Angelica's World

Last year while wandering around Union Square, I learned about the annual Holiday Market that they have beginning the weekend before Thanksgiving and running up through Christmas Eve. I must have gone to the market a half dozen times last year to just look around and eventually to make some purchases. Of course, I had to share the great news with my mom who then decided she needed to see what it was all about it and she came in to visit me (or maybe it was to visit the market and I was just a tag-along haha).

This year my mom decided that she wanted to go to the market early in the shopping season, before purchasing a whole bunch of other gifts. This plan soon evolved into the great idea of my parents bringing me back to the city today, the last day of Thanksgiving break, to go to the market. Well, despite the fact that it was raining non-stop from the time we woke up this morning, we chose to stick with our plan and attempt to take on the Union Square Holiday Market in the rain...what a wet decision that turned out to be (by the way, walking around NYC in the rain is by far one of my least favorite things to do)! We walked around the entire market getting drenched and becoming hungry. At this point, we opted to continue our walk around the city in search of an Italian restaurant that was open (not for brunch) at 3pm...who would've thought this would be such a difficult task?! We ended up at one of our favorites, Focacceria on MacDougal Street--a small restaurant that never fails to serve a delicious meal.

And...in case you couldn't get enough shopping after you've finished taking on the Union Square Holiday Market, there are also some other hotspots in NYC:

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park
Bryant Park, Sixth Ave. at 42nd St.; 866-221-5157.
Nov. 22–Dec. 28; Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Grand Central Holiday Fair
Lexington Ave. at 42nd St.; 212-340-2583.
Nov. 15–Dec. 29; Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; extended hours from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24

Holiday Crafts Park Avenue
Seventh Regiment Armory, Park Ave. nr. 66th St.; 800-649-0279.
Dec. 12–14; Fri. 4 p.m.–9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

The Holiday Gift Shops at St. Bartholomew's
109 E. 50th St., at Park Ave.; 212-378-0200.
Nov. 19–Dec. 24; 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

Holiday Market at Columbus Circle
Central Park S. at Central Park W.; 212-529-9262.
Dec. 3–Dec. 24; Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; market closes at 4 p.m. on Dec. 24

Holiday Market at Union Square
14th St. at Broadway; 212-529-9262.
Nov. 22–Dec. 24; Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Dec. 24; 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Winter's Eve
Broadway from Columbus Circle to 68th St.
Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m.

Courtesy of: http://nymag.com/guides/holidays/holidayshopping/

Last night marked the completion of my SEVENTH semester of college, of NYU, of this stage in my life. However, that's not as scary as is the fact that I only have ONE semester left! Where has time gone?!

Last week was the last week of classes which, for most education majors, means all final projects are due and student teaching comes to an end...aka--there's A LOT of work. Fortunately I love my program and I love my career choice so no matter how overwhelmed everything looks on paper, I end up getting really excited and enthusiastic about each project. I often do this to the extent that I put way more time than necessary into everything but it's totally worth it.

The only thing that I had not completed by last week was my Senior Honors Thesis research proposal. I have been doing a lot of preparation for this and spent the past few days re-writing my Literature Review and compiling my Proposal. After meeting with my professors and fleshing out any final concerns, I have proudly submitted my Research Proposal (which includes my Literature Review) and an application to the Institutional Review Board to complete my research. All of this has made me really excited about being a part of this program and I am definitely looking forward to carrying out my research and seeing what conclusions I am able to make. But, because I know that next semester is going to be busier than ever and that senioritis might start to sneak its way into the picture (along with job applications and interviews!!!) I've given myself homework over break--get as much of my research done as possible!

Anyway, back to my reflections about only having one semester left...here's some advice:
To all those beginning the college search, newly accepted (congrats!), or beginning your college careers, ENJOY EVERY SECOND OF IT and LIVE WITH NO REGRETS! It seriously will go faster than you think. One piece of advice: take advantage of everything that is offered to you. If you're at NYU--explore NYC (and that means ALL of the boroughs), step outside of your comfort zone and try something new (a museum, a sporting event, a cuisine, a neighborhood, who knows). Get involved in things that you may have thought about and wondered if you really were interested in them--it can't hurt to try. Plan ahead!

I'm sure there will be more to come but for now...good luck with the rest of finals and treat yourself to a well-deserved relaxing vacation!