{New York} Target First Saturday's at Brooklyn Museum

This past Saturday a couple friends and I took the train to Brooklyn to check out Target's First Saturday's series at the Brooklyn Museum.  No better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than taking in free art (the entire museum is open for visitors) listening to famed Led Zeppelin cover band Lez Zeppelin all while enjoying a cocktail.

I've been to the Brooklyn Museum many times (I used to live just a couple of blocks away) and it is one of my all time favorite museums in New York City because it truly showcases everything! On any given day, you can check out a variety of pieces from Ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies, European classics and sculptures to modern art and even feminist, Native American and African American art.

Unfortunately my camera (my camera = my phone) died almost as soon as we got there so I don't have as many pictures as I would have liked but the gallery below gives you a good sense of the variety on display at The Brooklyn Museum.

Target First Saturday's is held on the first Saturday of each month (obvi) and is a free multi-channeled event that includes exhibition viewings, dance parties, musical & dance performances, talks, readings, discussion forums, films among many other things. I highly recommend you check it out!

The City: Rebuilding after Sandy

It's been a very tough week for all New Yorkers and East Coasters; Sandy hit us Monday night through Tuesday and her wrath was completely devastating especially in Staten Island and the Jersey shore. Downed trees, power outages, homes destroyed by fires and flooding, looting, not to mention the complete shut down of the  City's transportation system are just but a few fiascoes Sandy brought.

As Roosevelt Islander's we were extremely fortunate. While the East River did flood the island and there were uprooted trees everywhere, there was no structural damage to homes. The extent of our discomfort was a 3 day power outage and even then, we did not have to worry about looters, standing in long lines for public transportation, finding a place to charge our phones or finding something to eat. Sadly we and a few other neighborhoods were the exception to the rule. It will take a long time for The City to fully recover, if you would like to help, donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief.

Here is Roosevelt Island's Hurricane Sandy perspective:

Monday 9:00 am Pre Sandy: East River had risen substantially 

Hunkering down during the hurricane while we still had power

No power at home, our local bar & grill was open
so we charged our phones and got some grub

F Train station closed @ Roosevelt Island 

Candlelight filled nights

Downed trees @ Lighthouse Park

New York: The Six Year Journey

Hello and happy long-weekend Friday! This week I am celebrating six years of being a New Yorker and boy has it been a roller coaster journey but I am happy to say that I have finally "made it" in this unforgiving City.

The journey started Labor Day Weekend 2006 when a girl from Nogales, Arizona moved to and visited NYC for the first time for a 3 month unpaid internship stay. Fast forward six years (through 6 apartment moves, 5 jobs and countless part-time gigs, crazy roommates, mice infested apartments, unemployment, heartache, loneliness and extremely narrow means) and I can proudly proclaim that I have wrangled the beast that is New York City.

Although the road to today has been ANYTHING but easy by Labor Day Weekend 2012 I have found: true love and companionship, a group of amazing girlfriends, a solid career track with excellent prospects popping up frequently, and a large sunny apartment with a large renovated kitchen in a great little family friendly neighborhood (trifecta in my book). All these things were my measures of success at the beginning of this journey way back in 2006. I'm excited to keep on living (a cheery life) in this City for years to come and I know that if we ever decide to leave, it will be on our own terms.

Here are some highlights from the past 6 years:

Meeting and falling in love with this guy

Ces Birthday 2012

Chloe Berta

The Greatest Friends