New York Photos Days 1, 2, 3

Franklin Street is the stop I commute to. I think the mosaic signs in the stations are pretty. And I like that they were so carefully and artfully done, for no other purpose (seemingly, although what do I know?) than to beautify New York. 

And here I am! 

3 of the most beautiful pink and cream chiffon gowns resided inside of that garment bag! 

Intimidating elevator at J. Mendel. 

This is Saks, but what is funny is that even CVS has the same exterior in this area of town...

Inside Barney's studio services where a snooty lady (sort of) helped me.  She wore a neon yellow bra and a cream silk dress. And she told me that she had an eight month old. And she stomped around in her heels. Very amusing.

Here I am again..

Woo! Manhattan Wardrobe Supply. Kind of like a restaurant supply store, but for costumes...see the colors of shoelaces below!  They have everything from leather dye to garment tags to steamers to you name it. 

Though of my friends in Boston when I saw this froyo truck! 

BEFORE: The costume office, after we packed everything up but BEFORE we went on our returning mission: 

 

AFTER: And at the end of the day!

Anna's room, where I am staying. 

The view from my window. 

New York, Days 1, 2, 3

After a completely nuts morning of last minute moving out, which including shoving things in the crevasses of friend's apartments and a hurried trip to Jen's, Amaro drove me to South Station. The lines after the hurricane were nothing short of harrowing- I was likely not to be able to get on my 12:30PM bus until 9:00 PM, even though I had already purchased a ticket. Determined not to let this happen, I ran around trying to see which bus I could get on the soonest, and ended up buying another ticket with Lucky Star. Miraculously, I left South Station at 1:05PM.

The ride itself was uneventful, and apart from a lovely pit stop at Arby's, I mostly slept. I started to see New York, but it was still over an hour before we actually stopped. Meredith met me in Chinatown where the bus dropped me off. By this point, I was just so surprised, tired, and thankful that I had made it in a reasonable amount of time. We arrived to the apartment, I unpacked. Meredith cooked some scallops. I slept, totally knowing nothing about the next day except for the address and the name of my new supervisor.

The next morning, I woke up and left the house at 8:00. Meredith walked me to the station and pointed me in the right direction. From there, I was on my own.

It was sort of surreal, taking a New York City commute- just like it was another workday.  But there I was, in the crowd, doing what many people do- wake up, shower, ride the subway to work.

I found the building. 350 Broadway. Pretty much every building I have been in has an elevator- which even in Boston is sort of reserved for very nice / fancy or very tall buildings. In Boston, it's mostly stairs, or if you're lucky, an escalator. Thank goodness there are elevators here everywhere- because I am living on an 8th floor and working on a 6th floor.

I walk in, and the elevator door opens on the 6th floor at 350 Broadway. The whole floor is dedicated to the film production company. I walk in, and nobody is at the front desk. I wander into a room filled with racks of clothes. I figured I was headed in the right direction.

I meet Amela Baksic, the costume designer who is a friend of my professor Linda Ross. I had scarcely been there for two minutes until Kate, the costume coordinator and my supervisor, hands me some directions and a garment bag and asks me to pick up 3 gowns from J. Mendel. And then, the day had begun.

I set out foot and learned the subway system, fast. In my first day alone I took the subway 8 separate trips- I picked up gowns at J. Mendel, returned items to Barneys and Saks Studio Services, and picked up an order from Manhattan Costume Supply. This is NOT going to be a sitting-in-an-office type job, which is great, because I like being out and about. Although I have to say, after making tons of returns today (7 different stores), my feet are very sore!

Last night after work, I wandered around the neighborhood where Anna, Zeb, and Meredith live. I was overwhelmed even by the Walgreens (even the drug stores are multiple floors) and the Whole Foods? Forget it! I couldn't even find bananas. And I squirted shampoo in my face when I was trying to smell different shampoos at Walgreens (for lack of a better way to differentiate between the million and one kinds). Oops! Alas, I did not end up buying shampoo or bananas, but did find some toothpaste and yams. They'll do.

This morning I walked Kate's (Angela's god-sister who lives 4 blocks from where I am staying) dog. My friend Evan said he wishes he could see me every morning, "dolled up" (as he called it) for my job, and picking up doggie poo. Well, that is exactly what I'm going to be doing every morning for the next few weeks!

Today I already felt more used to it all, although being out in New York City all day is indeed tiring- just so much sensory input! This morning I spent a few hours, with the help of another intern, sorting through that mass of clothes on racks I saw on the first day- because they all had to be returned. They ranged from $5 kid's tees to $800 Prada shoes and suits worth thousands of dollars. Each item had to be packaged and labeled with its original receipt and then organized into piles according to neighborhood. Once that was done, all of us set out to return the merchandise. It sounds sort of silly, but honestly, it was a great way to get to know New York City neighborhoods! I spent a lot of time on 5th Avenue and SoHo today. I have no idea what tasks tomorrow brings!

New York!

I've moved to New York! I have scarcely been here for 24 hours and already a lot has happened. However, it is late and I'm tired...I hope to write in the morning before I walk the dog and go to work! I can see how this is the city that never sleeps.

xoxo

Cape Cod

I had one last weekend (or more like 24 hours) on the Cape this past Saturday.

I drove and and hit traffic...I was on the phone with Skip to let him know what my ETA was, which kept getting just a few minutes later. I finally arrived at the Willsea house where he and Andy were waiting in the Hobie Cat. They were literally waiting for me in the water- sail up, with Skip holding onto the boat. I jump on (no time for bathroom or changing!) and we set sail. I had never been in the Hobie Cat before, it was a lot of fun! Very splashy. After we dropped off Andy, Skip and I sailed over to some of the marsh / grasslands in the middle of Pleasant Bay where Peter Angela and kids were hanging out. On the way there, we sailed through some mega seal territory and we got to see the seals swimming all around and under the boat. One seal even splashed me pretty well!

We all went clamming (Peter, Angela, their friends, Jill, Skip, kids) and then came home for a clam feast! Steamed mussels, steamers, raw littlenecks, and ceviche of razors. It was delicious.

Of Course....

I open up my email this morning. Lo and behold, I have an email from Eileen Fisher saying that they want to interview me for a fall position. Of course they contact me after I already have plans...

In any case, I am going to interview anyway, since my film internship is for a limited time only. It seems Eileen Fisher is pretty relaxed about their schedule, so maybe they wouldn't mind a mid-October start date! Or, maybe it would be something I could do very part time during my film internship and then start full time afterwards.

I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. I only just got the interview. But just sayin'!

So Many Things!

Nantucket "king borrowed from queen" shoes.

So many things have happened in the past week or so.

I finished the Berklee Five Week program. The final concert was fantastic. We attended only the "City Music" final concert- apparently there were about 300 concerts in that last week alone! The concert itself was very emotional, as Berklee announced 16 scholarship winners for full 4-year tuition scholarships. Many students had waited to hear if they received the scholarship and therefore turned down other schools they may have been accepted to. Others knew that they would not be able to attend college at all without this scholarship. It was very exciting to see the emotions of those whose names were called, and heartbreaking to see those who didn't (especially two singers who had to perform right after all of the announcements!). In this day and age, the fact that Berklee gives out so many full tuition scholarships ($2 million in that night alone) is really something that stands out to me. It really feels like Berklee is giving back to the community, and its primary goal is to find and support the growth of the future generation of musicians, no matter their background. I haven't heard of any other institution that gives out so many scholarships (this is NOT financial aid, but rather scholarship). I was impressed and heartened.

Maya and Austin came to visit in Boston a few weekends ago. The night they arrived I made everyone fish tacos, which is a summertime favorite of mine. We ate out on the back porch. That evening we all went to go see Harry Potter in Harvard Square (with our bubble tea from the Tea Stop in hand) and then the next morning went to brunch. Austin went to take his plane that afternoon and Maya and I started a whirlwind of thrift/consignment/vintage shopping. The place which I think was a hit with Maya is a place called Garment District, where there is a huge pile of clothes on a tarp, and you basically go diving. If you are lucky enough to find anything, you pay $1 per pound of clothing, no matter what it is. Maya ended up with a silk blouse and suede jacket all for around $2! The next day, Maya and I went to go see the Chihuly exhibit. It was pouring buckets of rain so it was a good day to be in the museum. There was a humongous line to see the exhibit but Maya and I made do :). After the museum we headed over to Newbury Street to hit up a few Second Time Around locations. I ended up buying an umbrella because we previously had been sharing my tiny foldable one. My new one is clear plastic, like the ones they sell on the streets in Japan as sort of disposable umbrellas. But here in the states, I guess they're sort of trendy. I like it- it has sort of a bubble shape so it shields you from rain that falls sideways (which it always seems to do), and you can see through it so the umbrella is never blocking your sight. Good purchase. After Newbury, Maya and I headed over to Downtown Crossing because Amaro and Evan had an appointment at 9tailors that they wanted me to sit in on. 9tailors was having a sample sale, and Evan just started a new corporate job with a dress code and Amaro just likes clothes, so I suggested they make appointments. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but the boys went to town with it, and after 2 hours Evan ended up with 1 pair of pants, 6 shirts, and 2 jackets. Amaro, one perfectly cut Mad Men-esque charcoal navy blazer. (Little bit of fashion news: Mad Men costume designer and Banana Republic collaboration has hit stores! There are lots of high end designer collaborations, but this is the first that I've heard of a costume designer collaboration.. pretty neat.) Everything was perfectly priced (sample sale!) and good quality, and they helped with alterations. I think overall it was a hit! After the appointment, we popped over to Sweet and bought a half dozen cupcakes to bring to Jen and Mic's house where we were going to dinner. Maya, Amaro, and I took the T over to their house. This was the first I'd been to Jen's apartment (well, this particular one). As always, it was beautifully dressed. It sort of reminded me, in a way, of some of the homes of the artist-types in Paris from the 20s in that movie Midnight in Paris. I love all of the artwork and books and figurines- no one thing takes the spotlight but everything has a story to tell. And everything comes together in a sense of "home." We had a lovely dinner (fantastic roasted mini tomatoes!) and dessert, and it was great to be able to congratulate them on their engagement in person :). (Not to mention the beautiful vintage ring!).

I have photos of so many things but my camera is broken as of this past weekend...I don't know what it wrong with it but it will not turn on. I am sort of sad about this. I am going to take it to Best Buy or somewhere soon, but until then, only text.

This past weekend I went to Nantucket with Hillevi, James, and Elizabeth. Elizabeth's father is an investor in an inn there, so we stayed for free (same family who has the house in the Bahamas). It was really wonderful to see Hillevi after not seeing her the whole summer. She literally came straight from St. Lucia (where she was doing research on local birds) to Nantucket with us! That Friday, Hillevi and James came to pick Elizabeth and me up from work. We then drove to the ferry station on the Cape, and took the slooow ferry (cheaper than the fast ferry). The ferry ride was actually quite pleasant although it was 2.5 hours. When we got to the island, Elizabeth and James went to go check in and Hillevi and I explored the town a bit. When the four of us got back together, we decided to get a quick dinner at a pub. It turned out to be more of a dance party / bar for older people, which was sort of strange but also ended up being hilarious. We were fiercely carded (they computer scanned our IDs) because they probably just didn't believe we really felt old enough to be there...anyway, it sort of looked like a group of 50 and 60 year olds having a college party. It was like watching a soap opera while we munched on our tomato soup and grilled cheese.

The next day we spent most of the day on the beach. My goodness, never have I seen so many old old men with 6 packs and dark tans! It was strange, like all of these people only go to Nantucket, and then Nantucket ends up with a particularly large percentage of 60 year olds with 6-packs. The water was warm compared to the outer bar on the Cape, and the beach was not too crowded. I ate a Dove bar on the beach, which was a first, but I figured "hey, I'm on vacation in Nantucket." Besides, I guess I have until age 90 to work on that 6-pack. Later that evening, we went to dinner in town. The town is very cute and cobblestone-y, but soooo preppy and sooo expensive it is like a caricature of itself. Hillevi and I went into a sweater store. They had cashmere sweaters running for $650, and had photos on the walls of blonde families of four all wearing the same sweater, each with their own monogram. Some of those same men with 6 packs seemed to like to sport printed canvas shoes about town, of the likes I have never seen before. Hillevi said they looked like "shoes that the King of England might have worn if he stole them from the Queen." In any case, Nantucket was fun and just interesting to see such a distinct subculture of people who vacation there.

Now, I'm working at Suneri full time for the week, packing, and just preparing to leave Boston. I went to dinner with Sharon and Evan today, which is always a good time. I'm trying to find a good place to donate books- maybe a charity of some sort- any ideas? I bought Rit dye today and I plan to dye a few things black- a few things that already were black but faded (don't you hate how black cotton fades?!), and one thing that is grey but really would be much better in blue/black. Paying $7 for black and navy dye is a whole lot better than replacing those items :). Last night Dad came to stay at my house. It was nice to see him and I was glad that he was able to see it before I leave here. I have really liked living in this house. Too bad it was so short! Other than that, just chugging along.

Boston, the Beautiful

One of the most beautiful times of year to be in Boston, in my opinion, is summer. Fall is nice but incredibly short (if you happen to catch those two weeks, have fun!), and spring is nice only if the drudgery of an elongated transition from winter doesn't linger on.

If you don't mind the heat (it's really not so bad, really!), come during summer. It is when the most people are out and about.

As I prepare to leave this city, I continue to learn more and more about the place where I live, for example, who knew there were such thing as gondola rides on the Charles, complete with an accordion player?!

rays of color and light

A really beautiful display in the local Anthropologie down Boylston that caught my eye...I love how the angular planes of colored yarn coming from the sky light mimic how rays of light might come through a room. A really interesting (and inexpensive!) installation idea- whether it be in one's own apartment, as sort of like a impermanent screen, or in an art project (or some of both). Just some nails and some balls of yarn, and we're good to go. After I snapped these photos, I saw the exact same installation idea mimicked in The Tannery- but in shades of grey and blue and black, also beautiful. Hmm, I wonder where it all originated :).

move, eat, learn

Sometimes, most of the time, the web is a great place. Check this out:

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime.

move, eat, learn (sorry I didn't post in the right order below)

Pretty incredible! What a beautiful way to make a travel diary- a whole new dimension apart from just writing and photographs. I don't have the skills or equipment to make really fine tuned films, but I do have the ability to put together something or another...maybe I'll give it a go next time. It would be interesting to keep in mind your idea for your travel video as you encounter new visual spaces every day, and think about how they would be incorporated...

every day, a work of art! how enlivening.

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

hello, monday

Another workweek has started. I am all set to start work in New York on August 24th, Wednesday. I can't believe that is only three weeks or so away...

Let's see, today is August 1st. Evan is starting his new job with Oracle today. We spent literally hours deciding what he would wear. Amaro moved out of his apartment in Dorchester (where he lived for the past year) yesterday. He rented a UHaul, which was sort of fun. He is moving to an apartment in Porter square, near Evan & Sharon and Elizabeth & Kathryn (both roommate duos who found apartments in the area).

Also, I have a phone again! Finally.

I spent Saturday on the Cape with lots of family and Anna. We all had a wonderful time at the outer bar, it was really the perfect day for both sailing and swimming. The water was FRIGID, but we went swimming anyway.

Enjoying the last days of summer, really enjoying the porch. We all like to eat meals out there. Below are Amaro and Sharon on one of our recent summertime outdoor dinners.