Central Park Zoo

Last weekend my boyfriend and I ventured to the Central Park Zoo.  We went into the park on 87th street and happened to get a little lost.  The paths in the park are not straight through - they wind around.  The zoo is located on 65th street so we decided to get out of the park and walk down the sidewalk.  When we finally got to the zoo, we were frozen.  It was $12 for an adult ticket for the general attractions.  The first exhibit we visited was the Tropical Zone because we wanted to warm up. This is a huge room filled with plants found in the rainforest and exotic animals.  There were hardly any nets or glass so the birds were free to fly around.  It really felt like you stepped into a rainforest.  The colors on the animals were absolutely beautiful.  After the Tropical Zone, we saw a polar bear, snow leopard, and red panda.  Then we found the Arctic Zone which was home to one of my favorite animals: the penguin! We spent about ten minutes watching the penguins play and swim around.  There were probably about fifty penguins and they were very active and funny.  There was one that kept showing off by splashing the glass with his tail.  The last creature we encountered were the seals.  They were very smart and amusing and could do tricks on command.  Despite our very cold walk through the park, we really enjoyed the zoo.  It took about an hour to walk through all the exhibits.  It is definitely worth the visit!

Alumni Night

This last week has been very busy, both interning and getting acclimated to the big apple.  Last night Marist held an alumni night at the 92nd Street Y, set up by Deborah Porter.  The alumni were from the communication department and areas such as Sports Communication, Advertising and PR were discussed.  About fifteen alumni showed up and there were about fifty Marist students. Food was served and it was delicious! The night was set up with alumni staying at designated tables and the students rotating to a different table every fifteen minutes.  One of my friends described it like 'speed dating.' I ended up at the Sports Communication table first.  One, I know nothing about sports, and two, I have no interest in them.  However, the woman who spoke was very knowledgable.  She gave us tips on how to stand out as an intern and be successful.  Her most important advice was, when you are interning, always be enthusiastic, even if you are given a menial job.  Being enthusiastic shows your supervisor that you are willing to do what is needed in order to help the company.  It also persuades a supervisor to trust you with more tasks.  The next table I visited was Journalism which had a woman who worked on a Teen magazine.  She gave the standard pointers about how to get a job and how to move up in a career.  The last three people I visited sat at the Advertising table.  One man worked for Public Service Announcements and stressed how important it was to be working at a job that is rewarding.  He talked about the anti-drunk driving campaign and how your poster might deter someone from drinking and driving, therefore saving a life.  The alumni dinner was a wonderful night.  I met some very interesting people and the food and atmosphere were awesome. I would advice people who are Juniors or Seniors to visit the next alumni night and start to make contacts!

Food on Foot Tours

Last weekend, the girl's from the Marist and Manhattan tour, my boyfriend, and I went on a Food on Foot Tour.  We were able to get our tickets from the explorers card that we were given for joining the program.  I am a big foodie so I was so incredibly stoked for this. The man who started the tours, Cory, lost his job when the economy failed a few years ago.  He decided to turn his career into something he loved: food.  The premise of the tours is to bring the group to restaurants that are unknown by most people and who serve cheap, delicious food. Cory tells the group that his tour is based around good food and getting to know the people you are touring with.  At different stops, you are encouraged to sit with different people and get to know them.  We went to four restaurants: a pizza place, an Asian place, a sandwich place and a hot dog place.  We also went to two sweet spots: a Greek bakery and a pie shop.  The food was amazing. My two favorite spots were the pizza place and the sandwich place. The pizza place was called NY Pizza Suprima and was near the seventh avenue exit of Penn Station.  We tried their upside down pizza which has cheese first, and then the sauce.  This restaurant makes its own spaghetti sauce which is delicious.  My second favorite place, City Sandwich, was created by an American who lived in Italy for a while.  The food has a European twist to it.  We shared a sandwich with panchetta, fresh mozzarella, arugula, tomatoes on a hollowed out baguette.  It was probably the best sandwich I've ever had.
The tour cost $37 for the ticket I had to buy for my boyfriend.  You had to pay for the food at each stop, but it was relatively cheap.  I would highly recommend this tour to anyone.  Cory will tailor his tours to your needs.  I cannot wait to go on another one.

Adventures of A Marist Senior by Jennifer Abbey

Every senior out there probably thinks I'm crazy for doing Marist in Manhattan my second semester senior year.  You mean leave Marist and your friends your last semester to WORK full time?  Aren't I doing that in May? Why start sooner?

Well let me tell you.  It's worth it.

The obvious reason doing Marist in Manhattan your last semester is to get a job.  My goal as I intern full time at ABC News is that it will turn into a job.  I am hoping to make a good enough impression that even if there isn?t an opening in my department, there might be somewhere else within the company.  But that?s not the only great thing about it.

I am also here in Manhattan for when I start going on job interviews.  No running back and forth from Poughkeepsie every other week for an interview.  I can just jump on the subway and boom, I'm there.  Much easier!

But probably the biggest reason that seniors don?t want to do Marist in Manhattan their last semester is leaving their friends.  You mean no Saturday nights at Union Square?  No Sunday mornings at Rossi's? Well, it is possible.  And a lot easier than you all might think.

With Poughkeepsie only an hour and a half train ride away, your Union Square Saturdays are a hop, skip, and a jump away.  You can leave NYC at 7 p.m. and be in Fulton by 9! But even better than that, you?re in one of the greatest cities in the world.  Your friends are going to want to come to YOU.  The restaurants, the night life, the activities.  The Walkway over the Hudson?  Try walking in Central Park! My friends are already begging me to let them come  visit.  There is so much to do in New York that I'm not even missing my Poughkeepsie social life. 

New York is also one of the easiest cities to get out of.  Weekend trips to Boston, Atlantic City, D.C. and Philly are super easy.  With Amtrak, the LIRR, Metro-North, Megabus, and Greyhound, there are millions of ways to go explore somewhere new on the weekend.

You're also not alone here at Marist in Manhattan which was one of my biggest concerns.  I live in a single room so I thought I would never make any friends and I would spend every night alone with my Facebook.  But that's not even kind of true.  Not only do the other students in the Marist program live at the 92nd Street Y but other students from all over the U.S. live here.  There are students from California, students from Cornell, and students from schools right around New York.  There is always someone to talk to.  In the kitchen (which is on every floor), the bathroom, the hallway.  There are people everywhere all the time so you don?t have to feel alone.  I can come home from my internship and still lounge around with other people just like I do at Marist.  But it's new people.  It's fun, exciting, and completely different than Poughkeepsie.  And who doesn't like a fresh atmosphere?

Interning full time really isn?t that bad either.  I'm sure most of you have had internships in the city before.  Waking up at 6 a.m. to catch Metro-North and probably not getting to do much at work since you're only there twice a week.  I get to be at ABC News four days a week.  Everyone knows me well and trusts me because they see me every day.  I get the opportunity to assist on weekend shoots that are understaffed.  It's not that easy to just jump on the train on a Saturday and come down to New York. I?m in the heart of the media world and it is well worth it for anyone that wants to be a media mogul someday like me.

I hope that I have convinced you to do Marist in Manhattan.  If not your last semester, think about it for the fall of your senior year.  The possibilities for a job are truly worth it.  When you're right there at hiring time, companies are going to think of you, not that intern they had a year and a half ago.  And don?t forget, it?s not all work and no play down here in NYC.  You work hard, you can play just as hard.  Okay, I think I?ve killed every cliché in the book.  Work hard, and say hi to Darby's for me.  ;-)

-Jennifer Abbey, senior Communication major with a dual concentration in Radio/TV/Film and Journalism

Kindness

Don't worry, I didn't forget about the blog. I've just been so busy between class, my internship and the attractions of the city.  My first week at the internship was wonderful and I can't wait to go back next week.  I feel that most people who don't live in the city have a perpetual feeling that the people here are gruff and impersonal.  However, I have witnessed a few acts of random kindness this week that really made me have hope for generous people.  Several times on the subway, I have seen younger people give up their seats to older people.  I have also witnessed people holding doors and waiting for people to reach them.  The city may have its stern reputation but there really are caring people who live here.  I can't wait to write on Monday about our weekend adventures!

Marist in Manhattan Orientation

Time is already flying by! On January third, the students were introduced to the city during orientation. We learned the ins and outs of the subway system and were given some good advice, such as always look like you know what you're doing.  We went to Madame Tussaud's House of wax where we took our photos with some pretty famous look-a-likes, including Robert Pattinson and Morgan Freeman. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at TGI Fridays! Later that night, we bonded over an entertaining bus ride called "The Tour." The bus has three rows of seats that face out of one huge window so you get a wonderful view of everything.  There were singers coordinating with the tour and the two hosts were funny and entertaining.  There is so much to do in the city and with our explorer cards, we are able to visit a few cites, free of charge! I look forward to documenting the next few months of adventures with my new friends!

Hello!

Hello! My name is Tory Nolan and I will be taking over the blog for Caitlin.  I am a junior at Marist College and my major is Fashion Merchandising with minors in Business and Product Development. I am interning at Kristino which makes handbags for stores such as Forever 21.  I look forward to blogging about my experiences in New York City. Please follow me to find out what fun adventures I explore in one of the greatest cities in the world. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me!

Tory