Early November in New York City

I’ve had a few people ask me over on my Instagram (let’s be friends @_thepinkchickadee) about my recent early November trip to New York City. Let’s be real here: the rates are much cheaper when it comes to ALL of the Christmas fun and action in the Big Apple, yet you still get to enjoy a lot of the holiday cheer that most pay a lot more to do in later November all the way until New Years. At the same time though, you still will notice that early November truly is Fall in New York City (as-is pretty much any other United States city!) and there are some New York City Christmas staples yet to make their holiday appearance (case in point: the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree). At the same time, early November in New York City means you may have some warmer days, such as I did, too. So, plan accordingly and monitor the weather before you pack your bags. Above all else, I had an AMAZING early November time in New York City and truly got the best of both worlds getting to experience the city during both Fall and Christmas time!

In this post, I will be sharing mainly what I did and where I ate during my early November time in New York City. Given that especially early November can be an awkward Fall/Christmas time of year, I definitely did a mix of Fall and Christmas activities while there, too! And, as an avid theatre fan, I saw a few Broadway performances, too!

What I Did:

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – Ever since I was in high school, I dreamed of seeing Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting IRL! I visited Chicago one year for Spring Break and fell in love with Van Gogh’s works via a special exhibit on him, yet missed Starry Night then as its home is in Manhattan at MoMA. MoMA was such a neat museum and I LOVED *finally* getting to gush over Starry Night in-person alongside other fellow museum visitors. MoMA also has other neat modern art displays from centuries of decades past until today. Tickets to MoMA can be bought in advance online (here) or at the door and the gift shop is pretty great, too!

Bryant Park Winter Village – Visiting Bryant Park’s Winter Village was one of the first Christmas-y activities that I did in the Big Apple. The Christmas shops at Bryant Park’s Winter Village are open until early January and they open their doors just after Halloween if not right before. I met some of the COOLEST artists and small business owners at Bryant Park’s Christmas shops! The prices on the locally-made goods are pretty reasonable, too, and a great way to support a small business. Bryant Park’s Winter Village ALSO has food + drink vendors, igloos, and ice skating.

& Juliet on Broadway – I was truly in for a treat seeing my first-ever Broadway show (!!!!!) … & Juliet at Stephen Sondheim Theatre. I had an Orchestra seat and it was seriously an AMAZING show! I ended up grabbing some wine in a souvenir cup and LOVED getting to experience the whole experience and loving atmosphere. & Juliet features an extremely diverse and empowering cast, making it such an accepting show for all. Needless to say, I would definitely see this show again on Broadway!

Central Park + The Plaza Hotel Stroll – I LOVED getting to use my camera to take some gorgeous shots of Central Park and stroll through the adjacent Plaza Hotel. Central Park is truly beautiful on any sunny Fall day – indeed, I feel I hit the jackpot on the day I went! Central Park is also filled with locals and tourists, alike, making it such a beautiful place to both people watch and socialize. While at The Plaza Hotel, I *finally* achieved my childhood dream of owning some Eloise at the Plaza merchandise including a book! The best part about a simple Central Park and Plaza Hotel stroll?!?! Both are FREE!

Central Park:

The Plaza Hotel:

Barbie Exhibit at the Design Museum – While on my way to stroll Central Park at The Plaza Hotel, I stumbled upon the Design Museum’s Barbie exhibit. I *of course* purchased a ticket and went after my lunchtime to check it out! I was truly in for a treat! I got to learn about the evolution of Barbie, from Ruth Handler’s creation of Barbie and the designing process of Barbie’s clothing by Charlotte Johnson in a studio in Japan in the 1960’s to its first designer collaboration with Oscar de la Renta to Barbie running for President and going to space and to Barbie today with the success of the 2023 Barbie movie aka a favorite of mine. There was *even* an original Barbie on display, too! I took several exhibition photos on my camera and truly felt empowered by it ALL! The Barbie Exhibit at the Design Museum costed $20 and is currently on display until February 23, 2025.

Aladdin on Broadway – I was AMAZED by the production team and the presentation of Aladdin on Broadway at New Amsterdam Theatre! I had seen Aladdin back in 2023 for my 24th Birthday (here) and was truly *even more* blown away by seeing it again on Broadway. Truly, an impressive performance that I would highly suggest any and all Aladdin fans see if they get the chance to!

Christmas Shopping on 5th + 7th Avenues – I popped into a few of the shops alongside 5th and 7th Avenues as I was walking to Rockefeller Center! Funny enough, I made my first-ever H&M purchase in 10 YEARS (!!!!!) as I became *very* impressed with what they were selling via the store windows. I also hit up Nordstrom Rack, Macy’s, and Old Navy. Macy’s was DECKED OUT with ALLL the Christmas cheer and even had some adorable small business vendors in a section of the store. I would highly recommend visiting Macy’s at Christmastime and prioritizing it, if you have limited time to do so. At the same time, I stumbled upon St. Patrick’s Cathedral on my shopping strolls, too!

Radio City Music Hall Tour + Rockettes Meet & Greet – Upon purchasing my Rockettes Christmas Spectacular ticket (more on that experience below!), I ended up paying ~$20 extra for the Radio City Tour + Rockettes Meet & Greet add-on. Let me just say that it was WELLLL worth it! I ended up arriving to Radio City Music Hall about 90 minutes before my show and the staff there got me into a tour about an hour before my show (my tickets were scanned right after the tour inside the music hall, too, making the seating process SO MUCH easier!). On this tour, I got to experience the incredible opulence of Radio City Music Hall, including the magnificent chandelier Christmas tree, learn about the incredible artwork, and Radio City’s Great Depression-age history and heritage. I learned that Radio City Music Hall’s stage is SOOO large that it can fit an actual bus on it with plenty of room to spare. The best part?!?! Getting to meet an ACTUAL Rockettes! I highly suggest anyone do this tour to get excited for the Christmas Spectacular!!

2024’s 1st Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Performance – After my tour of Radio City Music Hall, my ticket was scanned and I was off to get seated to see 2024’s 1st Christmas Spectacular Performance (!!!). The Rockettes begin their Christmas Spectacular in early November just as Veterans Day weekend commences. Tickets are definitely much cheaper to see the Rockettes in early November (or after Christmas) as opposed to in the height of the holiday season. My Orchestra seating ticket and tour of Radio City Music Hall was around $100 total for both, which can get much higher in cost as Christmas approaches. I am definitely striving to make a return to see the Rockettes for another Christmas season!

Shopping at Hill House Home at Rockefeller Center – As a HUGE Hill House fan, I *had* to shop at the Hill House Home store at Rockefeller Center! I ended up trying on two Ellie nap dresses aka my FAVORITE Hill House nap dress style before making my decision on which one to take home. The staff here were also ultra-kind and helpful in making my experience pretty great, too. I had never been to a Hill House store before, so this was a TREAT!

Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology – The Fashion Institute of Technology has a free to all fashion exhibition at their museum, which has special fashion exhibitions that change every so often! I *almost* studied fashion in college and ended up touring the Fashion Institute of Technology as a perspective college of mine. The Museum at FIT is definitely a hidden gem that ALL fashion lovers must visit!

Where I Ate:

Breakfast at Cafe Chelsea – Located inside the gorgeous, historic Hotel Chelsea, Cafe Chelsea is a stunning cafe that looks like an upscale retro diner. I ended up popping in here for breakfast, which I enjoyed via one of their retro bar stools to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

Dinner at Monkey Bar – Monkey Bar was my splurge meal while in the Big Apple and the one that I am still dreaming about for my next trip! I ended up eating at the gorgeous bar founded in 1936 in all of its gorgeous glory with its monkey-painted murals and grand millennial-inspired fabric chandeliers. I enjoyed a glass of rose while I walked in and waited a bit for a first-come, first-served bar seat. The bar staff were extremely friendly as well! Totally worth the wait and dining experience!

Coffee at 787 Coffee Co. – An adorable coffee shop focused on empowering creative minds and honoring its Puerto Rican heritage, I enjoyed a nice morning iced coffee in … an IV bag! It was SUCH A FUN New York City experience!

Late night snacks at Slice of New York – I stopped one too many times at some of the many many many Slice of New York pizza shops for a late night (or lunch) slice of pizza. In my honest opinion, nothing beats a good olde slice of New York pizza!

Dinner at Butter – Featured in Gossip Girl, I *had* to dine at Butter while in Manhattan! Butter was located super close by to the New Amsterdam Theatre where I saw Aladdin, making it a great spot for a pre-show meal. My meal was AMAZING and I was able to enjoy the happy hour wine deals at the bar alongside a delicious salmon. Given that Butter has a seasonal menu, I definitely want to check it out again during a different season!

Lunch at Cafe Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman – One of my FAVORITE lunches was at Bergdorf Goodman’s Cafe Ginori! The restaurant is gorgeous in all of its pink wallpaper glory inspired by the Ginori 1735 Italian porcelain used to serve its delicious dishes. I enjoyed a larger than life Aperol Spritz aka a dream come true for me (!!!!!) alongside an AMAZING seasonal butternut squash gnocchi. The staff here were also extremely kind and friendly and the food and drink was amazing – not to mention the vibes, too!

Wrap-Up:

Truly, early November in New York City can be such a treat as you get early bird deals and to enjoy some holiday cheer. See you in a New York minute!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Why I Chose My Math Major

“You don’t seem like a math major” – a reaction that I ALWAYS get when I tell people that I am one. That is, besides the typical “gosh, math is hard – that was my worst subject!” Yes, math is a super hard subject, and I never envisioned myself choosing math as my major, especially if I were to look back at my high school years. However, choosing a major is definitely an extremely challenging decision to make and it wasn’t any different for myself. Every person, no matter their gender, has their own unique experience into deciding on their own college major and/or career trajectory. Since sharing other women’s stories on why they chose their majors, I figured that I would share my own story, as it is was a journey in itself to get to where I am today and where I plan to go career-wise moving forward.

My High School Years

Once upon a time, there was a fifteen year old Katie anxiously awaiting for her first class of the first day of her Sophomore year of high school to start. Her first class was none other than Fashion Marketing – the class that she was most excited for that year. In fact, that class was the one class that I would hope would help define my career path, as I have always LOVED fashion. That same week that classes started, my mother and I traveled to New York City during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week where we got to see the magic before our eyes of New York Fashion Week. I even got to walk the runway and fulfill my dream of doing so at Zappo’s popup runway booth right by Lincoln Center! In the classroom, as my Sophomore year progressed in Fashion Marketing, I became even more passionate about the fashion industry. I got to design my own garment out of a trash bag and tote bag out of Target shopping bags which were both super fun and also take a trip with other Fashion Marketing students all across my school district to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia to learn more about their fashion program and alumni’s career paths from their Fashion programs. We also watched a documentary on Vogue magazine’s iconic Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour as well as The Devil Wears Prada, which is written by one of Wintour’s former assistant’s. My experiences in that course made me ecstatic to start my own career in fashion someday.

The summer before my Junior year of high school, I started to tour colleges. Since I was very optimistic about starting a career in fashion, my mom took me to many colleges with a fashion program. At one of the schools, we were lucky enough to get to meet with a professor in their Fashion Department. While meeting with the professor, she shared with us some of the jobs that alumni of their Fashion Merchandising program were getting. Although those jobs may have been a perfect fit for someone else, I knew in that moment that they were not for me. Leaving that meeting, I felt very disappointed as I had always dreamed of working in the fashion industry – it appeared so glamorous so fun. Though I knew this new reality, I did not want to give up my dreams of working in fashion, so I became in denial with what I had just faced.

Flash-forward to the Fall of my Junior year of high school, and I had decided to tour two schools in New York to check out their fashion programs. Going to school in New York City was then nothing but a dream that I wanted to come true for myself. I had grown up watching movies that took place in New York City, such as Eloise at the Plaza and of course Sex In the City. The city looked nothing short of glamorous and what I thought at the time was the most perfect place for me to attend college. When I toured both of the schools, I fell in love with one of them outside of the city, while I did not like to one at all inside of Manhattan. I was most definitely sad that I did not like the school that I toured in Manhattan, but it was also another tall-telling sign that fashion may not have been the degree for me.

As my Junior year of high school progressed, I began to question whether or not I would study fashion. Moreover, I started to think about studying Textiles Management or Cosmetic Chemistry, even though I had 0% interest in chemistry or any sciences for that matter. I also thought about Event Planning for sometime too. However, it was not until my mother mentioned Data Analytics and Statistics to me at the end of my Junior year that I finally realized I may have found a good career fit for me. As I finished out high school, I still was not so sure as to what I wanted to study but I thought I would give Math and/or Statistics a shot!

Early College Years

Let’s take it back a minute to the summer before my Freshmen year of college. That summer, I went on a graduation trip with my mother to Sofia, Bulgaria for a special education conference with her and her colleagues. One of her colleagues’ husbands came along with us to Bulgaria and he was a Computer Science major. He talked so highly of his job and career path using analytics through studying Computer Science. His excitement towards his college major made me want to pursue a degree in Computer Science. On the contrary, I had NEVER tried programming before my first class my Spring semester of my Freshmen year of college and let’s just say it did not come easy to me. That being said, I decided not to major in Computer Science and look towards something else.

When I was struggling in my first-ever Programming course, I was telling some of my friends and classmates about how I was trying to decide on a different major. Most of them told me that they all saw me as a Fashion major. At the same time, my mom told me to look into Meredith’s Fashion program, as I knew that they had one and it was good too. Following those around me’s suggestions, I looked into Meredith’s Fashion Merchandising Program and registered for a few fashion courses for my Sophomore year. At the same time, I decided to continue to pursue a minor in Math, since I knew I could get the credits to do so and it would look good to have a STEM minor, especially when standing out in the fashion industry. I finally felt as if I was on a career path that was my own, despite having a reeking gut feeling that fashion STILL wasn’t right for me.

The Fall semester of my Sophomore year, I was really excited to finally be in my first-ever fashion classes since high school. The first few days of classes went great until I started to realize that the program was geared towards gearing students up for a career path that just was not for me. In that moment, I FINALLY knew then and there that fashion was not for me. It was definitely a hard pill to swallow but an important one.

Fortunately, at the same time, I was continuing to take Math courses to progress in a Math degree. Let’s just say that I am OH SO THANKFUL that I continued to take them. While I definitely did not enjoy the Math classes that I took that semester and it made me really contemplate my major after that Fall semester, I am really glad that I stuck with it. As the Spring semester approached, I debated about declaring a Marketing or Event Planning degree and finishing out my minor in Math. I met with professors from the Business Department as well as my now-advisor in the Math and Computer Science Department to aide me in my *major* decision.

At the same time that I was stressing over my major, I did not feel as if I had the potential to be a Math major or even fit in with my department. Even though I did enjoy the girls in my department and we all really cared and still care very much for one another, I did not know or feel as if I fit in. I was really into fashion and planning events and going out and being social while most of them most definitely did not have all of those interests to my extent. My differing persona made me wonder if I would fit in in a different program with people that I felt as if I identified with more.

Besides feeling as if I did not have a place in my department, I also felt that I lacked potential in my degree. I’m going to put it out there: Math is HARD for a lot of people, including Math majors! My Math classes definitely were not easy, and I knew that it came more naturally to some of my classmates more than myself, which made me worry that I was not good enough or have any potential in my program. At first, I did not want to work hard in a subject that did not come as easy to me like it did to others, especially feeling as if I did not belong amongst my classmates. However, I decided to keep trying and to help my classmates out along the way. I made study guides and planned study sessions with some of them, and let’s just say that it not only helped me feel connected and if I had potential in my program but it also helped my classmates feel the same way. I also realized that I was not the only one who did not have their coursework come easy to me, which made me feel real reassured.

Declaring My Major

One of the really tell-tale moments for me when choosing my major is when one of my friends Jess told a staff member in the Career Center about how analytical my thinking is. It made me realize that I did have assets beyond creating study guides and hosting study sessions. Jess also helped me realize in that moment that I DO and DID have potential in my major and that I BELONGED in my department. Another moment for me is when I told my friend Ava that I was going to stick with my major in Math after debating for months and her response was an astounding “GOOD!”. After declaring my Math major, my friend Sydney and I cried happy tears as we celebrated. But, most importantly, Jess said to me “you belong here.” That is when I knew that I had found the right program and major for me.

Since declaring my major in Math, my friends in my department and I took some pictures to celebrate with one of our favorite hashtags: #MeredithMath. So many of my friends in my department showed up, which made me realize that I DID BELONG and that I DO have an excellent department full of incredible, strong, and empowering women. Their ongoing support has led me to take on the role as the Canaday Math and Computer Science Club’s President for my upcoming Senior year. My department has been growing both in diversity and in community. They say that empowered women empower one another, and indeed, they do!

XOXO – Katie <3

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