New York Adventures, Month Three

I have lived in New York for three whole months now, which is hard to believe.

Work

1. More slugging.
2. We've been having intern lunches where we get to learn about the different departments at Bloomsbury, and it's been interesting and tasty (only the first and last lunches were catered by the company, so the different departments have been trying to one-up each other with the lunch they provide for us on their own dime).
3. The children's editorial intern and I have been reorganizing the editorial shelves. They were getting impossibly crowded and also very much out of alphabetical order. If y'all ever want to work in publishing, expect books to be piled everywhere just because there's not enough room for all of them. But if you're like me and love books, it's only a hardship when they're taking up space behind your desk, lol.
4. A lot of the other interns are finishing their time here, so it'll be interesting to see who the new ones are. Hopefully they'll be good desk-mates!

Food

1. Empanada Mama - It's along 9th in Hell's Kitchen, and I met a friend there for dinner at the beginning of the month. Let me tell you, those empanadas are amazing. They're stuffed full and so good. I ordered three, but would probably only get two next time so I'd have room for a dessert empanada. We also got plantain chips and guac to share, and plantain chips are my new favorite thing. They're less salty than potato chips but taste similar and have a little more substance.
2. Javelina - An Upper East Side Tex-Mex place. The white queso is soooo good. If you have a low heat tolerance, though, definitely make sure they put your salsa and pico de gallo on the side.
3. S'MAC - Located in the East Village, this place definitely feels local and "hole-in-the-wall." You can customize your mac and cheese (their only offering) pretty much any way you want. You can even get it gluten-free.

4. Four & Twenty Blackbirds - Ya girl has been missing pie like nobody's business. I've known about this pie shop for a while, but since it's in Brooklyn, I wasn't able to venture there until I moved. It's still a bit of a hike (I have to transfer trains), but I'll definitely be going there semi-regularly. And then another intern at Bloomsbury told me about another pie place, so I'm gonna have to go there soon.
5. Brunch at Maman again. It's my happy place.

Books

1. I found out about Albertine through another blogger's Bastille Day in New York post. It's the only French language bookstore in the city, so I knew I had to go. Their YA section was much smaller than the bookstores I went to in Montréal and Québec City, but I got two of the Harry Potters in French! I'm excited to see how much I understand. (And yes, they do call wands "les baguettes magiques.")
2. I found the nearest Barnes & Noble to my new place. Definitely within walking distance or a quick subway ride, if the weather isn't great.

Events

1. Hello, Dolly! - My mom splurged for orchestra seats while she and my dad were here to move me over to Brooklyn. I knew next to nothing about the story, but WOW, did we have amazing seats, and it was a fun show. We didn't see Bette, which was fine (tickets were a bit cheaper), and we got to see Donna Murphy as Dolly (she voiced Mother Gothel in Tangled).
2. I moved! I'm living in Brooklyn now and getting to know the area. It's much quieter and reminds me more of Richmond or Lexington while still having that New York feel.
3. I won The Lion King lottery??? I've been trying to consistently enter the lotteries for most shows every day, but of course it escapes my mind now and again. Well, I forgot to enter Lion King's on Saturday night and remembered while getting ready for church the next morning, so I quickly entered, like, thirty minutes before it would close. Then, as I was on the subway on my way to church, I got the email that I'd won. I was in absolute shock most of the day.

Explorations

1. The New York Historical Society - I spent about an hour here at the end of July. They had special exhibits about Norman Rockwell's art and Stuart Weitzman's shoes, and they also have a large collection of Tiffany lamps.
2. The High Line - So this is a former elevated train line turned walking path that extends from about 34th down to Gansevoort, and I walked the section from 23rd to 14th one Sunday morning. While down there, I went to the Chelsea Market again and explored more of the offerings. There're a cheesemonger and fruit and veggie market down in the basement that I had no idea about! Plus there are so many restaurants that I didn't notice last time. So excited to go back again and try hand pies, chocolates, breads, and more.
3. The Frick Collection - I ventured here after work on the first Friday of the month with two other interns from Bloomsbury. The museum has free hours between 6 and 9 on the first Friday of almost every month, so we took full advantage of that. There's some gorgeous art, but I'm definitely glad we went when it was free because it's not very big.

4. Getting used to my new dorm and neighborhood mostly. There's a grocery store across the street, and a liquor store right down the block so I can easily get my wine fix. I also popped by a farmer's market about half a mile away. It's smaller than the one I'm used to from Illinois, but it's still nice to have.