January's Program of the Month - Begin.Eat.Balance

Soon after the January new student check-in, the William Street RAs put together a program designed to help the 60+ new students start off on the right foot academically, and also to adapt to some of the special challenges that living at William Street presents for new students. 

The program, "Begin.Eat.Balance", consisted two distinct parts. The first phase featured several different "stations" around the student lounge, each offering different information and one-on-one counseling to help new residents begin the semester properly. Some of these stations included a table with information on where to purchase cheap art supplies, a table with information and counseling on time management and organization, a table with subway information and maps, and a table with information and assistance just for the new Pace University students living amongst our New School students. 

The second phase consisted of a fun "cooking show", where three RAs provided recipes and showed new residents how to use the convections ovens located in each apartment. A convection oven was brought down to the lounge, printed copies of recipes including gnocchi, cornbread, and chili were provided, and residents got to actually sample the tasty delight of each of these. 

Later on, all recipes were posted on the very active William Street facebook page. All in all, this program served a great need, and was a blast for all involved!

Here are some of the great resources from the event:

A list of ingredients for a great meal for 10 under $10!

Big Weekend Events rescheduled for 9/16 and 9/17

We weren't going to let Irene be the only one who had fun! The Scavenger Hunt and Classical Music Brunch have been rescheduled for this weekend!

Scavenger Hunt
Friday, September 16, 2011
8 pm start at Stuyvesant Park (318 East 15th Street)

Classical Music Brunch
Saturday, September 17, 2011
11 am to 1pm at Lang Cafe (65 West 11th Street)

Be sure to bring your New School ID with you to all events!

Summer Isn't Over!

Summer isn't over yet and while the recent heat wave may have left some of us a little frazzled (not to mention exhausted and extremely sweaty), summer provides us the perfect opportunity to get out of the apartment and into the open air. Take advantage of the warm weather while you can - before you know it, winter will be in full swing, and as you gaze out of your window at the snow piling up on the empty streets, you'll start to miss that summer sun.

So, where do you begin? The park, of course! New York City has some of the best urban parks in the country, and they're a great place, weather permitting, to enjoy those long summer days and precious cool nights.

• Looking to lay out with shirt off and shades on? Try Central Park’s famous Great Lawn (running mid-park from 79th to 85th st). At over 55 acres, the Lawn is the ideal place to settle in for a picnic or just lie back and soak up the sun. Can't find a spot? Head down to the Sheep Meadow (West side, 66th to 69th st), or up to the North Meadow (mid-park at 97th st).
  
  
• Searching for a place to soak up the sounds of NYC? Hit up Washington Square Park in the West Villlage. With construction in its second phase, the fountain and famous arch are open to the public (5th ave, past w 8th st), and constantly surrounded with students, musicians, and performance artists of all sorts.
  
  
• On a quest for someplace quiet? Pay a visit to the Conservatory Garden, a meticulously manicured pocket of Central Park (entrance at 5th ave and 95th st) that features traditional English, Italian, and French gardens. So what's the appeal? First of all, this hidden gem is not as well known as other areas of the Park, so you can count on fewer people, less noise, and a much higher probability of finding an open bench. Second, the Conservatory Garden is one of NYC's precious few quiet zones - no screaming children, no suits shouting on their cell phones - creating a true haven to get away from the city noise. Open from dawn till dusk, the Garden is an ideal spot to spend the long summer days, and, as a lesser-known point of interest, a perfect way to evade NYC's heavy tourist congestion.
  
  
• Yearning for a younger crowd? No park is more trendy or unique than Chelsea’s High Line Park. The park is located 30 feet above the ground on an out-of-use elevated rail track. Built in the early 1930s as a means of transporting heavy freight across the city, service on the rail was suspended in 1980; thirty years later, the track has been reinvented as a modern, urban oasis. Stage one of the park’s development (which runs from Gansevoort street to 20^th street) is now open to the public everyday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with entrances at Gansevoort, 14^th, 16^th, 18^th, and 20^th.
  
  

The best thing about New York’s parks (aside from being beautiful and completely free) is that they are extremely plentiful – the list above does not even crack the surface of all that New York has to offer. So go explore, and find your own personal haven. Just don’t forget the two cardinal rules of parks in the summer: stay hydrated, and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Written By: Spike Schwab