Yes, I really almost interviewed Derek Jeter

I have the email ("evidence mail") to prove that this actually happened. If you're anything like me, you'll think I dreamt it too. 

One minute, I was editing a story about a fishing trip in Costa Rica. The next minute, I was told I would be interviewing Derek Jeter in person, one-on-one tomorrow.

My morning began with a cup coffee and a story to edit. I took a break to check my email and found this. It was sent to the professor accompanying my program this summer. It was forwarded to him by another Mizzou journalism faculty member. 

"Do you have a student who would like to interview Derek Jeter of the Yankees on Friday for the LA Times? My son is looking for someone to get him to answer some questions. Derek doesn't do phone interviews. My son would arrange for credentials, the interview and send the student a list of questions. It's about Jeter's 3000th hit." 

I emailed my professor immediately, told him that I would do anything for this opportunity. After thirty minutes of shaking and checking my inbox incessantly, he replied and told me it was mine. 

For those of you who read my first post. Hell, for those of you who know anything about me, any reaction you might picture to this news would be an underestimation of my actual reaction. I cried for 20 minutes. I read the details: 

"You'll get a tag line in the LA Times and a small fee and a free Yankees game!!"

This was the happiest moment I've experienced in my short career as a journalist. And I knew that no opportunity could ever top this for me. Derek Jeter has been my favorite Yankee my entire life. I've religiously followed his career. I've always had hopes of getting his autograph at a spring training game. Never in my life did I think I would have the opportunity to sit down with him and talk, to do what I do best: journalize. 

The best coincidence of all: I attended a Yankees game last night with one of my sorority sisters and she asked me what I would do if I ever had the opportunity to meet Derek Jeter. 

And so, I tried to digest what was upon me: The press seat in Yankee Stadium I forever dreamt of was mine, at least for a night. Or so I thought.

A few hours later, I was extremely disappointed to find out that the Yankees organization refused to give me press credentials because I'm a student and not an employed reporter. 

Again, anyone who has even skimmed the contents of this blog or knows me remotely can gauge my reaction to this news. Whatever you might picture, it's an underestimation of my actual reaction to this news.

While it is very upsetting that some lucky reporter from the Baltimore Sun is now getting my opportunity to sit down with Derek Jeter, I'm still very thankful for several reasons.

1) Having a reporter ask a journalism student to do his interview with a superstar athlete about a momentous career achievement is enormous. It speaks to the reputation of my journalism education at the Missouri School of Journalism. For a reporter to trust me with that job makes me feel fantastic about my education. The fact that I was selected by my professor makes me feel great about my ability.

2) If this opportunity showed up at the birth of my career as a professional reporter, I can only imagine the opportunities that lie ahead of me in the future. 

3) This is why I came to New York City...to chase very big dreams. Those dreams are coming closer than ever to becoming reality. 

Weekend Sights

Though I love both my internships, my weekends in New York City have proved to be my favorite time of the week. This weekend, I stepped up my sightseeing game. 

Yesterday afternoon, Monica and I started with Grand Central Station. I posted a picture of it a few posts back (the exterior, at least.) I learned that the interior was redesigned by Jackie Kennedy in the 60's. 

We walked from Grand Central with the intention of going to see St. Patricks Cathedral. On the way, we ended up at the original Saks Fifth Avenue. The storefront was amazing. Also, found dozens of quatrefoils! 

Quatrefoils on the Saks storefront! 

Next, we headed to St. Patricks Cathedral. I quickly realized that the Cathedral serves as an assembly line for weddings on Saturday afternoons. We saw two just in the time we were there. Also learned couples pay $2,000 to use the church for their ceremony. 

Another quatrefoil...I found this one inside the Cathedral. 

After we visited the Cathedral we went to Rockefeller Plaza across the street. 

This was my favorite part of our adventure. We went to the cafe on the plaza and ordered a drink. We started talking to the four guys sitting at the table next to us from North Carolina. They were very clearly not acquainted with New York City, because they ordered 16 beers (four each) at the cafe at Rockefeller Plaza. Needless to say, their reactions to the $200 bill were priceless. 

My Saturday evening was spent catching up with one of my sorority sisters, Lauren, who graduated last year and has lived and worked in New York City since. We had fantastic specialty pizza and took a walk on a new New York attraction, the High Line. The High Line is an elevated walkway the city has spent the last few years building. It used to be an elevated railway. 

From the High Line, I was able to capture some great photos of the city at night.

The Empire State building has a lighting schedule. This weekend, it's navy blue, light blue and white in honor of the 63rd annual Celebrate Israel parade. 

Today, I decided to take advantage of the cool weather and walk the Brooklyn Bridge. It's the only bridge in the city with a walking pass. It offers beautiful fews of lower Manhattan and some great uptown views as well. Plus, the bridge itself is beautiful. 

Lower Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Uptown from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Tomorrow starts another work week. I'm extremely excited for Wednesday as I will be attending my first game in the NEW Yankee Stadium. I'm sure there will be a long post following my experiences! 

Week in Review: Starting my internships

I was walking to class Tuesday evening after my first full day at the magazine. It was rush hour, I didn't know exactly where I needed to be and Times Square tourists were in my way. And so, I kept walking west down 8th avenue until I unexpectedly ran into any journalists Mecca...

I knew the Times had built a fabulous new skyscraper to house their world-renowned publication, but I didn't know where it was. Needless to say, I was blown away. More than that, I was reminded of why I'm here in New York City, to chase very big dreams. While I thought working for the Times was a dream of the past for me, I might have thought too quickly.  Magazines are my area of focus in my studies but I'm still extremely passionate about newspapers, news writing and the democratic role journalism plays in this country. 

My anecdote aside, this week was all about getting my feet wet at both of my internships. I absolutely LOVE both of my jobs. Power and Motoryacht, (PMY as I'll call it from this post on) is an excellent publication for me to start my magazine journalism career. The staff is large enough to put out a good magazine every month but not too large where I would be overwhelmed. Simply put, I'm easing my way into the magazine industry. Thus far, I've begun researching story ideas for my feature which will run in the August issue. I've also helped editors research stories for other portions of the August issue, including the Top 100 lists they publish every summer. 

My publishing internship with Random House has served as a great learning experience very quickly. I've worked in the eBooks department for two days and I'm already completely in love with the company. I'm also enjoying seeing what the publishing industry has to offer as I entire the job market in a year. I can't share exactly what I do with the company, but I can tell you that it's unlike any work I've ever done and I love it! :) I'm also thankful to have fantastic coworkers. My favorite part? Free books, everywhere. There are books all over the 25 floor office that are there for the taking. Needless to say I've already taken advantage of that perk, as some of my favorite authors are published by Random House! 

This is a photo of the Random House lobby published by New York magazine. They wrote a feature series several years back looking at different New York City industries and chose Random House to take a look at publishing. The story takes an inside look at the company and the industry. 

Getting back into the 9-5 routine has been a difficult task for me. I haven't woken up at 6:30 a.m consistently in a long time. I'm also adjusting to rush hour tendencies in this city. For instance, both my morning commutes require taking the subway. I take the 4 train to PMY and the A train to Random House. During both of these experiences I literally feel like a sardine in a can. I've also found myself annoyed by tourists constantly (somewhat contradictory, I know.) But, they stand in the middle of the sidewalk with their maps and iPhone apps and cameras during rush hour. As a busy New Yorker, I have places to go! :) 

Last night I went to dinner at a great Italian place in Greenwich Village with one of my roommates. She's a foreign student originally from Shanghai, China. Eating dinner with her was the first time we really talked about her background and it was fascinating to get to know her. I look forward to exploring the city with her again in the future! 

My week has been consumed with work, so I don't have many city adventures to chronicle. I'm going sightseeing again today so I'm sure that will bring great stories and photos! 

Stay tuned,
Jamie 

Memorial Day Memories

I never realized how many memories I had in this city until I came here and visited places I had explored in the past. Then, the memories came. 

Friday morning I took the 4 train from the Wall Street and Broadway stop near my apartment to Grand Central Station for a meeting with one of my internships, Power and Motoryacht Magazine. My meeting was fabulous and I'm so excited to start working at this publication. The staff is fantastic and I can't wait to start completing the tasks I've been assigned. I've started brainstorming ideas for the feature story I will write for the magazine that will be published in the August issue. Stay tuned :) 

I've taken the subway many times in my life, but I've only had one previous experience on the 4, one which I had forgotten until I rode the train several days ago. I was 10 years old and I had fallen asleep in my dads lap. We were going back to Brooklyn after the second game of the 2000 World Series, one of my favorite memories with my father. Being on that train Friday morning reminded me of our trip home after a New York Yankees game 2 victory. It was bittersweet for me to remember that moment with my dad. 

Growing up in Brooklyn, I have several family friends who still live there. One in particular, Monica, is someone I've known my entire life and who I've explored New York City with before. She and I look forward to seeing the city as tourists this summer. That's a thing I've noticed about New Yorkers, they never go to the tourist hotspots throughout the city.

 In honor of Fleet Week, we went to the USS Intrepid Museum on west side of Manhattan. The Intrepid is an aircraft carrier that was commissioned during the World War II and was used during the Korean War. It has been docked in New York City for almost 30 years. We explored the ship and several submarines at the museum as well. 

The rest of my first weekend in the city brought me to Brooklyn. I went to a local bar Friday night with a childhood friend, Sheila. I spent the rest of the weekend with her as well. 

This picture was taken during a football game at Mizzou that Sheila attended with me and our mothers. 

Being in Brooklyn brings back memories, too. Memories with both of my parents and even my grandmother, who lived in Brooklyn nearly her entire life. I'm so thankful to have jogged these memories this weekend. They serve as a reminder to me that although they might not be here, there are so many people who are with me during this journey I've embarked on this summer. 

 I also learned several lessons during a few long days in Brooklyn. Being with family friends has reminded me just how important it is to have people you love near you, no matter what the situation may be. I've also been reminded that sometimes the hardest thing is still the right thing to do and is the best decision in the end. Although I definitely didn't imagine I'd spend my first weekend in the city in Brooklyn, I'm very glad I did. 

Tomorrow is the first day of my internship(s). I'll spend the day at the magazine getting my feet wet and I cannot wait. Also, very excited to head over the Random House on Wednesday. I'll write about those once I get into a routine tomorrow! 

Also, can't wait to continue my sightseeing!

More to Come,

Jamie 

First observations

I've only been here for 7 hours and there's already SO much to take in, so here's a list...for now (I'll post pictures later): 

When I was alone in my four person suite after just arriving and checking in, I realized it was probably the last time I was going to be truly alone for a very long time. There are nearly 1.6 million people on this island. Privacy is a thing of the past for me. 

I can see 40 Wall Street from my window. It's the Trump Building (not to be confused with Trump Tower on the other side of town.) The financial district where my dorm is located is swarming with men and women in business attire at lunch time and 5 p.m. By 6, the neighborhood is dead. Never would have imagined there would be such stillness in such a large city. 

My best discovery of the day: It's Fleet week in New York City. This means Manhattan is crawling with Navy sailors coming off ships docked in New York Harbor. Not only are they great eye candy, they're gentlemen as well. I know this because a uniformed Navy man is the only person who held the door for me today in all my travels around lower Manhattan. 

Tomorrow morning is my first experimentation (in several years) with the Subway system. Stay tuned.

Always a bittersweet ride

I wasn't sure what emotions I would be feeling as I sat in the airport waiting to depart, but I was sure it wouldn't be fear. Needless to say I was unpleasantly surprised to find myself nervous to the point of nausea in the car on the way to the airport. That's when this entire journey became real. I realized that this isn't a dream anymore, it's actually happening. 

With this realization came the bittersweet emotion I seem to experience every time I leave home. The struggle between longing for a few more days of mindless relaxation on beautiful white sand beaches and the reality of getting on with the next chapter of my life, no matter where it may take me. 

And so, the reality of New York City is upon me. Despite the nerves and tinge of fear, I'm ecstatic that this day has finally arrived. 

Might I also mention my wardrobe is definitely 5th Avenue prepared! 

More to Come,
Jamie 

I'm what you call a 'bona fide city girl'

So, here it is, my first post on a blog I am determined to maintain religiously. It's devoted to New York City and all the adventures in store during my summer as a twenty-something soaking up Manhattan. 

I distinctly remember my decision to spend my life writing. Not just writing, being a journalist. I remember sitting in a seminar room at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies listening intently to a specific lecturer, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jacqui Banaszynski, who told the most captivating story I had ever heard in my entire life... a story about her pursuit of an unbelievable series of stories she wrote about one of the only openly gay couples in Minneapolis, Minn. at the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. She followed them from diagnosis to both of their deaths. Her lecture told a remarkable story about her experiences as a journalist, and more importantly, she captured the attention of a sixteen-year-old girl with big dreams. 

It was around this same time that I realized that I had to live in New York City at some point in my adult life. I was born in New York but was too young when I left to truly embrace my youth in the city. My burning desire to live in New York City wasn't cultivated by a number of factors as it is for many others. Everyone loves the big city:  bright lights, millions of people and endless possibilities. My priorities, however, included none of the above. I had to live in New York City for one reason: baseball. 

My love for the New York Yankees began at a very young age. I vividly remember Saturdays on my living room couch with my dad watching baseball before I really understood the fundamentals of the game. This weekend tradition continued through the last baseball season my father was alive to watch, 2008. So, I set off for the Missouri School of Journalism with sights on a spot in the press box at Yankee Stadium.

Studying journalism at Mizzou accelerated my motivation tremendously. I knew as soon as I got into my journalism courses that this was the place that would get me to one press seat in a bad neighborhood in the Bronx. After two years of mastering the fundamentals of journalism, I began my sports writing career. I  worked as a full time sports reporter for the Columbia Missourian covering high school and college sports. My experiences reinforced things I assumed about sportswriting: captivating stories alongside curious encounters. It also opened my eyes to the difficulties of sportswriting, those I had never really given thought to. Late nights and deadlines so tight I felt my stories were occasionally underdeveloped, to name a few. My sportswriting semester brought me to a new discovery: I loved to tell stories, but I wanted to do so as completely and comprehensively as possible. I needed longer deadlines. I needed to switch my emphasis of study to magazine journalism.

And so, with a switch to magazine journalism, I knew I would end up in New York City. Not only because I still wanted it so badly, but because New York is the magazine capital of the world. With these new ambitions came a new idea of my future. One that involved the lifestyle of a fictional yet fabulous New York City writer, Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City.

The study 'abroad' program I begin tomorrow is run through the Missouri School of Journalism. It includes journalism elective courses and an internship. Two internships, in my case.

Starting next week, I will spend 10 weeks completing two part-time internships. One with Random House publishing in the eBooks department and another with Power and Motoryacht Magazine as an editorial intern. Excited doesn't even begin to describe my emotions regarding these internship opportunities. As I've told many of my sisters and friends, I'm finally getting the chance to live my version of the Carrie Bradshaw dream. 

More than professional experience, I intend to make my New York City summer one of amazing adventures, exploration and personal success (as well as the occasional shopping rendezvous)!