Hudson, New York...a little slice of heaven.

This last weekend I took my first trip upstate New York to a quaint little town called Hudson.  My dear friend Jackson flew in from San Francisco to visit his family and invited Gidget and I along for the trip.  We met at Grand Central station to hop on board the Metro North.  Gidget had to go in a carry on crate.  She hated it, but she managed.  We took a 90 minute train ride along the Hudson River and saw some of the most beautiful scenery.  Jackson's brother, Henry, picked us up in Poughkeepsie, and then we drove about another 45 minutes to Hudson.

Jackson's dad is running for the mayor of Hudson, so we had a lot of social events to attend and met a lot of people in support of him.  Saturday night we cruised downtown (all 8 blocks of it) in Mr. Haddad's old station wagon to an art show at Jackson's mother's gallery.  There is a huge art community in Hudson and therefore brings an eclectic group of people to the little town.  From there we went to a restaurant called Club Helsinki to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings perform.  The show and the cocktails were amazing, the food...not so much.  We danced and drank our little hearts out!  From there we decided to continue cocktailing and campaign a little a couple of blocks down to a bar called The Red Dot.  I drank way too many vodka sodas, standard, so decided it was time to call it a night. 

Sunday, I dragged Jackson shopping downtown with me and hit every vintage, antique and jewelry store we passed.  I scored an amazing fur vest at Hudson Vintage for $75.  A great find!  We also confirmed Nick Hudson's votes at every stop.  We ate a lot of food and I drank a lot of coffee.  Earth Foods had amazing salads, Baba Louie's had great thin crust gourmet pizza, Swallow served local Stumptown coffee and Loaf had delicious fresh baked goods, La Perche was a quaint patisserie and boulangerie and then we made a final stop into Olde Hudson market to get salami, cheese and figs for appetizers that evening.  Shopping and eating can be so exhausting, but I could definitely get used to the way of life in Hudson.

Gidget probably enjoyed herself more than anybody else.  She ran through the fallen leaves and endlessly across the huge lawn.  She had her own little bed in front of a fire place and curled up there a lot.  There were also two birds in a cage in the entry hall that she just sat and stared at.  She was so intrigued and wanted to play with them so bad.  I feel so guilty now that we are back in the city!

I cannot get over the image of the town.  It was as if we were in a scene out of a movie.  Jackson’s parents renovated a church originally built in the early 1800's and turned it into their home.  Words and pictures cannot begin to describe how beautiful it is.  It is four stories and has artwork on every inch of the walls.  There was so much history behind the architecture I couldn’t help but to think everything that had gone on there over the years; simply fascinating.

Monday came too soon, along with class, Ann Taylor and reality!  I can’t wait to return to Hudson and live like royalty again…Gidget too!

P.S.-Jackson told me the gallery opening was cocktail attire...let's just say I looked like city girl meets country girl.  Oh well, a day in the life of a City Vixen ;)

To view all of the photos,click on this link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=115567999092431077491&target=ALBUM&id=5672428525821822593&authkey=Gv1sRgCO_D5bDPmPfyogE&feat=email

 

Officially an Uptown Girl

It's official, I am an Uptown Girl....but Downtown at heart.  It has been a little over a week at my new apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Not going to lie, there was minute there where I thought I was going to have to move home because it was so difficult to find a place to live.  Other than the residential locale, I ended up in an amazing place.  I have a roommate, Brooke.  She is from Florida, my exact age and has a finicky miniature Dachschund named Pewter.  Gidget and her are loving living together!  My rent is also super cheap for New York standards.  Typically, living uptown would cost more money, but not here in New York; downtown is where the action is at, so that is where people want to live.  What the Upper East Side lacks in cool bars and restaurants, they gain with Central Park, space and affordability.  Not to mention the four B's...Bloomigdales, Bergdorfs, Barneys and Bendels!  Tragic, I know.

I also start my internship at Ann Inc. this week.  Ann Inc. includess Ann Taylor and The Loft.  It isn't quite John Varvatos or Alexander Wang, but it is a position in Visual Merchandising which is the direction I want to head.  A Visual Merchandising team creates any visual marketing concept you would see as a consumer.  The lighting, wall decor, mannequins, etc. are all decided upon by the Visual Merchandising team.  I think it will be awesome to put my creative eye and visual mind to work!  I am super excited to start...the corporate office is in the Time Square Tower.  Kind of crazy to go to Times Square to work!  All internships through Parsons are UNPAID, however they look amazing on your resume, are a great way to network for future positions and I get two units for school, so it is all good.

Since the interview process has began, I have been inside the corporate offices of companies I have only dreamed of.  I would say the most exciting has been Christian Dior which is a part of the LVMH group.  LVMH is a huge conglomerate that owns companies including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.  The position was for Boutique Management, so it wasn't really something I wanted to do, but the opportunity was awesome.  In addition to Michael Kors, John Varvatos and Vince for which I interviewed with previously, I have met with Rebecca Taylor and worked Market Week for Alexander Wang.

Alexander Wang was the coolest thing thus far.  The showroom is beautiful and located in China Town.  The walls are all painted white and has really high ceilings.  New York is all about "pre-war" buildings like it is some sort of social status...this building was pre-war, but not sure why that really matters?  Anyway, the decor was very simple and modern.  Alex's favorite candle burned not only in the bathroom, but on at least ten tables in the showroom.  We later did some research and found out that each candle is $75.  No big deal when your Alex.  Alex is only 27 years old, went to Drew School in San Francisco and is also an alumni of Parsons.  I saw him walking through the showroom a couple of times; pretty surreal.  Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be experiencing these things.  I assisted the sales representatives in their meetings with buyers on the showroom floor.  Buyers consisted of big name companies such as Nordstrom, Bloomies and Gilt Groupe, but also in smaller boutiques from all over the world.  The interns received $100 a day to Alexander Wang's sample sale, so it was totally worth it.  We also got lunch everyday, but in the Fashion Industry that doesn't say much.  Let's just say I was starving per usual.  Working with one of the most popular designers today was an opportunity of a lifetime for sure.   

New York continues to be crazy and challenging everyday.  Although I often try to remember why I am here and all the amazing opportunities that have come my way solely because I am a student at Parsons.  I absolutely love it, but know that my heart is in California!  xxx jena

PS-No, I haven't fallen in love yet.  Not even trying.  So you can all stop asking ;)

And the Beat Goes On...

It has been nearly a month here in Manhattan, and I feel like it has been a year!  Time flies and every minute, of every hour, of every day is completely exhausted.  I have not once gone to bed before midnight and I wake up super early to take Gidget out for a morning walk.  The city truly never sleeps...an neither do I!

Classes at Parsons have been amazing, and I am so happy with my decision.  I am currently taking two Fashion Marketing classes, Fashion Merchandising, Textiles, Color Theory and Fashion Design.  I go to class for six hours, three days a week.  It is pretty manageable.  There is a lot of reading and projects, so I am super busy.  All the while STILL looking for an apartment and trying to find a job.

Since I have been here, I have gone on two cocktailing interviews in The Meatpacking District.  Neither of which I was hired for.  Astonishing in my opinion.  Clearly I am qualified, but I get the feeling that New Yorkers do not love Californians?  It's really weird.  In one interview they asked me what bottle service consisted of in San Francisco?  As if I was from another country?  In the other, they asked me what my knowledge of champagne is?  It's bottle service.  Pretty sure the customer isn't going to test me on my champagne knowledge?  Anyway, guess I am over that idea! 

I also found out that I am qualified as a licensed Esthetician in the state of New York because I have been licensed for over five years.  All I have to do is fill out a form and send in $50, and I am New York licensed Esthetician.  Super stoked except for the fact that there isn't a single Esthetician job hiring.  So it hasn't really done me any good.

On a happier note, I attended Parsons Internship fair last week and walked out with three interviews lined up.  One, I just had, and was for production with John Varvatos.  I think it went really well.  Then on Monday I have one for a an assistant to the President at Michael Kors and the other is a showroom sales position with a company called Kellwood.  They own lines such as Vince & Rebecca Taylor.  I also met with Gilt Group for a styling internship.  Hopefully these are more promising than cocktailing,

In the meantime, some of you may or may not have seen my pictures from Fashion's Night Out.  FNO is like Mardi Gras for the Fashion Industry.  Essentially, every major labels (and even not so major) open their doors to the public and have one huge party with free cocktails, dj's, food and entertainment.  When FNO started, it was to promote shopping and introduce new lines to customers.  Now, I think people just go for the free cocktails!

A classmate, and now friend of mine, talked me into skipping class and going to FNO.  Best decision I have made since I have been here!!  We stumbled into one boutique in SoHo because they were offering champagne cocktails.  Before we knew it, Nicky Hilton was standing in front of us promoting her new jewelry line!! 


After that, we went to Mulberry's new Flagship store.  It is amazing.  They were serving mojitos and cookies...I had two of each.  Oops!  Another classmate of our was working at Alexander Wang wear we went and watched a talent contest.  It was lame, and they had bottled water and coconut water.  My guess is that Alexander is a recovering alcoholic?  I did see him and three models however. 

From there we must have gone to at least a dozen other parties.  I held a snake outside of ASH shoe store and sipped more bubbly and went in the photo booth at Ugg.  FNO was huge success in my book and I have the pictures to prove it!

What a Crazy Week

I have officially been here for ten days and it has been crazy!  Apartment searching, an earthquake and then Hurricane Irene....what a welcoming.

Apartment searching in New York is something I would never wish upon my worst enemy...it is awful!!  I feel like I am on the amazing race.  Meeting with brokers and being pressured to apply that very instant, otherwise being told that the apartment will be gone by the next day.  Getting on the subway to go uptown and then downtown and every direction in between.  It is literally a full-time job.  I am exhausted!

In addition to chasing down apartments, New York has this crazy thing called a broker's fee.  The broker gets paid anywhere from 10 to 15% of the YEARLY rent and all they do is open a door for you.  I find the apartment I want to see on Craigslist, set up a meeting and then pay them thousands of dollars.  Makes sense right?  On top of the broker's fee, it is standard to pay first months rent up front in addition to a security deposit (equal to one month's rent).  And don't forget the non-refundable $100 application fee.

Decent apartments downtown New York are starting at $1800 for a studio and $2900 for a 2 bedroom.  One bedrooms fall somewhere in between, but are just not in the budget for me.  In order to be approved for any apartment, you have to prove that you make 80 times the monthly rent.  So for a studio at $1800, I would have to prove that I make $144,000 a year...sounds about right.  Such a joke!  Since I am a student, I need a "guarantor."  Pretty much what we call a co-signer in California.  The guarantor basically takes on the financial responsibility of the tenant if they can not make the payments.  Some building won't even accept guarantors.  Bottom line is don't move to New York unless you are filthy rich, which I am clearly NOT!

My best friend Lauren had some work to do in New York, so I was stoked when she said she was coming.  She willingly went all over Manhattan with me on this crazy search while we occasionally dropped into some stores along the way.  There is nothing worse for a fashionista such as myself than going into stores and not being able to buy anything.  Pretty much my worst nightmare!

We did however get to experience a NY earthquake...well kind of.  We were on the subway and when we came out everyone was crowded in the streets.  I thought there was some festival going on.  Silly me, there was an earthquake!  People were frantic, all the while Lauren and I were laughing.  Earthquakes happen while we are sleeping in California and we don't even think twice about it.  Evacuation of buildings just seemed so unnecessary.  We had a great time together none the less, and I was sad when she left.

Then Hurricane Irene decided to hit!  I was kind of excited for some action, but I guess I was expected to be scared?  I am staying in SoHo, which was categorized as Zone C, further inland than Zones A &B.  We did no have to evacuate.  Everything in New York completely shut down, including the subways.  Stores boarded their front windows an everyone was told to stay inside.  After two days of that I felt like I was going to go crazy.  SO boring!  Nothing happened none the less...kind of like when they told us we were going to be attacked by killer bees, die from swine flu or come into contact with SARS.  I never bought into any of these by the way.  Total hype!

Tomorrow I start my first day of school.  What am I going to wear?  People are very disheveled looking here.  It's like they rolled out of bed and put on the first thing they found in the dark.  No make-up and their hair is definitely not done.  This will take some getting used to.  I like a very put together look...we know this!  Stylish outfit, hair blown-out and a full face of make-up is pretty standard.  I am going to try very hard to stay true to my San Francisco self.  Stay tuned!

xxx City Vixen   

We Made It

Gidget and I finally made it to our long awaited destination of The Big Apple! I spent one last weekend at the Russian River...loving every minute, but of course crying the whole drive out back to the city. Next summer can not come soon enough...and if all goes as planned, I will be back for the 4th!

We took the red eye out last night. Gidget was supposed to be underneath the seat in front of me in a airline regulated carrier, unfortunately, she had other plans for herself. She was not going in that thing! I was practically shoving her in, but she just wouldn't budge! Thankfully, I had brought an extra blanket, so I just covered her up and let her sleep underneath my feet. I dozed off at one point and she managed to get away and into the aisle...I started to sweat! It was awful...

The man sitting next to me on the flight, 1: smelled 2: was overweight and clearly in my space and 3: was snoring. He, did, however manage to tell me that Gidget was ruining his night's sleep. I wanted to tell him that I did not board the plane to ensure that he had a good night sleep. I didn't...but I wanted to. He also added that if my dog didn't go into her carrier, I was going to be in "big trouble." At that point I did turn to him and say, "what are they going to do? Kick me off the flight?" We were thousands of feet up in the air at that point! So lame.

Regardless, we made it in one piece. School does not start until August 29th, so I will be spending the next week and a half finding a place to live and a job. I will also be convincing Gidget that it is ok to relieve herself on the asphalt. We aren't in Kansas anymore!!

xxx, yours truly
City Vixen

It's Official!

It's official...I am registered for classes at Parson's and I have purchased a one way ticket to NYC!!  To answer some of your questions....classes begin August 29th.  I was fortunate enough to have 31 units transferred from my bachelor's at Cal Poly, therefore the program will only take me a year and a half to complete as opposed to two years.  It will also save me about $40,000, so I am pretty stoked about that!  I will also only have to take 12 units a semester leaving me plenty of time to work and rage.  I will be going to school Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays....so please come visit me for a long weekend!

Gidget and I will be taking the red eye into JFK on August 17th.  She will be in a crate underneath the seat in front of me doped up on Benadryl...I will be doped up on Zanax.  We will be staying with my friends in SoHo until we find a spot of our own.  In order to avoid crazy broker fees and a hefty deposit I will be looking for a sublease.  New York seems to be way more dog friendly, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a place...and with a face like Gidget's, who could resist?  Yes, Gidget will be lonely without her cousin Bling, but I would be far lonelier without her...she's going, don't try and talk me out of it.

For those of you that are Salon Bruno clients, my last day of waxing will be August 1st, so contact me ASAP if you need to get an appointment.  I will NOT continue my Esthetician career in NYC as it is a state certification and do not want to center my energy on that.  Fashion and of course meeting as many eligible bachelors as possible will be my main focus. 

I hope to see as many of you as I can before I leave...I do not plan on coming home for the holidays or summer.  It will be my first summer in 30 years not spent at the river, so please come and visit me!  I will be so homesick!!  xxx jena

I Am Going to Parson's!

On a recent trip to Manhattan, my friend Julie randomly enrolled me in an informational seminar for Parsons School of Design's Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program.  I had already begun the application process for the same program at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise (FIDM) in San Francisco and had never even thought of Parsons until that day.  After the seminar, I was intrigued and thought about it for the rest of my trip.  Fashion school had always been a dream of mine, right next to Beauty school and living in New York was an even bigger dream.  Both of which I never thought would become a reality!!!


I was accepted to FIDM in addition to Parsons, but I just never felt excited when I thought about going there.  My life would remain the same as it is now...living at home and working part time as a receptionist and hostess; pretty boring.  Oppurtunities in New York seem endless and somewhat surreal.  Not to mention that the academic counselor at FIDM called me every single day since I even showed any interest in their school...I haven't heard from Parsons once! 

The AAS program was created for people that already have a Bachelors degree in ANY field and are looking to change careers and gain industry knowledge and experience.  It is a year and a half program, but they allow you to take up to 8 years to finish...I am shooting for 2!  I can not go onto get another Bachelor degree from this program, thus ruling out a Masters  as well.  I will NOT be designing, my concentration is in Fashion Marketing.  Jobs within Fashion Marketing include trend forecasting, wardrobe styling, buying, etc.  Focuses more on the business aspect of Fashion.


I am extremely excited about this new chapter of my life and have had some requests for a blog to keep everyone up to date with my crazy stories that you all know and love.  I hope you follow, I promise it will be entertaining!  xxx jena