NYC Adventure!

Hi everyone!

So yesterday, to try to have some fun at the end of break, my mom and I ventured to New York City (which happens to be only 2-3 hrs from Siena)! Normally, I'm not much of a city lover, but I really had a lot of fun on this trip. When we got down to the city, we stopped for some breakfast at an amazing English restaurant, The Breslin. I've been told that if you're going to eat English food, eat breakfast for every meal of the day. And now I understand why... the breakfast was wonderful (and apparently lunch and dinner aren't so great). Then we stopped over at the Fashion Institute of Technology to go to their fashion exhibits, with clothing from the 1800s to the present. It was incredible to see real-life dresses and outfits that were made so long ago, and also to see the progression of fashion since then. Once we left FIT, we were inspired to do some clothes shopping of our own, as I was in desperate need of interview outfits for my graduate school interviews (which are coming up very soon!). And the search was successful! Trying on all of those suits and business-wear made me feel very grown up, though... and looking at the price tags made me feel too grown up!
The best part of the day is when my mom and I went to the Russian Tea Room, which she has always wanted to go to since she was a little kid. It is simply stunning. The architecture and decorations are beautiful. The tea is, of course, fabulous. We had a wonderful time, and the smile that it put on my mom's face was worth the world to me.
After high tea, we walked around the city when it was all lit up, but then we realized we had to get to our MegaBus in 10 minutes! And there were about 20 blocks to go! A rickshaw driver noticed that we were rushing, and asked if we wanted a ride. So we said "why not?" And we hopped in. And let me tell you... it was the craziest ride I have ever been on! He was speeding in between cars and jumping over potholes, and nearly running over pedestrians! While I was scared for my life, it was incredibly fun! And we got to our bus on time.
I'd say, all in all, it was a day well spent, and a great end to my last Christmas break!

~Bianca

P.S. I would like to congratulate Leanne, the other Pathfinders coordinators, and all of the Pathfinders for all of their hard work on Project Linus. This is a wonderful accomplishment!
I hope that we can harness this feeling of community, and the hardwork and dedication that you all possess to address the call for help coming from Haiti. I know that our Siena spirt can pull us all together to help out and really make a difference in the lives of people who need strength, love, and a little bit of hope.