In just over a month I’m off to New York to study “Acting for Film” + “Film Production” at the New York Film Academy. They have schools all over the world including in Los Angeles, Paris, Florence, Harvard University, Beijing, Japan, Abu Dhabi, India and Australia. I chose New York because I’ve never been and let’s face it, it’s arguably the capital of the world. I’m very excited for the months I will be there! Aside from the actual course, I’m excited for the incredible guest speakers they get at the school (Kevin Spacey, Ben Kingsley, Steven Spielberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Billy Zane and many more). I’ve put together a list of six things I want to make sure I experience while I’m there – I get that it’s a huge city, but these are things that stand out to me. I recently did a similar article for my Madrid trip in June (see the article here). What’s great is, I celebrate my 25th birthday the day after I land in the U.S, so I would love to do something really special to celebrate (throw any ideas at me if you have!)

1. A horse & carriage ride through Central Park. I can’t think of a better way to gently introduce myself to this city. let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to go back in time for a bit? It can be located on Central Park South between 5th and 6th avenues. 

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love art and I think I’ll absolutely love this famous museum. I’m particularly interested in the museum’s collection of ancient Egyptian art!

3. A stroll through the West Village in Manhattan. I saw an article on it by Time Magazine here. What appeals to me about this are the cobblestone streets which have remained unchanged since the 19th century. The Magnolia Bakery sounds amazing with their signature cupcakes. I understand their cupcake of the month this month is the “hummingbird” – banana, pineapple and pecan cake with sweet cream cheese icing topped with toasted pecans. Yum.

4. The Metropolitan Opera House. It’s located on Broadway at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It’s part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and it opened in 1966. The night of my birthday they are staging “The Sleeping Beauty” at 7:30pm.

5. Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village. What can I say, I love comedy! I hear this is a great club.

6. Film Forum. From my understanding this is a very popular independent movie house. I can imagine the films shown here are very interesting. As a film graduate, I will definitely appreciate what I would otherwise never get to see! I like the look of the original “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Another one that caught my eye was “Rosemary’s Baby” starring Mia Farrow.

How about you? Do you have any suggestions for me for when i’m in New York?