AN INTERN IN NEW YORK - 4

One of the best things of living in a city like New York is that most of the times a simple walk turns out to be an exciting experience… 2 weeks ago for example I happened to be in Columbus Circle after dinner and I saw President Obama’s car surrounded by hundreds of policemen on motorbikes and trucks! So far I had seen those kind of things just on TV!! Again, a few days ago I went out because I craved pizza and I found myself by chance in front of the café where one of my favourite films – “You’ve got mail” - was shot!! I ended up eating a sandwich and a waffle at Café Lalo (201 West 83rd St.) but it was even better than the pizza I craved, as it was completely unforeseen.

I never get bored while walking in New York, not only because there are planes writing sentences in the sky, stunning sunsets, people dancing in parks or on piers, fashion shows (last week in fact began the fashion week) etc. Looking at people in the streets turns out to be an interesting pastime here... Sometimes I am shocked, sometimes amused or fascinated by the people who crowd New York City streets and by their activities. They are creative (maybe some of them are just crazy?!), they seem to follow their instinct, and for sure they are not afraid of what people might think about them. This is the reason why, in my opinion, the Big Apple is the place where everyone wants to be, the place where new trends are launched, where artists feel free to express and feed their genius and normal people feel free to just express themselves. There are no limitations here, at times this is positive, at times there are obviously downsides. To understand better what I am trying to say check out http://humansofnewyork.tumblr.com/.

Eventually my advice is: if you don’t feel like planning your day or your week, just go out for a walk and wait… something extraordinary, weird or unexpected will happen!!!

Elisa

AN INTERN IN NEW YORK - 3

In New York the more you do, the more you would do and the excitement of doing and seeing spots you have always heard about becomes “addicting”. As the time goes by you also begin feeling like visiting places that are a bit less famous but still worth a visit.

For example, last week I had dinner on the Highline, an old railroad turned into a fascinating park. I bought food at the Chelsea Market, which is right under the beginning of the High Line (14^th street – in the Meatpacking District) and then I had a relaxing walk among buildings and on New York City streets. On the Highline you get a really interesting perspective since you don’t see the skyline from the Hudson or on top of buildings, as new comers usually do (in fact as you may have read I did that 2 weeks ago), but you are right in the middle of the city. You can enjoy beautiful views in tranquility; you feel the city without being in the middle of the traffic and of the crowd, which was exactly what I needed. I recommend a visit (the NYLC organized one a couple of weeks ago) especially to those who are interested in architecture.

 

Thanks to the NYLC I found out that last Friday night there were fireworks in Coney Island, so I decided to go since I am mad about fireworks! It was a great activity because I had the chance to see a place which is not close to Manhattan (it takes an hour to get there by subway) and above all I saw the ocean for the very first time!! The atmosphere was enchanting: there was a full moon reflecting its white light on the ocean competing with the kaleidoscopic lights of the amusement park, that’s why the show actually began while waiting for the fireworks. I also had a hot dog at Nathan’s famous – I am not the hot dog kind of person but I have to admit that this one is really good and deserves its reputation. Amusement parks always put me in a good mood as they awaken the child in you. The Coney Island amusement park also gave me a sense of how Coney Island used to be at the beginning of the 20^th century, because of old attractions such as the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel.  It had been a great way to spend my Friday night!

Elisa

AN INTERN IN NEW YORK - 2

It’s Monday morning and I am a bit tired… not because last weekend I did crazy things, but because in New York the weekend lasts the whole week and it never ends. I have done so many things since I came here 3 weeks ago and I still have plenty of things to do!! In New York also on Mondays you can choose among hundreds of activities (for example last Monday NYLC invited students to see a free movie in Bryant Park) so, if you really want to make the most of your experience, you basically never rest!!

 As I told you in my previous post I went on the Copacabana Cruise last Thursday. I highly  recommend it!!! Even though I love dancing I don’t usually go to clubs and I was afraid that staying 3 hours on a ferry with loud music and people dancing would have been too much… On the contrary the rhythm was pounding and all the people on the boat had so much fun. The best thing is that from the cruise the view of New York is breathtaking!!!!! The cruise gives you the possibility to see Manhattan from the west to the east side, including of course Downtown and the Statue of Liberty. You leave at dusk - in my opinion the best  part of the day as New York becomes magical - and before you know the night has come, all the buildings are lit, and you are dancing under the Brooklyn Bridge while staring at the renowned New York City skyline.

I have to admit that the view of Manhattan on top of the Empire State Building was less exciting. The problem is that being one of the most celebrated symbols of the Big Apple, it is always crowded and you have to “fight” to be able to see the panorama. You just have to be patient… because once you make it you have the capital of the world at your feet!! The Empire State Building (which is one of the activities the NYLC always promotes) should definitely be on your must do list. In case you need to be reminded, on top of the Empire State Building you really sense you are in one of the most incredible places on earth!!!!

 

 

Elisa

News from NYLC Jackson Heights!

Would you like to improve your English writing?

Do you need to improve your writing skills to get into college?

Do you need to improve your writing in order to get a better job?

Do you need to improve your writing to write to your child’s school or teacher?

Do you need to write emails and messages to supervisors, co-workers, and clients?

Introducing NYLC’s new evening course:

Writing Essentials

Starts: August 27th, 2012

Schedule: Mon-Thurs 6-8pm

Course Length: Six Weeks

Cost: $210

*no class on Monday, September 3rd

This course reviews fundamental English skills needed for proper spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and writing. We will review and practice the following:

· Differences in writing a text, an email, a formal letter, a report, and an essay

· Cover letters and resumes

· Complex and compound sentence structures

· Using punctuation clearly and correctly (commas, semi-colons, etc)

· Writing and responding to casual emails and texts

· Writing and responding to professional emails and letters

· Paragraph structure (topic and supporting sentences)

· Essay structure  (thesis statement, introduction, support, conclusion)

· Different types of essays

· Common spelling and vocabulary mistakes and tricks to remember how to avoid them

· Achieving appropriate writing style and tone for different writing tasks

Plus, students will have the possibility of having their writing published on the NYLC Student Writing Blog!

The class is open to anybody who would like to improve their English writing.

For more information, please contact info@nylanguagecenter.com or call (718) 476-7600.

AN INTERN IN NEW YORK

Hi everyone,

my name is Elisa. I’m Italian, I graduated last year in Languages and Literatures and last week I began my internship at New York language Center in New York.

When I first got here I didn’t know whether I was more daunted or excited. This confusion in my mind was of course due in part to jet lag, but I now realize there was a deeper reason why I felt that way: New York, the city I have always dreamt of was right in front of me but it wasn’t as I imagined it to be. When you see it in movies, pictures or read about it, you just perceive its glamorous side; the noise, the traffic, the streets packed with people are factors which increase its charm. When you finally experience New York for real, all the symbols of the city, such as Time Square (which is close to the Midtown location of the NYLC!!), become overwhelming places where at first you can hardly walk or think because of the crowd and the noise. The book I am reading (“A house in New York”written by Adam Gopnik) helped me to realize how dense New York City can be, for a New Yorker too. So, once I understood that feeling overwhelmed is something you cannot probably avoid in this city, even though you are American, I little by little surrendered and the excitement got the upper hand.

Walking in the streets of New York City is dense and vertiginous because you feel you have so many possibilities here… New York language Center helps students understand that, and it did help me. Not only when you first arrive at the school is everyone kind and tries to make you feel at ease, but they also show you how many things you will have the chance to do while you stay in New York. In fact, every week they organize many interesting activities after the lessons. This is, I think, the best way to make friends, practice your English and familiarize with the Big Apple.

Next week I will tell you something more about the activities I have taken part in… I have tickets for the Copacabana Cruise and the Empire State Building. Can’t wait!!!!

How you can have a good time in New York City

 Thursday, August 16, 2012

How you can have a good time in New York City! By Sonia

You have so many things to do in New York City.

In fact, if you want to eat something, you can go to Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. They make the best pizza in New York. (Under the Brooklyn Bridge, 1 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, and subway ‘stop: High Street). Then, you can walk along the river in Brooklyn Bridge Park and admire the wonderful view.

If you fancy a drink, you can go to one of several rooftops in New York. There are 230 fifth, Hudson Terrace,  Gansevoort Park, Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel, Salon de Ning at the Peninsula, Sky Room, Empire Hotel… There is a good atmosphere, good sound and amazing view.

For foodies, they can go to Magnolia Bakery. The famed banana pudding and their cheesecakes and cup cakes are quite memorable. Their desserts captured the attention of a worldwide audience after being featured on the hit TV show Sex and the City or in popular movies such as The Devil Wears Prada…

For partiers, the choice may seem difficult at first, between the evenings at Bobo’s East Village, the trendy nightlife of Meat Packing (Tenjune) or Chelsea. It is the lair of night clubs most famous in New York. You will find them on Club Row on 27th Street such as Marquee and Bungalow 8. It is known for the celebrities that you meet most weekday evenings on 27th Street.

Finally you can even go to Broadway shows and see famous show such Mama Mia, Chicago or the Lion King…

Visiting a Brooklyn art exhibit

by Marina Milone

I went to an interesting exhibition in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Friday night, July 20. Philipp Rabovsky, a teacher at NYLC and about ten other artists were showing their paintings in their house.

Philipp in rougher times

The title of the exhibition was Sweet Fuckups and Happy Accidents. All the paintings talked about accidents in different ways. The most impressive painting was Philipp's because it showed his face when he had an accident in Budapest. The painting represented his face completely destroyed with one eye dark and closed, and he had scars with blood all over his face. When I asked him about his self portrait, he told me the story.

He was in Budapest to learn Hungarian, which he can now speak fluently, and one night, he got drunk. He was walking on the street and suddenly bumped into a group of guys who screamed at him. He instinctively gave them the finger and immediately the gang started to beat him quite violently. He had a tooth broken and suffered some internal hemorrhaging, so now when he drinks he gets a huge headache. When it happened, a friend of his took some pictures and then he was able to make the self-portrait. Now he is ok, and I think the painting is great!

Most of the other paintings talked about accidents during the process of painting. There were two curators of the exhibition. It was interesting to see a show in a real Brooklyn house, and the fact that anyone could enter the house and enjoy the exhibit was quite amazing. Actually, the door was open to everybody.  I was also thrilled that I could see an artistic lifestyle in Brooklyn.

the venue

the exhibition

Marina, who is studying journalism, is taking the TOEFL class at NYLC. She will soon take the TOEFL and travel around the U.S. before heading back to Italy. Thanks, Marina, for checking out the exhibit and for showing us Philipp's artistic side.