no pictures today. Definitely will take some tomorrow on the grand tour. Also, I forgot my sketchbook at home. Guess that means I'll have to take a trip to the five-story art supply store tomorrow. Oh darn.

Love,

Jackie

Leaving 11 Days!

Basically I made this because my roommate told me to. As the queen of travel blogging (and traveling in general), I only hope that I can live up to Maria's lofty expectations... and since I'll only be in New York for 25 days, I should probably post every day, otherwise this thing will be pretty lame.

Anyway, this is where you can come if you're curious about what I'll be up to during my whirlwind exploration of New York City's art world. Expect pictures, lots of talk about food (I will probably come back at least twice the size I am now...), hopefully some adventures, and I suppose a little bit of art.

Love,

Jackie