Student Blog: A Weekend in NYC

Each year, my three best friends, our moms, and I find some excuse to get to NYC for a short weekend.  This year, Lauren graduated from college so obviously that means a trip to the most amazing city.  Here are some highlights and recommendations from this past trip!

I preface this article with the disclaimer that this is not a moment for me to brag.  New York City is essentially the dreamland for every city and I take every opportunity to hear about other people's experiences as much as possible!  I figure there may be others who love NYC and Broadway as much as I do that this would be another fun story to hear.  However, I recognize how special these trips are!

The first day included our flights and checking into our hotel.  We then conquered Rockefeller Center, hitting our favorite shops and, of course, Magnolia Bakery.  It's such a touristy spot, but honestly, it is so worth it.  We tried the strawberry pudding but I still thought the banana was the superior one.  We thought that would be the highlight of the day until we were surprised with tickets to see Ben Platt at his residency at the Palace Theatre!  He walked us through crucial moments in his life, inserting his songs where they were relevant.   He even brought out Kelli O'Hara as his special guest!  We finished the night wandering through Times Square, taking in the chaos of the city at night.

The next day we walked around SOHO and we popped into some fun boutiques and discovered our new favorite artist: Ashley Longshore.  To preface, her work can be a little raunchy, but it is so fun and unique too!  Highly recommend finding her gallery if you are in that area!  That evening, we saw The Outsiders, the new musical based on the book and movie with the same name.  All of the cast members even came out at the end and signed everyone's Playbill, including all of the children from the theatre camp that was there that night!

The final day started with a trip to the LaDuca store (every dancer's holy land).  My sister, Elise, and I had been wanting new character shoes for a while and since we are both in a show this summer, we felt it justified.  I ended up getting the Alexis 2.5" in beige (in case you want a rec) and I am obsessed (I dedicate at least 5 minutes a day to breaking them in).  We then walked over to Liberty Bagels, a necessary stop for our group.  I am sure you have seen it on social media, but they are the home of the rainbow bagel and are just generally a grand stop for all things bagels.  Highly recommend going for the rainbow or liberty bagel if you want something crazy.  After our bagels, we attended a matinee of &Juliet.  The special part was one of the cast members had recently graduated from USC and we share a lot of mutual friends, so it was wonderful to finally meet her!  Our little group then traveled down Fifth Avenue and ended the night with dinner.

I am so grateful to have had the experience to create so many new memories with my best friends and to immerse myself in the world of Broadway.  It was a wonderful reminder of what I am working for one day and that theatre is still so highly celebrated!