Art and Music in New York City

         

Blog by Katie Porter 

When I first arrived at Fordham, I was prepared to make the most of my time at college, and take advantage of everything possible in New York City. In high school, when I thought about art and music in New York, I pictured places such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Madison Square Garden.  After starting my freshman year however, I realized that the city has so much more to offer.  Since coming to Fordham, I’ve taken a tour of street art in Soho, attended a Marina and the Diamonds concert at the Bowery Ballroom, and explored a sketchbook library in Brooklyn.  

    

My best experience as a Fordham student came when I met a singer at a book signing in Tribeca, and he asked me to design a car wrap for his Range Rover.  I had met him in NYC previously, and given him some of my art.  During the winter of my freshman year of college, I hand drew the designs that would cover his car, and he even flew me down to Florida to spend the day and see the unveiling of my design.  There are so many opportunities for self-discovery, adventure, and education in New York City, and Fordham gives students the opportunity and the skills to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. As Fordham students, New York truly is our campus.

Ferragosto Connects Rose Hill to its Surroundings

Blog by Luke Berman


Any Fordham Student will tell you that one of the best parts of the Rose Hill campus’s location is having some of the best Italian food in New York in your backyard. Arthur Avenue, about a block away from Fordham’s gates, is informally known as the original Little Italy, and features some of the best and most authentic restaurants you can find. Being from New Jersey, I know good Italian food, and believe me when I say any of the eateries on Arthur Ave are hard to beat. In fact, my parents and I have a goal to try every one of them before I graduate. 

Every year the local Belmont community hosts the Ferragosto Festival, a traditional event marking the end of the harvest season, and this past Sunday, I attended for the first time. The street was flooded with guests trying to get a taste of the various treats the local vendors were selling, and embracing the Italian American tradition that flows through the neighborhood. From the decadent gelato to the pig being roasted on a spit, culture and cuisine filled the air.

Aside from just being yet another chance to have some great food, this was also a fantastic opportunity for Fordham students to immerse themselves in the Bronx community, which is filled with a rich cultural history and surrounds our gorgeous campus. 

A Night Out: College Night at the Frick Collection

Earlier this month, my best friend and I ventured over to the east side to visit the Frick Collection for College Night. The Frick Collection puts on College Nights, which include free admission with your university ID, approximately once a month, with a variety of different activities and docent-led tours. The collection is small enough to finish in one night, and spans a wide variety of artists and movements.

Frick Collection Gardens, Photo by Gillian Bashaw

Photos are not allowed in the gallery, but fortunately, they are allowed in the Frick Collection's stunning gardens. For College Night, these gardens were outfitted with a string ensemble, tables for socializing, and a table of refreshments. The gardens provide a truly relaxing atmosphere to take a break between exhibits or just spend time in good company with friends.

Once we finished walking through the collections, we made our way to the gift shop. While I'm naturally a fan of trinkets and souvenirs, I was happy to see that there were prints of almost every work in the museum in various sizes ranging from about $2-$15. I was able to buy a couple of my favorite paintings of the evening in a postcard size, and now my bedroom walls are just a little more artistic.

The Frick Collection is located at 1 East 70th Street and is about a 20-30 minute walk from Fordham Lincoln Center. Upcoming College Nights are scheduled for May 6th and June 24th. The Frick Collection is a hidden gem that is not to be missed!

My Birthday Weekend at Fordham!

Fordham's New York City location is ideal for academia, internships, and jobs, but going to college in New York is also perfect for celebrations! Whether you're in Manhattan or the Bronx, Fordham is a great place to gather friends and family for special occasions. This weekend, I celebrated my birthday at Fordham and in Manhattan with my friends and family. 

On Saturday, my friends and I took the D-train from Fordham's Rose Hill campus down to Manhattan's Lower East Side for a lovely birthday dinner. Getting to Manhattan from the Bronx is very convenient, which makes it easy for my friends and I to leave campus for work and for fun! My friends and I had so much fun at the restaurant, and I was happy that everyone had fun at my birthday dinner. The friendships I have made during college are amazing, and I am so happy that Fordham connected me with such wonderful people.  

My friends and I had so much fun celebrating my birthday in Manhattan!

On Sunday, my birthday celebration continued closer to my home at Fordham's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. My family drove to campus from New Jersey, and we went out for a birthday lunch on Arthur Avenue, the Bronx's Little Italy. Arthur Avenue is right across the street from Fordham Rose Hill, and is home to many authentic restaurants, bakeries, and shops. Most of Arthur Avenue's restaurants are Italian, but my family decided to try something new and took me to a Mexican restaurant called Estrellita's. The food was delicious, and the restaurant was only 5 minutes from campus! 

My family and I at Estrellita's on Arthur Avenue

Fordham has given me so much over the last three years, and its endless opportunities for work and for fun never disappoint. Celebrating my birthday at Fordham again this year was a great reminder of how lucky and happy I am to attend such an amazing school with so much to see and do. I am so proud to be a Fordham Ram! 

Your Guide to Shows on a College Student Budget

If you live in New York City and have never seen a Broadway show, ballet, opera, or sports game, you are doing something wrong. I admit that seeing tickets for $50 plus is a little daunting. I have a nasty little habit of seeing as many shows as I can but because of this I have mastered the art of student discounts, rush, lottery, and everything in between. I have compiled the best and cheapest ways to see any New York classic you want.

CAB Cultural Affair Monthly Raffles
Every first Monday of the month, CAB puts on a raffle for a variety of different shows, games, and museums tickets in McGinley Ballroom at 1pm. Each month there are at least two Broadway shows and one sports game, with usually around 20 to each event. Typically tickets cost $20 but last year I remember they gave away tickets for Aziz Ansari's comedy show for free! All you need is a Fordham ID to get one raffle ticket. My advice is to ask for friend's IDs to get extra raffle tickets (Note: you must have a physical ID, not a photo). As a Broadway buff, I have seen Les Miserables, Beautiful King and I, Sleep No More, and An American in Paris all just from CAB. Very often they have tickets to Rangers, Knicks, and Yankees games. During the holidays they give out tickets for shows like The Nutcracker or  Radio City Christmas Spectacular! This is the perfect way to get cheap tickets because you don't have to leave campus. Plus most tickets will not be any cheaper than these. Just keep your eye out for the Facebook event or posters around campus towards the end of the month!

35 and Under
Some shows have student discounts but more often theater's target people 35 and under. Websites like HIPTIX , Manhattan Theatre Club or LincTix offers Broadway show tickets for $25-$30. Last year I spent $25 to see Emma Stone in Cabaret. My advice is to sign up online so they can email you for upcoming shows and when tickets go on sale, as they tend to sell out relatively fast. Even better, these deals will last you well after graduation. If you are looking to save a little cash on facility charges, I recommend going to the theater and presenting your code at the box office where they won't charge those extraneous fees.

Rush and Lottery
Almost every theater has a rush policy where they put aside a set number of tickets to sell for cheap.  Typically these seats are obstructed view. "Rushing" a show usually entails getting to the box office when they open on the day you would like to see the show. Depending upon the popularity of the show, you might have to get there early and wait in line. I have found the best time to rush a show is in the winter when no one is willing to wait outside, just as long as you are willing to get a little cold. Some shows that are extremely popular use a lottery system to give away tickets, either 2 or 3 hours before the show. My go to sites for gauging rush lines are BroadwayForBrokePeople which explains the rush or lottery policies for each show and BroadwaySpotted's Rush Report lets you know the average amount of people in line and what time they got there. Most of the productions at Lincoln Center such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New York Philharmonic, or the Metropolitan Opera have rush options which can be found on their websites. Every Friday the NY Philharmonic gives away free tickets!
*Be sure to double check the rush and lottery policies on the theater's official website.