On Broadway

Two weeks ago, I was laid off from my job at Weill Cornell Medical College. Not only was it the most unsettling and most insecure set of emotions I've ever had to deal with as an adult, but also it was totally humiliating. I felt like a failure. I had just come to enjoy my job at WCMC. I had just settled in and now I was let go. In my 8 months there, I thought that I had accomplished a lot. I felt unappreciated even though I know my being let go had nothing to do with my job performance. I was totally devastated.



I wasted no time getting into the job hunt. Applying to 5-10 jobs everyday is extremely time consuming, sometimes discouraging, but definitely necessary. Luckily, that only lasted for a week and a half.



2 days after being laid off, I interviewed at Roundabout Theatre Company. The following week I was called in for round 2 and a few hours later I was offered the job! Last Thursday I started as an Individual Giving Officer at Roundabout Theatre Company. I'm back in the arts, working for an organization that produces fabulous Broadway shows, and I couldn't be happier! I spent my first day touring Roundabout theaters, being warmly welcomed by my new coworkers, and learning the ropes. Although I had to take a bit of a salary cut, I'd rather be a struggling New Yorker in the arts enjoying my job and life, than being back in corporate hell plugging away at a job that provided me with no personal fulfillment and threw me out like yesterday's trash. It will be a change of pace with a 10-6 schedule and a dress code that only specifies "no shorts." It's always scary trying to make it in New York. But in a city full of big dreams, who wouldn't want to be where the neon lights are always bright and magic is always in the air...On Broadway.

Big Fun in the Smallest States

Memorial Day weekend, Alex and I headed to Rhode Island with his best friend Josh and Josh's wife Kate. We took the 3 hour car ride up to Brown. After running around campus for a bit, we finally settled in our dorm room (just 1 room away from where Alex had lived 9 years ago!). We quickly got freshened up, and headed to campus dance. The entire green was transformed into a Great Gatsby themed party - complete with a hoppin' band, spiffy lighting, and crowds of guests. At a crazy hour of the morning, the only sober person in the group drove us to a house party at a very sweet alum's home. We enjoyed delicious appetizers and gossip from Alex's college years. The next day we got an early start. Alex gave me a tour of the campus before we headed to Field Day where we met the rest those there for their 5 year reunion. We spent the day outside enjoying the weather, eating hot dogs and ice cream, and mingling with Alex's classmates. We finished up the day at the top of the library looking at the view from the highest point in Providence. That evening we ate a quick dinner and went to a dance held at a dining hall on campus. We finished up the night at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house (Alex's frat). Sunday was our final day of festivities. We went to the Brown graduation which is quite the event - full of tradition and just so much school pride. It was wonderful. We had a traffic free drive back to NYC. It was such a lovely weekend and a great glimpse into what Alex's college experience was like.


The next weekend I drove down to Delaware with Chris, Lyle, and Emily in somewhat stormy weather for my 5 year reunion at the University of Delaware. Alex met us there after a ride on the Amtrak and (thank goodness) I was able to get a cab to pick him up and drive him over to the residence hall where we stayed. We met my college roommates at Klondike Kate's, a staple on Main Street. We shared the traditional nachos and beers and went to Grotto's for some beer and socializing. The next day I gave Alex and Emily a tour of the UD campus (trying hard to recall all the details from my days as a tour guide). It is so beautiful and brings back so many wonderful memories. We checked out Newark Day where all of the businesses on Main Street open up pop up tents on the street and grabbed a bite to eat. Then came Mug Night - the most fun party for UD alumni full of booze and great music and lots of mingling. The night ended at the Deer Park Tavern and with a lot of water. The next day we grabbed bagels and drove back to NYC. It was really great to give Alex a taste of what college had been like at UD.

It doesn't feel like 5 years have passed since college. But I realize that I drank a lot less, appreciated the campus a lot more, and am more grateful than ever for all of the wonderful memories of 4 amazing years that flew by way too fast. 5 years after college. I've come a long way.

(PS - How cute are the state flags for Rhode Island and Delaware?)

The South of France

After our last day of touring Paris we headed back to our adorable boutique hotel to freshen up, print out our tickets, and grab our bags. Then Alex and I took two night trains (which turned out to be a bit of a terror) to get from Paris to Nice and arrived looking less than rosy and feeling exhausted. But once we were there, and once Alex picked up our Mercedes rental car, we were in much better moods. Alex drove us to our hotel, Juana, in Juan les Pins, a beautiful beach town on the Cote d'Azur. We picked up sandwiches to enjoy on the boardwalk while we waited for our rooms to be prepared. It was so relaxing and so beautiful. And our sour moods changed to sweet ones after a short nap :)

We spent our first day/evening in Cannes walking along the marina, getting dinner at an adorable bistro, and sitting in the sun. I had my very first French crepe by the beach. When we got back to our hotel, the view from our balcony took my breath away.

The next day we spent in St. Jean cap Ferrat on a tour of the Rothschild mansion - the most beautiful home I have ever seen. It was one of many highlights of our vacation.

St. Jean cap Ferrat was stunning - full of beautiful villas with pockets of exclusive beaches. It took Alex and I a good amount of time to find a tiny staircase that lead to the water. But it was well worth it as the rocky beach leading to the water was a nice little break before our short trip to Eze.

Eze is a medieval village preserved on a cliff overlooking the water. Walt Disney spent a significant amount of time in Eze - and some believe it bears a close resemblance to the settings of some of his animated films. We took a walk through the exotic gardens at the top of the town and hiked up the narrow cobblestone streets checking out shops, homes, and navigating our way around this tiny village. Here's a view from the bottom at night:

After our short tour of Eze, we got dolled up for our evening. And Alex planned the most romantic evening of my life - a dinner at Chevre d'or's Gastronomie. It began with a walk around the gorgeous grounds. And was followed by a delectable aperitif on a terrace with a panoramic view of the mediterranean and a refreshing glass of white wine. We were then escorted into the dining room (which also has a panoramic view of the mediterranean) and enjoyed a scrumptous 11 course meal. I felt a bit like Arielle from The Little Mermaid (except I didn't trade my voice to a sea witch and I most certainly didn't comb my hair with the fork). I'd never had food as rich or delicious served to me so precisely. Each bite was better than the next. Our table always looked perfect and beautiful. We had our own little corner of the dining room with a perfect view of St. Jean cap Ferrat (we could even see the Rothschild mansion lit up when the sun set). It felt like a real life fairytale.

That Friday we took a drive up to St. Paul for a walk through a modern art museum/sculpture garden - it was very nice to be in the shade for a bit! The art there is playful - we rang gongs that read "Desire" and "Dream" and sat by a water sculpture made of tubes. Then we took a stroll through St. Paul du Vence another medieval town (slightly bigger than Eze). After stopping in Vence for a quick bite, we drove to Grasse where perfumes are made from the many fields of flowers that bloom in the area. It was such an incredible experience - turn a corner and you get a big whiff of lavender, turn again and you can smell jasmine, turn again and you can smell any number of combinations of glorious scents. We shared a twisty specialty pastry in complete with orange blossom perfume. We went to the Cathedral to check out this 10-11th century church and look at the paitings there by Rubens. We drove part of the route Napoleon took to escape imprisonment on the island of Elba on his way to the Alps. We attempted to go to Monaco for the evening but the entire country was shut down for a running race. So instead we took a (very short) drive through Monte Carlo and headed back to Juan les Pins for dinner at a cafe.

Our last day was spent enjoying the beach, heading to Nice, and taking the most scenic train ride of my life back to Paris. We enjoyed looking out into the countryside as we wizzed by town after town and the sun set at around 9:15. After a very short stay at the airport Novotel, we headed back to New York. I had the time of my life with Alex in France. It was magical, exciting, and so much fun. I love Paris and I love the French Riviera. But most of all I love Alex. As we landed in New York, I turned to Alex with my teary face and thanked him for taking me on the most romantic trip of my life. He smiled and told me not to be sad because this was the first of many adventures for us. It was the perfect ending to a fabulous vacation.