hello! again - long time since my last post, we all know who we can blame. anyway - i did want to share with all of you my AMAZING trip to new york last week! those who know me know that i am slightly obsessed with that city and can't wait until i can live there - someday. anyway - i went up for a work event - let's go through in chronological order . . .

took an 11am shuttle from DCA to LGA - first class. first class means you can drink for free. first class also means you can stretch your legs out - debatable which one was better. i don't know if i can ever fly coach again (ok - a lie, i will be flying coach again, i'll be flying coach for 18 hours to get to damn fiji)

arrive at LGA to find a car and driver waiting to take me and alex (guy i work with) to manhattan. awesome. we drop off alex in the city and i proceed to be driven around manhattan in a car and driver. let me say for those who don't know - i am 23 - in what world does this happen!?

car and driver drops me off at my friend becky's place, where i'm crashing for the evening (yes, i know - first class and a car & driver but no hotel - thus is my life at ndn). she lives right near columbia university in what seems like a great area. we chat and catch up and walk around the city for a few hours until we have to get ready to go for the event.

around 5pm we arrive at chris heinz's house (yes, that chris heinz, of the ketchup heinz and of john kerry stepson fame). i take the elevator up to realize it opens directly into his apt - no door or anything. awesome. set up and generally admire the surroundings, esp large flat screen television.

around 5:30 i head downstairs to be the bull dog at the door (the reason i'm in new york in the first place) i am prepared to be hardcore, but it isn't needed as most people are generally nice. around 6:30 i greet General Wesley Clark and wife and escort them up to the event, with some chit chat involved. the general proceeds to remember my name throughout the entire evening. it's awesome.

simon, chris and the general all give their little talks - the general is VERY into it - lots of passionate speaking and large arm motions - very cool. nice to see he's still very pumped about about everything. it might have been the wrong speech for this particular room - but in threw in a bit about how we don't foster our young democrats enough, and i'm a total sucker for that - so i enjoyed it.

post the event i got handed 2 PREMIERE VIP tickets to the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL courtesy of one of our members who happens to be running the festival. i proceed to call and old friend who lives in new york and dash to the theater to make my VIP entrance - VERY new york, VERY VERY cool. my entire night/week/month/life up to this point was made.

after the movie i walked around a bit chatting and then hitched a cab back to becky's. the cab driver got lost and i had to give him directions - you can only imagine the fun that was! anywho, i arrived at becky's safe and sound and fell immediately to sleep.

i woke up the next morning, showered and said goodbye to becky as she had to leave for class. i walked down to a nearby coffee shop and had a cup of coffee and read for a while - quite enjoyable. at the appropriate time i picked up my stuff and hopped at a cab to the airport, where another first class ticket awaited me. on the cab ride there i even managed to flip off shea stadium - which felt awfully good :) at the airport alex and i shared hot dogs and 22 oz bud lights at 11:30 in the morning - which was truly awesome in it's own way. enjoyed the first class on the way back home and was back in my apt after that.

FABULOUS.

although now that i've been spoiled i may need to wait until i have a little more money under my belt for taking the plunge and moving up there - would be difficult to do on a low budget i realized.

hope you enjoyed that peak into my amazing and wonderful life - i will be back with more political posts soon - i swear!