Tyra Banks and Stacie Hess.
The rules were to send two photos - a head shot and a full body shot - and a 75-word essay about myself and my interests. I only entered the contest for fun, having no idea that soon I would be flying to the Big Apple (New York) for a four-day, all-expenses-paid trip, and having the time of my life! And I discovered the life of a New York model really is as glamorous as it seems in the magazines.
It didn't start out that way. Getting onto the plane for the gruesome 12-hour flight was not my idea of a fun time. But once I got to New York, the fun began!
Once I arrived June 16 in the lobby of the Hotel Elysee, I was whisked away by my chaperone to the lounge for a dress fitting and manicure. I also met the other nine finalists for the contest. Most of us had already met each other through letters and phone calls, but meeting everyone in person was awesome. Later, we gathered in the chaperones' suite to select outfits for sightseeing and we received TONS of Cover Girl makeup.
THE next day, we went to a studio penthouse for a YM magazine photo shoot that lasted the whole day ... with only 15 minutes in front of the camera. The rest of the time was spent in makeup, having our hair done, and just sitting around talking and eating. Later we had dinner at the Fashion Cafe, which was a blast. The YM staff threw a party for us and we were able to meet soap opera stars. Most memorable was Diego Serrano from "Another World."
Tuesday was a sightseeing day, which started at 7:30 a.m. We headed for the Empire State Building in a huge black limo luxury bus and saw the aerial view of New York City. We could see for miles, and even with the height distance, we could see all the yellow taxi cabs.
Everything you hear about the taxi cab drivers in New York is true! They wouldn't be able to drive without their car horns, but I think they are the best drivers in the world because we didn't see very many accidents, considering the wild way they all drove.
While there, I also saw the telescope where they shot scenes from "Sleepless in Seattle," one of my mom's favorite movies.
Next, we headed to Central Park and met Ethan and Frank (Jay and Hart on "Guiding Light") who took us row-boating down at the lake. It was so much fun, especially with the camera crew from "Entertainment Tonight" following us.
We walked to Tavern on the Green (the most beautiful restaurant) for a lunch press meeting with "American Journal." The rest of the day was spent shopping at F.A.O. Schwarz (a toy store), Tiffany's, the Gap, Coca-Cola Store, etc. We ended the evening with a dinner cruise around New York Harbor.
Wednesday morning found us dragging ourselves out of bed due to the previous fun-filled evening. We then headed to a luncheon to meet some of the top model agencies in New York.
Tyra Banks, one of Cover Girl's top models, was there to meet us. She is just as beautiful in person as she appears in her Cover Girl ads, with a wonderful personality. We all took pictures with her and had her sign our tank tops.
Our evening ended by taking in the spectacular Broadway show "Big," which is as good as the Tom Hanks movie.
It was great meeting and making friends with the other contestants from all over the United States. I have pictures and memories to last a long time.
The highlight of my trip was meeting Banks and also signing with one of New York's top modeling agencies, Wilhelmina. I'll be looking forward to many more trips to the Big Apple!