Brad Polan
Wow - the only the word that can even begin to describe my first week in the big city. From the drive down here through torrential rain storms, to seeing the view from the apartments, to walking from Battery Park to midtown to simply explore Manhattan, I cannot begin to fathom what the rest of the semester may bring. I have lived in suburbs growing up, and have lived in the country at Hamilton, but this is my first experience living amongst a vast city, and I can't say that I regret it. Everywhere I walk, I am surrounded by awe inspiring sights, even though they all may not be enjoyable. The noise is great, but the atmosphere of the Big Apple is simply captivating.
Sitting in a Starbucks around Union Square the other night, my friends and I saw the start of what would become numerous protests against the Republican National Convention. We saw multiple vans of NYPD officers race down the avenues and helicopters with spotlights circling the area. We had no idea what was happening until the next morning when we read that more than 260 people were arrested during a cycling protest in which hundreds of cyclists were blocking traffic as they rode from Union Square to Madison Square Garden. This semester will be filled with experiences such as this, and I hope to explore them all.
Having spent a week in the city prior to the commencement of our program, I began my internship this week at Smith and Barney. Although my boss is away for the week due to the RNC, I am learning the ropes of the company, reading many documents about different financial markets, and beginning to research new funds and stocks for Jim, my boss. Sitting at my desk on the 40th floor of the MetLife building, I hear chatter going on in the office; a bunch of the guys who work on the floor were discussing last night's Yankees game – alas, my first disappointment of New York. Coming from Boston, I hate hearing Yankees talk; however, there is some good news to this experience, the Yanks did lose the previous night!
