Weekend Update

Beautiful decor in Ed's Chowder House

Caroline McCue

This weekend I made time to meet my grandparents in the city and meet them for lunch in Lincoln Center!  One of the best parts of Fordham is its proximity to Manhattan!  I hadn't seen my grandparents since Easter, so it was awesome to reunite with them!  We went to a great restaurant about 5 minutes away from the Lincoln Center campus called Ed's Chowder House.  It is on top of the Empire Hotel and is absolutely gorgeous!  Here, I had their signature clam chowder and a side Caesar salad.  Seafood always reminds me of my home of Massachusetts, so it was awesome to be able to catch up with them and have a taste of home at the same time.

A lovely night spent in Bryant Park

Allison Misciagno-Bergin

This weekend, it was my friend's birthday and we all went into the city for sushi. It was a nice break from the hectic pace of classes and internships before midterms began. We ended up getting some Ben and Jerry's and sitting in Bryant Park talking for a few hours. It was truly a beautiful sight with amazing friends. It's crazy to that that this park is only 20 minutes away by train from the comfort of my dorm room.

Looking forward to our production of Spamalot

Cerisse Gabion

This weekend was a theatrical one for me. I was recently cast in the ensemble for The Mimes and Mummer's production of Spamalot and we just had our first rehearsal and read-through on Saturday. It was an absolutely hilarious and fun-filled time and I am looking forward to working with my talented cast-mates to put on a great show in November! After that, I attended a Verbal Essences show, one of Fordham Experimental Theatre's umbrella clubs that focuses on Spoken Word performances. To have been in such an intimate environment like the Blackbox Theatre in Collins Hall and being able to listen to some of my peers pour out their emotions in beautiful poetry was a great way to end my Saturday.

Shannon Donovan

Great food, great location

This weekend I went home to spend Columbus Day with my family.  We went out to breakfast at the Irish Coffee Shop on McLean Avenue in Yonkers.  It was great to catch up with them and enjoy a delicious meal.  Just 10 minutes away from Fordham, this is one of the endless food options to explore here!

Caroline Dunn

Enjoyed a great meal and even better company at Dig Inn

I took advantage of Monday’s holiday and went home to Philadelphia for the weekend. I returned to NYC Monday afternoon just in time to meet up with my sister for lunch. She lives on the Upper East Side but works in finance about five blocks away from Grand Central. We tried a new restaurant called, Dig Inn Seasonal Market. Dig Inn is designed in a similar layout to Chipotle in which customers choose the individual components of their meal. The restaurant offers farmer-to-table options that are locally grown and serviced in house. Customers have the option of choosing which proteins they would like served on either a green, like arugula, or a grain, like brown rice. Meals also include a choice or two or three hot or cold sides. Dig Inn’s sides change seasonally, featuring spaghetti squash and pumpkin quinoa for the fall. With most meals costing just $10, Dig Inn is a quick, affordable and healthy spot to grab lunch while in the Grand Central area or near their eight other Manhattan locations.

Summer at Fordham

The start of the fall semester is always exciting, since it means returning to campus, seeing your new room, and beginning your new classes.  This year, for me, the start of the fall semester is a little bit different, since I spent the summer living at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus and didn't have the "typical" return process.  I spent my days working at WFUV, but I was able to use all my free time enjoying New York City and all its offerings, from nearby Arthur Avenue to taking the D train to Brooklyn for pizza adventures.

I had to decorate & make my summer housing feel like home!

Living in Martyrs' Court Goupil, I was steps away from Fordham's MetroNorth Railroad stop.  This meant that I could easily take advantage of all the city had to offer in my free time (with only a twenty minute train ride to midtown!).  

I was thrilled to be able to take advantage of the city's offerings, from exploring Central Park on photography adventures to enjoying outdoor movies in Bryant Park.

Picnicking in Bryant Park for a showing of Saturday Night Fever

Neutral Milk Hotel at Prospect Park Bandshell

One of my favorite parts of having access to NYC over the summer was my ability to embrace the city's musical culture.  From attending the New York Philharmonic's performance of Beethoven's piano concertos (with $18 student tickets!) in famed Avery Fisher Hall to seeing contemporary bands at small venues such as Bowery Ballroom and large venues like Barclays Center, there was always an opportunity for a unique musical experience.

Spending my summer at Fordham was truly a great experience, for I was able to be productive in my work as well as make use of and enjoy my free time in the city!  It made me even more excited for the return of my fellow students and another great semester with New York as my campus!

New York is my campus, Fordham is my school!

December Preview

December at Fordham can be short and quick – with just a week left of classes, two reading days, and then finals.  But that doesn’t mean that Fordham shuts down for the month.  Not only is the campus beautifully decorated for the season, but also in between studying, writing papers, and packing for the long winter break, students still take time to enjoy themselves with fun campus activities. Every year, the Campus Activity Board (CAB), the club responsible for planning fun events for students on campus, has a Holiday Week. Every day of the week there is another CAB-sponsored activity to get everyone into the holiday spirit.  Some events include a Cultural Affairs Christmas Ticket Raffle, in which students can win $20 tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular or for The Nutcracker, a Holiday Fair, a viewing of the holiday-classic Elf, gingerbread house making, and a trip to go ice skating at Bryant Park.

Another annual tradition is the Peer Educators’ Holiday Scavenger Hunt.  This is a fun event where you and a team of friends are given a list of tasks and clues (related to the holidays) that you must complete or find in the Lincoln Center area.  Prizes are awarded and hot chocolate is given out! A Senior Night is also scheduled for this month.  Senior Nights are themed dance parties, only open to seniors at the Rose Hill campus.  This month, the theme is Santa’s Workshop (I’ll be dressing as an elf!)

This month is also an exciting month for sports at Fordham.  After winning our first ever NCAA FCS home playoff game versus Sacred Heart University 37-27, Fordham’s record-breaking football team travels to Towson University in Maryland next Saturday for the next round of the playoffs.  On the same day, our men’s basketball team plays St. John’s University during the 2013 MSG Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Of course, many more activities will be going on at Fordham this month, but these are a few of the things I’m looking forward to this December!

Christmas Season at Bryant Park!!

Last weekend I went to Bryant Park with a couple of friends to go ice skating and get into the holiday spirit!  From Fordham Rose Hill it’s a simple Metro North straight to Grand Central and then a five-minute walk to the park (assuming you go the right way). We were all so caught up in our excitement that we just starting walking in a random direction. But we soon got back on track after a minor detour through the equally spirited shops on Fifth Ave.

It seems that everywhere you look in the city this time of year is decked to the halls with Christmas decorations. But one of my favorite places for Christmas is Bryant Park. If you do ever go to Bryant, you’ll understand right away. Because as you take one step into Bryant Park, you feel as if you rode a reindeer straight to the Winter Wonderland of the North Pole!  Before we went ice skating, we walked around the shops and saw all of the interesting items for sale. They ranged from everything between herbal teas to necklaces and “Man Cave” signs (which I was seriously considering buying for my dorm.) Along with the stores, there are also food huts. At these, you can get your chocolate fill with a Chocolate Syringe from Max Brenner’s or warm up with some delicious homemade chili.  My personal favorite is the Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili! 

Bryant Park ice rink

Now onto ice skating... this was the first time I had been ice-skating since last year, so I definitely needed to blow the dust of my skates, to say the least.  When I was stepped onto the slippery surface, I could feel my legs shaking in fright at the thought of hitting the ice face first; however, throughout our hour of skating I managed to stay on two skates the whole time! At one point I came dangerously close to falling and grabbed onto a stranger who completely understood where I was coming from. We became instantly bonded in the fight to stay alive! The second time I almost fell, I was attempting to help a kid back onto his feet.  The ice had just been zambonied, so it was even slippery than normal ice. We had just stepped back onto the ice when he wiped out right in front of me. I somehow managed to stop in time and not cut through him with my skates (that would've definitely put a damper on the night.) As I tried to pull him up, I joined him with my butt on the ice and skates in the air.  Now I was determined to help him up, but try as I might we both kept slipping. Luckily, one of  my friends was next to me and helped put him back on his feet. The kid thanked us and went right back to skating around the wonderful rink, falling every couple of circuits.   
   

Trying to take a picture on the ice 

After skating, we decided to look around the shops again before heading back up to Fordham. Now, it was dark and so cold that we could see our breath.  It all just added even more to magic of the Park! At this point I really felt the Christmas spirit and couldn't wait for the holiday season to really take off. As I looked around, it seemed that everyone was feeling the same way. I guess Christmas in NYC can take the biggest Bah Humbugs and turn them into jolly Christmas Elves!  However, as we left, I noticed one thing the park was missing... singing! Cause according to the philosophy of Buddy the Elf: “the best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear!!” 29 days until Christmas!! 

All of us right before stepping onto the ice