Tourists being tourists... a Big Apple adventure!

The countdown till I arrive back in Knoxville has officially begun… a week from tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to the Big Apple and landing in good ole Rocky Top. Part of me is so ready to be home, see my friends and family and get back to college life, but the other part of me is not ready to leave this amazing city.

For my final two weeks here I have been cramming everything I can into my schedule. My fellow Tennessean Julie and I kept putting sightseeing off, so needless to say we had a lot left to do.

This past weekend was chalked full of NYC “must-sees.” Friday night I went to dinner with Julie and another one of my roommates Hannah. We went to my, at the time, favorite Italian restaurants. The food was delicious! Then we came back and watched a movie in the apartment.

On Saturday we all slept in. After we got up and got ready, Julie and I headed to Central Park. We started off at Central Park West and Strawberry Fields. We visited the building where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived and where the famous Beatle was shot and killed. His wife, Yoko, still lives in the top floor apartment facing the Park. 

We also took pics at the famous Strawberry Fields site. 

We explored almost the entire park, seeing The Boathouse and the famous “mini boat” races. We literally walked ten miles that day…. my legs never hurt so bad. 

After Central Park we headed back to the apartment. I had to get ready quick because I was meeting three of my sisters for dinner!! Shout out to Katherine Waxstein, Kristen Reindel and Lauren Mitchell!!!! We met for dinner at my now new favorite Italian restaurant. The owner flies to Italy, where he has a restaurant in Rome, and purchases all of his dishes’ ingredients and flies them first class back to New York. I had the freshest pasta and mozzarella, straight from Roma!! I literally cleaned my plate. I thought how could you top the main course? Well he did! The homemade mango and lemon sorbet was just phenomenal. I really hope to get the chance to eat there again before I leave.

Sunday was another long day of sightseeing. Julie and I woke up early and headed to Brooklyn to eat at the most famous pizzeria in the state and arguably the best pizza you’ve ever had. Grimaldi’s is the second oldest pizzeria in New York and people will wait for hours to eat at this place.

It didn’t open till noon, but we got there a little after eleven. Not surprising we were about the 10^th group in line. When the restaurant opened we got right in! They really pack you in and you’re forced to make friends around you. You’re practically in everyone’s conversations… as you’re pretty much sitting on top of each other. I didn’t mind… I was just hungry. When the pizza came I just had to take a picture of it! 

Julie and I literally devoured an entire pizza… leaving only the crust. 

Now I have had some good pizza in my life, but I honestly hands down can say this was the best pizza I have ever had. I also hope I can go back one more time before I leave. 

 After a great lunch, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. You can see some of the prettiest views of Manhattan. The bridge itself is a sight to see. The architecture is incredible and makes you really appreciate the architecture. 

 On the other side of the bridge we ended up in a really pretty part of town, very close to the South Ferry. We walked yet another ten miles that day it seemed like. We then got to Battery Park and purchased our ticket for the Statue of Liberty. We had to run to the boat as we literally had 5 minutes to get through security and get on before it left. We barely made it. The ferry ride on Miss New York was awesome. We could see all of Manhattan and road all around the island where Lady Liberty stands. 

You don’t realize how big and how green she really is till you get right underneath the statue. Of course Julie and I took a hundred pictures of Lady Liberty… you can never have too many. 

We found out a neat fact about why the statue is green. She was originally copper… but when copper is exposed to air and water, it turns green…. hints the reason why she stands proud and… green, ha. We were able to make the ferry to Ellis Island and get there for the last visit of the day. It was an incredible feeling to walk through the museum and experience what happened on this island many years ago. It’s not like a typical museum because you are actually seeing the real deal. After a tour we got back on the ferry and headed back to NYC. By this point… after all we did that weekend… I could barely move. My legs were throbbing. So we headed back to the apartment and rested up for work the next day.

FOX has been great. I have basically done the same thing the past few weeks… lots of writing scripts. I am getting a lot of great experience writing and getting the opportunity to have producers critique my scripts and give me writing tips. I am going to be so far ahead in my classes this fall!! Haha My coworker, Whitney and I, finally had our article we worked on published on the Fox News Channel University website, which is attached to the Fox News website!! Here is the link if you wanna take a look… it’s the first article titled “Ordinary girls doing extraordinary things.”

http://fncu.foxnews.com/

This weekend I plan to do my favorite things one more time and fit any last minute sightseeing in. This will be my last weekend in the city. I get back next Friday, the 5^th. I will hopefully write one more blog before heading home. 

Till next time, XOXO

Kristyn  

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!!!

Since I last wrote… I have attended a Yankee’s baseball game, met a New York Times best selling author, visited Brooklyn for the first time, shopped on 5^th Avenue, visited the Trump Tower and so much more. I have truly accomplished so much in one week.

Starting at last weekend….

Saturday my roommate Julie and I decided to take a visit to 5^th Avenue… home to some of the priciest brands and well-known NYC landmarks. We started at the bottom, where Bryant Park is, and worked our way up to the end at Central Park. I must say… Bryant Park is one of the prettiest and most peaceful places… smack dab in the middle of America’s largest city.  We first went in to some of the more “affordable” stores, like H&M and Forever. As we worked our way up the avenue, we started to run into the stores we only dreamed about owning something from. Some of the stores, like Prada and Harry Winston, won’t even allow tourists inside. You must be a well known client or make an appointment. We did however get to go into Tiffany & Co. That place just made me depressed… some of the most beautiful rings I’ve ever seen. Maybe one day I’ll own a ring from there :). Julie and I also visited the famous FAO Swartz, Trump Tower and walked through The Plaza hotel. After a long and pretty successful day of shopping, we headed to dinner at Juniors. They are known for their cheesecake… it’s supposed to be the best in the City. So we put it to the test, even though I am not a huge fan of the dessert, and it turns out it really is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. 

 I couldn’t wait for Sunday to get here because Julie and I had tickets to the Yankees vs. Rays baseball game. Attending a game at Yankee Stadium is a “must” if you are in the city. The stadium is just absolutely gorgeous and the atmosphere is incredible. Imagine a typical baseball game, and times that by 10. The energy is just amazing and the fans are diehard… it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. A Yankee’s game is very nostalgic and the energy of the crowd was incredible, all thanks to Jeter reaching his 3,000^th hit the night before. I wish I could have been there for that one. If I had time I would love to attend another game. Although I did wear a Yankee’s tattoo, and yes it was fake, and cheered for them, that was a once in a lifetime experience. I love my Braves and would never trade teams, but attending a Yankees game is definitely an amazing experience I’ll never forget. 

This past week I worked with the Regions Producer at Fox. I did pretty much the same thing I’ve been doing, but have really perfected my broadcast writing skills. In one week I wrote about 50 scripts. On Thursday I even got to be producer for a day. It was pretty stressful but gave me great insight into what it’s really like to be a producer. In the week coming up I get to work with the Package Producer. I am sort of dreading this week only because being a package producer is a very hard job. I have to be at work an hour and a half earlier every day to attend the morning planning meeting. We will work on two packages for the day. Basically we will choose the most important topic for the day, research it, write a two to three minute script, wire it over to a reporter on location, have them read through the script, sift through footage to accompany the package, go into an editing room for three hours, put the package together with the editor, then feed it over the server for the news. Sounds like a lot… it is. It’s going to be a long and tiring week. 

                                         Billy Ray Cyrus on Fox and Friends

As for this weekend, it’s been kind of relaxed. Friday night, my roommate Julie and I met my coworker Whitney in Brooklyn. This was our first time there and boy did I love it. It’s like the suburb of the city. There aren’t nearly as many people over there and it’s just absolutely gorgeous. We ate dinner and then walked down the Brooklyn Promenade. If you want to see the most gorgeous views of the city, visit the promenade at sunset. I’ve never seen something so magnificent. You can see all of Manhattan, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge. Lights are still on in the buildings and the sun is setting in the background. We literally just sat there and took it all in. At home you can visit the mountains and have your breath taken away by nature, but here the tall buildings all scrunched together on a tiny island, with the beautiful lights and water below you… is just truly breathtaking. 

 I currently have 18 days, about three weeks, left here. There is still so much I haven’t done yet. I know it’s hard to believe and I cannot believe all I’ve experienced thus far. I still want to visit the Statue of Liberty, take the Staten Island Ferry, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, walk through Central Park, and take a day trip to Washington D.C. I’ve got two more weekends here, so I’ve got to make them count. I hope to get all of this done before I leave.

I miss everyone back home and hope everyone is doing well. Shout out to my most loyal followers, Nana and Papa. Love you both!!

Till next time, XOXO

Kristyn 

The Most Watched Trial Since O.J. Simpson

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written, but the past two weeks have just been crazy busy. So I have two new entries!! Enjoy :)

So I’ve experienced so much within the past few weeks at Fox. I’ve worked with the health producer, the business producer, the entertainment producer and now the Fox Extra producer. One thing I have learned through working with all these different producers is… that I hate business. I am certain that I will have nothing to do with writing about the nations debt or crunching numbers in my future. I really got some writing practice in with the entertainment producer. She literally had me writing 5 – 10 scripts a day for news packages. Broadcast writing is an entirely different world than writing for a magazine or newspaper, so the transition has been pretty hard for me. This week I am working with the Fox Extra producer… she producers the segments that International news stations use in place of commercials. However, all of this pales in comparison to what I’ve experienced because of the Casey Anthony trail.

I’m sure most of you are wondering what the inside scoop is on the Casey Anthony trial. I’ve been following this case since the first day I got to Fox. The news has literally consisted of nothing but this trial, so working in the newsroom has given me a lot of exposure to the details. Although I will spare you of my thoughts on whether she’s guilty or not guilty, I will say that I’ve learned a lot from this trial. You really have to watch the news and listen to what everyone is saying. You really can’t form an accurate opinion based on what your friends say or what most media tell you. Fox has covered this story from the beginning and, although I’m a tad biased, I think they’ve done a great job presenting both sides of the story.

As the weeks have gone on, the producers were preparing for the day when the jury would finally reach a verdict. I was sitting in the newsroom Tuesday when at 1:21pm, the email came. I’ve gotten literally 1,000 emails over the weeks with every word said in the courtroom transcribed. If the jury took a break or ate lunch (which was Chick-fil-A by the way on Tuesday), I knew about it. I’ve read almost every email and know almost every detail of this case. Well on Tuesday you would have thought the President walked into the room. Everyone literally started screaming and running around frantically… the verdict was in. My supervisor took me and the other three interns down to the control room for the special report. What an amazing experience that was. I sat in the control room with all of the producers… the big names of Fox. Soon the judge came in, as well as the jury, and the verdict was read. The control room went dead silent. All of the producers took bets on what the outcome would be… and let’s just say, everyone was wrong. Everyone was shocked at the decision the jury had reached. To be in the control room and newsroom at Fox when this news broke, is truly a once in a lifetime experience. This trial is the biggest news to hit in a long time, and I was here for it all. I will never forget that day.

The interns and I walked back to the newsroom, only to find everyone glued to the TV’s instead of their computers. Literally any news not related to this trial was put on hold for a few hours.

The opportunities I am receiving at Fox are just incredible. No other news network would give this much access and experience to their interns. Fox is truly the best, not only news wise, but in preparing college students to be the newscasters of tomorrow!

XOXO

Kristyn

 

Back Where I Come From… I’m An Old Tennessean

As most of you know, I got the chance to fly home to Knoxville this past weekend. It was definitely a last minute trip. My mom called me on Tuesday, after a lot of discussion, and said she purchased my ticket home. I was shocked she did that without my knowledge, but really excited to head home for the weekend. It’s been really hard living in a huge city far away from my family and friends. But what I thought was going to be an easy trip home, turned out to be an adventure.

I packed my suitcase and took a taxi to work on Thursday. My flight was scheduled to leave at 3:00 and my car was picking me up at noon. I was just finishing up a script at around 11:00 when I got a phone call. I couldn’t answer at work, but saw they left a voicemail. I thought I better check it just in case. Glad I did… because it was an automated message from US Airways… my flight was canceled. I was outraged!! You let me know an hour before I leave that my flight… a plane carrying 200 people… was canceled? So I started freaking out and called the airline. The first lady I spoke to was less than helpful. She didn’t seem in the mood to help me at all. She proceeded to tell me all flights were booked. I said, “Out of 10 something airlines and 3 of the largest airports in the world, you mean there is not one seat that can get me home tonight?!” She said no. Well I didn’t believe her. So I called back about 10 minutes later and talked to a man who was beyond helpful. He found me a flight in 2 minutes that would get me home earlier than my previous flight and was a direct flight, first class. I was ecstatic.

Thinking my day was going to get better, it actually got worse. Next I had to call and cancel my car service. Needless to say they weren’t too thrilled I canceled 20 minutes before I was supposed to be picked up. So they told me they would no longer serve me for my rudeness. I was even more outraged! Yes, it’s my entire fault my flight was canceled, so yes I am the rude one. So naturally I started freaking out again. I finally got a flight but with no way to the airport. Luckily one of the producers I work with showed me how to navigate New Jersey transit. So after taking a cab to Penn Station, the cab driver arguing with me about where to drop me off, me purchasing a ticket for a train that left in 2 minutes, running down 3 flights of stairs in 4 inch wedges, throwing my suitcase down the stairs and breaking the side of it and barely making it onto the train before the door closed, I was on my way. I really need a reality show… I swear some moments in my life are worth taping.

The train didn’t take long at all. I was at the airport in less than 20 minutes. So at this point I was 3 hours early for my flight. Well things just get even better. The airport was super crowded since it was a holiday weekend, so I had to sit between a man who I swear was dead (he literally never moved the three hours I sat there) and a lady who yakked on her phone the entire time. Oh and there was a lovely baby across from me who just loved to scream. So as you can imagine at this point I was done, over the entire thing. I was not someone you wanted to mess with haha

Well just when I was about to board the plane, the flight was delayed… an hour. I couldn’t believe my luck. Not to mention when I did get on the plane, I found first class to be the front row with little legroom and by myself. Yes, let’s put the person who is scared of flying by herself in the front of the plane… just great.

Well I finally made it home and had a wonderful weekend with my family and friends.  I got to eat at my favorite restaurant, eat some good home cooked meals and catch up on some much needed sleep. I also got to see a few of my close friends while I was there. I really needed this trip, to carry me through this last month in the city. As much as I love New York, there’s nothing like being home with my family and friends.

I did make it back in time for the 4^th of July in New York… so glad that I did. Since I took Friday off I had to work on the holiday. I was literally the only person on the subway that morning. But I did get a free lunch and got off a little early. I then met up with my coworker Whitney and my roommate Julie. We headed down to the Hudson to watch Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Show. Let me tell you, this was the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen. They had barges all down the Hudson, so just a row of fireworks going off. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen. 

 After the 25 minute show, the three of us headed to Serendipity for dessert. This is a very well known restaurant and I am sure most of you know the movie made after it. I had frozen hot chocolate… words cant even describe how good that was. 

 It was definitely a 4^th of July to remember!