Selfies with Wax Celebrities and my First Shake Shack Visit

This week is strange. I’m working daytime shifts again, the last time I’m doing so while in New York. (The rest of my shifts are night ones that start around 4 p.m.) I was like, “Wait, daylight? And people in the office?! What is this madness?”

Anyway, if you're wondering why I can be spotted at places other than The New York Times building during evenings this week, that’s why.

Today I heard from Jon Caramanica, who is the pop music critic for The New York Times (he spoke to the fellowship class). Some takeaways: He too has noticed that no one at The New York Times ever sleeps. But he also said, in his opinion, that The Times didn’t make people like this; they were already dedicated to their jobs 24/7 before they got here — something I’ve also found to be true. If you love what you do, you don’t mind when the boundaries between work and life get a bit fuzzy. He also reminds me of a freelance writer in that he’s almost never in the office and has to be accountable to himself for covering all the stories he feels he needs to on his beat. It was fascinating to hear how he gets it all done.

I also met with Mike Winerip today, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and columnist and former New York Times investigative reporter who now does a lot of programming for up-and-coming journalists (and is also the fellows’ writing mentor). He was fascinating to talk to because, while he hasn’t held every job at The Times, but he has done most of them.

One thing he pointed out that I hadn’t previously considered: He told me I was one of the top three copy editors in the country, as The Times got first choice of all the editing applicants to the Dow Jones News Fund program, and took three (the other two are working in the print hub this summer). I would add the big caveat of ‘young copy editors,’ but that’s still neat to think about!

Today marked a milestone of my time in NYC: My first Shake Shack visit. I ordered a hamburger with onions and pickles (and some self-applied mustard), and as you can see, it was juicy and delicious. In the Shake Shack v. In-N-Out Burger wars, I am #TeamShakeShack.

From there, I headed to Madame Tussauds, which is very close to The New York Times offices on 42nd Street.

I didn’t visit the London location when I lived in the city for a few months in 2016, and I wouldn’t have gone to the NYC museum either if I hadn’t bought that 10-attraction NYC Explorer Pass (from a few blog posts ago). I wasn’t going to pay nearly $40 for a ticket, but since it was one of the attractions included in my deeply discounted Explorer Pass, I figured: Why not?

This proved to be a quality life choice. I had a lot more fun than I was expecting. The museum has five floors, and the highlight is the top one, which is filled with celebrity figurines from Kim Kardashian to Anne Liebovitz.

There are some uncannily accurate ones, and also some major flops (looking at you, Jimmy Fallon).

It’s fun to see which celebrities the sculptors nailed. One of the standout features for me was Taylor Swift’s eyes, which are eerily real.

As you’re walking through the museum, if it’s crowded, you also have a “Wait, you’re real!” or “Wait, you’re fake!” moment every so often. That’s by design, as the figures are scattered in walkways, and are leaning on railings or sitting at bar seats in the shops.

I took selfies with Kate Middleton, Lady Di, Ernest Hemingway, Edward Cullen (another flop), Ed Sheeran, Anderson Cooper, Al Roker, and many, many more new wax friends.

The primary reason I wanted to visit Madame Tussauds was because of a special Broadway exhibit currently on display that includes figures from "The Lion King," "Cats," and "Phantom of the Opera" (you can even climb in the boat with Christine as Michael Crawford sings the iconic title track!), as well as many famous actors and actresses. I even slid next to Andrew Lloyd Webber on a piano bench!

Overall, a very fun evening when I wasn’t expecting one (those are the best kinds of memories). I wouldn’t pay $40 for the experience, but it definitely brought a smile to my face!

And I'll end this here, with intense wax Anderson. :)