It's Nice to Go Back

The Big Apple, New York City, home of Columbia University was our destination today. It was a fun experience for me to get to go back to Columbia where I studied Constitutional Law last summer. Because I was a little bit familiar with the Amtrack and subway system in NYC, I got to help point our cohort in the right direction. Just stepping off the train at Penn Station in NYC brought back great memories with last years Columbia cohort! 

Big Board.

Train pulling in.

It was unfortunate that we had to visit Times Square during the day and in the record heat because I think that our group was a little disappointed with Times Square because it's not extravagant during the day. If we could see Times Square at night, I think everyone would have been absolutely amazed. Today was odd at Times Square because the whole middle section of Times Square was clocked off for a public yoga session. Primarily women spread out everywhere trying to copy yoga poses from one another.

After leaving Times Square, we went to Columbia where I led the cohort in the wrong direction (I'm sorry for making you guys walk more!) and resulted us walked back across the whole campus to get to the bookstore and then a quick bite at a sandwich shop along Broadway. We then went to the information session and I realized that I don't like Columbia as much now as I did last year. During the information session, the admissions officer kept talking about Columbia's core and why it's so great and makes Columbia, Columbia. The core is essentially a set list of courses that every student must take over the course of four years. The core is very rigid. There isn't a list of classes to choose from that can fulfill the same requirement. There is one class for every requirement. That's why I don't like the core. Maybe Columbia isn't for me. 

Times Square

Following the information session, we went on a college tour. I thought I knew all I needed to know about Columbia, but I was wrong. I couldn't recall that the land was purchased from an asylum and that one of the conditions was that one of the buildings from the asylum had to be kept. The result is a building that looks out of place and houses the French department. Also I knew there was a building named the "Northwest Corner Building" but I never knew it was just named that not only because it's located in the northwest corner, but because the alumni are still raising money so they can give the building a different name. Sadly because the college tour went on longer than expected, we didn't get to talk to the admissions officer because we didn't want to miss our train back to Philadelphia.

When we got the Penn Station, we found that our train was delayed for about 20-30 minutes. When the train  arrived, we rushed to the end of the train because every other car was packed, and to our surprise the car we were in was just about empty. We took our seats and began to talk and laugh like it was a normal car, but we ended up getting several dirty looks and were asked to be quiet because the car we were in was a "quiet car". I didn't even know such a car existed! 

Our train, number 193 was delayed

Waiting for our train.

Finally, for dinner we ate at Amada a restaurant owned by Iron Chef Jose Garces! I was amazed that we actually got to eat food from a menu designed by a world renown Iron Chef! I never thought that I would get anywhere near eating food from a chef that I watch on Food Network.

At the restaurant, we ordered Chef's Choice which ended up being four courses and about 20 dishes! I thought everything was interesting and delicious except for this truffle lavender honey sauce that can be described as weird and funky.

Overall, today was a fun day! I got to go back to the Big Apple, revisit and learn more about Columbia, and eat food from an Iron Chef's restaurant! Princeton is up next! 

Meatballs

Dessert

Lights, Columbia, Action!

Today we started off with a walk to the 30^th Street Amtrak station on the Penn campus.  We knew today was going to be a particularly hot day, but the humidity came like an invisible wall right when we walked out the door.  The 30^th Street station is another older looking structure inspired by Greek architecture.  Back in the day it used to be a central post office.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat for breakfast before boarding the train headed toward New York City.

Can You See the New Year's Ball on Top?

The Amtrak ride was a very similar experience to the Amtrak system in the Bay Area.  Most of the ride was above ground, and we were introduced to the greener suburbs of Philadelphia.  I realized yesterday while in the city that we were yet to see a residential area, until today that is. After arriving to New York City we transferred to a subway train, where everything changed as we were greeted by the many lights and sights of Times Square. 

It has been 8 years since the last time I have visited New York, and it was great to come back.  Luxury stores and movie posters decorated the streets and skies as the wide sidewalks were used to hold a yoga program, which consisted of about 200 people total!  Signs for Broadway productions and name brand clothing towered over every building as the New Year’s Eve ball glittered in sight from afar.  Our trip eventually led us to board the train once again headed toward Columbia University. 

The campus presented more of these older buildings influenced by Gothic architecture as we entered campus.  Luckily we had our personal tour guide, Eric, who attended an ILC program at the school last summer.  The campus was smaller than I imagined, much smaller in comparison to Penn, but compact, not lacking any essential features.  The campus, located in West Manhattan, was more urban and less “green” than Penn as well.  Nevertheless, I was given a great first impression of the campus as we soon met Jessica for the info session.

Outside the Columbia campus

The info session and later the tour consisted mostly of the academic structure of the school.  With a required core curriculum, there are not as many options for classes available until you declare your major at the end of sophomore year (at the beginning of sophomore year for the engineering school).  The makeup of the school seemed to have more restrictions than I would have expected, especially in regards to the academics, but nonetheless I felt convinced that this school really leads students down a path to success.  Something that I was impressed with was Columbia’s availability of school counselors and advisors to incoming freshman (about 3:1 ratio) to help them figure out their schedule and life on the campus.  I have always wondered how the adjustment to university life would be, and this method seems to really allow students to have a smooth transition into their new life on campus. 

Columbia Library

Next, Tyler, at rising sophomore at Columbia studying economics and history gave us a tour of the school.  We visited the library and a couple classrooms as Tyler gave thorough explanations of each building’s purpose and gave insights to life on campus as well.  I was impressed that only after one year on campus he was able to provide us with so much information about the school.  One requirement that I found funny was the mandatory swim test that all students have to take to graduate, originating from an old tradition from when the school was founded (at first called King’s College).  Each student, before their graduation, has to swim a vigorous three laps in…three hours!  This tradition is commonly treated as a social event as friends tend to take these tests together.

Anchovies: one of the many delicious dishes

On the way home our train got delayed by about 45 minutes, so we did not have as much time to transition from college touring to dinner.  Amada: a Spanish restaurant about 20 minutes away from The Inn, and one of the most unique dining experiences I have ever had.  The dinner was chosen by the chef, and consisted of 16 simple, but gorgeously prepared plates as well as dessert.  What I appreciated most about this restaurant was the way they accommodated food allergies.  Rachael and I both suffer from food allergies, and they were extremely conscious of this and, if there were a dish that we could not eat, they would bring a just as delicious alternative for us.  The waiter as well as the servers were able to describe each dish as it arrived and illustrated a picture in our mind of what we were about to eat: from what the dish consisted of, where the ingredients originated, and, for Alfredo, a wine that accompanied the meals and again, what it was and where it came from.  This dining experience was fun and was a great time for our group to bond and laugh over the magnificent meal that was presented before us. 

Tomorrow we will make the journey out to New Jersey to visit Princeton University.  We will be getting an extremely early start, but I cannot wait for what another day will have in store for us! 

City That Never Sleeps

Today, I was in charge of wake-up calls which means I had to wake up extra early. After we all met in the hotel lobby, we walked towards the Philadelphia 30th Street Station to go on Amtrak to New York City. Surprisingly the weather was not to hot, but was still in the upper registers compared to the San Francisco Bay Area. Upon arriving at New York City, we were greeted by a temperature in the mid 90s. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed at my NYC Times Square visit. Once I arrived it was very hot and crowded; it reminded me of Union Square in San Francisco. Well, I guess my expectations of Time Square was a little too high. I realized that the only interesting places in Time Square were where the annual ball-drop is and the Good Morning America studio is. Other than that it was not that exciting, the thrill came more from the fact that I was actually in Times Square rather than the attractions in it.

30th Station in Philadelphia

Good Morning America studio

Different view of the studio

The ball seems to just live there throughout the year

After a quick walk-around in Times Square, we took the infamous subway system of New York to get to Columbia University. We had a quick lunch and went straight to the informational session. During that time, we learned about all the required classes every student needs to take and other interesting information (like how Columbia student need to take a swimming test in order to graduate). After the informational session, we went on a campus tour that seemed to last forever because of the scorching heat. I quickly realized how small Columbia was. Throughout the Columbia visit, I noticed many similarities between Columbia and UPenn in terms of how their academics are run.

Butler Library in Columbia University

Low Library (not a library anymore)

After the visit, we quickly headed back to the subway system to get back to the Amtrak station as to make sure we would not miss our train. However, our train was delayed but only for about 20 minutes (another train was delayed an hour and 15 minutes). Since we got back late, we only had about 20 minutes before we had to head out to dinner. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't have dinner with any of the Columbia admissions officer because the trip from NYC to Philadelphia is too long and the main reason: Columbia admission officers are not allowed to engage in outside activities with prospective students.

Although we didn't get to have dinner with Columbia, we still had a great time with ourselves. We went to a Spanish restaurant called Amada located in Old Philadelphia, a few blocks from Independence Hall. There we order the "Chef's Selection" in which the chef chooses what he wants to make for us (this helped out a lot since there was an array of items on the menu). We ended up having three courses of four to five different dishes per courses. In the end, we were completely stuffed but still managed to wipe the desserts clean. As a token of my appreciation, I ended up drawing a picture make out of melted sorbet on my plate to present to the chef. Amazingly, he turned around and gave me a thumbs-up sign, an okay sign, and a nod of approval. 

Seared Scallops

Lamb Shanks

My art piece for the chef

Overall, today was one of the best days so far. I learned a lot about Columbia University and can now compare the pros and cons between it and UPenn. Although I was a little disappointed with Times Square, going to NYC was an experience all in itself; everything from the people who don't follow the traffic signals to the crazy cab drivers. Tomorrow, we're off to New Jersey to visit Princeton!  

The Summer Solstice

The Enormous Station

We woke up relatively early today (7 AM) so we could catch the train to New York City. As soon as we stepped out of the hotel the heat struck us. Even at 7:45 in the morning the humid heat was already oppressing. Unfortunately we knew it would get much worse. A brief 15 minute walk from out hotel brought us to the Amtrak Station. At the station I had a steak, cheese, and pesto breakfast burrito and my first of MANY water bottles for the day.

The boarding process for the train there was fast and easy, the only issue was the environment of the boarding area, which I'm sure my brief exposure to already shortened my lifespan by a few years. The ride was pleasant and gave me a chance to see more of the East Coast. The difference in environments between the East and West Coasts is easy to see, and I appreciate them both, I could not chose a favorite.

Yoga in the middle of Time Square,
 you know, standard stuff

After we arrived in New York we took the subway to Times Square. Stepping out from the subway we were immediately assaulted by the sweltering heat. As usual Times Square was a bustle of activity and drama. In celebration of the Summer Solstice a clothing company had huge areas fenced off in which hundreds of people gathered to do yoga under the blazing sun. We saw some drama occur when a bus hit another driver's side view mirror.Luckily we left before the swearing starting. Seconds later we were approached by a group of men who handed us their "free" CDs then immediately asked for donations. When we declined, they took their CDs back and moved on in search of more generous prey.

Columbia's Campus

After our adventure in Times Square we took the subway to Columbia University. Thanks to Eric Wang's guidance (he went to the Columbia program last year) navigating through the Columbia area was easy. On the way to lunch we stopped by the gift shop so Rachel could get a sweater for her brother. I was glad to go, since it provided a welcome reprieve from the heat. For lunch we had sandwiches from a local deli. The sandwiches were small, but very tasty and satisfying. After lunch we headed back to Columbia for the information session and tour.

Where they keep the French

During the session (in which we were front row again, sorry no photo evidence this time) I learned a whole lot about Columbia. From its numerous core class requirements to the excellent on campus housing options. Unfortunately, as of right now, it does not seem like Columbia is the school for me. The programs offered are all excellent, the campus is beautiful, and the social aspects seem very appealing, but living in New York City does not appeal to me. I still greatly enjoyed the visit. I am becoming more knowledgeable about all aspects of college, and learning more about what I want to do in my future.

Our our guide told us an interesting story about the one building on campus which looks different and out of place. It is the last remnant  from the insane asylum which occupied that area before Columbia, and apparently home to the French department.

After our tour we began the journey back to Philadelphia. Everything was going exactly to plan until the word "delayed" flashed up next to our train. Luckily we had a deck of cards and the delay was not too long, so we entertained ourselves playing "Old Maid" and "Indian Poker" until the train arrived. The train ride back was a good chance for me to work on my blog, and I spent the whole trip typing away on my I pod.

One of our desert dishes:
chocolate cake and saffron ice cream

After a quick shower and rest time at the hotel it was out again for dinner. We dined at Amada, a restaurant which specializes in tapas. We ordered the chef's choice, and that turned out to be a good decision. Dish after dish arrived, I think we counted seventeen in total. Five appetizers, five cold dishes, four hot dishes, and three deserts. The restaurant was very helpful and compliant with or groups various food allergies. It was an extremely enjoyable experience, and although the environment was much more casual than previous ILC dinners, this meal was definitely another top meal of my life.

After dinner it was back to the hotel for blogging and bed. Then tomorrow its off to New Jersey to visit Princeton University.

Living History at UPenn

Today started early for me, though not nearly as early as yesterday. I saw last night that the hotel had a fitness room on the third floor, so I dragged myself out of my soft Hilton bed (complete with four plushy pillows) to go try running on a treadmill for the first time ever (the streets in Philadelphia are narrow, and, unlike California, it seems pedestrians don't really have the right of way, and there is no road sharing). It took me about ten minutes to get used to the feeling of the floor moving without me going anywhere, but afterwards, it was fun to play with. After a nice 27-minute workout, I rushed back to my room to call everyone (I was assigned wake-up call duty by Mr. Chan-Law).

One mode of public transportation.

Independence Hall, from afar.

City Hall, 1791-1854.

We first headed out to Independence Hall via taxi. We had an extra hour before the tour, so we all walked down to the nearest restaurant and grabbed some breakfast. All of the guys wanted the Philly cheesesteak, but it was too early. I wanted a fruit salad, but it was also too early for fruit, apparently; I had to settle for an omelet, and now I no longer wonder how America developed such a huge obesity problem. After breakfast we headed to the famous location where colonial delegates signed the Declaration of Independence; we also met up with the Columbia group for this tour. The first part of the tour showed where the Constitution was signed and what the room looked like; the guide was a little flat, and frankly, he seemed tired of reciting the same history every day. At the west end of Independence Hall, we had a female guide who showed us the first rooms for the House of Representatives and the Senate (before D.C. was built); she was much better, and even threw in some jokes during her presentation. The whole tour only lasted about 30 minutes. We saw the Liberty Bell through a glass window (the line was too long), and we were going to check out the Constitution Center, but decided against it due to time constraints.

The Declaration of Independence was signed here.

Area for the first House of Representatives.

The first gathering place for the Senate, just upstairs.



Inside architecture.

Outside architecture

Our second tour was of the University of Pennsylvania; it was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, and has since become known as one of the more social Ivy schools. The buildings were beautiful, and screamed of history on the outside; inside, they were modern but still amazing. Unfortunately, they do not have a nutrition science major, but it was still interesting to see the campus. It was very different from a California school, which is typically all modern architecture, inside and out. There is also a certain feel to UPenn, similar to UC Berkeley - it seemed like a school for the privileged. The student tour guides were dressed nicely; our tour guide (Anna) wore black dress pants and a black shirt despite the hot weather. Usually, the tour guides at California schools are either dressed in a uniform, or have on jeans and a t-shirt. Of course, I guess if one can afford an Ivy League school (especially UPenn, which provides no merit-based financial aid), then one has the right to show off a little.

Penn is still bustling with tourists and students during the summer.



The main campus library; probably has every book...



When the tour ended, we were all hungry again, so we walked to the nearest food cart and ordered some small Chinese dishes (I got vegetable fried rice). We walked back to the heart of the campus to eat with the Columbia group, who had also toured the school. After talking with Adrianne Ramsey for awhile, the group left, and we headed back to our hotel rooms to take a break before dinner.

Tonight we had dinner at the Fountain Restaurant with UPenn alumni and admissions officers. The woman I sat next to (actually a current student), Monique Sager, was wonderful to talk to; in fact, I think she may have been a distant cousin. We coincidentally sat next to each other, but we discovered that we had the same ethnicity and culture, grew up in similar environments (both by the bay), and she had 33 food allergies while I had a gluten intolerance. I've never met a random person before with so many similarities, but it was fun, and was an immediate ice breaker. She told me a little bit about the university and its culture, as well as what to expect. I specifically asked her if AP classes actually prepare students for college courses. She said no, they are completely different. She also added that Ivy League schools state that they accept AP credits, but the credits do not really count for anything.

My delicious, though salty, entree.

On top of the great company, the food was excellent as well. The restaurant was very understanding of my dietary needs, and provided me with all gluten-free meals (including bread!). I ordered a caesar salad (no croutons); sauteed sea bass with shrimp, lobster, and bomba rice; and mint ice cream for dessert. They also gave us something in between the entree and dessert; it tasted like tart raspberry, and resembled a more solid gelatin, but I did not catch the name of it. The seafood was too salty for me, so I only had a couple of bites, but the rice was mouth-watering. It seemed like a rich, nontraditional version of mac and cheese. 

A Day at Penn

We started the day off by joining the Columbia group to visit Independence Hall, which was very neat, especially because of the thought that the founding fathers would have stood at the same spots that we stood in. I was very surprised that they had most of the original artifacts from the 1700s at their sites because I would have expected replica chairs since the originals were well over 200 years old. After seeing such a fantastic historical site, we visited the National Constitution Center before arriving to our main destination, the University of Pennsylvania.

Independence Hall

We took two taxis to the college and arrived at College Hall, where we began our tour. Our tour guide, Ana (I think), gave us some very interesting facts, while showing us this great campus. Though it got very sunny and humid, it was a marvelous experience. This was the first old school college I've seen, and I really liked it. The one thing that stuck in my head from what Ana said was the traditions that follow this prestigious school, including Hay Day, where Juniors wear straw hats and march through the school.

Amazing U Penn Building

We finished off a nice day with a superb dinner at the Fountain Restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel. When reading Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy for my summer assignment, Mr. Sharp, the founder of the Four Seasons Hotels clearly stated that his main priority was customer service, and I wanted to see how great their top rated service actually was. When arriving by taxi, we were immediately welcomed by the employees, who opened our doors and greeted us courteously. We entered the hotel and saw our guests, the UPenn alumni and admission's officers. They were as nice as one could hope, and they treated us teenagers like adults. We all entered our reserved room, and again, were greeted by the waiters. I sat next to two very amazing admission's officers, David and Amy, and we discussed about school activities and why UPenn is their choice university.

The food we ate there was probably the best I ever had. For the appetizer, I had a delicious halibut, topped with some cashew butter and Forbidden Black Rice. The main entree was a mix of seafood that included lobster, fish, shrimp, and was balanced out with some rice. To top off this delicious meal, I had an extremely rich chocolate souffle. This delicious chocolate souffle was a little too much for me to finish, however. For the first time in a while, I was actually full from a fancy restaurant (not including yesterday's steakhouse.) What was really surprising for me was that the chef walked in to make sure everything was okay. I mean, how many other restaurants do that?

Appetizer: the halibut

The Main Course: mixed seafood

Desert: the chocolate souffle

As the first full day of the East Coast, I'm glad that we went to UPenn. The campus was filled with trees, making the buildings look more magnificent, and the third oldest college of the Ivy Leagues, which was founded in 1740. Not only is the campus amazing, their people, including the alumni, admissions officers, and even current students had great personalities.

City of Brotherly Love

This morning we met up with the Columbia cohort at Independence Hall to tour together. It was nice to get to see the Columbia cohort and the great Mrs. L again. During the tour, the guide gave us a mini crash course on colonial American history. One interesting fact we learned was that in a portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there is one person who's face isn’t show. The artist shows the back of this person as he signs the document because historians know he was at the convention but there is no recorded portrait of this individual. Another fact that we learned was that the original Senate hall was secret, no one was allowed to listen in on what the Senators were talking about, so there really wasn't to hold a Senator accountable. 

Independence Hall

After we finished our tours at Independence Hall and bid farewell to the Columbia cohort as they went to lunch, our cohort walked around and soaked in the sights around Independence Hall before we caught a cab to UPENN for the information session and college tour.

Independence Hall

The two chaperones talking about plans.

Columbia cohort

The information session was extremely beneficial for me personally because I'm looking forward to applying to UPENN this coming fall. During the information session the admissions officer told us what they were looking for in an applicant. She told us about how UPENN wanted individuals who are open to being changed and learning a new thought process and how our application had to show that we challenged ourselves at school and that our "Why Penn?" essay needs to not only explain what drew us to Penn, but what we can bring to Penn and how we can "own" Penn.

Following the information session, we left on a tour of the UPENN campus. Our tour guide, Anna, led us around UPENN and spoke about traditions such as "Spring Fling" and "Hey Day" and led us along Locust Walk to show us the library, quad (dorms), and Wharton Hall just to give us a taste of what UPENN is like. 

UPENN College Hall

Locust Walk

At the dinner, I sat next to admissions officer Amy Smith and rising senior at Penn, Hamlet (Yes, that's his real name.) When I asked what both liked the most about Penn, both said the "one university philosophy". I have to agree. Based on the information sessions and dinner that's the one factor that has stood out to me the most. UPENN has four colleges, (Wharton, College of Arts and Sciences, Nursing, and College of Engineering) and I thought that the atmosphere would be like having four separate universities on one campus. That couldn't be further from the truth. I believe this is because of the "one university philosophy" which means that the university forces every student to take classes that not only aren't part of a student's major, but also from a college that he/she isn't part of. I love the "one university philosophy".

Octopus appetizer

Seafood entree.

Dessert.