- walk the streets of Manhattan without getting run into or hit by a car
- ignore bums & quit staring so much (those of you who know me, that's monumental)
- take the subway around the city (I am nowhere near a pro, last week I got off at the wrong stop)
- use the metro card kiosk without completely holding up the line
- walk at a pretty fast rate to keep with the flow of busy New Yorkers (who needs a gym? My legs are totally getting toned)
- master the art of commuting the NJ Transit system
- look like I know where I am going, although I sometimes have absolutely no clue. (Penn Station, you still turn me around everyday.)
- drive on the NJ Turnpike, by the way, New Jersey has the world's worst drivers. (Horrible & mean drivers, I despise you all!)
And that's just the everyday commuting stuff I have learned. At work I am surrounded by such fun people, that really inspire me. They all have so much experience & I am totally a sponge the second I walk through the door. I want to get as much as I can out of this experience & I feel like I really am.
To give you a sense of my typical day.. I start off at 7 am when my alarm goes off. I am up & out the door by 8:05/8:10 and headed to the train station in Hamilton, NJ. On a good day it take me about 50 mins. to get to the train. I catch the 9:21 express to NY Penn Station. I arrive in NYC (as long as there is no delays) at 10:35. I then walk a few blocks to 34th Street Harold Square (where they do Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) to take the subway uptown 2 stops to Rockefeller Center. I can either catch the the B,D,M,F and they will take me to Rockefeller Center. When I get off at Rockefeller Center I can actually walk to the building I work in underground. [For those of you who don't know under Rockefeller Center there is actually a mall, with shops and a lot of food.] Anyways, from there I usually grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks and make my way to my building & take the elevator up to the 37th floor where I work.
Once I get to work I check in with the producer of the show I work on. She fills me in on what's going on that day & what she needs me to do. I do a lot of research for the show, and by research I mean.. If there is a celebrity guest, my job is to find out info on them (i.e. website, twitter, Facebook, books, latest articles/appearances, and anything interesting that can be found on them.) I also do a lot of keeping up with reality shows (such as American Idol, The Bachelor, Jersey Shore.. basically anything controversial & funny/interesting). I take memorable clips from these shows & write up dialogue for the show to use for different segments. I also compile a lot of topics on what the latest issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine has to offer. (Basically I get to read the magazine at work & type of good conversation starters! Cool, huh?) In the mix of all that I get to interact with many people in and out of the office, I go down to the studio if needed to check in. Also if I hear someone I think is cool is coming into one of the shows on another channel, I can't lie, I will go walk around and casually try to sneak a peek at them!
My day usually ends at 6:00 pm, I pack up and make my trek back to Penn Station. It usually takes me 20-25 minutes to get down there. I ride the subway and walk a few blacks to the train. I usually catch a 6:38 express train to Trenton, which stops at Hamilton (my stop). It always a very packed train from commuters trying to get home at a "rush hour". I get into Hamilton at 7:45 pm & I usually walk through the door of my house by 8:45/9:00. Then I eat & go to bed, wake up and do it all over again!
It's a lot of commuting, about 5 -6 hours of my day are devoted to commuting to and from NYC. On my most weeks it is 3 days a week (and mostly consecutive days) I must say though on that 3rd day I am very exhausted. This experience is totally worth it though! I am learning so much about myself, life, and my future career.
I promise I am going to update more often! Thanks to everyone who has been helping me & supporting me through this journey.. I could not do it with you all! :)
until next time.. xoxo B
