These Lights Will Inspire You

I am FINALLY here! After a very long drive yesterday, my family and I have made it to the city! I thought the 12 hour drive was going to be horrible, but I was pleasantly surprised. There is never a dull moment with the Heitkers. We tested our geography knowledge by trying to figure out what states we would be passing through--the guesses were: Virginia, Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota. Wow guys...wow. We also only ate in the car, rather than in restaurants, because it gave Jenna something to do it the car. Thank you Wendy's for the Karaoke CD in the kid's meal. It provided lots of laughs. I must say, it was a fun drive; we laughed a lot!

Once we got into the city, we were all appalled by the way New Yorkers drive. I mean--have they ever heard of patience and a turn signal? I guess not. But it didn't take long before Joe started getting aggressive and learned the ways of this foreign world. We made it safely to our hotel, to Bonnie's Grille for dinner, and back to the hotel in one piece (although there was one small encounter when I thought I was going to die--ask my Dad about that one). NY drivers are ruthless!


Today I checked into the Clark Residence in Brooklyn Heights to move into my apartment and meet my two roommates. Brittany is another mark. intern and a graduate of Miami University (of Ohio) and currently lives in Columbus, and Laura is an intern for the Health Department and in graduate school in St. Louis. She is originally from Kentucky though. What a small world! They both seem super nice and I can't wait to get to know them better. =) The room we share is great too. Plenty of room for college interns working in the city. I'll have to put up pictures of the room on another post.

After moving into my new place, my family and I traveled through the city--just exploring a bit. I think we were in Brooklyn for about two hours before I lost something--my cell phone. After frantically searching my room and calling it twice, someone answered it and thankfully said it was found at the local grocery store, "Peas and Pickles", the one that we had just visited. Our biggest obstacle however, was the subway. All of the letters, the colors, what does it all mean!? Thank goodness we ran into a few really nice New Yorkers who were able to point us in the right direction.

We made a few right stops and a few wrong ones, but first on the list was Battery Park. From there we took a boat over to the Statue of Liberty. Thank you France for such an impressive gift!



After seeing the statue and Ellis Island, we took the metro to Chinatown--where we spend most of our time! Jenna and I were excited to see what kind of "designer" items we could snag from the street vendors. It was so CRAZY. As we walked the streets, people would whisper, "Louis....Rolex....Watches....Purses." If you made eye contact or gave a head nod, you were golden and in! We sneaked into so many small rooms full of purses, wristlets, and jewelry. My Dad came into one room with us and took a picture.


There were also people who walked the streets with suitcases. They would stop periodically, open the case, sell a purse, and then scurry away. The cops were all over the place watching for these sales. We even saw one suitcase be confiscated by the cops...I wonder what they do with all those goods...I might make a trip to the police station soon.

It was a successful trip in Chinatown though! I now know how to work the streets and find the "designers". I was able to get a Tiffany's key necklace and Chanel purse out of it too, and Jenna got a super cute Coach tote and wallet.

After Chinatown, we stopped at Grand Central Station before heading to 777 3rd Avenue--mark.'s office! What an impressive building. I couldn't believe I was going to work there! Especially on the 34th floor. Here I am in front of the building.



Our last stop of the night was to Times Square. It's true--this city NEVER SLEEPS! There were so many people out and about and so many lights, billboards and taxis flying. I am definitely planning a trip back there! Here are a few of my favorite billboards:




Jenna also had to take a look at the HUGE Toys R Us store in Times Square. It was three levels full of toys and games. They also had a Ferris Wheel inside, but it wasn't running tonight. Some of the carts to ride in were Monopoly themed, Barbie, Super Heroes, and My Little Pony. I wish we could have taken a ride. We found my Mom's sweet side as we entered into the Candy Land section of Toys R Us. Here is a picture my Dad took:


What a day! I'm glad I could get a small taste of the city before I started this internship. This summer is going to be a blast!!