5th avenue minus the rain

Today was a wonderful day in NYC.  Not only was the weather lovely, but the city wasn't overly crowded.  Tessa and I went to Hoboken and took a bus into the city then walked all the way up 5th Avenue and down 5th Avenue.  Let me tell you, I love 5th Avenue.  It is my recommended place to go for a good day in the city.  First, it is full of shops and great sights.  I went to so many wonderful places including Rockefeller Center, The New York Public Library, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.  The great sights were not the best parts of the day which were... the male models at Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch.  Oh, and they were shirtless!  It was a very good day indeed.  Look below for the pictures and others from the day.

Always,
Jillian

P.s  They were shirtless!

The Lions of the NYPL... Rockefeller Center

me with an Abercrombie model... me pretending to kiss a Holister model

morning nap, afternoon walk

After such an astoundingly late night, I am frankly surprised that I managed to rise at 8:30am, get up, and shower. Of course, I was planning to go into the city so I needed to be up. Tessa and I changed our mind though and decided not to go out and slept in for a while. Actually, I woke her up after my shower an she slept for a little while I went online. Then we switched and I took a morning nap while she went online and out to get bagels. If we were real roommates she would definitely get an award for being awesome. Anyway, after we ate breakfast/lunch we went for a walk around town and it was sprinkling but still really nice especially since we had umbrellas. At the dollar store, we super hero coloring books and got them since that is a great rainy day activity. When we got back from our walk, we watched Serendipity and ate a early dinner before we met up with a friend of Tessa's. We hung out in town and then watched funny YouTube videos to cheer the friend up who was having a bad day. The day ended with frozen yogurt and the beginning of Tintin. No pictures but check back tomorrow for a great adventure since I'm going back to 5th Avenue (hopefully with less rain).

Always,
Jillian

P.s. I learned more interesting things about New Jersey teens. For example, if your under 18 you have to put tags on your car that recognize you as under 18 because you cannot drive past 11pm legally.

the dark knight rises premiere

Today was a crazy day!  Well not really.  After two long days in the city Tessa and I slept in until about noon today.  When we woke up we ate breakfast and polished the silver for her mom before starting our Christopher Nolan Batman marathon.  Our marathon was fantastic and so much fun!  Definitely a smart thing to do if you haven't watched the movies in a while and plan to see the newest one.  Anyway, after that we got ready to go out to the midnight premiere in the next town over.  We went to the movie theater and asked what time is a good time to line up and get tickets. I was surprised to learn that in the small town you didn't to arrive until about two hours before the show starts.  That is crazy! Not only could we have gotten tickets the day of, but we didn't have to line up as early as you would think.  In Arizona, it is not uncommon to line up in the afternoon and get seated around 9pm.  In Westfield, where we were, most of the moviegoers arrived about 30 minutes before the show.  The theater seriously had a total of five other people an hour before the show.  Oh, and there were tons of boys there! Big groups of them arrived and somehow they all seemed to know each other.  The movie was fantastic though and I won't give away anything but the cast was phenomenal and I would like to see it again and hope it comes out by Christmas so I can ask for all three of the movies for Christmas!  I highly suggest you see the movie.

Always,
Jillian

This is a Lego Batman at F.A.O Schwartz from the day before.  I was so excited by it.

the chew, central park, 5th avenue

Today was a really full day.  By the end of the day, I had seen the final attractions on my New York list including F.A.O. Schwartz  and Serendipity's.  So to begin,  I spent ten hours in the city and walked about six miles.  Here is the schedule I had in the city and the checklist of what I did:

• go to a live taping of The Chew
• Strawberry Fields, Central Park
• The Boathouse, Central Park
• The Alice in Wonderland Statue, Central Park
• The Eloise Store, The Plaza Hotel
• The Apple Store
• F.A.O. Schwartz, 5th Avenue
• Dylan's Candy Bar
• Serendipity

As you can see, it was really a busy day.  The Chew was super exciting and if you watch the episode "Afternoon Delight" look for the girl in the blue dress next the girl in the pink dress in the last row.  That is me and Tessa.  It was a slightly disappointing episode though because Clinton Kelly wasn't there and he IS tied for my first favorite on the show with Michael Symon.   Central Park was wonderful.   The day was slightly overcast and every once in a while you would here thunder but there wasn't rain.  My favorite part of the day was F.A.O. Schwartz where I got to play on the big piano like in the movie "BIG."  It was so so so exciting.  I tried to play chopsticks but there were little kids making to much noise for it be like the movie.  I also learned that for a large sum of money you can buy it.  As you know from the list, I went to Serendipity and Dylan's Candy Bar where the city decided to have a freak, torrential, summer down pour.  It was kind of awful.  The rain was coming down so hard and since it was getting to be rush hour and it was raining Tessa and I skipped trying to figure out the subway and walked about 30 blocks to the bus station in the down pour.  Even though I got soaked it was still a nice day and I was able to see all the great things down 5th Avenue. Definitely a good day.

Always,

Jillian

P.s.  After that long walk in the rain, I feel a bit better about rain, but still prefer not to get stuck in it.

The Chew... Toy Soldier at F.A.O. Schwartz

Central Park- Alice in Wonderland and John Lennon Memorial

 The Eloise Store... Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity

china town, financial district, brooklyn bridge

Yesterday, was quite a tiresome day.  Tessa and I went to Hoboken with her mom and decided we would go to China Town for cheap souvenirs and then walked through the Financial District and the Brooklyn Bridge.  All together, there was more than 7 miles of walking around downtown.  It was really sketchy in China Town and we tried to spend as little time there as possible, but like I said was great for souvenirs.  The Financial District was really nice though.  There were lots of old buildings that had great architecture and  looked really nice.  We were also able to go to the "official" store of NYC which was an over priced souvenir shop with a few good items that I would never buy.  The Brooklyn Bridge was really nice though.  We walked to the promenade and took pictures with the skyline in the background and of the skyline.  It was a really long walk though and getting more hot and more humid as we crossed back.  We left that area and went back to Hoboken as soon as possible.  In Hoboken we chanced going to Carlos Bakery and were pleasantly surprised that there was no line.  So, I ordered a canoli and it was really delicious and I saw one of the guys from the t.v. show.  After canolis, I had my first slice of East Coast pizza and it was much better than at home.  My day was jam packed and I actually took around 15,000 steps and was tired beyond belief.

Always,
Jillian

The Brooklyn Bridge

Carlos Bakery..... First REAL Pie

grand adventure too tired to write

Spending a day and navigating my way to China Town was not only difficult but a real New York adventure and experience but since I walked more then seven total miles today and I've spent two hours trying
to figure out tomorrow's adventure I'm not finishing this post and will go to bed.  Check back tomorrow for two great stories.

Always,
Jillian

lazy day in cranford

After the wild adventure of yesterday, today was a lazy day in Cranford, New Jersey.  I slept in late and then went to the comic book store in town.  They had like fifteen boxes of fifty-cent comics and I went through half of them and found four comics that I wanted to get.  I also saw some really odd comics that I would never think to get, especially the twice removed spin-off comic books that star Wonderman and She-HULK (seriously?!?).  There were also some really weird anime style ones and just comical awkward titles and characters.  It was weird and exciting.  Once I was done at the comic book store, I made dinner for the family I was staying with.  I made chicken enchiladas and they were quite delicious.  Except there isn't exactly a "mexican food isle" at a grocery store here and the selection is very limited so I had to use Chi Chi brand enchilada sauce which I don't think has the same taste as what I use in Arizona.  But, I couldn't change the situation even though they have isles of tomatoes in New Jersey and like three feet of mexican ingredients most of which are taco shells and spanish rice.  The enchiladas still tasted good though and after dinner I went with Tessa to visit friends at Starbucks in the next town.  They were really nice and I enjoyed meeting them.  When we got home from coffee we watched the second Sherlock Holmes movie with one of her friends and it was intense.  Not only did we stop the movie every five minutes to collaborate and discuss what was happening the movie was just extraordinary.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it.  I would also recommend seeing the first one (which I haven't yet) because it is supposed to make somethings more understandable in the movies.  My adventure ended after the movie and now I'm just blogging about my day while getting distracted by infographics on-line. No pictures today but check tomorrows post since I'll be going into the city again and exploring Hoboken.

Always,
Jillian    

P.s.  My day with real New Jersey-ans taught me so about New Jersey and what I don't have in Arizona including Funny Bones which are a Hostess-like brand chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cream that they prefer to eat frozen.  Also, they refer to Arizona Ice Tea as "an Arizona" mostly because what else would they refer to as Arizona in New Jersey.

hershey, pa

Today's adventure was definitely adventure, well maybe not an adventure like hiking and exploring but once you read you'll understand.  I woke up late this morning and as soon as I left the bedroom I was told that we would go to Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania at 12:00 pm.  So, I got ready and had to make some serious decisions.  First, I had to decide what to wear which was really difficult since the park has water rides that soak you and normal roller coasters that don't require getting wet.  I decided (after much deliberation) that I didn't want to get wet so I didn't bring spare clothes or wear a swim suit.  Second, I had to decide what to bring with me.  I have the most difficult time choosing bags to bring anywhere and it was suggested on-line to not bring backpacks or bags on the rides so basically I just couldn't decide.  In the end, I went with just wear clothes to walk around in and bring my phone, wallet, and camera.  Then the adventure started and it was got quite interesting.  The drive is about two and half hours so we had lots of conversations and a very comical moment with X-rated dispensers in a ladies restroom at a Sunoco gas station.  Then we got there and it was sprinkling large dots and I was getting wet.  That's when the problems began.  You see, the park says they stay open during the rain (which they do) but all the rides become "temporarily out of service" so you can't even ride them!  It was insanely frustrating so I went to the Zoo America exhibit and saw animals hiding from the rain the way I wish I could be hiding from the rain.  The weather cleared up after that so we went on a few roller coasters which I find scary.  I think that I am brave and will have fun until I actually get on them and them I am a mess.  I don't like heights or speed and my stomach does flip-flops so I like cried and freaked out while I was on it.  The whole situation was quite funny though because I felt so brave and they weren't even the most extreme coaster.  Well, after coasters and exploring the park I went to the factory which was super adorable and had a cute tour and smelled so delicious but the excitement quickly ended because we stepped out and into a serious down pour!  I despise getting soaked like that and it was terrible.  Every single part of my being was wet.  Basically I went to Hershey and got a shower (and had lots of fun).  Anyway, after that we found a store to get clothes (because I decided not to ring any spare with me) and then went to dinner, then drove home.  And, now what I learned from today's adventure

1. Don't trust the weather report.  Hello not 90 degrees and partly cloudy
2. Just bring a back pack to an amusement park like everyone else and bring all the things you think you might need.
3. Don't discuss how bad your relationship is with the rain and how much you don't like being it.  

As usual, pictures are below.

Always,

Jillian

P.s. I would like to thank Tessa and Carla for the lovely day and letting my stay with them during my trip.  It has been an adventure.

me after a roller coaster that goes upside down.... a roller to scary to go on

me and Tessa leaving the park... Chocolate World!

The Hershey's Chocolate Tour

times square

Today I took the bus from Hoboken into the city and explored Times Square.  It was everything you would expect with crowds and people dressed up and people waiting for Broadway tickets... basically a movie.  I really enjoyed browsing all of the stores there.  I mean, they aren't any different from home except they are jumbo sized like they have a four story Forever 21 and Toys-R-Us and the there are three story American Eagle, Disney and m&m stores. The Toys-R-Us is insane, it has a Ferris Wheel inside (which I went on) and so many different departments.  The best department was the Barbie section though because they have a Dream House filled with Barbies to buy. One of my favorite places was the Hershey store though because it has an overwhelming and utterly delicious chocolate smell.  It was really fantastic and you can buy a bottle of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup that is like the size of your torso!  Another great thing was that I found were postcards 10 for $1 and you never find them that cheap so I got super excited  and bought 20!  That was pretty exciting.  Besides my day in the city there isn't much else to report on except that I bought my midnight premiere ticket for Batman The Dark Knight Rises which is 1. the finale to my favorite super hero movie series and 2. the first midnight premiere I've been to since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My day was overall quite amazing and I saw lots of fun touristy New York things including the ball that drops on New Years eve.  Pictures are below from my day.

Always,
Jillian

P.s. When I bought my Batman ticket I asked how many were already sold and the answer was four.  And to think I went there concerned that it might be sold out or mostly sold out by now like in Arizona.

me in Times Square and with Marry Poppins.... the ball that drops on New Years Eve

 The Hershey Store and m&m store

 me with E.T. on the Ferris Wheel and in the Disney store Princesss Castle... the Barbie Dream house

greenwich village

Today was my first day in New York City and I went to Greenwich Village and Union Square (which is in the Village).  Let me tell you, the city is exactly like every stereotype you have heard like:

1. There are lots of people
2. Nobody follows the lights when crossing the street
3. Hipsters are everywhere 

Anyway, I went to Strand bookstore and Union Square Park.  It was really exciting.  Strand is like the best used/new bookstore ever! I love books and felt so at home there.  I was searching for some books for my college class but ran into plenty of other awesome literature like the last two books of the Harry Potter series of the British English version that I need to complete my collection (but didn't purchase).  After browsing 18 miles of books, I took off for Union Square Park.  It is really like a tiny circle that has a lawn of grass.  You can literally see the other side of it if you stand on one side, but there was a small farmers market and it had tons of fresh yummy looking fruit and veggies.  I didn't stay there for long and soon went back to the Path to make my second ever underground train ride.  Of course, the architecture in the city is amazing so I took plenty of pictures on my walk back.  Below are some images from day.

Always,

Jillian

P.s. I write this like I was alone... but I wasn't.  I am way to scared to walk around NYC by myself. I traveled safely with a friend and sometimes her mom and will be the rest of my trip.

me at Strand bookstore

some cool buildings in Greenwich

some more cool buildings in Greenwich

my plan for this blog

A new blog is one of my biggest fear since I never really know where to start. So, I'm just going to start here and now with a little background.  I recently entered adulthood and will be starting college in the fall.  I bought my own senior trip/graduation gift to visit a friend in New York City and realized it was the perfect time to start a new blog about my adventures. I didn't want to be one of those people though who has a blog for like a week  and then lets it sit forever so once I leave I plan to write about an adventure everyday or almost everyday (I am a busy college student you know).  And sorry in advance if my adventure is mundane just add me fighting dragons or something I'm sure it will be interesting then.