New York for Dummies

So where do I begin… I have only been in New York for less than a week and I have already learned and experienced so much! The way of life up here is the complete opposite of what it is in the south. Everything moves at a very fast pace, prices for food are outrageous, you always need to know your cross streets, and the entire place… smells. Amidst the rare scents of baked pastries and semi-fresh flowers, is a constant odor of… garbage. Yes, garbage. It’s everywhere and it seems like every day is trash pick-up day. If you can ignore the black trash bags and focus on everything else around you, New York is a beautiful place. It’s a very different beauty. In the south we have the mountains and gorgeous landscapes. But here, it’s the architecture and the grandeur of the buildings that make New York so unique. It’s a very different way of life in the city but I am absolutely loving the change of pace/scenery from the south.

I arrived on Sunday with my mom and my brother. They both flew up with me to help me get settled in. While they were here we did some sight seeing, ate at some famous restaurants and saw a Broadway play. For sight seeing, we went to the American Museum of Natural History. While I was very excited when we arrived, I left a little unimpressed. If you want to fight crowds of hundreds of 10 year olds, screaming babies, walk through exhibits made of fake artifacts and animals, get lost in the 6 floors of exhibits, and try to navigate a map that doesn’t fit the floor plan, then this museum is for you. While I can at least say I went, I have no dying urge to ever go back. The one thing that I do highly recommend to anyone who visits the city is seeing a Broadway play. My mom, brother and I went to see the new Spiderman on Broadway during its opening weekend. All I have to say is, WOW!!!!! I have seen several plays, even Wicked, but Spiderman is on a whole other level. The cost alone says it all. Take Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring and add about $70 million to that, and you’ll get the final production cost. Actors flew out on wires into the audience, and the costumes/stage décor were out of this world. If you ever visit the city, this is something you CANNOT miss out on. It’s 110% worth every penny.

So moving in was definitely an experience. Who knew that you couldn’t just give a taxi driver an address? Umm, me. You have to give them an address and the cross streets for where you’re going. Yeah well, no one told me that. So after an hour-long taxi ride, we finally made it!! To give you an idea of where I am staying, think of the UT dorms, but about a notch down. Ha. It’s not bad, but having 7 roommates is really tight. So far, all but two are here. One of my roommates is from Knoxville, shout out to Julie!!, one is from New Jersey and the other three are from Ireland. The final two are from New York and New Jersey. I have really enjoyed getting to know them all!

So I am sure you all are wondering how my first day at Fox News went. I mean that is why I flew all the way up here, right? So the night before my first day, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I was so nervous. Even the next morning, I couldn’t eat a thing. However, to my surprise, my first day was so relaxed!! Even though Fox is the #1 News Network in America, yes I will brag about them, the people there are so laid back and super nice. I got a tour of the entire building, touched Glenn Beck’s office door (ahhh!!!), and watched a live news broadcast of America’s Newsroom… all on the first day. So basically what I do is work in the main newsroom with every departments’ producers. This room is probably the most exciting to work in, because these are the big dogs of the network. Throughout the summer I will follow producers in each department and shadow what they do. At the end of the summer I will get the chance to pitch news story ideas and sit in on actual tapings of shows/interviews. But for now, I am doing typical intern work. I basically sit at a desk and encode packages (which are little clips that Fox affiliate stations around the country use) into the computer. It sounds boring but is actually really cool. I absolutely love it so far and cannot wait to see what this summer brings!!!

I know this is a lot and I am sure about half of those who started reading this wont finish it, but I think this summer is going to be a great experience and I want to share what I can with you all. I promise other entries wont be as long, I just wanted to catch you up. If you want to know anything, feel free to ask!! There is so much that’s happening that it’s impossible to write about it all. I hope everyone is having a marvelous summer so far. Please lay out by the pool as much as you can for me, because unfortunately the closest thing to a pool here is the bathtub. Ha.

XOXO

Kristyn