This is going to be my last blog post as I am really short on time. But, do not worry, you can't shut me up that easily - I will still be sending group emails and posting pictures on facebook (it's just the combination of doing that with the blog that is too time consuming). This means that you will no longer be able to get my news by stealth, if you want it you'll have to be on the email list - so email me at jess.f.harding@gmail.com if you want on... I don't send them often (every two months or so). Sorry about the lack of pics on this blog but they are on facebook if you are interested....
It's been a long time since I've written. Things seem less exciting now I guess - as NY becomes home rather than a new experience.
That being said, it's a pretty amazing home. There's so many things to love about the city and it was so incredible having Beth, Mikey, Stacey, Phoebe, Alice and Max to explore them with.
My new favourite part of the city is Chelsea. It makes me wish that I could be a millionaire and afford to live there. There is this amazing public park called the Highline built on an old elevated railroad track - a triumph of community organizing and urban design. (See the pics on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270145&id=623451051&l=fc7a5a4fa8). Beth and Mikey were here for New Years Eve which we spent watching the NY skyline from Brooklyn Bridge. We did lots of other fun things while they were all here, it was amazing, except that it was sad seeing them all leave.
I adore all the museums, which is lucky, as while most of you are enjoying the beach, I am still wading through snow and negative temperatures. I console myself by thinking I'd rather go to a museum than the beach anyway but your pictures on facebook are making it difficult to keep that preference! Two of my favourite museums are MOMA and the Tenement Museum (all about NYC immigration), and we also went to Ellis Island museum as part of our Statue of Liberty trip, as well as the Brooklyn museum party, which I've written about before but seriously... a party in a museum, what could be better?! I am going to the Tenement museum again this weekend, they do these awesome tours, and anyone who knows me knows that I love museum tours...
Alongside the intellectual exploration of NYC's immigrant past I've been enjoying the more tangible aspects - food. Chinatown, Koreatown, Curry Hill. Not to mention restaurant week where all the best, most expensive, NYC restaurants offer cheap prix fixe menus - so far I've been to three - it's so nice to experience a bit of luxury given my usual student lifestyle of lugging 100s of pounds of groceries home on the subway (and don't even get me started on the annoyance of the lack of a metric system, not to mention the difficulty of writing the date).
Mum arrives in three weeks and I am unbelievably excited about that. I'm hoping she loves NYC despite the fact that she doesn't like big cities.... It might be a bit of a challenge but I've identified all the greenest parts of the city. We are also going to Washington to meet Max for a week too and we are planning days at all the Smithsonians (free museums - this whole blog is really just about museums, I'm sorry) as well as a tour of congress. Fingers crossed we spot Obama!
Aside from that, I have flights booked back to New Zealand and a job in Wellington so I'm super excited about that. I'll be working at the Centre for Social Research and Evaluation at the Ministry of Social Development and will be back in NZ from May 24th until August 31st. I am really looking forward to being back and catching up with everyone as well as a trip to Samoa with mum to escape from what will be four consecutive winters!
Anyway, university is already crazily busy so this is just a short update. Let me know your news!
