Recap of my NYC weekend

I just finally got home after a good long weekend in New York City. Here’s a quick recap:

Saturday:
- Went to Barney’s warehouse sale in Chelsea. I guess there were good deals if you like high end brands. But it was still way too expensive for me. They have good deals on high end suits.
- Met friend for brunch at Brooklyn Diner near Columbus Circle. Was skeptical at first but was really yummy.
- Stopped by The Shops at Columbus Center. Kinda neat to see a big mall right in the middle of NYC. Went to Borders and picked up a copy of NFT New York City. Perfect city guide without all the fluffy touristy crap.
- Visited the famous Zabar’s. Some people call it a gourmet grocer, which it kinda is, but I liked it because it wasn’t snooty/pretentious at all and prices were very reasonable. The food was excellent of course.
- My wife’s friend’s friend owns a cosmetic/skin care shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn called Mio Mia. I’ve become more interested in skin care lately (my wife thinks I’m exploring my metrosexuality). I think it’s neat when people start their own business doing something they’re passionate about. I tried to offer some suggestions on marketing while I was there. If I attend bschool at Stern, maybe I’ll take up her shop as a volunteer consulting project.
- Walked around Williamsburg to scope it out as a potential home. Much cheaper than living in Manhattan and only 3 stops away from NYU on the L train.
- Had dinner at Momofuku in the East Village with some other friends. Trendy, hip Japanese noodle bar. Had the Momofuku Ramen. Delicious.
- Went back to the apt that we were staying at in the West Village.

Sunday:
- Bagel with cream cheese and lox at Ess-a-Bagel. Best cream cheese and lox bagel ever.
- Sunday morning service at Queenswest Church in Long Island City. We have a lot of good friends there but will probably not attend if we move to NYC because it’s all the way out in Queens and a little too Asian for us.
- Took subway to Park Slope to check out neighborhood. Nice, but I think too expensive for us.
- Took subway to East Village. Got some Poutine from Pommes Frites. If I go to NYU, I think I’ll be hitting this place a lot. Belgian fries with a wide variety of delicious dipping sauces.
- Walked down St. Marks Pl. Lots of umm… “interesting” shops.
- Dinner at Wild Ginger. I usually get Pad See You when I go to Thai restaurants. This time I got Pad Kee Mao. Didn’t like it nearly as much. I will stick to my Pad See You.
- Hung out at the apt we were staying at. Tried to prep for the interview but mostly ended up watching the Oscars.

Monday:
- Prepared for interview
- Had lunch with current student and another prospective student at Penang, a Malaysian/Thai restaurant close to Stern. Had a nice conversation over excellent food.
- And finally… the interview. It went about as well as it could have gone for someone who is not a good interviewer. I stumbled over a few words and didn’t answer some questions as well as I could have. But hopefully it allowed them to get to know me a little better and to see that my interest in their program is genuine.
- Sat in on a class at Columbia Business School. Maybe I shouldn’t say this publicly while my application is still pending but their facilities are atrocious. I think it’s okay to say since that seems to be prevailing opinion. It’s unfortunate because Columbia is a top ten MBA program and deserves to have great facilities. They can blame the neighborhood and lack of real estate all they want, but in the end, if they REALLY wanted a decent bschool building, they would have found a way to build one. On the plus side, the students seemed really sharp.
- Got a Jamba Juice for “dinner” before getting on the bus back to Boston.

Overall it was a very good weekend. Now I anxiously await Stern’s decision. Going to NYU would be so awesome. I guess going to any of the schools I applied to would be pretty cool. But there is nothing like going to school in Greenwich Village. So many cool shops, bars, restaurants. I’m afraid I’ll have too much fun if I go to Stern.