REST STOP: New York City

Since I've been asked much about my NYC internship this past summer, I thought I'd take a little "rest stop" during my trip to DC (which starts in about 5 hours!).

My building. I went up to floor 26!

I interned at a financial newsletter called Asset Securitization Report in the financial district of Manhattan. My building was directly across from the Staten Island Ferry and a convenient two second stroll to Battery Park where I often ate lunch to the sounds of the Statue Liberty Ferry horns . Also, interestingly, it is about a 5 minute walk to Wall Street and the World Trade Center in one direction and a 10 minute walk to South Street Seaport in another direction. 

I commuted four days each week from the Waterbury station at 5:56 am and arrive home either at 7 pm or 9:20 pm, depending if I stayed later in the city or not.

Let me tell you, nutmeggers, there is quite the disparity between the commutes on the Waterbury line and the regular New Haven line. The Waterburians were SO loud. Each morning, I aimed to sit away from this particularly loud group of men, yet they always seemed to creep up in my train car. Girl just wanted to take an undisturbed snooze!

Then, I arrived in Grand Central around 8:10 am and took the 4/5 subway line downtown to the very last Manhattan stop.

Where I came out in the morning

Where I went at the end of the day to go uptown

The days were typically filled with writing for the newsletter's online website. I wrote 3-4 articles each day ranging from breaking news about the implementation of new federal policies affecting the capital market, new deals in securitization, or recent bond deals in the market. When the publication came out in June and July, my boss trusted me with a printed article in addition to assisting with the layout/copy-editing process. It was a terrific experience and I learned an immense amount about finance. Beforehand, I did not even know there was a difference between economics and finance (THERE IS ONE!) and even what a term as simple as equity even was.

Holy Cross also granted me with some outstanding opportunities to network with HC alum at networking events held after work. However, the most memorable experience with a Holy Cross alum this past summer was my tour of the Bloomberg office by an alum who's currently a reporter there. If no one has ever described this building to you, allow me to take a gander. It was absolutely amazing - from the brightly lighted elevators to endless sea of fishbowls on every floor to the "pantries" stocked with snacks, fruit, soda, and coffee. I felt that I was placed in a scene from Monsters, Inc., if that allusion even gives it a little bit of justice. More than that, the alum was so sweet and told me about how she rose to her position in journalism.

Yes, that is girl-heaven in the back, Bloomingdales on 59th St.!

I also stayed later to meet with friends who either lived or worked in the city after work, took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET a.k.a one of my favorite places in the world), witnessed the transportation of the NASA space shuttle from my office window, went to free movie night in Bryant Park, attended conferences for work that were scattered about the island, read Charles Dickens on the Brooklyn Bridge, and visited Columbia University.

On the MET roof - the most exquisite piece of art in the museum ;)

Brooklyn Bridge - A 15 minute walk from work and across from City Hall

Just chillin' with 100 of my closest friends, watching Roman Holiday at Bryant Park

Overall, I loved the entire experience within and outside of the constraints of work. I met so many people who are all such characters, while truly living my dream. Since early in high school, I have always hoped to work in journalism in NYC, yet it felt like such a far-off fantasy. Although I was only an intern, that dream really did become a reality for me. I will never forget it.

STILL, naturally, I was not exactly as classy as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Here are ten of my innermost thoughts expressed via Twitter throughout the summer, which reveal a mix of embarrassing moments, blunt observations, and "sensitive" sentiments from my commute.

• "I must look so attractive when I nap with my head facing up and mouth open to my fellow train passengers #makingfriends" -June 19
• "Watching middle aged, suited men flamboyantly run to catch the train each day never fails to make me laugh #runforestrun" -June 15
• "A parade of drunk, middle aged men in navy Yankee tshirts just flooded the train. Was there some kind of match or meet today? #ewbaseball" -June 27
• "Best thing about NYC... Free wifi everywhere! #nerdyorcheap?" -June 29
• "Um guy who is blasting Alicia Key's "New York" through his headphones while in NYC subway, please just #lookatyourlife #lookatyourchoices" -July 5
• "An hour to kill when surrounded my stores uptown (including Bloomingdales) + need of shelter from the tsunami = shopping #onlyformysafety" -July 18 (Posted before a conference during the treacherous hail storm)
• "My knuckles are SO sore from typing all day ee'ryday #writersproblems. But, I'd like to think of this discomfort as #battlewounds lololol" -July 24
• "I spy a summer camp in the time sq subway station? I'm assuming the counselors are hoping to lose the children... #dontblameya" -August 1
• "Although this Swedish restaurant was so cute, I'm pretty sure their overpriced meatballs tasted EXACTLY like ikea" -August 6
• "Omg how precious. A mother is teaching her toddler-aged son the ABC's and numbers by having him find it like I Spy on the subway map" -August 9

Now to get some beauty sleep (not that is needed of course) before the drive down to the next city adventure - Washington, D.C.!