Sex and the City - Lennoxville Edition (Reading Week 2014)

"Women come to New York for the two L's: Labels and Love." -Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City 

Well, I am not sure if that's why we went to New York, but we certainly loved every minute we spent there and I love the 3 girls I explored the city with. This past week was Reading Week, and I spent the past 4 days in New York City with my 3 housemates, Jocelyn, Elizabeth and Hannah. Before that, I was at home in Ancaster for a few days and now I am back at my house in Lennoxville, preparing for the final stretch of my second year of university. Reading Week 2014 was an absolute blast and I can't believe it's already finished. My question now though is, since Reading Week is over, does that mean I can stop reading? Just kidding, obviously, as now that it is March, I have to submerge myself in all of my end of term projects. But right now, I am still on cloud nine from the fantastic break I had and cannot wait to tell you all about it. 

Last night, I quickly wrote about all that I did in the week leading up to Reading Week. As I said, I traveled home on Friday and spent 4 days at home. On Saturday, I made a stop at Goodlife Fitness, where I used my mom's gym pass to get in. Usually, this works for me, however, when I went to leave the gym, the lady at the front desk said "the computer said that you were 47 when you signed in. Is this a mistake?" Uh oh. I quickly mumbled something about accidentally grabbing my mom's gym pass and ran out of there before they could find out that I was not a paying member. Following that, I downloaded a 3 day pass to use for the remainder of my time in Ancaster. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing my K-E take home midterm and then went with my dad to watch my sister in her cheerleading competition in Kitchener. It was the provincial competition and their run on Saturday was great! Being the dedicated fan that I am, I was all decked out in teal - I was wearing a Perry the Platypus t-shirt, a teal scarf, teal eyeshadow and a cheer bow and I stood in the "Fan Zone" with my mom to watch the performance. I made sure the crowd knew that it was my sister they were watching. I hope that I did not embarrass Lauren too much! Following the competition, we went home and I learned how to FaceTime in order to catch up with one of my best friends from home Alex, who is at Western University. I had not talked to him since Christmas Day, so it was nice to catch up. I also got to meet all of his roommates during our conversation, which was really fun. 

Sunday, I got up and went to the gym again (on my own pass this time) and then went out for brunch with my friend Elena. We picked a bad time to go as church had just finished in Ancaster, and apparently everyone goes to Cora's at that time. After a long wait, we finally got a table and had a nice catch up over banana blast crepes and egg white omelettes. I am also happy to report that I have now filled up my Cora's Breakfast club card so my next meal will be free!! To prepare, I looked through the menu to pick out the largest, most expensive meal on the menu. I'm thinking one of the big breakfast combo plates, but we will see. Unfortunately, beverages and sides are not included. 

After breakfast, I went back home, finished my midterm and then headed back to Kitchener for round 2 of the cheer competition. However, before going to the auditorium, I went to visit another friend Maggie at Waterloo University. I had not seen Maggie since June so it was so nice to see her! I got to see her residence building and campus, and we had a nice catch up about everything that had happened since last spring. We are both hoping to be on exchange next semester, with me in France and her in Leedes, so we are hoping that we will be able to meet up and do some traveling together! Honestly, I can't think of a better person to be a French tourist with! She will definitely rock a beret and eat croissants and baguettes under the Eiffel Tower with me. After a short but sweet visit, I went to the cheer competition with my mom, where we saw my cousin Claire, who had just finished cheering for the day. Her twin sister is considering coming to Bishop's next year, so I casually reminded her to remind Jaye to come out and visit me, and invited Claire along too! Hopefully, they can make it out here the weekend of their 18th birthdays! My housemates and I are seasoned birthday party planners now, so they would be in for a treat! After talking with her for a bit, we went in to watch the routine and though it was not as good as Saturdays, they still placed second in the province overall! Good job Sailfin Sharks! 

Monday and Tuesday were pretty laid-back days. I went to the gym both days, went to the dentist both days (got a new retainer, woohoo), helped me mom look at glasses, did some homework and hung around my house with my siblings. I watched The Bachelor: Women Tell All on Monday and went out to Cora's (again) with my dad on Tuesday. He let me put the meals on my card, so now I am two meals closer to another free meal! I think I might be developing an addiction to Cora's...maybe I will have to make a visit to the one in Sherbrooke. On Tuesday, I went down to the Hamilton Police Station in order to have a records check done because I have officially accepted my offer to work in DISNEY WORLD for the summer! It was a really big decision to make, as it was hard to give up my landscaping job, 2 months at camp and all the time at home with my family, especially since I am also hoping to be in France for the fall term. However, my mom reminded me that I was having a typical Erica moment, meaning I always second guess every decision I make and I reminded myself that it has been my dream to work in Disney World since my last, last trip to Orlando and I am now super happy that I decided to accept my offer. I am positive that it will be the experience of a lifetime and I cannot wait to go! Now I just have to hope that I will be able to pass the 20/20 vision test and other swimming requirements and hope that I get my records check back in time! Countdown until I start working in the happiest place on Earth: 65 days

Following a busy few days at home, on Tuesday, I packed my suitcase back up and boarded the Go Train to meet Jocelyn in Toronto to catch our bus to NYC at midnight. Hannah and Elizabeth boarded a bus at the same in Montreal. Our bus ride took about 12 hours, with a stop at the border and two rest stops along the way. It was brutal having to get off the bus at 2am to go through customs but surprisingly, the trip overall was not too bad. I got a solid night of sleep and was able to do my readings for my Children's Lit class. We got into the city just before noon and then walked several blocks to Times Square to catch the subway to Queens, which is where my godfather, Chris, his wife Erin and son Griffin live. Let me tell you - the NYC subway system is very, very confusing the first time you try to figure it out, especially when you are in the Times Square Station, as there are trains to literally everywhere! After asking every news stand worker in the station for directions and trekking up and down at least 7 flights of stairs, we finally found the 7 train and rode to Chris and Erin's apartment. We successfully found the apartment building and were warmly welcomed by Erin and Griffin. Unfortunately, we had not yet tracked down Hannah and Elizabeth, but eventually they made it to the subway stop, so we walked up the road to bring them to our home for the next three days. Finally, the entire gang was reunited and our Lennoxville rendition of Sex and the City could begin! As I am the "writer" (this blog), I got to be Carrie Bradshaw. Erin had prepared us a really nice lunch of quiche, bagels and fresh fruit, a nice treat after our long travels. Hannah and Elizabeth had gotten in around 7 that morning, so I think they were happy to finally be off the NYC streets. After filling our stomachs, settling in and bonding with little Griffin, we set off for our day in the city!

First group selfie in the city (on Jocelyn's new fancy phone)

We divided our city touring into 3 parts - uptown, downtown and midtown and decided to venture into uptown first. We started our afternoon in Central Park, visiting Jackie O's reservoir and walking the paths for a bit. We stopped at the Guggenheim's gift shop and then went to the Metropolitan Museum. We did not realize that it closed at 5:30 until about 4pm, so we did not have a long visit, but it was a good enough visit for me. Because we only had an hour until closing, we did not have to pay full admission price, which worked well for our NYC student budget. Obviously, we did not have nearly enough time to tour the entire museum, so I went to a special exhibit on Paris photography (in preparation for fall exchange) and to the musical instruments exhibit. I was fortunate enough to overhear a curator explaining some of the different pieces, but mainly I just read the signs and admired the instruments. The 4 of us regrouped in the lobby and went back to walk through Central Park again. This time, we found the Alice in Wonderland statue, which I got a picture with for my Children's Lit project and walked by the John Lennon "Imagine" sign, where there was a man playing Beatles music on the guitar. By then, it was getting dark so we began the long walk to Times Square. And when I say long walk, I mean loooonnnnggg walk, over 20 blocks. Elizabeth and I were going to see Matilda, so we walked all the way to the theatre, and left Jocelyn and Hannah to go find dinner somewhere along the way. We met a nice lady who walked us right to the theatre and got there around 7pm. We went into the box office and asked for the cheapest seats available and ended up getting regular $135 tickets for $42 each. We then grabbed some dinner before heading back to the theatre for 8pm. Our seats ended up being fantastic, the first row in the upper balcony with a perfect view of the stage. The show was AMAZING!! The little girl playing Matilda and all the other kids in the cast were so, so talented! The set was gorgeous and the musical numbers were amazing. I was so happy that we got to see it, and Elizabeth was too, as she has been listening to the music for the past few weeks at home. After the show, the two of us went to Juniors, a little restaurant across the street, for their famous cheesecake. I had raspberry swirl cheesecake and Elizabeth had red velvet cheesecake. They were both delicious, of course. We strolled through Times Square for a bit and then caught the subway home, where we met up with Jocelyn and Hannah, who had gone for dinner and to see a movie at a Juilliard independent film theatre. All in all, it was a great first day in the city! 

Metropolitan Museum!  

Central Park - Alice in Wonderland Statue! 

Matilda on Broadway! 

Shubert Theatre where we saw Matilda! 

Junior's cheesecake! 

On Thursday, we had a nice breakfast with Erin and Griffin and then headed to Brooklyn for our day downtown. We took the subway all the way to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. We walked the streets of Brooklyn, making a bathroom break in the Brooklyn Marriott hotel and after a detour to the Manhattan bridge, we made it to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. We then spent the next hour or so walking across the bridge, stopping about ever 3 metres to take pictures of the bridge, the city skyline, each other, etc. The weather was absolutely perfect for our walk, sunny and not too cold. Once we arrived in Manhattan, we watched a local street dancing troop and then walked to the Staten Island Ferry station. We chose to do this as our way of seeing the Statue of Liberty, as it goes right by the statue and has no fee for riding. Another part of the NYC student budget plan. On the way over, there was no outside viewing deck, so we sat inside the boat but on our boat ride back, we were able to stand outside and get a nice view of the statue and some good pictures. After the ferry ride, we walked through Chinatown, where I bought a new scarf (typical Erica, though it's not entirely purple), Elizabeth and Jocelyn bought purses and Jocelyn got a new scarf, as well. After Chinatown, we walked through SoHo, another shopping district and I bought a new purse at Steve Madden, a gift from my mother - so thank you Mom! We went into some other stores and then headed home for dinner with Chris and Erin. They made us pizza, including dough from scratch and then had 5 different kinds of ice cream and gelato for dessert. Just another example of them spoiling us. We then had an early night in after a long day on the town to rest up for our final day in the city. 

Hanging out on the Brooklyn Bridge

Babes on the Bridge  

On board the Staten Island Ferry 

Statue of Liberty sighting! 

Friday, we awoke to another nice breakfast from Erin; Chris was there as well, since he took the day off from work. Friday was our day to hit up midtown: we began at Grand Central Station, where we went to a few different stores in the train station, including an Apple store and Magnolia's bakery, known for their delicious cupcakes. Then, we went to the New York Public Library, which if you have never been, gives library a whole new meaning. We did some exploring in the library, including the famous Reading Room, where Jocelyn and I had a little photoshoot. We then went to the gift shop/bookstore, where I bought a storybook to read to my students at PEES. I told the cashier that I was a student teacher buying the book for my students so she gave me the teachers discount, which was a nice surprise. I can't wait to read "Larry Gets Lost in New York City" to my grade 3/4s! After finishing up at the library, we had leftover pizza for lunch at a table outside the library and then began our trek up 5th Avenue to the MoMA, or the Museum of Modern Art. Along the way, we did some shopping, visiting the Lego Store and Hollister and walking by the Rockefeller Center, Juicy Couture, American Girl Place, Prada, Fendi and many other expensive stores. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the MoMA, where I toured around with Jocelyn and Hannah, visiting special exhibits on art in the modern day world and one on a specific artist, Isa Genzken and touring a photography gallery and the Andy Warhol exhibits. Following the MoMA, we went to (wait for it) TIFFANY & CO! Diamonds really are a girl's best friend and I wanted to buy a whole bunch of new best friends at Tiffany's, but I resisted. They have an entire floor dedicated to just engagement rings! My housemates have promised me that they will direct my future husband to the second floor of Tiffany's. Ring size 7, take note. After Tiffany's, we hopped on the subway to head to Tribeca to meet Erin, Chris and Griffin for dinner at the North End Grill. The meal was absolutely delicious, and again, Chris and Erin spoiled us with appetizers, entrées, a cheese platter and desserts! The lemon meringue pie and coconut meringue tart were phenomenal and my red snapper was delicious! I almost had to have my friends roll me out of the restaurant. For our final night in the city, we went back to Times Square, where we checked out a lot of typical tourist stores, the M&M store and the Hershey Factory Store. We loaded up on chocolate and souvenirs and then headed back to the apartment to rest up for our trip home. 

Rockefeller Centre

American Girl Place - flashback to childhood trip to Chicago

Tiffany and Co with the bogmate 

Zucker's Deli 

Our dessert spread at North End Grill

The best girls in Times Square!

Saturday, Erin made us a lovely breakfast of scones, smoothies and burritos and packed us a huge lunch for the trip home. We hopped in a cab to the Port Authority bus station, made a stop at the post office so Hannah could mail a postcard to her dad and then boarded the bus for our trip back to Canada. We were unfortunately all separated on the bus, but we made it back to Montreal an hour and  a half earlier than scheduled. We met our carpool at the bus station, drove back to Lennoxville and were home just before 10pm. We turned up the heat, unpacked and I called my family to wish them well on their trip to Curacao (an island off the Venezuelan coast)!

Final morning in the city! 

Today was a day for rest, relaxation and homework catch up. Jocelyn, Hannah and I met our friends Mitch, Mark, Phil and Josh (also my Mackinnon residents, but since we have been hanging out with them a lot lately, I will now refer to them as friends and not residents) for afternoon skating, but instead of going to the indoor rink this week we went to the outdoor rink in the local park. It was a bit of a hike there, but definitely worth it. The boys even let me play hockey with them for a bit, though the stick I was using was taller than me, making it a bit difficult to show off my skills! It was a great afternoon and the weather was beautiful! Hopefully, it is here to stay! I did some more homework in the afternoon, went for an evening run (and then it got dark and  I got scared, so picked up my pace on the way home), had some dinner and FaceTimed with my friend Alex again (twice in one week - I feel so special!) Now it is off to bed to rest for practicum tomorrow morning! 

Me with the face off 

So congratulations if you were able to read this until the very end! I hope the pictures helped to break my long adventure story up! I had an unbelievably amazing week, getting to see and talk to some of my best friends from home, catching up with my godfather, and spending a great few days in the city with the best friends a girl could ask. I want to send out one more big thank you to Chris, Erin and Griffin for hosting us in their apartment for the duration of our trip! Finally, I just wanted do say that before going on my trip, a lot of people were surprised to hear that I was going away with the girls that I live with, but honestly, there is no one else in the world I would rather spend my reading week with. I am truly the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing housemates and I just wish that everyone could be as fortunate as me. So thank you to Jocelyn, Hannah and Elizabeth for an unforgettable trip and some great memories and I can't wait for everything else we will do together! Coming up this week, the St. Patrick's Day celebrations will begin and I can't wait for Lennoxville to turn green with Irish pride! Wishing you all a wonderful week!

All my love, Erica

"After all, seasons change, so do cities; people come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're lucky, a plane ride* away." -Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City  *(For me, they are all within yelling distance of my bedroom)