Hello!
These past few weeks have been very exciting. I was able to attend my first hockey game which was really cool. The other exchange students and I agreed that this was one of the best sports we had ever watched. A week later, I was able to attend a tour with my Hospitality Leadership class, visiting the MGM Springfield Hotel and Casino. It was very nice, and we learned it had hosted celebrities such as Bruno Mars, Tyra Banks, and even Steven Tyler Perry. After the tour and a quick meet and greet with some of the MGM staff, we went to the Rose Bud Pizzeria across the street. New England is known for its pizza, and it was really good, easily one of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been up here. We then made our way to the Great Horse Country Club to tour their facilities. I had already toured this location, so most of it was a recap, but it was nice to experience it again. I enjoyed this trip mainly because I got the chance to get to know my classmates even more. Everyone up here is so nice and they’re always interested in what life is like for me back home, often asking questions about the South, and specifically if I had ever been cow tipping, which made me laugh a lot.
The next weekend, I went on a trip to New York City with the AHLA Club. We were there to tour five hotels and experience the hospitality industry from the grandest scale imaginable. Walking out of the bus station I was immediately taken aback by how big everything was. The skyscrapers were huge, and everything looked like it was from a movie. I noticed things I had only been familiar with through a screen, so seeing it in person was surreal. After settling in at the Park Central Hotel, a small group of us started walking around the city and stopped to browse through several stores, caving in to buy an iconic t-shirt or two. For dinner, we ate at Patritzia’s. It had a very interesting vibe and was the type of restaurant where you didn’t specifically order one thing, they just served plates and plates of food, and you could pick whichever dish you wanted. The music was very loud since I was seated right next to the speakers and it was apparent that the restaurant was known for its parties, seeming like almost every table in the place was there for a birthday. The next day, my group toured the Park Central Hotel, the JW Mariott Essex House, and the NY Hilton Midtown. Each location was phenomenal, but my personal favorite was the Essex House. It had an older vintage style that I tend to like better than the newer aesthetics, and the lady giving the tour was also really sweet.
We were given a lot of free time during this trip, ending our school obligations early enough in the day to wander about the city. I got to enjoy many of the city’s highlights such as Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the 9/11 Memorial, the Trade Center, Central Park, and even the Plaza New York Hotel where Kevin McCallister stayed in the second Home Alone movie. My roommates and I also hopped on the subway. Oddly enough, this was one of my favorite things we did. My other favorite was eating a cannoli from Carlo’s Bakery. I grew up watching Cake Boss and had always dreamed about trying one of Buddy’s cannoli’s, even attempting to make them myself once, but they paled in comparison to the real deal. It was so good, even better than his New York Cheesecake in my opinion. When the three of us finally made it back to the hotel, we turned on the TV and watched SNL, which was filming live right down the street from us. I was in awe about being so close to where everything seemed to be happening, compared to back home where there’s never anything going on haha. The last night we spent in New York was at the top of the Aliz Hotel. There, a reception was held for several HTM alumni. This was the department’s way of recognizing their past students and noting their accomplishments since graduation. Quite a few alumni were there, and many of them spoke to us, offering advice and wisdom about the future and opportunities that lie before us. We got back very late, and I had to walk back to my dorm in the 20-degree weather, which was not fun, but a price I paid for a weekend I will never forget.
-Aarah <3
