Is it Love?

Today was our first full day in New York! It still seems like a dream and I still can't keep track of what day it is. After a wonderful couple hours of sleeping on our extremely comfy beds, we woke up to have breakfast at a quaint cafe near our hotel. The Belgian waffles there were to die for; they just melted in your mouth! Once we ate breakfast, the real adventure began! The schedule was tight and we had to hurry, hurry to get everything done. 

Just staring off into the distance.

We took the stuffy, but otherwise nice, subway where Mrs. L informed us that we would be able to go to Times Square for a couple of hours in order to explore the area. Let me tell everyone who hasn't seen Times Square, it's really nice! Even in the day the streets and sidewalks were packed and the billboards had hilarious advertisements. We were able to walk around the area and there was a live Acapella performance. I had seen a glimpse of Times square but never had I been able to explore. The environment is just so captivating and it sucks a person in. It is also the perfect place to people watch, it might sound creepy but it's nice to watch all the people go about and do whatever.

Grand Central Station

Once there, the child in each of us came out when we saw the Hershey, M&M'S, and Toys R Us shops so of course we had to stop by. The Hershey store gave us free jolly ranchers, and any free food is always welcome! The M&M'S staff welcomed us all with applause and yelling, making us all feel like celebrities. I had my M&M'S color analyzed and turns out that I am aqua green. We quickly finished with all the stores because we had to make it to the station on time. 

Next we were off to Grand Central Station where we would take a train to Bronxville. Everything from the constellations on the ceiling of the station to the pillars took my breath. away.  The station was just like they showed in the movies so it felt really surreal. I couldn't fathom that we were actually at the Grand Central Station! Once we took in the beauty of the station we were able to take lunch break and we had delicious sandwiches from Central Market. All the food in New York is good whether it's from a a fancy steakhouse or a simple market at the train station.

Sarah Lawrence College

This day was full to the brim with fun activities to do but my favorite was actually attending the info session and the tour at Sarah Lawrence College.  It was only about a thirty minute train ride from Grand Central so we did not have to sit in the train for long.  Before I went to the session I honestly was not giving much importance to Sarah Lawrence.  I thought it would just be a small college in some little old town but boy was I wrong.  The info session peaked my interest but the tour was what really captivated me.  Our tour guide was so enthusiastic which made the whole thing better.  Throughout the entire thing, I realized that the college was not as uninteresting as I had thought. My entire view point shifted because I knew that I would be touring colleges and I would look at different types but this was real. I think that I might actually want to apply here once I look more into the programs they offer.  The campus is beautiful and there is plenty of housing all around the campus.  The buildings all have nice architecture and I think it would be a fun place to go to college to.  It is also close enough to the city for weekend visits which I think would be great. I fell in love with the campus!  This college visit has sparked an interest in me so I can not wait for the U Penn visit tomorrow!

Once back from Sarah Lawrence we had an hour to rest and get ready for our dinner with Yale Alums.  We sat and dined with all of the nice people at Del Frisco's. It's sort of a tradition now to talk about the food we ate so let's just start with that! We began with an appetizer of shrimp and crab cakes with wonderful sauce drizzled all over. For my main course I had pan roasted chicken with Provencal sauce with sides of spinach, cauliflower, macaroni and cheese, and mushrooms. All the main courses were dishes from those containing seafood to the steaks, but the dessert is always the best part! For dessert, we shared five dishes which were: lemon cake, banana bread pudding, cheesecake, chocolate souffle cake, and chocolate mousse. They were all rich and delicious, and everyone absolutely loved them.

But the night was more than just about food; it was about meeting with the Yale alums. We sat with the alums and I was so nervous! I didn't know what I would talk about or how they would interact with us.  However, they were all so nice and encouraged us to talk to them and tell them about our lives. For most of the dinner I sat next to Max, who graduated last year with a MS in Chemistry and who now works for Dow Chemicals.  He was very easy going and told me so much about Yale.  I learned about some of the traditions like the Naked Run before finals day and the Halloween Midnight Silent Movie. According to Max, Yale is  a place for "happy intellectuals" and that it's a place for everyone to expand. He gave great advice on how to get ready for my personal statement and how to make the right career choices as did the other alum next to me, Chad.  He is a lawyer and was able to talk to me about the unknown sites in New York City and cases that he found interesting.  There was also Tracey who I could not talk to for long, but she seemed so passionate about Yale and told everyone that we could contact her whenever we needed help.  Last but not least, I was able to interact with My Luu who was extremely personable and friendly to everyone.  She also told me that I could contact her to get the email of a friend who is a pediatrician, if that is the career that I want to pursue.  I think everyone was nice to talk to and I had a great evening! I thought Yale would be for the elite and people would think they are better than the rest, but that is so wrong.  These people do not do that at all, they make everyone feel equal which I love.  I am considering Yale as a prospective university now. Tomorrow we will go off to U Penn and explore!