Big Ph-at Updates From Marebear

Okey doke, so here comes the first post in 11 days, sorry all!

I have been really busy just doing my thing here- and because of that I have a ton to put on the table for this post!

Woo! Okay, do some push-ups, pull-ups; whatever you need to gear up for the whirlwind that has been my awesome summer in Philly so far.

Ready, Set, Go!

So, let’s see, last week was super fun at FOX, and I got to go out with some more reporters as well as spend some more time with my intern friends! I have to admit, I was getting a little run-down during the middle of the week. But, I knew that it would pass and that I just needed to keep plugging along.

By the end of the week I found my stride again and haven’t looked back since.

That weekend, my friend Alexis and I headed to her grandparent’s beach house down the shore in Avalon, New Jersey! What a fabulous weekend. Where to start, where to start. Hmm. Ok, so we got to Avalon around 8 p.m. Friday night, and then we made pizza and relaxed after getting settled and showering off the workweek.

Saturday, we woke up after a nice rest and went to Wawa (my new obsession) for coffee.  When we returned, we were greeted by the smell of fluffy waffles being made in the kitchen. Yum! They were so good. Don’t worry dad, your weekend breakfasts will never be topped.

After that, we headed to the beach that’s about a mile away from their house to spend a day soaking up the sun. Let me just say, we picked the BEST weekend to go-the weather was perfect. We came with loaded coolers and plenty of snacks in tow for a full day of relaxation and girl talk. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.

 

We came back to the house hours later, all sunned out. Then, we relaxed inside while her grandparents made dinner. Let me just say. If you know me, you know my absolute favorite thing to eat is lamb. And guess what? They made LAMB Kebabs. Not only that, but it was the full Mediterranean spread I love so much- pita, grilled veggies, tzatziki, etc. It was divine.

Dinner came to a close, and Alexis and I got in the car and headed to nearby Stone Harbor for some boutique-ing. Lots of adorable little stores filled the beach town, and it looked so quaint at night. All the trees that lined the streets were covered in lights, so it had this really enchanting look to it. I loved it. After perusing all of the merch, Alexis and I saw that one of the jewelry stores had Alex and Ani bracelets. I love the one that I got for the holidays this year, so I was totally up for another. I decided to get one that would always remind me of the trip, so I chose a gold bracelet with an anchor on it! How nautical and precious. After that, we were beyond tired so we decided to head for home and watch a movie. Then, we crashed.

The next morning, our last morning at the shore, we woke up and went with Alexis’ grandpa to Kholer’s Bakery- a famous place in the area. I can see why now, after tasting some of the confections that came out of it!  Holy crap. We decided on her grandpa’s favorite sticky buns and some cream-filled pastries. Good life choices right there. We went to Wawa to grab some coffee after, and then headed back to the house. There, we had a lovely brunch of the pastries, fresh fruit, an egg and spinach omelet, and yogurt. Mmmm, mmm!

After we were reaching our limit of food consumption, we decided to pack the car and head for home to PA. The weather was still perfect, so the drive was full of sun and music. I got to experience the whole “we don’t pump our own gas here” thing that Jersey has, so that was interesting too. It was kinda like one big first world problem with the lines but hey, I enjoyed it I won’t lie!

I dropped Alexis off at home and then I drove back to my aunt and uncle’s house.

The rest of my Sunday was spent with my uncle- it was Father’s Day so we grilled and made the best meal possible with the kitchen renovation still coming along. It was delicious! Our meal ended and I got my things together to get ready for the next week ahead. It was an amazing weekend I won’t forget!

So, here we are finally about to get caught up on this past week! Still with me?? Do we need to do another round of exercises? If so, take a minute and do it…

Ready? Mmmkay.

So, Monday of this past week was awesome! I met one of the photogs at FOX and he agreed to take me out with him, which was great! George is quickly becoming one of the coolest people I know.

Not only is he a photog for the station, but he’s also an active member of the Army- working as a multimedia journalist for them. Amazing, right? He started to tell me all about his experiences and asking me about my career aspirations in the business.

We went to an event at the Phillies Stadium, where I met the Phanatic Mascot, some executives for Comcast Sports Network, and even the President of the Phillies! Sweet. On top of it, I was able to do all of the interviewing with these people. My bread and butter. I was in heaven. To make things even more perfect, I found myself surrounded by Ithaca alumni… could things have been any better? I think not.

For lunch, George took me to get an authentic cheesesteak at Lorenzo’s in South Philly. It was a beautiful thing. His favorite is a pizza steak, so that’s what I had. It’s steak, marinara sauce, and cheese. YUM.

After that, we headed back to the station and I headed for home since it was the end of my shift.

What a perfect day.

Wednesday was the next day that I went out with George, and we covered a bunch of Phillies-related events. This time was even cooler than the last- and I found myself sitting in the dugout watching the players warm up! Pinch me, please. Now I get why my aunt likes Cole Hamels so much. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, do yourself a favor and Google, Bing, or whatever else is out there till you find a picture. You’re welcome.

Yup, in case you were wondering whether or not I added to my Philly Phood bender that day, I did! This time, George took my to an outdoor food truck ‘court’ in the middle of the UPenn campus. We had Thai food and it was delicious.

I got to do some more interviewing, so that was awesome. The first person that I interviewed just happened to be the President of Citizens Bank- ok! He was such a wonderful guy, and he asked if I was a reporter- thanks sir I hope someday! After that, I interviewed the general manager of the team on the field so that was fun too. The rest of the time I was just that intern that was jaw-dropping and picture-snapping up a storm. Whatever. When in Rome, right? When all the pregame coverage was taken care of, George dropped me off at the train station to head home. I was wiped out, but I wouldn’t trade that day for anything!

Hmm, anything else? The rest of the week, I did my regular FOX web stuff and stayed around the newsroom and went to my normal meetings throughout the day.

Those two days out really gave me the energy to keep going and doing what I love so much-journalism!

Friday night, I went to get sushi with my friend Rebecca. It was super delicious, and I am really getting good with the chopsticks, so thumbs up all around. After that, we went back to her house and backed fresh strawberry cookies that we found on Pinterest. They were amazing!

Needless to say, these last two weeks have been such a fun time.  Now, it’s Saturday and all I’m thinking about doing is going for a run and relaxing in between laundry loads. Downtime/free time is sacred. Oh, and nail-painting that is also golden.

Sorry that was so long, but I had a lot to catch you up on!
Long story short, still in Philly, still in love with it all.

Peace.

Breaking News and Bonding Time

I would first like to apologize for not posting on my usual Sunday night- I must be too busy drying myself off. Pennsylvania is actually experiencing a monsoon of sorts, and really, it could stop at any time. 

Now that you know the conditions I’m workin’ with, let’s get back to the past week.

Last Monday I went out with a reporter, and we covered a barricaded fire, and then we went out to a school that’s deciding to cut back due to projected financial instability. There was a press conference (we call those “pressers” in the news biz) and then we interviewed people that go to the school, and those who graduated from the school. I stayed out with her and the funny and sarcastic photog until her live shot for the 6 p.m. broadcast. I had been waiting for the chance to go out with a reporter, so it was definitely a great kick-off. It was a fun experience.

Perhaps the biggest, most exciting part of last week was Wednesday. Now, before you call me heartless, you have to understand that breaking news is thrilling for journalists- no matter how terrible. We received word that a building had collapsed on Market Street (aka the street I work on) and that there was mass chaos. Quickly, everyone scattered and went back to their desks to get going. The anchors raced to the studio, as they prepared to go on the air live-with little to no information regarding the collapse. Reporters raced out the door and to the scene where they quickly perched and provided on-the-ground coverage by the minute.

I was responsible for getting interviews and other pieces on the web quickly, and updating stories as people were being removed from the rubble, and rescue workers struggled to remove debris and help in any way they could. I have to say, the whole experience was such a rush. Everyone put in such a collaborative effort to have the best possible coverage. I think we did. But, we all have a human side too- we watched in horror from the newsroom as people were being removed from the remnants of the building. It is heartbreaking for us too, and we are the ones who have to ask the difficult questions viewers want to know the answer to- at the worst possible time. This is just a great example of how much a journalist needs to lead with their “human foot.”

The rest of the week went by quick, as we covered the various news conferences that happened in order to brief everyone on the investigation. Another week gone by in a flash.

Finally, Saturday rolled around, and not only did I enjoy a nice 9:30 a.m. wake-up time, (much nicer than 4:45 during the week) but I had plans for the day! My friend who’s also an intern at FOX29, Kari, and I made plans to explore the city for the day together. So, we started the day by window-

Front of the building,  built in 2010

My Wristband!

Social Media Wall-So Cool!

shopping our way down to the American Jewish History Museum. All I have to say is WOW. Such an amazing place to go, and I don’t care if you’re Jewish- you’ll still appreciate it. I learned so much about Jewish history, and even told Kari a few cool facts that stuck with me from all those years of Hebrew schoolin’. It was awesome!

We were hungry after that, so we decided to head out on a search for a place to grab a snack and people-watch. Boy, did we find a perfect spot. Located right across the street from Tiffany’s is Le Pain Quotidien, which is an adorable bakery and restaurant. We picked a cute little outside table- it was beautiful out. Being that we are getting ourselves into a business that deals with people every day, Kari and I quickly chatted with the waiter and got the reader’s digest version of his life story while we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the menu. We decided to get personal pots of coffee, and to split a chocolate croissant and a huge chocolate chip cookie. Heaven.

Quickly, we realized that we’d be frequent visitors to this spot.

Adorable, No?

After that, we headed to her apartment where I met her sweet roommate and we all sat around, talked like we’ve known each other forever. It was great. As you know, when girls get talking, it’s hard to stop. By the time we took a breather, we were hungry again, and Kari cooked us grilled caprese (tomato, mozzarella, basil) sandwiches on yummy Italian bread. Yup, the carb intake was definitely maxed out, but who really cares.

The meal ended, and I went to get on my train to go home. Well, the relaxing 8 p.m. train was not in the cards that night- instead it was full of drunk kids that looked like they were about 13 years old. Fun, fun, fun. Not that it wasn’t entertaining, I was just a little fried, and a little too full to function properly. But, hey, what’s life without crazy people on the train?

Sunday was a more low-key day, my Uncle and I took Juno to the trail to go swimming and we got a nice long walk out of it. He’s quickly becoming me therapist, as he suddenly has to listen to me vent about whatever comes to my mind- sorry! But, he’s doing a fabulous job, and always plays devil’s advocate, so I really am thinking critically. Cool.

Doing that News Thing

Since I procrastinated with this post, you also get to hear about Monday- lucky you!

I got myself out with another reporter again, and this time it was a guy named Bruce. That name holds a special place, being that it’s also my dad’s name. Bruce (reporter Bruce that is) was awesome, and he was full of advice and information throughout the day I was out with him. It was such a fun experience. Needless to say, I’m still loving FOX29. I can’t believe at the end of this week I’ll be done with a month of my internship. When did that happen?

Throughout my experiences so far, I’ve been feeling so lucky to have this opportunity. I know I always sound cheesy at this part, but hey you would be too. Who doesn’t want the chance to explore a new city and do something that will most likely advance their career? I still pinch myself sometimes. It nuts.

Much Love.

Doing Big-Kid Things

Here I sit on another Sunday night, about to give you all of the latest details on what I’m doing with my life as a news-y girl in Philly.

Where do I begin? Well, first of all… I had my first big girl meltdown about that elephant that shows up in everyone’s room sooner or later-money. For the first time in my life, I’m actually responsible for a ton of things during the summer that I never really thought about before. So, naturally, I had a nice hour of ranting and panicking with my parents on the phone. They reassured me that learning to budget is a valuable skill, and that I shouldn’t worry too much. After all, I’m doing all this so that I can have a successful journalism career after I graduate. I got myself together and went to the store, and I gotta say, this whole budgeting thing isn’t going to be so bad-I’m pretty frugal to begin with.

Now that you all know where my head is at with that, I can move on to more important, and lets be honest, more interesting things.

So, this past week was another great one at FOX. I am meeting more people, and I’m there 40 hours a week- so I think I have become a familiar face to most of the newsroom staff! What a great feeling. I have been enjoyed being in the newsroom during lots of interesting news-breaks and getting to write stories about them. It is so rewarding to be able to see what I write go up on the FOX29 website! Love it.

Hmm..what else? Oh, I’m also getting pretty close with another intern, and we have a ton in common! We bonded quickly- right after she said “oh, I really wish I had some Nutella right now.” That’s all I needed to hear (if you remember my larger-than-life obsession with the chocolate-hazelnut spread), and I can’t wait to have a ton of great adventures with her in Philly and at FOX! Always good to have great friends in tow.

Heaven on a Plate

If it can get any better, I also have a friend that I met at Ithaca through working on NewsWatch16 (our news show on our television station).  She lives in the same town as my aunt and uncle, and we spent all of Saturday together. We explored the cute, very Ithaca-like town of West Chester. Brunch was the first pit-stop of the day, and Rebecca took me to Nudy’s which is one of her faves. I have to say, after the experience I had there, I will have to limit the trips I make there. It is way too good. I had the pumpkin bread (yeah, I’m drooling just thinking about it) French toast, and she had banana pancakes. We definitely left extremely full and happy!

Juno

For the rest of the day, we caught up and shopped around- even met a boutique owner that went to Ithaca! Beautiful. I’m definitely living in the right area! Oh! I also have one more, built-in bff; Juno. He’s the sweetest golden retriever, and he’s finally realized that I’m living here. After a long day, it’s nice to have a good cuddle with him.

This week has been another great one- and I hope that all of this continues for the rest of my summer. Now that I’ve had my run in with all this big-girl stuff, I feel like I’m gonna come out of this experience on top- as a strong news girl with more confidence in myself.

Who doesn't love pigtails? 

 Let’s see what antics I get into this week. 

                                            Until next time!

Living the Life

Boom. Just like that, week one of newsy fun-over and done with.

This week is one that I will remember forever. I had to put on my big girl pants and venture into the city on the train alone for the first time on Monday. It was the first day of my internship, and oddly I wasn’t that nervous at all (probably because I had about 900 things to remember to do correctly in order to get myself to FOX29). Instead, I was super excited to get started.

I met my supervisor and my web department supervisor, who are both so nice and easy-going. Right away, I was meeting the friendly faces that make up the FOX29 news team- and I even met an intern that goes to school in upstate like me, so that immediately made me feel at ease.

Throughout the week since the first day, I was briefed on all of the programs that I will be using all summer to upload content that I write onto the website for FOX29, and I learned how to cut video and edit pictures for that as well. As the days go by, I am getting more and more confident in my writing – whether it be choosing the right word to create an eye-pleasing headline or styling in general. In addition, I am allowed to dabble into whatever other departments I want, so I plan to get out with some reporters and photogs to see what it’s like to report in a big city like Philly.

I guess it goes without saying that I am falling more and more in love with this city and all the experiences I’m having along the way. What makes the deal even sweeter is that I am getting to meet new people- but I get to reconnect with friends too.

Alexis & I at lunch.

My good friend Alexis (haven't seen her in 4 years!) is also interning in the city, and we had a fun dinner together at the train station the first time we met up on Tuesday night after work. It was great. We also met up again on Saturday and spent the whole day exploring the shops and restaurants along Chestnut Street. We browsed in lots of great places, but we chose to splurge on a delicious pizza lunch (where we sat outside and got to people watch-perfection) and then gelato across the street. If you know me at all, you are aware that Nutella is probably the one food item (besides rack of lamb, HA) that I really can’t go without for too long. The people in Philly are clearly on the same page as me, because they had Nutella-flavored gelato. Naturally, I hyperventilated at the sight and then ordered after calming down. It was beauteous.

This is what heaven looks like.

But, the best part is getting to spend time in such a great city with a great friend. We had a blast.

After that, we boarded our respective trains and headed home. I was impressed with myself, because I finally didn’t need my GPS to get me back to woodland wonderland that is my aunt and uncle’s house. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I learned (finally) to back up my car into the spot that they need me to park in, so snaps for me on that too.

So far, this has been just amazing. I get to do what I love every day, and spend my time with people who I’m sure I’ll never forget. My aunt and uncle are the best “roomies” ever, and their dog, Juno has finally accepted that I’m staying for the long haul- and we are quickly becoming best buds. 

I guess you could say that I’m a Philly cheesesteak full of happy emotions right now, and I think I can only go up from here.