Dems Da Berries

...Hard to believe summer is over. August has been a combination of various physical and emotional transitions, and now I am on the cusp of an entirely unique adventure: I leave for London tomorrow morning!!! The wanderlust I have experienced steadily since my gap year is about to be satisfied and I couldn't be more excited. Although I won't be a Brewer for the next four months, I'm sticking to this blog, and spectacular abroad posts can be expected!
For the past month I've done a good job of keeping up with old friends, both Vassar and Punahou ones. As mid-August approached, I made preparations for a couple weeks of traveling around to see more people and couch-hop, which has been great. My work at Rogue Entertainment continued and so did my progress there - I've even been offered a paid job in the future! Other jobs over the past few weeks have included teaching more swimming, catering a crazy-fun wedding in Brooklyn, and a really interesting outdoor dining event in Rhode Island. I saw a lot of theater for cheap in New York this summer, something I definitely hope to continue in London. This semester abroad is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of moment. 2010 has been above and beyond the best year of my life, and I consider myself so lucky to have these amazing experiences!

An outdoor Motown concert in Lincoln Center.



Lucien, Michele and I celebrating Ilene's birthday in the city!



I found an L&L Hawaiian BBQ near the South Street Seaport downtown....made me miss home.



One cloudy day I wandered west to see the Hudson river and when I was returning to Harlem I looked back to see a spectacular, strange sunset between two buildings across the water!



The amazing Museum of Natural History!



Some of the staff of "Seven Seeds Catering", Nate's burgeoning catering company. A bunch of his friends and I catered the wedding of a wacky Brooklyn couple at the Galapagos Art Space. SO MUCH FUN!



The food was beautiful and delicious, and 100% vegan.



The Brooklyn Bridge, with midtown in the background!



Picking veggies at the Vassar Farm Project in Poughkeepsie one weekend.



Moving out of my Harlem apartment! I somehow managed to schlep these embarrassingly heavy bags all the way downtown. I'll miss my old Harlem neighborhood, but in some ways I think two and half months in New York City is just the right amount of time.



Last week I visited my friend Greg in Cranbury, New Jersey. We spent a surprisingly gorgeous day at the infamous Jersey Shore! Like many of our junior friends, we're both getting ready for our semesters abroad.





This artwork was in a huge sculpture garden where Greg works.



This is Outstanding in the Field at the Aquidneck Farms in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Basically, this traveling van of people set up elaborate outdoor dinners all over the country each summer, promoting local sustainability and providing guests a great meal. Here they worked in a barn, in collaboration with a local chef, brewer, and winery.



Nate cooked and I waited tables. We had a blast at the day-long event.



Nate, Jamie, Baize and their U-Haul packed with things, about to set off for Chicago to start their post-graduate lives. Knowing them, they'll very soon be taking over that city's culinary and theater communities.



Reunited with the swim team! I visited Vassar right as school was starting and saw an unexpected amount of my friends about to start their semester there.



The Vassar pool! (I'll miss it!)