[rules of the road say don't look back]

Writing this really quickly before I head off to class.
I'm really excited for the weekend, especially since my weekend technically starts at 12:15 today! No Friday classes is going to be the best decision I ever made, considering I always hated waking up for recitation on Fridays last semester.
However, I cannot wait until I can fully take advantage of the city when it gets warmer outside. We have so many springtime plans that it almost kills me having to wait to accomplish all of them. Right now our lives consist of going on walks and hanging around the dorm. Tuesday Brynn and I walked six miles which I considered an accomplishment after six weeks of no walks at all!
I absolutely love my classes this semester. Of course the material is not what I would have chosen to study, but my professors make it all pretty interesting. I am obsessed with my psychology class, but that is to be expected.
Anyway, have to go finish getting ready for my 9:30!
I'm trying to post more, I promise.
--cassie

[just another day]

Well, I'm finally back in Manhattan. The last two weeks or so at home were rough. I love my friends and family, but suburbia is definitely not New York City.
The past few days have been a rush of quickly readjusting to city life (by almost getting hit by cars/taxis multiple times) and preparing for the start of the new semester. I'm really excited for my classes this semester. The material interests me more and so far I really enjoy all of my professors. Plus I'm taking a psychology class which has me super excited!
The weather has been terrible for the past few days. Freezing temperatures paired with snow and sleet yesterday have had me practically barricaded inside of my dorm because I am the biggest baby when it comes to the cold. Luckily today is a sunny 45 degrees so Brynn and I have plans to go on a walk later when she gets back from class!
But now I have to get started on some reading for class tomorrow. Work waits for no one!
--cassie

[do you hear the people sing?]

Well, after only a week and a half of being home I already am ready to go back to the city. What am I going to do over the summer?
I love being home. I love seeing my family and catching up with my friends. However, I was not prepared for how much I would miss the city. I miss being able to walk wherever I want. I miss the freedom that comes with city living. No worrying about gas money or having a car available. Places always open and people out and about. If I want pizza at 2 am, its only a block away. If I want coffee at eleven pm, I can go downstairs and Starbucks is open.
If I want to see my friends, I walk down the hall.
25 days. 25 long days.

On another note, I saw Les Mis last night. If you haven't seen it, go go go. Like get up right now and drive to the theater. So good. Melissa and I both walked out of the theater in tears.

there's a certain stillness associated with New York in the morning. before the tourists flood the streets. before the real day begins and the streets are filled at near maximum capacity. before all of the sounds blur together. instead, you hear everything with perfect clarity. the construction, buses sighing with relief as they deposit passengers on the sidewalk corner. horns honking as the streets fill with taxis.
to celebrate the end of the semester, brynn and i walked to trump tower this morning for starbucks and breakfast at tiffany's.

this is what i will miss about new york for the five weeks I am torn away from it. the stillness is a sea of chaos. the calm before the storm.
oh, what am I saying? I will miss everything about this place.

except times square. times square is literally hell on earth.

well, here's to a great first semester, NYU.

In the wake of all this destruction, I'm proud to live in New York. Although I haven't been here long, I already consider myself a New Yorker. These streets seem more like home than my little suburban town ever did.
The traditional New Yorker stereotype is of a cold and uncaring population, but in the past few days the city has united. People are offering their homes to their neighbors, companies are giving away food on the street, and people are letting strangers use their power to charge their phones.

[its time to get serious]

Being able to leave my room and find a hot meal within five minutes.
Plugging my phone into the wall outlet and coming back an hour later to a fully charged phone.
My entire family only just a phone call away.
I've taken these things, and so much more, for granted before and after coming to NYU. I am one of the lucky ones who still has power in a completely dark lower Manhattan.
This hurricane completely decimated lower Manhattan. Days after the last rains hit, you still have to walk up to around 30th st to find anywhere with power, including a place to get a hot coffee or lunch. Subway stations below 34th st are still not running due to flooding and lack of power. Two out of twenty or so residence halls at NYU have power, my dorm being one of the lucky ones. We're sheltering people from other dorms because they've been evacuated. People are staying on the floor of the Kimmel center because that's the only place for them to go.
And still, we're the lucky ones. We're alive. We're privileged enough to go to a university that still feeds and houses us. Others in lower Manhattan are without hot food and running water. The entire Jersey shore has been practically wiped away. A hundred homes in Queens burned to the ground.
It's times like this when I'm proud to go to NYU because everyone has banded together to take care of the rest of our NYU family.
I just can't wait until this is all over.

[what you want]

I think its hard to understand the city that never sleeps until you walk around it at 5:30 in the morning.
Last night, someone mentioned watching the sunrise from the Brooklyn Bridge. We agreed that it seemed like a worthy venture, so I was woken up bright and early by Megan standing at the foot of my bed. However, we were so sleep deprived that we ended up at the wrong subway station, but good ol' new york has connections available everywhere so we just took the train up to 14th st and took a connection to the right train.
This morning pretty much affirmed every single reason why I decided to come to New York. From our point at the bridge we could see the statue of liberty, downtown, the empire state building, the chrysler building, you name it. At one point, I turned around to see Midtown and I realized that I live here. This amazing city is my home.
Even at 6 o'clock, the city was alive with the sounds of people. Runners going to Brooklyn and back, people just getting in for the night. And there we were, four people in a sea of thousands.
Now back to bed.

ps.
I'm sorry for not blogging about my adventures! This month was absolutely crazy with midterms, going home, and just general mayhem. I'll try to blog more this month!