Rams See the Stars! My trip to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park

Since Fordham's Lincoln Center campus is in Manhattan, and its Rose Hill campus is 20 minutes away from Manhattan by train, Fordham students have total access to New York City for fun activities, school projects, service trips, jobs, and internships. When taking classes at both Fordham campuses, it is very common to get opportunities to visit museums and other places in the city for class assignments. Today, I spent the day in the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the Museum of Natural History, and Central Park! My roommate is taking an astronomy class at Fordham College at Rose Hill, and one of her assignments for the semester was to visit the planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. Since I love museums and going into the city, I decided to tag along!

Getting to the museum was very easy, thanks to the trusty Fordham Ram Van shuttle service. The Ram Van transports students from Fordham's Rose Hill campus to its Lincoln Center campus. Since I live on the Rose Hill campus, the Ram Van made it very easy to get to the Museum of Natural History on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The planetarium was very exciting. My roommate was very excited to take the knowledge she learned from her astronomy class, and use it to better understand the exhibits at the museum. Getting homework done is never a chore when the assignment involves taking a trip to Manhattan! 

A sculpture of the Moon at the planetarium

After we were done visiting the planetarium, my roommate and I walked back to Fordham's Lincoln Center campus to catch the Ram Van back to our dorm on Rose Hill. On our way there, we passed through Central Park. It was a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed sitting in the park and walking through Lincoln Center! The classes at Fordham really motivate and encourage students to explore the city, and to use their classroom knowledge in actual places throughout New York. As a current sophomore at Fordham University, I can truly say: Fordham is our school, and New York is our campus.

Central Park is always a beautiful spot for a walk!

This is my last blog of the school year! I really enjoyed my first year as a Fordham student blogger, and I cannot wait to get back in the saddle next year for more blog entries! Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for next semester! 

Weekend Update

Caroline Lebranti

Keating Hall on a bright and sunny day

This weekend at Fordham was pretty exciting since it was the first couple of days where it was super sunny and nice enough to be outside without bundling up! On Saturday CAB hosted a County Fair around Eddies where students could play carnival games and get free popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream. After hanging out there for a while some friends and I hopped on the D train and made our way to Brooklyn where we basked in the glorious weather, played bocce in Park Slope, and got ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery (highly recommended... try their Mexican hot chocolate flavor!). Sunday was also great because not only was everyone out on Eddies playing Frisbee and sunbathing, but it was also the President’s Spring Preview! Campus was buzzing with current and prospective students and families which made for quite a lively afternoon.

Our delicious brunch

Caroline McCue

This past weekend, I had a great time celebrating my friend Rachael’s birthday with a delicious Sunday Brunch.  We went to the Gansevoort Hotel which has a delicious menu. Although it is a little pricey, I would highly recommend going for a special treat! Afterwards, we walked around the Meatpacking District for a little and enjoyed the crisp spring day.  I got the eggs Benedict which was to die for!  Although I have a lot of papers and assignments to finish up before the end of the year, I am glad I got to spend an afternoon relaxing and celebrating with my friends in such an amazing city!

Lake Michigan

Megan McLaughlin

This weekend, besides chatting with some prospective students about Fordham and the best places to eat on Arthur Ave, I visited Chicago. The weather was great, but this view of Lake Michigan doesn't quite beat the view of Central Park stretched out below you at Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Center's rooftop).

Great night for baseball

Madeline McDermott

On Friday night, I went to the Yankee vs. Red Sock game. I got $10 tickets through the CAB raffle and the game wound up being the longest game in the history of Yankee Stadium.

Another lovely shot of Keating

Claire McGonigle

This past Sunday was Admitted Students Day here at Fordham! It was great to talk

to prospective students and give them a chance to talk to current Fordham students

along with administrators to give them a better sense of what life at Fordham is like.

Weekend Update

This NJ Transit map shows you how to get anywhere

Caroline Dunn

I spent the weekend at home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. While the Bronx and my hometown are only a 2 hour drive, without a car traveling from NY to PA can take much longer than expected. My other students and commuters from Philadelphia believe their only affordable option is a Mega or Bolt Bus which can cost as little as $6, but can take up to 5 hours (not to mention the extra trains from the Bronx and/or to the suburbs). An Amtrack train can take you into center city in about 90 minutes, but can cost almost $100. The hack from getting for NY to PA is not to go to PA at all! The New Jersey transit, which costs $15.50 can take you directly to Trenton Transit Center in anywhere from 60-90 minutes. Then from NJ, SEPTA transportation lines offer routes to Philadelphia and its surrounding areas. If you're lucky, maybe you can even manage for a parent to make the drive to Trenton!

The wonderful cast of Rent

Vanessa Agovida

This past weekend I performed as Joanne in the Mimes and Mummers' production of RENT. After a whirlwind rehearsal period of just five weeks, we finally got to present a show that had become very special to all of us in deeply personal ways. RENT is about love and survival, but most of all, it's about community--and our cast really became a family during this process. There's nothing like singing "Seasons of Love" with people you love. This was my fourth show with the Mimes, and maybe the most talented cast I've worked with at Fordham. Yesterday at the traditional Sunday cast dinner, I realized how grateful I am for the theatre community at Rose Hill and for the opportunity to work with fantastic professionals, like our director Brendan Stackhouse and music director Sean Forte.

One of many incredible speakers

Matt Calhoun

This weekend, along with my floormates in the Integrated Learning Community for Global Business (ILC-GB) in O'Hare Hall, I attended the European Conference at Harvard University. We left straight from campus on a special Ram Van and headed up to Boston where we stayed the night at the Revere Hotel, and attended the conference at the Kennedy School where we networked and shared ideas with members of the European Parliament (governing body of the EU) and professors from Harvard's Kennedy School.

Stranded in Pittsburgh in action

Brendan Burke

On Saturday night, I went to an improv comedy show put on by Fordham Experimental Theatre in the black box theatre in Collins Hall.  FET is entirely student run, and their improv troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, had a great show. The organization has different kinds of performances nearly every weekend, including improv comedy, standup comedy, spoken word performances, and plays and musicals that are written, directed, and produced by students. Plus, all FET events are free!

Juliette Arcodia

Cute little brunch spot

This weekend a few friends and I went to the Upper East Side for Saturday morning brunch. We took the 4 train right on Fordham road to 86th street and it was just a short walk to the restaurant. We went to Penrose, a great spot for brunch or dinner. The atmosphere was casual yet classy and the food did not disappoint. Afterwords we went thrift shopping before taking the train back to Fordham. It was a great Saturday out in the city!

Rent's amazing set

Amy Caffrey

This weekend, I got to see two different shows on campus. On Friday night, I went to the Blackbox Theater to see Fordham's Improv Comedy troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, perform.  The group is absolutely hilarious - my friends and I were in stitches for the entire show! Then, on Saturday night, I got to see Rent, which was performed by the Mimes and Mummers, Fordham's largest theater group. It was fantastic!

Delicious dinner

Victoria Cappucci

This weekend I took the Ram Van into the city and explored the Upper East Side with my roommates. We stumbled upon an organic Shake Shack-meets Five Guys burger restaurant that was sure to satisfy any appetite! Since it was all clear skies in Manhattan, we decided to take an early evening stroll through Central Park.

Our show flyer

Cat Gallagher

This past weekend I started tech week for Theatrical Outreach Program's (TOP's) production of The Laramie Project. This club does edited versions of full length shows and performs them for members of the community. For this show, we will be performing for LGBT youth. This is an incredibly talented group of students that I am so lucky to be a part of, and I can't wait to see how the show turns out next weekend!

A NYC Fall Weekend

After a few busy weeks at school, I knew it was time for a fun-filled, NYC weekend! Although late September weather in New York can often be cool and fall-like, the forecast for this weekend was beautiful, with temperatures in the 80s and sunshine predicted all weekend. I knew it was the perfect time to take advantage of the nice weather and experience a few of NYC's outdoor offerings.

I spent Friday night at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park for a Broken Bells concert. This is one of my favorite places to see concerts, because I am always in awe of how amazing it is to be able to see live music in Central Park, where you can turn around and see the bustling city through the trees behind you. The 4 train from Fordham and the 6 train to 68th street left us near the entrance, while Fordham's intercampus RamVan gave us an easy way to get home after a short walk to the Lincoln Center campus!

Broken Bells at Rumsey Playfield

Saturday afternoon, I made my way back to Central Park for the Global Citizen Festival, which was a free event featuring performances by No Doubt, Jay-Z, The Roots, fun., Carrie Underwood, and Tiesto. Created in order to urge people to take action against extreme poverty and other issues, the festival included statements by world leaders and other individuals in support of these positive changes. The all-day event was extremely cool and seeing so many people gathered in the middle of New York City to take action was even cooler.

The Roots performing at Global Citizen Festival

Sunday morning, my friends and I took the MetroNorth train (right off campus!) to Grand Central and hopped on a subway downtown so that we could walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Afterwards, I stayed in the city to enjoy the beautiful weather, finding a spot in a park downtown where I could do my homework before heading back to the Bronx.

A perfect day for walking the Brooklyn Bridge!

By the end of the weekend, I had fallen in love with New York City all over again and was grateful for the easy access I had to such cool activities from Fordham's campus!

Concerts and Performances in NYC

We got a good spot for Grouplove at Rumsey Playfield!

One of my favorite things about living in New York City is having the opportunity to see endless concerts, shows and performances! My friends and I try to attend as many concerts in this city as we can. Some of the most famous stages in the country are in New York, from Webster Hall to Madison Square Garden. Last week, my friends and I saw Grouplove and Portugal. The Man in concert. The venue was at Rumsey Playfield in the middle of Central Park. The beautiful New York skyline in the background made this concert even more awesome.

This weekend was the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park. In order to win free tickets, you had to help raise awareness for extreme poverty around the world on the Global Citizen website. A lot of my friends won these free tickets and got to attend the festival, which was amazing! Performers such as No Doubt, Fun., Carrie Underwood and The Roots were featured live at the festival. Jay-Z headlined, and Beyonce also made a surprise appearance! According to my friends, the experience of singing along to “Empire State of Mind” with Jay-Z in the middle of Central Park was unmatched.

My friend, sophomore Habin Lee, got this awesome panorama of the festival!

Cold War Kids performing right on campus!

New York is one of the music capitals of the world, and it is often one of the highlights of the performer’s tour. Other performers my friends have seen include Kanye West, Young the Giant, Vampire Weekend and Kodaline. A performer always comes to Fordham’s annual Spring Weekend in April. Last year, Cold War Kids and Cartel performed along with DJ Enferno. Other performers that have been featured in previous years include Grouplove, MGMT, Third Eye Blind and Andy Grammar.

There’s always an awesome concert to see in New York City, which is one of the countless benefits of living here!

Summer at LIFT and the City

A major attraction to Fordham for me was the fact that it’s so close to Manhattan. This provides an endless amount of opportunities—academic, social and professional! Since Manhattan is just a short train ride away, The Bronx is sometimes overshadowed by this bustling city. The Fordham community itself is an excellent hub of rich opportunities. This past summer, in fact, I had one of the most rewarding experiences of my life right here in the Bronx.

Just three short blocks down Belmont Avenue, is a non-profit organization called LIFT, the place that I interned at this past summer. LIFT has the ambitious goal of “lifting people out of poverty for good”. People in the Bronx community utilize its service to help with things like finding jobs, finding a place to live, and learning how to live on a strict budget. Everyday I got to meet with these community members, help them with whatever they needed, and learn a ton in the process. What first drew me to this internship was the convenience of being able to walk to work in less than five minutes.

Other than the rewarding work itself, interning at LIFT came with plenty of benefits. I got to work every day with an amazing group of people who I wouldn’t have otherwise met at Fordham. My fellow interns commuted to LIFT from all over New York, including Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and Washington Heights. We bonded outside of the office and would make fun trips together into Manhattan on the weekends. My favorite day was the one we spent at the American Museum of Natural History. This iconic museum is right across the street from Central Park, which allowed us to grab food from a street truck and eat on the green grass of the Park after touring the museum.

A couple of my coworkers, Caralie (middle), Laura (right), with me at the American Museum of Natural History

All of the Bronx interns in front of an Aztec exhibit at the AMNH

Central Park is such a beautiful place to have lunch, hang out with your friends, take a walk, or just breathe in the fresh air.

Interning at an organization like LIFT was such a great way to gain valuable experience while really giving back to my community. Fordham is located in one of the most culturally rich and diverse places in New York, and I am so grateful to have been able to better connect to it this summer. Walking around outside the gates of Fordham, I now feel more connected to the place I live, and I sometimes even see familiar faces! You can apply to places such as LIFT no matter what degree you are pursuing at Fordham. The Bronx really does have so much to offer!

Blog By: Abby Collins