New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down

Literally.  As in, the other day, on my hurried way to catch the B train, I lost my footing on the slippery subway steps, and face-planted at the bottom.  Various objects from person scattered across the moldy tiles as I lay unconscious with my face in a puddle of rat water.  Well, I wasn't unconscious, but it took me a moment or two to regain my state of mind and realize that a small crowd had gathered around the scene of my accident.  Luckily, a friendly passerby helped me up and assisted me in collecting the random assortment of small electronics, including my cell phone and iPod, which had ricocheted in all directions.  Needless to say, I've found new meaning to LCD Soundsystem's song "New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down".  I take the lyrics very literally nowadays, and I'm still nursing my heinous bruises.

Aside from contemplating full-body casts, life is progressing quite well.  I am quite obsessed with my Contemporary Art professor Agnes Berecz.  Her lectures are divine, and I hang on her every word as though each one should be immortalized in some type of everlasting scroll (which is difficult at times because she has a particularly pronounced eastern European accent that makes it hard to understand what she is saying).  I'm going to be so smart after this semester.

In other news, New York Fashion Week just ended and one thing is for certain:  shoulder pads.  Pointy, puffy, oddly shaped, you name it, they're happening.  I find this quite frightening and refuse to partake in this unflattering, mannish style unless it becomes completely necessary (like if I had an interview at Marc Jacobs or something).  Have we not learned anything from the '80s?  Like never to revisit any styles from the entire decade?  Apparently not.  In light of the recession, Fashion Week was much more toned-down.  Fret not; we savvy girls still know how to dress like a million bucks even if we're surviving on Ramen noodles, student discounts, and week-old coffee from the grad lounge.  Here, read about fierce recession style a la New York Fashion Week:    http://www.slate.com/id/2211254/

Also on my agenda is the fast-approaching Armory Show, pretty much one of the most important art events of the year.  From March 5-8, I'll be leading VIP tours through the most amazing (and expensive) private art collections in the city, persuading hedgefunders and B-list celebrities that now is actually a great time to buy art!  $250,000?  What a steal!  Word on the street is that Angelina Jolie has a penchant for Banksy so stay tuned.  Go to www.thearmoryshow.com to read more about the event.

Other than that, I'm beginning a weekend babysitting job for one of my professor's 2-year-old twins, Maya and Ari.  It should be a nice way to relax and unwind after a long week.  NOT AT ALL.  Although I do imagine the terrible two-year-olds will make for interesting conversation pieces.  Their reputations proceed them.

I suppose that is all for now.  Midterms are looming ahead (already?!) but so is my birthday :)  Fret not; spring is on the horizon.

"Sophomore Year" Commences

Well, I'm finally back in the city after a loooooong winter's nap during which I was able to regain my sanity in preparation for beginning my sophomore year of grad school.  (Since my program is only two years long, each semester is like a whole year of undergrad.  1 year down, eee!)  Today was the long-anticipated first day of classes, and I could think of nothing better to start out the semester than The Killers concert last night at Madison Square Garden.  I actually scored a ticket mere minutes before the show and sang my lungs out along with 40,000 other Brandon Flowers obsessors.  Are we human?  Or are we dancers? 

My monday morning started bright and early with "Fundamentals of Textiles" at 9AM.  The professor (who insists that we refer to him not as Mr. Barker or Professor Barker, but just BARKER) was extremely energized, given the hour, and his advanced age.  I blame his excitement about rayon and acetate to the giant thermos of black coffee he intermittently chugged throughout the lecture, but I'm looking forward to the class nonetheless.  Although it is technically about Fabric Science, I can't think of anything I'd rather learn on Monday mornings than the difference between velvet and velveteen.  For next week, we were ordered to identify a stack of 100 different fabric swatches, and I've already been digging through my wardrobe, reading every label in search of the fabric content.  Who knew I actually liked science all along?

After Textiles, I reported to my next class, Consumer Motivation in Fashion with Professor Firchner.  I was delighted to find the professor (in his mid-seventies) with a glorious tuft of white hair, green horn-rimmed glasses, and  a matching green blazer over all black with a black silk pocket peeker.  "Great oufit," I thought to myself.  I happen to understand the dire importance of first day outfits (I spent quite some time perfecting my own, as a matter of fact).  I nearly purrrrred when the white-haired wonder himself complimented my own outfit, and even used it as an example to the class!  I suppose the fact that we were both wearing green and black solidified us as kindred spirits, and luckily I have enough green clothing to last until senior year.  Not only did he compliment my outfit, but Professor Firchner also completed my existence when he said, "If you want to make it in this business, you have to go shopping constantly.  Never stop."  THANK YOU, PROFESSOR FIRCHNER, FOR GIVING ME A LICENSE TO SHOP.  Not that I ever needed one before, but from now on, shopping is research for class and for my career, hence it is productive beyond measure.  Finally, someone understands.

This evening, I had Technology class with Enrique Paz.  That class is going to be essential in the formation and implementation of my business plan for a little venture I've been working on and am planning to launch within the next few months.  More about that in blogs to come, but rest assured: it will be cutthroat. 

Anyway, it's been a long day, but I'm overjoyed to be getting back into the swing of things.  I'll post more this week about the rest of my classes, and hopefully I'll have lots of news.  Ciao for now!

P.S.  In the photos, the red New Yorker sign is actually from the New Yorker magazine offices, and the building with the bright red point at the top is the Empire State Building, taken outside of my new dwelling place.  And that's me in all the pictures, in my Firchner-approved First Day of Class outfit.  

I'm Back!

I know, I know.  It has been entirely too long since I've updated.  And if I wanted to cover everything that's happened since October 28, my post would be about a mile long, so I'll just hit the most recent high points in a top-five of sorts.  

5.  Christmas in New York is extravagant.  There is nothing like walking down Fifth Avenue with a salted caramel hot chocolate and experiencing the hustle and bustle firsthand.  The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is absolutely glorious.  The storefront windows (especially at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Tiffany & Co.) are breathtaking, and it's nearly impossible to walk into a department store without being trampled or spun to death in the revolving doors.  Completely exhilarating.  

4.  One freezing, rainy day in December, I stumbled into the Julie Haus showroom, where I feasted my eyes upon the most glorious coat I had ever seen.  After catching my breath, I gingerly placed it around my shoulders and turned toward the mirror.  I heard a gasp from the side of the room, and a petite, blonde-haired woman ran toward me, arms outstretched.  "This coat was made for you!" she screeched.  Taken aback, I stammered, "Excuse me?"  "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear," she replied.  "I'm Julie, Julie Haus, the designer.  I made this coat, and I think it looks absolutely perfect on you."  I managed a shocked smile, and 15 minutes later, I was in the elevator with a giant garment bag, clutching my treasure.  It's amazing how affordable designer clothing becomes when it's discounted by 95%!

3.  In case I haven't described her enough before, my Marketing professor, Rose Polidoro, is

fabulous.  Case in point: Jimmy Choo 5-inch-heel zebra hair boots.  Possibly the most magnificent shoes in the world, and she wears them on a daily basis.  Anyway, on the last night of class, after our final, she treated all of us girls to dinner at Seven, a classy little establishment near school.  In addition to our succulent entrees, Rose ordered every appetizer and every dessert on the menu for us to share.  As we all gobbled down the first full meal any of us had eaten in months, Rose told us hilarious anecdotes from her years at Radio City Music Hall and we giggled about her boyfriend, who we affectionately call "the Colonel".  Definitely a highlight of the semester.

2.  Final exams were the black hole of the semester.  The last two weeks of class consisted of gallons of coffee, typing calluses, all-nighters, and unwashed hair.  Alas, I persevered, and made it home for Christmas.  Barely.  Which leads into...

1.  The Chinatown Bus Catastrophe.  After trekking to Chinatown in a blizzard which had shut down the entire city (including taxis), carrying 65 pounds of luggage, I was kicked off of the bus in a hail storm, and spent an hour under the Manhattan Bridge with some unsuspecting hobos.  I eventually collapsed in the East Village, where Christina graciously took in my frozen, feeble frame and fed me enchiladas.  I hastily recovered. 

Well, I'm home for a month.  Give or take.  I don't really know what I'm going to do with myself.  It's been a week and I'm already going crazy!  I'll probably have a lot of time to update my blog this month, but I doubt anything super exciting will be occurring!  Go figure.  Anyway,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Black Umbrella Parade

Rainy days in the city.  Are.  Terrifying.  

It's nearly impossible to maneuver through the crowded streets on an average day, but in a torrential downpour streetwalkers must fend for their lives.  It is imperative to wear waterproof over-the-knee goulashes to keep from wading in a cold, wet soup of gasoline, sewage, and aluminum foil hot dog wrappers.  The taxi drivers have made quite a sport of full-speed swerving through curbside puddles merely with the intention of drenching innocent pedestrians.  And I've nearly had my eye poked out on more than a few occasions by some shuffler's pointy umbrella rod.  Standing at the large window of my fifteenth-floor office this morning, after no less than three near-death experiences during my commute, I looked out over the Hudson which was nearly opaque with fog.  Down below on the street, I could see thousands of black umbrellas crowding the sidewalks and shuffling here and there.  It struck me how much all of the pedestrians reminded me of little marching ants following each other up and down 25th street.  They all seemed so vulnerable and not nearly as menacing from my perspective.  I had a latte and changed my shoes, and actually felt quite triumphant at my

domination of the deluge.  Today's forecast: snow.  Now that's a different story altogether.

Now for the filling-in-on-my-life part.  Well, there was a huge flood in my dorm room so I had to move last week.  It's been interesting (to say the least), but I'm not in the room much anyway.  School and work have been moving along nicely, though I'm still bombarded with critical texts, essays, and presentations.  Midterms are over, but that just means I'm closer to finals, so no relief there.   However, there have been many very worthy distractions, such as fall festival (see cowboy photo), pirate party (see pirate photo), and my first ride in a taxi; which, as it happened, was to the emergency room.  A few Saturdays ago, out of the blue, I swelled up like Violet Beauregarde and I couldn't breathe.  Teneka threw me into a cab and we sped to the emergency room at St. Vincent's Hospital.  Saturday night + Manhattan emergency room proved to be more frightful than the haunted house next door to my gallery.  Every bed was full (mostly homeless or drug addicts) and the staff was positively negligent!  One man was moaning audibly and the nurse (the same one who was in charge of me) was mocking him, saying, "la la la la, I can't hear you!" as she rolled her eyes and rolled him through on a stretcher.  Another nurse was speaking to a male patient who had just vomited all over the floor: "Too many drugs will do that to you."  There was also the moustached man who kept removing his IV and waving at me across the room, nodding.  I felt like I was an extra in the Halloween episode of Scrubs.  Luckily, I survived.  I guess I'm either allergic to Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes or Central Park chrysanthemums, both impossible to avoid.

Last night, my friend Maura and I decided to go to an off-broadway show called Rock of Ages, recommended by one of our professors.  We were so proud of our savvy selves when we scored 75% off tickets at the booth right before the show.  We were even more delighted when we discovered that our seats were in the sixth row!  

The show was great, I don't think I've laughed so hard since Napoleon Dynamite or something.  It was basically a love story set in the '80s and all of the songs were rock gems, performed by brilliant actors clad in jorts, lycra bodysuits, and pleather miniskirts.  Sounds awesome, right?  The lead male role was played by Constantine from American Idol, and he was actually kind of great.  All in all, totally worth it.  

Well, I could keep going but there are quite a few volumes of required reading perched menacingly on my desk.  I'll update soon; stay tuned for Halloween pictures!

Bringing sanity to the city since 2008,

Ariel

Chill Out

Brrrrr.  4serious.  The weather has been in the 40s and 50s for the past few days and, consequently, I've been wearing more clothes in one day than I normally do in a week.  At work on Thursday, as I was peeling away layers and layers of raiment, one of my co-workers snickered and chided, "Oh, honey.  You just wait.  It's not even winter yet."  Thanks, I thought as I tried to emancipate my arm from a cardigan sleeve.  I can't wait. 

 In other news, the semester is proceeding quite fleetingly, and I'm counting down the days until my thesis topic is due.  The prospect of researching and writing one infinitely-long paper over the next two years is more than a little daunting.  I was reading Overheard in New York the other day and someone posted that they were at a party where a straggled-looking, bloodshot, twentysomething girl was stealthily swiping cupcakes from the table, wrapping them in napkins, and stuffing them into her purse.  The onlooker caught her eye and queried, "Grad student?"  The girl slowly nodded as she continued stashing cupcakes.  "Been there," responded the onlooker.  So this is what I have to look forward to: Two years of cupcake-swiping, thesis-writing, and general bloodshottedness.  Eh, so far, my caffeine intake has increased exponentially, but other than that, I'm not too worried.  Yet.

Internships are going well.  The Joan Mitchell Foundation is pretty awesome; it's on the 

fifteenth floor of the Chelsea Arts Tower (in the picture) and has a sweet office space that's all windows overlooking the Hudson, and plushy velvet cushions and artwork puzzles and huge iMacs.  They also have an espresso machine, which, I must admit, secured my affinity toward the foundation.  My tasks include but are not limited to:  anything and everything that no one else wants to do.  Occasionally, I'll get to go shopping for art supplies and last week I got to make some architectural models out of foam core which was actually kind of really fun.  The rest of the week, I'm at Sundaram Tagore which is INSANE.  I have this little desk in the corner, surrounded by boxes and stacks of paper up to the ceiling.  There's no way to tell what time of day it is outside of my paper cell, and I can't tell you how often I have to yell to get someone's attention.  It's only temporary, though.  Thank goodness.

That said, I enjoy my downtime.  I woke up early and walked around downtown in the financial district the other morning which definitely added to my stress level.  I got to take some great pictures on the water, though, in between being bludgeoned by briefcases.

Other than that, I'm trying to keep up with all of the shows at the (more than 350) galleries in Chelsea.  My favorite right now is an exhibition of Derek Buckner's Marshmallow paintings at George Billis Gallery. 

October is a busy month, and I'll keep updating.  Enjoy any glorious autumn weather you encounter, for we New Yorkers are already wearing itchy wool socks and long underwear.  (Or, we new New Yorkers, anyway.)  

Putting the 'arg' in 'argyle',

Ariel  

REL graffiti!

The Grind

It's been a busy couple of weeks...the daily grind has commenced with force.  Classes are going well (so far) although I am continuously bombarded with reading and writing.  I'm learning a lot though, and I guess that's why I'm here.  Go figure.  I finally made decisions about my 

 internships, and, indecisive as I am, I've ended up with two.  One is for Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea.  It is an art gallery that specializes in representing cross-cultural artists and has locations in Beverly Hills and Hong Kong.  The other is at the Joan Mitchell Foundation, a non-profit organization begun after the death of one of my favorite artists, Joan Mitchell.  They provide assistance to artists in need, such as those displaced by hurricane Katrina.  You can check out the links to the two places here:

www.sundaramtagore.com/

www.joanmitchellfoundation.org/

Anyway, needless to say, my life has become exponentially fuller in the past few weeks, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.  I still find time to do New Yorkerish things, and hang out with fellow city-dwellers.  Last weekend, I went to the Guggenheim Museum

for the first time with some classmates for the Louise Bourgeois exhibition.  It was a great show, and the museum building itself was quite a  marvel.  I also went to the Whitney Museum with my San Francisco friend Kit, and caught up with him on life after the W&M Art Department.  I've found that it does exist.  

For the record, I am quite partial to spending time on the Upper East Side, not only because of the great museums and window-gawking opportunities, but also in hopes of finding my one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite.  XOXO, Gossip Girl.  I never had a desire to watch the show until I moved here, and I still hesitate to admit that I do, in fact, care whether Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf end up together, but it's kind of cool to fake-shop in Bendel's and fake-gossip on the steps of the Met just like in the show.  I haven't grown up nearly as much as I thought.

 

 This weekend, Daniel came to visit, and experienced the city firsthand via THE MEGABUS.  If you're not aware of THE MEGABUS, go to www.megabus.com and check out the amazing deals on buses from DC to NYC and a bunch of other places.  If you book at the right time, you can get a round trip for $1.50!  

Anyway, the weather totally freaked this weekend and it became fall, but we managed to do some sightseeing anyway.  I must make a disclaimer that I AM NOT A TOURIST, despite my propensity to take advantage of tourist-esque photo-ops.  I'll get over it eventually.  The best discovery of the weekend was Yolato, "yogurt gelato" with toppings such as granola and fresh mangoes.  We're addicted. 

Well, there's a busy week ahead, but I'm looking forward to it.  Campus is all abuzz about the big notorious fashion show-down between FIT and Parsons School of Design (huge rivalry there).  It should be pretty cutthroat; I'll be sure to post pictures!   

Fashion Wins!

Many apologies for my brief blogging hiatus.  I am back, with stories to tell.

First of all, it was quite a busy week.  I had 5 different interviews at various galleries/arts foundations, plus classes and Fashion Week (more about this later!).  It was definitely quite  

challenging to find my way via subway all over town in heels and business attire.  But I made it to all of my interviews on time AND less people have been stopping to ask if I need directions (presumably because I generally resemble a lost tourist without the fanny pack).  A woman even asked me for directions!  Shows how much she knows about true New Yorkers.  Anyway, all of the galleries have offered me internships, but I still have 3 more interviews to go.  Wish me luck!

September is the beginning of the art season in the city.  On Friday evening, I met up with some girls from my program to go to some of the big gallery openings in Chelsea.  Let me tell you:  I know art people have this stereotype of being quirky and over-the-top and flamboyant.  But nothing, I tell you, nothing could have prepared me for my first real encounter with New York art people.  I have never seen so many fabulous yet ridiculous outfits on real people.  I have also never seen such tight trousers and manicured facial hair on men.  Picture this:  men in herringbone jumpsuits with red plastic sunglasses and women in teetering 7-inch heels and tutus, all milling about, toasting each other and chattering on about Baker Overstreet's use of acrylic versus oils and the subsequent skyrocketing of his works on the auction block.   The crowd was a bit intimidating, but the overall atmosphere of the gallery district was really fun.  We saw some great work by emerging artists and even ran into one of our professors! (I'm secretly hoping for extra credit.)  It was quite an experience, but I'm looking forward to the next opening.  Oh, and speaking of teetering 7-inch heels and herringbone jumpsuits, New York Fashion Week has just begun... 

As FIT students, we were given the opportunity to work as volunteers for Fashion Week.  At Bryant Park, just down the street from FIT, is a temporary small colony of tents, all housing the most famous designers, models, and celebrities, buzzing about the Spring/Summer 2009 collections.  Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Nicole Miller, Michael Kors, and Vera Wang are just a few of the big names that are showing this week.  I was assigned to work for the Lacoste show, which is one of the largest, and was held in a gigantic tent.  My job was basically to greet guests and help them find their seats amongst the mass exodus of people moving from one show to the next.  Unfortunately, I had to sign a waiver promising that I wouldn't take any pictures or faint on any celebrities, so I used my googling skills to supplement my writing.  Among the attendees in my section were Andy Roddick (No. 1 World tennis champ; he's not that attractive in person) and his fiance Brooklyn Decker (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model; she's much prettier in person than in the magazines)

as well

as Jay Alexander and Nigel Barker from America's Next Top Model.  

 There were so many people that it was almost impossible to see through the crowd, but it was FANTABULOUS!  The show was spectacular and the female models really are 6'3" and 100 pounds.  We were able to hang out some backstage where there was a huge array of food for the models and designers.  It was hilarious how all of the models were nibbling distractedly on one sliced carrot and the rest of us were diving into cheesecake brownies and honey-drizzled croissants.  The models really were beautiful, though.  And so young.  Some of them were only 16!  Anyway, it was a great experience.  One day maybe I'll go to Fashion Week as a guest :)

Well, I think that's all for now.  I may just switch my studying locale from Madison Square Park to Bryant Park for the time being.  No reason.