Blog: Lib Sequences, Spankies & The European Union

It’s been little over a month since my last personal declaration.

Reading back, I can’t actually believe it. My emotions are swinging from nervous-excited-petrified-numb… I’m suffering from `Carpe Diem` whiplash. Just ask my Facebook friends. Quote/un-quote: “You have so many bloody interviews!”

Welcome to Pixie’s innermost. Follow me…

So the first thing I absolutely HAVE to get off my chest is my obsessive LOVE for my cheer team, the Teesside Wildcats. I’ve always been poor at sports, but nothing compares to this one. I wake up wanting to train, I sit in my lectures wishing to train and I go to sleep aching from training. Ever since my chair, Becky, wrapped me in her pre-heated kitty blanket, I’ve lived and breathed for it.

I live for Teesside Wildcats

Cheerleaders are like multi-talented mass amazing athletes- and I respect every one of them as I understand just how hard they work. We leave on a Saturday night with half broken spines and bruised wrists- but the thought of hitting that reload to extension or knowing that the bruises are in fact finger prints from a kick-ass basket outshines it all.

I am SO excited for the future ahead with the Wildcats. In just two days we’ll be in Newcastle with our poms, shorts and our American football team, The Teesside Cougars… and as Game Day Captain I’m learning the art of non-bullet inducing cheer chants. In the months to come we will be sweating over choreography, breaking more spines and getting measured for our super cute new uniforms in prep for comps early next year. The kitties are like sisters, mummies and hardcore friends all rolled into one. Peace!

Politics is actually really invigorating

So secondly there’s university. It’s a million times tougher, crazier and more motivating than I ever believed it to be- my degree is a killer! I’m doing multimedia journalism and Spanish language, which is bang on for my career. 80% of it is politics, but to be honest (I can’t believe I’m publishing this) I find it really invigorating to know what’s going on beneath the surface! The rest is made up of playing with cameras, mastering computer software, newswriting and social media (AKA everything at the opposite side of the spectrum to me). My Spanish and working on my website softens the edges- but I still have to take a few deep breathes at the end of my week!

I love it dirty- hello Student Union!  

Last on my list but very prominent on my mind is the bits of news I have received recently. I’ve just got a job at my Student Union as bar staff- I had my first shift last night and it was so warm and laid back. Within 10 minutes I was already `awww-ing` and pawing over sparkly tshirts and having far too much fun with the fresh orange machine. It’s a major relief to have money though (all students can vouch!) and I never thought I’d get it- 130 applicants replied to the ad!

News numero dos… visiting my course leaders in their offices and discussing Erasmus forms for my second year… and judging by the nature of the chat, it went rather well! So by the 6^th of December I will know if I’ve been put forward to study in an American or Spanish university. Me encanta!

International Business Times UK didn’t set a restraining order

Last but not least (are you bored yet?) is my interview to be a social media intern for International Business Times UK. I’ve wanted (pleaded, harassed, begged) these guys for an opportunity since writing travel for IBT NY last year. I’m majorly scared about this one… and in just 11 days, I will have to present myself as a social media evangelist superhero. If all goes peachy, my summer will be set up!

On a final note, I can honestly say that the commands of my heart have been followed as of late.

Departure: Hurricane documentaries in my student halls.

Destination: Disaster reporting in the US.

Well if Zuckerburg can stem ideas from a dorm room…

Work & play hard,

Love Pixie xx

Sandy:Relief

It’s been little over two weeks since ‘Super Storm’ Sandy hit the Big Apple.

During her two-day war path she managed to kill over thirty New Yorkers and reap billions of dollars’ worth of damage, halting the never-sleeping city to a standstill.  Despite this, our friends over in the United States of America have already been working hard to pick it all back up again.

`Hope for New York` and other national organizations have paired up with local churches in order to bag active volunteers and to pray for the people who are suffering the aftermath. MyfoxNY.com are building contacts with catholic churches of the city in order to provide cleaning supplies, toiletries and food supplies.

Good ole-fashioned fundraising is not the only source working to shake the streets of New York City back into life.

As US Weekly outlined earlier this week, celebrities are getting their hands dirty to raise pennies for the City of Sparkling Lights, too. International sensation Madonna took off her clothes while fans threw notes on the stage at Madison Square Garden recently. Lady Gaga closely followed suit… donating a wealthy $1,000 to her home city.

All-American stores such as Nine West wiped their diaries clean in order to have a day of `sending hearts out to their neighbours`, where they donated 10% of all profits to the relief fund.

All aboard for community spirit!

I’m wishing New York and it’s sisters and brothers a smooth recovery- as well as giving a massive, courteous English Thank You to the media teams who continued to cover through no power and a temporary office. (Mr Dworetzky, you’re doing us proud!)

Love Pixie,

xx

Blog:Pixie Sprains A Wing

Fight or Flight.

If it was the right season, and I were a creeping zinnia, my pollen would spread like wildlife. I am that passionate.
Despite my passion, when things get tough, I automatically conform to `flight mode`. I run away. This is especially true when I am pursuing my work. I am in love with so many things, so many areas and niches, that I don’t know what to do with myself. Fiction. Travel. Weather. The World. Communications. Languages. People.
So this said, I try my hand at each niche. I write fiction for hours on end, candles and coffee on tap, until the sun rises. I begin to master a storyline, I become my 1st person character, my grammar improves. But then I hit a slump. Who is going to read this? Why is my writing so dated? Am I completely messed up, because I write about space and purgatory when I zone out? How will I make enough money to live if I pursue this, anyway?

Am I not creative enough for this?

Then I flitter back to travel writing- my absolute forte. I log back into my website, I write some personal blogs… I reminisce about my days writing in Tenerife and Georgia, I begin to write travel pieces for a newspaper in New York, and I even bag a summer internship for said newspaper. But then that voice hits me again. I’ve never been to New York. How do I know it’s the City of Dreams? My writing is too fictional to be travel. I’m an amateur. I’m not good enough to go freelance and be paid for it, despite the fact I’ve already written features and been paid for them. Oh, and it’s been two weeks since I’ve submitted my intern application for the newspaper, and still, nothing.

Am I not experienced enough for this?

And then the big one hits me. That little vision that I carry around with me everywhere I go. America. My future home.
So I develop a love affair with natural disasters and weather, and my thoughts progress until I am hooked on the American Dream… to be a broadcaster in The States. And oh, what a fantasy it is. So I go through college, progress onto higher education and endeavour onto a degree in Multimedia Journalism. And then suddenly, the voice becomes so loud and so persistent, that I can’t think straight anymore. Broadcasting is viciously competitive. I need strategy. I need balls. I need to stand out. I need a background in science and geography and oh, I will need a few languages behind me as well.

So am I not smart enough for this?

And so… this is me now. Little journalist Leonie- aspiring travel writer, stuck in a rut. It seems that I have abandoned my talents and my own niches in favour of trying to better myself under the influence of other people. It’s sabotage to the soul.
My all-time motto in life is `Follow Your Heart`. Have I been doing that? Absolutely not. This makes me an absolute hypocrite.
I tell myself to Follow My Heart, and that’s what I shall do.

Cue coffee, muffins and a serious brainstorming sesh.

Love Pixie,

xx

The Cloisters at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Experience Medieval Europe and the Middle Ages

Fort Tryon- a fortress to fifth-fifteenth century art, stone and shrubbery

If you love old age princesses, knights and serenading scenery- a visit to The Cloisters of Fort Tryon Park is a great start to hours of pacing the back street spots of New York City. The sweetly coupled museum and gardens- which belongs to the well renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art- offers more regal architecture and roasted pear chutney than you can charge a jouster at. Whether you want to relive the era of the cavalry inside the hand built walls or unearth bunches of fresh violet from the gothic funnels and archways of the gardens, The Cloisters has everything you can expect from a big city institution. It’s authentic, ultra unique and fills you with time travel wonder before you get a chance to exchange your bucks for a wristband.

With Fort Tryon Park down south, the glistening sky liners of Broadway to the right and the rustic fortress of The Cloisters thrown in the middle- the culture shock of this part of New York City is quite literally… stunning.

Admission to The Cloisters includes extra special exhibitions and entry to the Metropolitan Museum of Art- so if you have the time to explore the rest of the grounds, keep a slot open for the `Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden`, which sees a new artistic feature every spring, and views of Central Park and the City’s famous skyline through all seasons.

Authenticity is when every stone has been sent from the elegant ends of Europe…

Unlike many tourist establishments in New York City and other American cities alike, The Cloisters is packed with authenticity; and little to none of it has been tampered with. Not only was the architecture made to look like a religious utopia, but many of the stones used within the main regions actually derive from five medieval monasteries and one Romanesque chapel- making the atmosphere inside the depths nothing short of spellbinding. Hogwarts- bow down to this beauty.

Let your mind wander outside of its comfort zone…

or feel right at home with one of the several foreign language tours in Francais, Italiano or Español.

European architecture? Check. European horticulture? Check. European cuisine? Double check. European translation? You bet.

The museum offers foreign language tours in French, Italian and Spanish- so whether you want to swoon over a new language of love or whether you’d prefer to listen to your native tongue, they’ve got everything you’re looking for.

It’ll be the seductive tones of the Spanish for me.

Middle Earthly Exhibitions…

Tapestry weaving demonstrations, live music concerts- lengthy talks about beautiful flowers that no one ever knew existed this day and age? The Cloisters is always buzzing with opportunities to educate and invigorate. Be sure to check up on the official website/ social networking sites for updates on the museum’s events throughout the year.

Disembark your steed, untie your suede upholstery…

and leave a little extra breathing room for a beautiful banquet at the Trie Café

Roasted pears, cranberry mustard and sesame brioche, finished with a classic chocolatine and a strong shot of espresso- the Trie café works hard to compliment the museum’s European theme (Remercie les cieux!) Perch on one of the delicate cast iron stools. Breathe in the still Manhattan air from the open air archways running along the side of the Trie Cloister. Close your eyes. Imagine that you’re in France a few centuries ago. Séduisant, isn’t it?

Keep Up To Date…

Days have passed and you’re still pining. Fear not! There are many ways that you can get your fix no matter where you are in the city (or the world). The `Medieval Garden Enclosed` blog, which can be found on the main museum’s webpage, is a fountain of historical facts, trending highlights and news about upcoming events- so that you can read up on your best loved pieces or catch anything you missed during your visit.

If you’re short on time, sign into www.twitter.com/metmuseum for some fast paced news or `like` The Cloisters official Facebook page at www.facebook.comthe-cloisters to read up on leisurely reviews or to stalk lots of professional photography.

Don’t forget to…

blow away the cobwebs of the Bonnefont Herb Garden and discover lilies, violet, sage and other mystical flowers significant to the era.

Love,

Pixie xx

International Center Of Photography Features WeeGee, The Father Of Tabloid Coverage

If looking at glossy magazine shots of the Empire State and Brooklyn Bridge is not your thing; then dig a little deeper into the unedited side of New York City, and add the International Center of Photography to your secret New York Noir lust-list.

There is a whole new layer hiding underneath the sparkling overcoat of towers, lights and irreplaceable landmarks that we all know and love. There’s history, raw culture and alternative arts made by great minds. So, what are you waiting for? Forget the generic guide; grab your Fedora and travel down to ICP to explore what New York City really means. You’ll have your heart stolen (and for all the right reasons…)

The Works of WeeGee- New York City in stills, and not a sparkle in sight…

Whether you are a journalist or you simply read New York Post on your commute to the office-nineteenth century photographer/ journalist WeeGee is sure to be on the same wave length as you. The “WeeGee: Murder is My Business”exhibition includes a mix of raw imagery, crimes and news reports of the time; resulting in a truly graphic collection of photographs which pride themselves on being unshakable from the mind. Many of WeeGee’s images, such as the “Naked City”, which is displayed at the center’s museum in all its frightening glory-once inspired the early tabloid newspapers and are partly responsible for making tabloid journalism what it is today!

Nineteen Fifties Heroines Live On in WeeGee’s World…

Even if you’re not a news buff, there is still plenty to love about WeeGee’s collections. Have you ever seen classic images presented in anyway other than in black and white, or on canvas? Well, in the “WeeGee’s World: Distortion” exhibition, you will see prints (such as Audrey Hepburn and the Mona Lisa) which have been twisted by old-school darkroom effects, snapped by playful camera lenses and burnt by naked flames. The best ones on display are of 1950s icon Marilyn Monroe-with her supersize pout and pre-digitally streamlined legs; you will never think of her in the same way again!

Discover Thousands of Original War Prints in The Photography Collection…

If you are into history, then chances are that you will love “The Photography Collection” at the museum; it holds thousands of vintage images taken by major photographers and photojournalists from around the world- and still on their original slides! Among the best is a collection by Hungarian combat photojournalist Robert Capa; it contains the exact envelopes that were written on during the five wars he covered and documented throughout the 1940s. As well as featuring an impressive amount of artists from as early as the 1930-1960s period; The Photography Collection also keeps back copies of famous publications such as French born weekly, ‘Vu’ (from the 1920s), and American born ‘Life magazine’, (from the 1880s) of which the “Naked City” star WeeGee contributed to.

Historians, Politicians and Kindergarten Kids alike will love to see presidents in frills and bows…

If you are looking to visit New York around the summer months, then now is a great time to consider the International Center of photography’s upcoming exhibitions. From May 18^th- September 2^nd, you will be able to catch “Presidents in Petticoats: Civil War Propaganda in Photographs” — an amusing collection of images from the late 1800s, which present the story of President Jefferson Davies and the allegations that arose after he was caught fleeing a camp in Georgia… unintentionally dressed in his wife’s overcoat! The exhibition is deeply informative, yet still manages to stay light-hearted and whimsical; a winner in the eyes of politicians, historians and kindergarten kids alike!

Make Your Visit End on a High Note with the Great Performances Café

Eyes tired? Tummy rumbling? Then why not head down to the Great Performances Café in the International Center of Photography’s museum, for a delicious coffee and some well-earned lunch? With a new set of salads, sandwiches and gourmet goodies presented each day, there will be no reason not to come back again and again. Bon Appetit!

MoMA Exhibits: Mingle With Monet, Van Gogh And Picasso At The Museum Of Modern Art

Feeling the wrath of New York City‘s mind coaxing culture? Where better to spend your lunch hour than at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), sorrounded by the likes of Monet and nineteenth-century visionary Vincent Van Gogh?

Whether you choose to snack on Twinkies and corn dogs or to relax and enjoy the fare at MoMA’s own Vino and Panini, a visit to the Museum of Modern Art on 53rd in Mid-town, is a must do. With its fresh take on traditional art, cloud-skimming surroundings and glass walls, the Museum of Modern Art holds so much more than the aesthetical views that can be seen from the sidewalk. Featuring renowned artists, insightful exhibitions and interactive museum tours; MoMA is able to give you a feel for vacation spent immersed in culture without running overtime on  your typical lunch-break.

Immerse yourself with the master-planners of the suburban dream.

Have you ever pictured yourself rocking back and forth on a swing, sipping sweet tea and revelling in the smell of the roses surrounding your suburban dream home? If the answer is yes, then the ‘Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream’ exhibition, located in the Robert Menschel Architecture and Design Gallery, is right up your avenue. The exhibition takes a very complex but practical look at American architecture and the effects of the Foreclosure Crisis; and it hosts many presentations and open discussions based on the threats faced by urbanized cities (such as New York City, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.). Guests can listen in on cutting-edge plans, voice and exchange ideas or examine scale models that will bring  the project to life before your eyes. If you’re short on time, a five minute listen to one of the heated discussions within the ‘Foreclosed’ exhibition will be enough to  give you a feel of what it’s all really about.

Make Yourself at Home in Moma’s Garden

If you are looking for a getaway in the summer months, then a stroll around MoMA’s Sculpture Garden should be bursting from the pages of your to do list; in fact, with The Garden Bar offering colorful sorbetti and wine, you could spend your entire lunch hour in a quiet escape. Whether you are examining the nude stone statues poised over contemporary water pools (such as Aristide Maillol’s “The River”), or taking a breather on a candy-colored seat- there is much to keep you involved in MoMA’s very own gardens. The ‘Figurengruppe’, or the ‘Group of Figures’ by German artist Katharina Fritsch, is an exhibit to pay special attention to. Built and designed between the years 2006-2011, Figurengruppe is a vibrant collection of religious sculptures made from bronze, copper and stainless steel; featuring characters such as a jade green St. Michael, a dandelion coloured Madonna and a snake coated in matte ebony. There are many interpretations for the Figurengruppe, making it exciting to view regardless of age or tastes; whether you are a grown-up admiring the story behind the characters, or a small child with a soft spot for skeleton bones and snakes!

Mingle with Monet and Nineteenth Century Vision Vincent Van Gogh

An art museum really would not be an art museum without the classics; the two-hundred-year-old works by Vincent Van Gogh, the beautiful oil paintings by Spanish-born Pablo Picasso and the calm brush strokes of the Parisian impressionist Claude Monet. With pieces such as “The Starry Night” by Gogh, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Picasso and “Water Lillies” by Monet, the Painting and Sculpture Department houses an array of classic modernist icons that always worth viewing.  Whether you find yourself caught in the fantasy of Gogh or frowning at the obscurities of Picasso, your modern-art experience will be fulfilled with a review of the foundational works of the period.

Don’t forget a visit to the MoMA Store — with its range of décor, innovative glassware and artistic prints; you’ll struggle finding anything as beautiful in any shop in town!

Pixie Would Give Up Twinkies for Life in the Name of Anomalous Travel

It’s 8.00pm, the sun is beating down and the birds are still tweeting outside. Its the 26th of May, and I am perched on the edge of my bed in my little student room, thinking about where my life is about to take me next.

It’s `that time` again- the minute where I realise that I’ve exhausted the past few months and that I’m sitting here, twirling my miniature world globe around on its axis and weeping into my Hostess Twinkies (warm from sitting in the sun all day, but still full of that sweet, heavenly faux buttercream that I revel in knowing how bad it is for me). The year of education that I remember dreading so much (post Atlanta) is now over, my newly aquainted friends are jetting off on holiday or excitedly booking festivals and gigs in the big cities- and I am finding myself sitting back, envying said friends and their holidays and festivities. All whilst spilling tears onto my travel literature and wishing that I still wrote travel literature. *Swoon*

This made me realise, with an undignified wretch, that I am being lazy. I have over three months until I need to prepare to relocate in time for university- and until now, I haven’t been planning to do a great deal with this time. That said, this academic year has been super busy. My course work and my part-time job as a waitress snapped up most of the time I had- and what was left of it was spent writing travel articles for the International Business Times (New York section) from the safety of my bedroom, surrounded by English food, English candles and English TV (snore). Alas- this year has been less action, and more theory; or less doing, and more dreaming. And I really do hate theory.

Although I know that good grades and a (semi) smart mind are both super important for my career as a Travel Journalist/International Reporter; the restrictions that came with my studying made me want to work harder and harder, in an effort to score my free time back. So I’ve spent pretty much the last nine months locked away in my student room- tapping out essays, watching documentaries, gazing at maps of America on my wall and ignoring any opportunity of socializing that I came my way. I’d officially become a recluse in the name of A-levels!

And let me tell you, `recluse` is one word that will never again be in Pixie, or Pixieabroad.com’s vocab.

We would sooner give up Twinkies for life.

So now, I’m going to take advantage of my new found freedom, and welcome myself back to Pixieabroad.com. Although, unfortunately, I can’t deliver first hand accounts of any wonderful place outside West Yorkshire until next Summer- I will be researching like never before to offer you lots of personal advice on what is worth visiting (travellers in search of text book style places, hang your heads in shame).

As a truly famous component in Travel Lover’s Land (and rightly so!) New York City  will be the first set of blogs to appear in `Pixie’s Globe`. Sure, it has cloud skimming towers, trillions of pretty lights and a suspension bridge that would make the Swiss Family Robinson blush- but the Big Apple has so much more to offer than it first lets on. Although the Empire State and the Statue of Liberty have to, by legal rights, be included- they are just the beginning. The City has an extraordinary back catalogue of modern history, contemporary arts, culture, dance, music… and a side to it that delves far deeper than the aesthetical layer of sparkles and sky-scrapers that many connect it with. We know how beautiful the city is, we can imagine the way our breath would stagger if we were looking over the Brooklyn Bridge at 11pm in December. We know that the Rockefeller is the go-to for ice skating and Christmas trees and we already know that Bloomingdale’s are going to have a blooming big sale.

We know, we know, WE KNOW.

So tell us something that we don’t.

The entries will be a pick of the most usual, exciting and quirky hubs of New York City- whether they be bistros, museums or open air parks that will steal your breath in a snap; so that when you touch down in the city yourself, you won’t have to waste time researching. (Your boring bits are my fun bits!)

Following this, by the summer of 2013, I will be in the city myself- scoping out more super cool places, blogging about them, photographing them and vlogging them (perhaps even interviewing them)- to give you an even better insight to the City of Dreams that we know we’ll never be able to stop dreaming about.

I am also super excited to say that my farewell message has finally changed! No more ‘wishes from rainy England’…

I wish you many walks through falling pink blossom and many a Starbucks Frappé.

Love,

Pixie xx

Pixie’s sparkly new plans

It has been six months since Pixie landed back in the United Kingdom, and I just can’t believe that it is nearing the end of February already!

Although the time has flown by, it still feels odd tapping words into my little `new post` box. It almost feels as if my fingers are bending in strange directions whilst doing this unfamiliar exercise. That being said, I am sorry that I haven’t been able to update you all until now- the chilly and somewhat dizzy month of February.

The first months of the year always feel like a blur to me. New Year’s resolutions are made, ideas begin- nothing is set in stone yet and the main thing keeping you optimistic is the promise of a great year. But to me, they just feel like little spurts of time before the real months, where the real action, finally begins.

So, I thought I would use this opportunity to fill you in on Pixie’s recent endeavours, and why 2012 feels like a million cocoons, just waiting to burst into butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Since landing back in the UK, the only thing on my mind had been getting back on that air plane and re immersing myself in the country that I could quite happily call my home. I didn’t, and still would not like to return until I have a blooming good reason to.

So this year is going to be all about building my career, rather than jetting off left, right and centre (although that sounds more attractive to me right now). Aside from working on natural disasters/weather projects, getting into university, travelling around the Northern part of the country for interviews, subjecting my body to strange pains as a cheerleader AND  juggling plates as a clumsy waitress to support my adventures, I also have many writing projects on the horizon. I shall be writing  for a New York section, planning a 1920s set romance novel and travel articles; before being reunited with my beloved city in the winter to really get things moving.

Until the winter, though- I promise you as many exciting posts as my wrists and fingers will allow me before breaking- and if I had it my way, they would be limitless.

Love, Pixie

xx

America’s Weather Has Its Citizens A Little Warmer At Heart

This post is dedicated to the time I had in Atlanta, GA- and all the beautiful things I experienced there. Particularly the sense of community during the time Hurricane Irene struck America.

So this is to you, dear, dearest America.

The web, newspapers and International stations are consistently broadcasting concerns about how we are warming our world and that it will evaporate before our eyes for our lack of carelessness.  This is not just for the pleasure of publishers, and it certainly is not because reporters and Journalists throughout the world have nothing more ground breaking to document. It is because it is important. And no matter how often green organizations protest with rallies, or how nicely primary schools make posters about it in Crayola and glitter pens; not one of us seems bothered enough to listen. Eco-friendly has been all the rage for the past few years, but unfortunately, the after effects of taking our atmosphere for granted are already in full swing. With regards to weather, the theory is that when the o-zone layer continues to warm, tropical storms will fuel themselves on these conditions, and alas- develop into natural disasters unimaginably difficult to recover from. Heat waves will be unbearable to go outside in, rainfall will gradually become heavier, inducing episodes of flooding- and hurricanes will hold winds that will rise to the top of the Beaufort.  Exhibit A- the outbursts of destructive weather taken place in the United States of America during the more recent months of 2011.

Tremors in South Virginia could be felt as far as Washington DC…

On August 23^rd, the Southern state of Virginia, which balances on the Atlantic coast, was hit by a 5.8 earthquake; one of the most intense to be recorded in its geographical expanse. Not only did the quake turn businesses and homes upside down in VA, but it also rippled up the east coast and swayed towers in New York, which shook the city into thinking a repeat of September 11^th was in their hands. Further outland, in the powerful state of Washington DC; an emergency evacuation of political buildings such as the White House and Pentagon took place before a stone obelisk, dedicated to President George Washington- was corrupted by the quake.

Biblical winds caused by Hurricane Irene in August of this year…

On August 27^th, just four days later, Hurricane Irene swept across the coast and entered Virginia, after having wreaked havoc in the neighbouring island of The Bahamas.  Although Irene remained a category one as it travelled through VA and the surrounding states, it still proceeded to capture the power supply of millions of homes; which was still delicate from a prolonged repercussion of the earthquake. For the days that arrived after, Hurricane Irene altered her path many times; causing seven states in total, including New York City, to go into emergency hibernation. America stayed alert and made some major decisions since discovering Irene, which was mainly due to the fact they could not afford to experience a repeat of Hurricane Katrina; which claimed many lives through lack of judgement and preparation. One of these decisions was to put all local transport, including the subway, to sleep until Irene came with a clearer prediction to whether she would grace New York City or not.

A snow shed disaster for Central Park and its surrounding areas…

Finally, on October 31^st, a rare snowfall, one which sat side by side in size with one back in the 1800s; fell over the east coast, affecting many states including you’ve guessed it- the Big Apple, New York City. The sight of Central Park coated in fluffy, glacial snow collaborated with Halloween in all its darkened glory sounds like one for sore eyes. And it is not because of how beautiful it looked, but because over three million homes and businesses were deprived of their power and electricity. One can only imagine that looking at America from a space shuttle during the last few months, is a lot like looking at the strobe lighting effect from a horror movie advert- pulsating, scary and with no idea what will come next.

Its America’s sweet sense of community that holds them together in times of crisis…

There is something touching about the less fortunate times in America; something that ensures it will always get through and come out feeling alive afterward. This is their sense of community and how willing they are to look out for each other; and it spans like ignited liquid from state to state. Merely listening to CNN News quietly in the background feels as if you are being enveloped with a giant, country sized blanket. You know that when the anchor tells you to evacuate the area and hunt for means of safety, they say it with personal sincerity and not just with professionalism. You know that they will show footage of a storm and gasp at how exciting it all looks, just so the truth always comes with a sugar coating. Global Warming may be rising the temperature of the seas, the winds and the skies- but it is also warming the hearts of every citizen in America.

Leonie Ann Garlick

Leonie Ann Garlick is a traditional British girl who would sell her soul for a latte and a flight to America. She is a compassionate romance writer, travel Journalist and creator/writer/editor of www.pixieabroad.com.

More Blues Than Beauty

After some unsettled sleep and a little gluten free breakfast, the plane landed at Heathrow. I stepped off the plane, wrapping my flowery cagoule around my shoulders *Shudders.

My head was spinning, I was scruffy and tired; and I was praying for the American voices to go away so I didn’t want to desperately follow them any more. I’d been in Britain for less than twenty minutes, and I already wanted to go back. I had another four and a half hours to wait until my coach, and I felt the jet lag as if it had just leapt up and whacked me around the head.

I froze my bum off, tightened the straps of my cagoule around my middle and frowned at my Georgia coloured skin. I knew two things. 1) The London girl in Miami airport was right. Travelling and writing is the best job in the world, and I’d already started it- so I’m going to use my endless enthusiasm to make it work. 2) My fave authoress is right. Why go back home to miserable Britain when you already feel like home somewhere else? I’m going to go back, work and come back as soon as constructively possible!

I ordered my latte and panini, settling down to scroll through my emails on my Blackberry- I missed using it so much since I’d been away! I found links to the South African travel article I’d written a while  back, and some suggestions about my blog appearing on the magazine’s website- which temporarily made my blues fall away, I’d been waiting for news like this for so long!

I grabbed `The Single Girl’s To Do List` from the airport and prepared myself for the dozens of coaches I had to hop on and off of today. I found out I have no work for the rest of the week, which allows me time to sort out my workload- my novel, my diaries, my money- my whole life, really.

I passed through London, which really is infuriating when you’re half asleep, walking with hordes of other travellers  and getting stuck in the tiny toilet cubicles with a suitcase. Not forgetting the pigeons flapping around your head, oh lord…

It’s funny to think I finished my day in Leeds, tucking into stuffed vine leaves and pitta bread with my boyfriend; crammed in my little student room.  It’s almost like I never left.

Back in Britain and looking forward to reporting back with my next diaries,

Pixie xx

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