This is what happens when you party all night

Last night, some friends from the program and I decided to go out to some bars in the area called West 4th. It is know for bars that cater to a young, college crowd. The first bar we went to was a really cool sports/leisure bar and we ordered some drinks and talked. A group of guys from ireland came over to talk to us and it was really cool to hear their stories and about Ireland. One of them had moved here two years ago to play soccer after playing and eventually being cut from the Manchester united reserve team. After that bar, we went to a more cantina style bar and it was fun to let out my Mexican side. We danced salsa and sang along all night. When we finally decided to leave, it was around 4:30 in the morning, a new record for me. I was amazed that the bars stay open so late here. That late at night, the Subway comes much less frequently, so we had to wait a while for the train to come and make several transfers. By the time we got off the subway, it was light out, making the saying "party till the sun comes up" true for me for the first time. I was stupid and wore wedges last night, and by the time we got back, I wanted to cut my feet off they hurt so bad. And to round off the crazy night, I broke my wedge completely off the bottom of my shoe from stepping into a crack in the street! (see below for proof). At least now I have a little more room in my bag for the return flight! We were laughing so hard, and it was even more funny because we were all exhausted at that point. I can't say I want to do it every weekend, but I had a really fun time going out in New York with my new friends.

The Barrio and Williamsburg Smorgasbord

Yesterday, the people in the program and I went to Spanish Harlem to visit a community health center called Settlement Health. Community health centers are usually geared toward providing primary care services in areas of underserved populations. It was really cool to see the center because they specifically catered the services and amenities of the center based on the feedback they received from the people in the community. These are just a few pictures from walking the streets in the "Barrio." It is really interesting because all the store names are in both english and spanish, and I could understand them!

After visiting Settlement Health, about half of the group and a few of our program assistants (second year med students) went to a food festival called Smorgasbord in Williamsburg. There were so many amazing food options, but as with everything in New York, it was super expensive, so I only could try one thing. But the spanning views of the New York Skyline and the wonderful breeze from the water made it worth it. Williamsburg reminds me a lot of Capitol Hill in Seattle because there are a lot of young, artsy people that live there. The area is full of cool vintage and thrift shops, yoga centers, and cute apartments. Here are some pictures from the amazing view, and a few from walking around the town:

Moseying in Midtown

On Tuesday, after sitting through a several lectures in brutally cold air conditioning, I decided that I needed to go buy some sweaters for my classes and for research. So I went with two people from my program that know how to get around in New York and we went to midtown. The area is near 34th street in Manhattan and is known for its amazing shopping, and Times square of course. To get there, I would have to make my first excursion onto the subway. Lets just say it has a very distinct smell, and it is extremely hot with not air movement whatsoever.

What is even better is that I almost got stuck on it by myself. We were all talking and missed our stop, so we had to rush off the subway and get on the shuttle to times square. But as we we trying to get off, the doors were trying to shut, and I had to stick my foot in the door and pry the doors open to get out. Lets just say all my days of sticking my foot in dorm elevator doors came in handy! When we finally got off the shuttle, we were smack dab in the middle of Times square. I really had to pinch myself to remind me that this was real. It really is amazing. 

After looking around at Times square, we made our way to 34th street, where all the major shopping is. New York is amazing in that it is built on an East-West grid, so during sunsets, the light streams all the way down a street to the other side. It is pretty amazing:

 On the walk there, we could also see the empire state building from the street, and it is so beautiful, especially when it is lit up at night.

This is my favorite picture from the night. I looked around in H&M for a while and found a sweater, but then we went next door to a store called Uniqglo, which has really colorful clothing and work wear. I just thought the store was really cool, because it is completely organized and crazy colorful!

After we finished shopping, we went to Korea town for a late dinner, and the food is really interesting and tasty! To round off the night, my friend took us to a rooftop bar with amazing 360 degree view of the night skyline. It was truly incredible and a great way to see the city at night. 

Real New York Pizza

First of all, sorry for the delay on the new posts, I am working off the free dorm internet for now and it is really spotty. Everyone knows New York is known for having the best pizza in the world. But as you could probably see from my earlier post, finding a good slice is not as easy as it sounds. But last week I decided to try a new place called Pizza Park near 68th and 1st and got a personal sized pepperoni and spicy sausage pizza. An boy does location make a difference. This pizza was amazing, thin crust, lots of cheese, and made right in front of me. So good. Looking forward to finding more pizza like this.

Adventure to Central Park

Today I had my program orientation and got to meet all the other students in the program. Everyone is so cool and friendly. After orientation we all went to lunch at a local market restaurant called Le Gourmet that had amazing sandwiches and salads. After lunch, I went with two girls from the program to walk to Central Park. On our way we walked by some of the famed Upper East Side row houses, complete with ornate metal work. Here is a sampling:

We also passed by one of the girls' colleges, Hunter College:

We finally got the entrance a short walk later:

The park itself is AMAZING! It is so gorgeous and there are so many people and cool street performers around. These are some pictures from the natural rock formations in the park:

There are some other great views, architecture, fountains, and lakes all around the park. I will definitely be spending some more time in the park, it is my little reminder of the green back home :)

These are the steps that the kid in Home Alone runs down as he tries to get away from the crooks. It is the scene when he hops in the trunk of the horse carriage to get away. Pretty cool. 

 These are the walls and ceiling as you walk through and down to the fountain.

Can't wait to go back!

I'm Alive!!!

I left seattle last night at 9:40 on my redeye flight to New York.

The flight was about five hours, and it seemed like forever because I do not have the handy skill of being able to sleep on planes. Here are some pictures from when we were landing. The sun was just coming up so it was gorgeous.

But I made it to JFK safely and then went to pick up my shuttle. Only it was about and hour late. So I got to become really cosy with the JFK baggage claim. The Shuttle finally came, and we picked up a few more people before driving into the city. It was about 7am, so it was beautiful out and we passed by this gorgeous bridge, which I do not know the name of yet.

Anyways, I was the second person to be dropped off. When I went to check in, they apparently didn't know I was coming, so my room was still in the process of being moved out/cleaned and they told me I would have to wait until the regular check in time. At 4pm. Now It was only 7:30am at this time folks. So pretty much I thought I was going to be stuck in the lobby for over eight hours. I found a student lounge though and passed out from getting no sleep on the plane. Lucky for me, some med student walked in a couple hours later to find me asleep, and all kinds of ugly I'm sure, and accidentally woke me up. This was about 10am. Great still had 6 hours to go. Thankfully, the maintenance guy came about a half an hour later and told me my room would be ready at 11. Thank goodness. I got things a little unpacked and rested for a bit, then decided to explore a bit and grab some lunch. This is the building in front of my dorm, and around the block.

I found this pizza place literally on the same block as my dorm so I decided to try it out.  

Gotta say, wasn't super impressed. I couldn't even fold the sucker because the crust was so crispy. But at that point I was starving, so it hit the spot. But the hunt continues for the best piece of pizza in New York! I grabbed a couple of groceries on the way back, which were insanely expensive may I add, and then went back out to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They had a doorman! I couldn't believe it! It is the Upper East Side, so I guess it makes sense, but it was pretty awesome! The weather is beautiful and I gotta say I love New York so far.