FIT Dorms Room Tour | Kaufman Hall

TIA HERE with a post for anyone looking to live in NYC briefly (like for the summer). There are a lot of different options with a lot of different prices, but I thought I would just talk about the living situation I'm currently in and post some pictures.

So for those of you who don't know, I'm staying at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) dorms, specifically Kaufman Hall. I'm in a double with Victoria, which includes a kitchenette and private bathroom, with two beds in a studio-style room. Without further ado, here are the pictures of what it looks like:

Admiring NYC's First "Flying" Tiger | A Day With Janabeth

nothing is more Danish than candles, right?

TIA HERE and excited to announce that I've finally gone to the (first ever?!) American Tiger store with my DIS abroad friend, Janabeth! (Okay... I've actually already been there twice, but it's because I freaking love that store.) For those who don't know, Tiger is a Danish store that has been spreading across Europe — and now the U.S. — and is nothing short of totally awesome. It offers cheap, cute, unique home goods items, and has wonderful original designs. In Denmark it is known as Tiger, but here in the U.S. (NYC specifically), it is Flying Tiger Copenhagen. That said, I'm just going to be calling it Tiger, because there is no need for this already amazing store to have wings too.

Arriving in NYC | Diary

VICTORIA HERE to fill you in on what I've been up to recently! This summer I will be working at a social media marketing and pr agency in New York City called Socialfly as a social media intern. Super excited to learn more about marketing and develop those professional skillz. I am a complete NYC newbie so I hope you guys stay tuned to witness me take on this new opportunity!

Monday | morning: I spent night Sunday waiting for the 4am Shortline bus to NYC. As I was about to get on the bus, a girl asked me to help her mom out who couldn't speak English and was already sitting on the bus alone. Fortunately, her mother was Korean and I was able to speak with her and help her buy a ticket. I definitely am way better at understanding the language than speaking it myself so though I was able to listen well to her stories about her children and visiting America, my replies were quite short but I tried my best! She praised my Korean skills and became more comfortable with me (gave me gum and an apple when I woke up from my nap lol) which is all I could ask for. After we got off of the bus, I helped her get a taxi to JFK airport and was very satisfied that I could put my Korean to good use even after having left Seoul.  

Monday | evening: After the five hour bus ride I was finally at Port Authority and took a short Uber ride to my summer housing at FIT where I met Tia in our shared apartment. We unpacked our things, were treated to lunch by Tia's mom, and took a train to Chinatown where we bought the most beautiful mangoes ever.
Tuesday: I slept.

Wednesday: I went out and explored the Chelsea area to make up for not doing anything the day before. I wore black jeans which was the worst decision considering how hot it was. I have been sweating so much here! I got lost a few times and probably walked more than 20 blocks but I was still happy. Mostly because I picked up a new skirt from Muji and much needed summer tanks on sale for 2/$10 at H&M~
Thursday: I was set to catch up with a friend who I met while in the city for a networking event over spring break. We decided to meet at a restaurant called Santina in the Meatpacking District because of its close proximity to the Highline.

The Highline

I live near the end of the Highline on 31st and didn't realize the restaurant is at the complete opposite end of the line past 13th so today I ended up walking more than 20 blocks too! But the time totally passed by quickly because my walk was filled with cool murals, art pieces, and funky architecture.

Santina is a trendy (and expensive) restaurant located right under the Highline in Meatpacking. The menu featured a lot of different seafood plates amongst others.

I went for the Wild Rice Calamari Salad mostly because it was one of the cheaper options at $17 (still expensive but good)! All of the main dishes on the menu were around $24 and up, so if you're into that definitely check this place out.

Gansevoort Market

After lunch, we headed over to Gansevoort Market for something sweet--my friend needed a de-stresser after going through a two hour job interview the morning of. The market is full of little eateries with their own booths. The options range from freshly squeezed juice to tacos served straight out of a Volkswagen. 

My friend decided gelato would be her cure of choice so we both ordered custard and marsala wine-flavored cones called Zabaglione. We were definitely satisfied!

Afterwords, I headed back down the Highline while listening to my new fave Soundcloud mix. It was a pretty nice day.

Until next time,

V.

Mad Max, Moving, & Mangoes | Diary

TIA HERE, now with a crazy week under my belt. After days of packing, I finally moved my six boxes from the old apartment to the new one (in Ithaca) and nearly broke my arms in the process. I definitely didn't do it all alone. Victoria had her fair share of boxes as well and we would've gotten nowhere without the life-saving assistance of my friend Sarah, a wonderfully talented < 3 A Cappella member and grad student with a big car. You're amazing, Sarah!

March & April | Favorites

TIA HERE and it's that time again! (Time for a bimonthy favorites post.) Here is what I've been particularly enjoying for the past two months.

MUSIC

Ukulele tunes are all I care about right now, and that is in part due to Steven Universe (see below) but mostly because I've been really enjoying playing my ukulele lately! It's basically free accompaniment for any song you would ever want to sing, in any key, at your own pace. Ukutabs and other chord-listing websites are all I need to feel like I can finally sing along to the songs I love. Recently, it's been mostly Steven Universe and stuff from Bioshock Infinite and The Hunger Games. A very strange combo, I know.

Tia's 50th Duo Diaries Post!

it's me and I'm amazed!

TIA HERE and I can hardly believe it. We are a few months away from DD's first birthday, and I have already hit a milestone of my own when it comes to the blog. This is my 50th post! Who knew that my relationship with this crazy website would last this long? (I did, or at least I hoped it would.)

Seven Steps to Get an Internship | With Tips and Tricks From Friends

TIA HERE, just exiting the stressful world that is the internship search. If you are an American university student (or perhaps a college student elsewhere as well), then you know what is expected of you in the summer. While some start their junior year, others begin taking on summer internships as early as freshman year (holla). But how do you go from being an unemployed student with no income, to a briefly employed student with no income?