Sunset, Falafel, and the World’s Steepest, Scariest Escalator

Today started off with a bang when I won a lottery ticket for Friday night’s performance of “Be More Chill” on Broadway.

This was one of my must-sees this summer – I’ve been a fan ever since I first heard George Salazar sing “Michael in the Bathroom.” It’s a high school musical, featuring a socially awkward teenage boy whose “Squip” assistant helps him become popular and get the girl of his dreams, while predictably alienating his best friend, Michael. The songs have been stuck in my head for months.

It’s now going to be my reward after a marathon day of NYT orientation tomorrow, which runs from the morning until 6:30 p.m. because I also have training with my desk editor after the group orientation. Fun fact: I learned today that there’s a sign-up sheet for Times reporters to attend the Page One meetings each day, which happen at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. I’ll definitely be sitting in on a few this summer!

Today was largely spent learning how to use the old and new Times CMSes (they’re in the middle of a transition, just like the IndyStar was when I started there – joy!). If you’re not tech-savvy, CMS stands for content management system, a.k.a. the program I write, edit, and publish stories in. The fun part of this is that the Times has a parallel staging version of their CMS, which doesn’t have actual publishing capabilities, but mirrors the real CMS in every other way. So you can practice with the goofiest headlines and photos while learning how to navigate and use the program (when I was learning the Star CMS, my practice stories showed up in the live draft queue).

After CMS training, I headed to lunch with one of my flexible editing desk colleagues, Valencia, who will be my mentor this summer. We took the subway to a new restaurant on the fourth floor of the Hudson Yards complex, Belcampo Meat Co.

I ordered the namesake “The Vessel” bowl with lamb shwarma, cauliflower rice, za’atar, tomatoes, cucumbers, and yogurt tahini sauce. Basically, a gyro over rice. Very tasty!

I’m very excited about everything the flexible editing desk is doing in the newsroom, and it seems as though I’ll be a great fit. They’re a digital-focused operation, so lots of SEO, digital headline writing, social optimization, and strategic linking in addition to copy and content editing – which is a lot like what I did as a reporter on the “NOW” team and a producer at the IndyStar.

On a side note, fun fact about the Hudson Yards subway station: It features the city’s steepest escalator, or at least the steepest I’ve ever ridden. It feels like you’d go hurtling down through space if you lost your balance.

In the afternoon, I sat in on an all-staff meeting with the Times reporters and editors. Dean Baquet took questions from the staff and laid out the paper’s vision and goals for the future. It was fascinating.

I should also give a shout-out to the delicious falafel sandwich I had at Mamoun’s Falafel in the East Village tonight. It’s a Middle Eastern place that’s been dishing up its signature falafel sandwiches for nearly 50 years.

Long day tomorrow, but then I get to go see “Be More Chill!”

Also, look at this pretty sunset I caught tonight.

Keep being you, Manhattan.