December Issue

Views from above

63 floors up

KAPLAN ASPECT’S NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 1

December 2008

Hey, the Holidays are here! It is time to get rid of your grammar book and explore a week full of traditions and events. And forget about ice skating in Bryant park or watching the Christmas tree at Rockefeller. There are so much better things to do! For many students this is their first holiday abroad, far, far away from friends and family. But instead of feeling homesick, follow our guide to a vacation full of fun and happenings. Christmas and New Year’s Eve is probably the most well known of the upcoming holidays, but there are more holy days to come. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, which is known as the festival of lights. It is eight nights long and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar. Another holiday that is to be celebrated in December is Kwanzaa, a week-long AfroAmerican tradition. Kwanzaa was created by an AfroAmerican social activist in 1966. It was the first AfroAmerican holiday and it is said that it was created to give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the

• 3 Schools • 3 Days • Free! East Village Dec 22nd Empire State Building Dec 23rd Midtown Dec 24th

Current and future students are welcome to attend! There is more than Christmas in December. dominant society. The celebrations culminate in a feast and gift giving. There are also Islamic holidays in December. This year the Islamic New Year Eve appears 29th Dec. Many Muslims use the day to remember the Hijra or migration that the Islamic prophet Muhammad did to Medina. According to the Islamic calendar it’s year 1429 now. Of course you don’t have to be religious to enjoy these holidays, just open your mind and try a new tradition. Happy holidays! Brooklyn “Union Hall” is a bar with live music and books. It consists of three floors, so you can get something different on each floor. www.unionhallny.com “Monkey Town” is a fascinat-

ing restaurant, delicious food for reasonable prices. They also offer a varied menu and films which change daily. www.monkeytown.com Mahattan Check out “City Bakery” to get the best and most famous hot chocolate in the city. 3W 18th St. Queens “PS1” is a gallery that is a part of MOMA. It is located in Long Island City. Their indoor exhibition is really popular. www.Ps1.org “Crescent and Vine” is a cool wine bar. They sell not only wine but also beer, so you can try various beers and wine. 25-01 Ditmars Blvd. during the holiday season. New Years Eve The club Pacha and the restaurant/lounge The Rooftop always have good parties. Under 21? Go to Webster hall.

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Winter Special Programme! Are you finishing school soon? Are you wishing you could stay longer? Now You can! Extend for 12 weeks-Get 4 weeks free! Extend for 8 weeksGet 2weeks free! Extend for 4 weeksGet 1week free!

Our choice

You should be dancing! with each other no matter where they're from or what language they speak. On the small island of Manhattan, you can dance with a bunch of friends every night if you're willing to spend your time more actively. You'll grab romantic opportunities both dancing and meeting native American friends.

As many of you know, NYC is the most wellknown arena for jazz around the world.

Princeton is wondering about the purpose of life.

Great laughs guaranteed What? Avenue Q, musical Where? The Golden theatre, 252 West 45th Street Avenue Q is maybe the most fun play now running on Broadway. The story is about the college student Princeton, who comes to New York and struggles to find the true purpose in life. The only hood he can afford to live in is Avenue Q, where he meets the cute monster-girl Kate, and a lot of other new, weird friends. What's unique about Avenue Q is that the play mixes actors and puppets. It can seem strange, but it works, and it's very entertaining. The dialogue and the songs are hilarious. The song "Internet is made for porn", by itself, makes the play worth the money. Jennie Lorentsson

Find cheap tickets!

www.playbill.com www.broadwaybox.com Or visit the box office the day of the show.

Many brilliant jazz musicians have been walking around Harlem and curling up with musical instruments since the 1900s. Back in the 1920s, Swing dancing, which I'm going to introduce and strongly recommend learning, was started by the black community in NYC. For those of you who love jazz, I'll bet there is nothing better than swing dancing to the big-band jazz music. Swing dancing is the most popular dancing style in every single state and even across the ocean in places such as

The most famous dancers in the world, Skye Humphries and Frida Segerdahl. England, France, Sweden, Korea and so on. Just as many international students travel to study English, many of the dancers travel to dance holding hands

"Have you never danced before? Give it a shot!!" Sooyoung Choi

For more information: www.yehoodi.com www.dancemanhattan.com www.youshouldbedancing.com

Time for relaxation and appreciation There are a million things to do every day in NYC, and yet you might have wandered around looking for something grunting, "What am I going to do?”, “What am I doing here?”, ”Where am I heading?"

You’ll find this marvelous chapel and exhibition room in The Cloisters.

I want to make your life less trivial. More often than not, you wonder how many fun and satisfying experiences you could have on the tightest budget. Have you ever felt bored or irritated whenever you hang around Time Square or Central Park and you need to dodge people or be aware of hawkers? The Cloisters may deliver something else into your heart; so-called tranquility. The

Cloisters museum and gardens, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and architecture of medieval Europe, is like a small castle. The collection is comprised of nearly five thousand works of religious art from medieval Europe, dating from the ninth to the fifteenth century. You can see exquisite stain glass windows, tapestries, sculptures, and buildings which reflect themes of Catholicism. There is also a beautiful park named Fort Tryon Park and

you can see enormous landscapes, views of the Hudson River and the upper west side. One thing I really want to share with you is that The Cloisters will be holding a holiday program: Medieval Food on December 27, 28. This will be a unique experience to travel back in time and eat European medieval food. Moreover, this is a great way to spend less money during the holiday season and the New Year. It’s only a dollar! (admission:donation) Why not invest a day to be spiritual and frugal simultaneously while getting rid of everyday stress? Check this out at www.metmuseum.org/cloisters.

The hidden treasures of Greenwich "This area is perfect. It's so beautiful and the people care for each other." Susan Richardsson has been living on Bankstreet for 50 years. She remembers a time when there was only one restaurant in the area. Now there is a lot of them, from cheap falafel eateries to expensive first class restaurants where you have to be a member to get in. Greenwich is a pretty big area and one of the most famous streets is Bleecker, and that is where most of the tourists and NYU-students hang out. But there is so many more, and better, places to go to. Go for a walk in the block between Greenwich avenue and Greenwich street, and you’ll discover dozens of small, cozy and friendly places. The neighborhood is really friendly (hey, the Friends live here) and the old brownstones, which are now protected by law, gives you the feeling of being in a different city. To do and see The Friends home. On the corner of Grovest. and Bedford St. The home of Carrie Bradshaw, 66 Perry St. The pier at the end of Christopher street gives you a marvelous view of New Jersey. Biography book shop. This is

Green students

Students and schools around the country are hoping to make a difference to the environment by switching to a water filtration system from cooled bottled water. New York University is

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR HOOD?

If you’re looking for great jazz music Smalls is the place to be. a small shop compared to Barnes and Noble, but it’s wonderful. Don’t get fooled by the title, you’ll find a lot more than biographies here. Very helpful staff. 400 Bleecker St.

Susan Richardsson: "This is like the old New York, it's so beautiful. The place on 4th street is my favorite restaurant. Sevilla, on the corner of W. 4th St. and Charles St. is also very good.

Smalls. Enjoy great jazz music and a glass of wine in their cozy basement. 183 W 10th St at 7th Ave. The cover is $20 and includes a drink during the weekdays. Cheap & tasty eats Taim, Israeli mini restaurant with delicious falafel and a humus made in heaven. 222 Waverly Pl

Cyrus Rockwood: "I love this area; the trees, the plantings, the dogs, the cafes. It's like living in a small park. My favorite café is Tartine, on the corner of 4th St. and 11th St.

The stair to Carrie’s hideout in Greenwich.

Ghandi cafe, Indian cousin. Good Indian food and beer, cheap. 283 Bleecker St

The city bakery, organic coffee and cookies. Try the oatmeal and raisin cookie! 175, 7th Ave. Jennie Lorentsson

one of the latest schools to join this green initiative. The bottled water industry and the transportation of bottles causes a severe strain on the environment.

find out about upcoming parties Kaplan on Facebook! and events, or to check out Don’t miss the chance to join Kaplan Aspect’s group on Face- party pics and pick up gossip. book. There you will get the latest news and special offers from the school. It’s also the place to

Francis Pecick: - I can recommend a visit to the vintage shop Jamiola. It's kind of high end, but the cloths are beautiful.

Ongoing events during the break New York Botanical Garden: Holiday Train Show Ends Jan 11/09 This annual family favorite returns with model trains traveling a magical landscape featuring 140 replicas of NY landmarks made from plant parts. www.nybg.org The Metropolitan Opera Lincoln Center. Two hundred orchestra seats are available for $20 for regular performances Mon-Thu Current Production– La Boheme, Thais, La Rondine, Orfeoed Euridice www.metroperafamily.org

Upcoming Events! Alma NYC Part of BAMcafe Live The epic dance floor experience offered by the Brazillian music collective. At the helm is first generation Brazillian and native New Yorker DJ True, blending in samba, pagode, and drums&bassplus a little extra holiday spirit-into foot– stomping Neo-Brazillian fusion Grooves. www.bam.org The Swingers and Flappers Ball A swing dancing extravaganza Tuesday,30 DEC. Live Swing Jazz-Lavay Smith&Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers @ Connolly’s 121 West 45St.6th Ave/Broadway www.connollyspubandresta urant.com/index.html

The winner of the essay contest

Hey, and welcome to my place! I’m New York City, your new best friend. You have probably heard a lot about me. And, probably all of it is true. I’m the coolest, hottest, most exciting and most wonderful city on Earth. Sometimes other cities claim to be the best, but they’re not. As you already know, I’m full of fun stuff to do. I’m the hometown of thousands of restaurants, nightclubs, cafes, boutiques, shows, bars etc. I promise you’ll never get bored in my company. Is this your first time here? Let’s start with some simple facts. The best things with me are for free; walking and getting lost in new neighborhoods, watching the multicultural mix of people in the streets, relaxing in Central Park and, at last, just feel my heartbeat. Don’t let all the noise stress you out. Think of them as the soundtrack of your new life.

”Before the fun begins, I want to warn you…” Do you think I look big? Come on! All handsome models are tall. Think of me like your elder brother, I’m a little bit messy, but I really care about you and wouldn’t let you get hurt. One of the best things about me is that there’s so much to choose from. For example, if you want to spend your

Me, my self and I. Don’t you just love me? money on a hotel room or a residence, you have come to the right place. I have a lot of friendly roomies to offer. If you put your mind to it, you can find really nice rooms and roommates surfing the internet. Craigslist is the site. If you’re staying here for more than a couple of weeks, that’s the smartest way to save money.

Jennie Lorentsson from Sweden is the winner of the Kaplan Aspect Essay contest.

The second smartest way to save money, and also another great thing about me, is to eat cheap. You know, I’m full of delicious food, just have a look around. Every corner offers you spicy tastes for a few bucks. Don’t worry; the drinks can be cheap too.

my soul and my personality. It’s the mix of black break dancers in the park, stiff white men on Wall Street, lovely queers in the Village, stroller packs in the Heights, and the clubbers in the Meatpacking district who make me so perfect.

If you happen to get lost or just need to know where the nearest halal/pretzel/veggie bar is, my streets are full of friendly citizens. Do not hesitate to ask them. They’re the friendliest bunch of people who are my blood, my heart,

Before the fun begins, I want to warn you…before you know it, you will have fallen in love with me. I just wanted to tell you before you join the party of your life. Cheers! NYC