A couple of weekends ago, I went on a field trip for my biology class to the UW Friday Harbor labs. I think that it's needless to say that it was probably the most fun I've had all quarter, and also the best photo op. Despite the fact that I had two midterms the following week to study for, I think that the Friday Harbor was the relaxing trip that I definitely needed.
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I didn't know what to expect from NYC, besides the crowd, the tall buildings; the taxis and constant honking of cars in the roads. I thought that I would eventually get tired of it, and in some ways I did. But in a lot of ways, I fell in love with the city, and I'm even considering moving there for graduate school... but we will see. Recommendations: 1. The 9/11 Memorial: Even though visiting the memorial can be grim, I would recommend doing it. When the twin towers fell, I was four years old, and so I don't even remember hearing about it. I didn't know anyone who worked at the World Trade Center, and so I didn't have any personal connection to the event. But after visiting the memorial, it is impossible not to be able to find any empathy for the people who were part of that day in New York. 9/11 is one of, if not the most, tragic event in the history of the United States, and it is important that we learn the stories of the people who died in that attack. It is through these stories that we realize the importance of dismissing hatred and finding love for others.
2. One World Observatory: Climbing to the top of any sky-scraper in New York and looking at the view outside costs about $30.00, but I think the view at the top of the One World is the best one. We went to the top of two sky-scrapers during our time in New York, but the One-World by far had the best view. For most, going to the top of the Empire State building is probably at the top of the list, but I heard while I was in New York that it's kind of a rip off. There are two floors at the top of the Empire State building that you can look at the view from, and they make you pay for both separately. The One World Observatory only charges you once, and it still offers you three floors at the top that you can stand from to look at the view. The Rockefeller Center also offers you three floors from which you can look at the view, although in my opinion the view isn't as good as the one from the One World building. 3. The Lion King was a great first musical to see on Broadway. I already loved the story, but seeing it on Broadway only made me love it more. 4. New York Pizza: The first slice of really good pizza that I had in New York was at Two Brothers, where we went the day we left New York. If you want good pizza in NYC, ask a native what they would recommend, and look for a crowd. 5. The Hop on, Hop Off bus is a really good way to see New York, so I would recommend that. 6. If you want to go to the Met, plan on getting there early, and spending all day there. In fact, plan to spend a couple days there if you want to see everything. 7. GO EAT THE SANDWICHES AT KATZ DELI (and also order a lemonade). Like Day 5, Day 6 was not as busy as we expected it to be. We continued going through New York using the Hop On, Hop Off bus, and we saw the two places we had planned on visiting but had not visited yet: Central Park and the New York Public Library. Both places were absolutely beautiful. There isn't much to write about, though, for either place. So here are some pictures from each.
This is two days late, because the Wi-Fi at my hotel was not working properly. But I'm writing this now on Thursday night, after getting back from New York! I'm going to be posting what we did on Day 5 and Day 6, our last two days in New York. I will also be doing one more post with a summary of the things that I would reccommend doing in New York, and the things I would not reccommend. Finally, I will be adding all of our pictures and other things to my photo gallery page for this Travel Blog.
The visit just seems to be getting better and better.Today we visited the Lincoln Center, one of the greatest performing arts centers in the world. I learned quite a bit about the history of performing arts in New York through this visit.
The Lincoln Center was directed to be built by Rockefeller, 1900's philanthropist who believed that the performing arts were meant to be enjoyed by everybody, not just the wealthy. The area where the Lincoln Center now exists was previously a run-down apartment complex. Before it was torn down, it was also used as a movie set for West Side Story. Now, the Lincoln Center houses 30 performing facilities, and also serves several performing arts groups, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and it also houses the Julliard School for performing arts. Our tour guide told us that the Julliard School gives over 700 performances every year, and most of them are free. Our first day in NYC was nothing short of amazing. Even though today we spent most of our time at the 9/11 Memorial and One World Observatory, we also got a little sneak peak of Grand Central Station and Wall Street. Pictures of those will be posted on a later date.
The 9/11 Memorial was our first main stop. The attack on September 11th is among the most devestating events that has ever happened on American soil, but I don't I truly felt the amount of sorrow that comes with the memory of the attack until today, after seeing the memorial. I was only four years old when it happened; in my last year of preschool, and I don't even remember seeing the event on the news. But seeing the names and photos of everyone who died because of the attack, and even hearing some of the phone conversations that some of the people on the plane made back home, knowing they would never see their families again, gave me a taste of the agony that was felt by those who experienced the attack in one way or another. The memorial consists of three main parts; their are two pools of water, each consisting of the largest man-made waterfall in the world (the pools are the same size), and the museum, with all the artifacts that were found in the wake of the attack. Not only does the memorial add an area of serenity to the busy city, but it also does a great job of honoring everyone who died in the attack, and everyone who acted as a hero to his or her fellow Americans. Tonight is my first night in New York, and it’s crazy how different it is here as compared to back at home in Washington. As soon as we got off the plane I could feel the humidity, and that itself made me tired.
Taxis here crowd the streets and the most efficient mode of transportation here is just walking. The first thing that I wanted to do when I got here was just go to bed. But my dad had this pizza place he really wanted to try, so we decided to go there. This time tomorrow, I will be on my way to the airport to leave for New York! I am beyond words excited for this trip, and even more excited to be writing this travel blog for the first time! I'm going to try to make it a daily blog, and document everything in words, pictures, and Snapchat videos.
For the first addition of this travel blog, I wanted to do a quick sneak peak for what lies ahead on this trip! I have actually been to New York before, but the trip only consisted of briefly driving through the city and visiting the statue of liberty. Also, I was only ten years old at the time, so its not like I remember everything about the city. But this time, we are going to be staying in Times Square, and visiting a lot of the famous landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, taking a cruise to see the New York night-time skyline, and the MET . I think what I'm most excited about is seeing the Lion King on Broadway! But those are only a few of the places we are visiting. To find out which other ones, and to see all the pictures, you will have to read my next few blogs. :) |
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