I made a very interesting discovery at work yesterday (we’re researching investigative story ideas), and if any of you readers live in NYC and spend time outside of the Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in Union Square, you may have witnessed what I’m about to discuss: The Freegan Movement.

Freegans are people (sometimes homeless, but often not) who commit to living a life of limited participation in the conventional economy. They believe that food and shelter are a right as opposed to a privilege, and they are opposed to the fact that homeless people live on the city streets when there are vacant apartments that exist under the grip of capitalist landlords.

So they go scavenging, or “dumpster diving,” for unspoiled food that has been thrown away, and they often recover non-food items like toiletries and electronics. Freegans (a combination of the words “free” and “vegan”) essentially oppose the purchase of any item in attempt to boycott the corporations responsible for human rights violations, environmental destruction, and animal abuse. Read More »

In honor of CollegeCandy’s cocktail hour this week, the Weekly Ten will be on the 10 reasons we adore NYC! As a recent resident to NYC’s Upper West Side, here’s my take on my new favorite city…

10. Last Call- 3:30 AM.
This means you have plenty of time to dance on bars. If time is money, then take that money and spend it on shots of Patron.

9. The boys are BANGIN’
Is there anything hotter than an NYC boy? From the Columbia law students (hi, yum, slamshows) to the prepster Upper East Siders (hi, Chuck Bass), the city has a gaggle of gorgeous gentlemen. Beware of guidos.

8. SHOPPING.
Sample Sales, Saks and SHOES SHOES & MORE SHOES. Aughhhh! I want it all!

7. Celebs, celebs, celebs!
Okay, so every day after work I walk past Rockefeller Center, desperately looking for Alec Baldwin. Come out wherever you are, Jack Donaghy!

6. Slamming Nightlife
The hot, trendy bars (like the one we’ll be partying at); more clubs than you can think of; bars with crazy themes… there’s something for everyone in this here city.

5. Yummy foods
Magnolia, Serendipity, Dylan’s Candy Bar, Crumbs… and that’s just dessert! 24/7 diners for all your drunk munchie needs and New York pizza? Need I say more? Read More »

Here’s the thing: It ain’t easy being a broke college intern in New York City. So when my girlfriend Jenny’s sublet flaked out on her via email mere hours before she arrived in Manhattan for a summer internship, she threw herself back into Craigslist with a vengeance, scouring the site for affordable housing.

Naturally, when a $650 East Village sublet came up, two pairs of misshapen eyebrows raised in suspicion. (That would be hers and mine.) After all, I’m paying $900 for a room just a couple blocks away that’s smaller than my mother’s closet back in California — and already I considered that a steal.

The listing warned that there was a situation a potential subletter would have to be open-minded about. And open-minded we are; everyone knows that there’s always a catch when it comes to apartments in New York. You know, like, “I don’t have windows or a microwave,” or “there is no A/C and it’s hot as balls here in the summer.”

Turns out this was the catch: “We would like to maintain access to the bedroom in question. We lead an ‘alternative’ lifestyle and use the room to host gatherings and have photo/video shoots.” Read More »

Rainy weather in New York really sucks. I know that rain sucks wherever you live, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the Big Apple is probably the city that is least conducive to rainstorms. As all of you east-coasters probably remember, it rained, thundered, lightning, misted – you get the drift – every day in June. Then July rolled around and we thought the horrendous weather was over, until yesterday.

I was commuting from New Jersey, and my mom generously offered to drive me to the bus stop. I tumbled out of the car with my paper bag lunch in hand only to trip over the slippery sidewalk, causing my three hard-boiled eggs (don’t hate) to fall out and smush together on the street. Accident #1. On the bus, I began to apply my makeup and things were going smoothly until the bus driver stopped short (why does everyone forget how to drive on the highway when there’s a little water on their windshield??), and mascara was dragged across my cheek and nose. Read More »

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned American holiday to make you realize how alone you are in this world. Everything’s been going pretty well (according to my new post-college standards of pretty well) and I thought that for the most part I was building up quite the little social network of friends who would make me not feel quite so isolated. We would Gchat at work, grab Pinkberry here and there, perhaps even attend the occasional happy hour.

But apparently that social network of friends was a pure figment of my imagination.

July 4th came out of nowhere and everyone (people I’ve never spoken to) kept asking me what I was planning on doing. On the outside I remained calm and collected and responded with dignity; I’ll figure it out. But on the inside I was panicking like it was Halloween eve and my only available costume was sexy bunny. I would casually bring it up to my “friends” and they all would respond with excitement about boat trips with friends, annual family BBQ’s, and lake houses in states I thought were made-up. Then they would ask me what I was doing and I would mumble something about fireworks and hot dogs and anti-terrorism laws. Read More »

I had a friend visiting me this weekend and even though my life is in shambles, I was determined to impress her with my knowledge of New York and my ability to stand on the subways without falling at every stop (an extraordinary feat due to my complete lack of coordination). If she happened to have a good time, that would just be a bonus; the main focus was on her being impressed with my new life.

So my other tri-state area friend (she’s from NJ despite what she may tell you) and I found what looked like a cheap Mexican restaurant known for great food and greater margaritas. Unfortunately, as I’m discovering more and more, online reviewers cannot always be trusted. We arrived at the restaurant and it resembled a cross between an abandoned truck stop and a dive bar in Rochester. So obviously I was way excited to eat there – there’s nothing less harmful than bad Mexican food.

Sadly, my friends weren’t as willing to risk a few shooting stomach pains so we ended up looking for a new restaurant. However being as this was my first time on the Lower East Side, (excluding my visit to the tenement museum) and the streets aren’t numbered, I had no idea where to go and or even how to get back to a main street. But I had to keep up my appearances of knowing what I was doing so I marched along pretending like I knew where we could find dinner. And after making a few circles (purposefully, I told my friend) around the area, we found a place for dinner – only an hour after we planned to eat. Read More »

There are only a few weeks left of the Spring 2009 semester, so how are you going to spend your summer? If you’re like many poor students across the country, you’re going to waste at least the first month of summer vacay working (and sweating) your ass off in the grueling heat in order to pay off the debt you racked up this term.

This past weekend was the first summery weekend in New York (and the Tri-State area), and as I walked through Manhattan, giving my pasty arms their first taste of real sunshine in months, I was infinitely jealous of all of the people in shorts and flip flops sitting outside the restaurants and cafes, casually throwing back margaritas and nibbling on tapas. I immediately regretted all of the cabs I took this winter when it was too cold to walk a few blocks to the subway, splurging on expensive bar nights (and overpriced coat checks), and every other frivolous nickel I threw away, because this weekend, I could not afford a leisurely afternoon of day-drinking. I realized that if I could not afford this luxury, how would I afford a fantastic vacation this summer?

Well, it’s not too late to cut costs where it matters and save up the money to enjoy the weather this summer and make the most of your three months away from school. By cutting down on what you think are daily necessities, you’ll be surprised by how much you can save in a short period of time. Read More »

I love vitaminwater.  It’s yummy, and the fact that it’s loaded with vitamins makes me feel like I’m doing something good for my body whenever I drink it.  However, what I don’t love so much is that the sugar in it that makes it taste so good also makes it a little high in calories.  This is why I usually try to drink it only when I’m working out, but, to be perfectly honest, that isn’t too often.

That’s why I was super excited when I heard about vitaminwater’s newest creation, vitaminwater10, which has only 10 calories per serving -  that’s only 25 calories per 20-ounce bottle! Being able to enjoy my beloved vitaminwater without having to worry too much about the calories? Sounds perfect.

But could it be too good to be true? Would 10 calories also mean that nasty “diet” after-taste that comes from scary artificial sweeteners? I checked out the VitaminWater10 event in NYC to find out: Read More »

Okay, it’s my spring break and let me just say this: all of you living in NYC have absolutely no clue how fabulous your city is compared to the rest of the world. (Okay, actually, you probably do.)

But anyway, I’m spending my spring break in (you guessed it!) nowhere else but the Big Apple. So, to extend a big THANK YOU! to this city from saving me from what could have been a week of beer pong in my mom’s basement (ugh!), I created a playlist in its honor. Seriously – who knew there were so many damn songs about New York? Obviously, I’m not the only one in love.

And if you’re a little jealous that I’m chillin’ in Greenwich Village and you’re chillin’ on your smelly roommates futon, it’s okay. Check out the playlist here and just pretend.

For all of you Dan Brown fans just chomping at the bit waiting for “The Solomon Key” (word on the street is you’ll be waiting for eternity), I have a book to satisfy your appetites for a while! “The Reincarnationist” is an adventure novel with a slightly paranormal twist; several of the characters have been reincarnated and are remembering their past lives!

This novel is a quick, easy read, but has a great story. Rose is an accomplished author and is exceptional at description, making you feel as though you are in the story. The beautiful settings of modern and ancient Rome and New York City are so vivid and vibrant, I had no problem envisioning the adventure taking place right before my own eyes. The emotions of the story run high as well and I found myself wrapped up in the story, cheering for the good guys and cringing when the bad guys got ahead.

The historical aspect of the book was also a real treat. Rose did her research about ancient Rome and seamlessly intertwined interesting history into her novel. Even though I am history buff and former history major, I found that I learned some about the Pagan religions of the ancients, and especially enjoyed reading about the Vestal Virgins. Read More »