Written by Angela and Amalie, Year 13
On the 23rd of October, Sixth Form Psychology, Politics and Economics students started their journey to New York. The long flight was quickly made up for by the excitement which came with arriving at our hotel on Broadway. It was quite literally at the centre of the city, with the lights of Times Square a block down from the hotel.
We began the morning of our first day in New York with a hearty, American sized breakfast, which we were able to walk off by visiting the 9/11 memorial by subway, and then the tallest point in New York at the One World Observatory. Being able to see the sites of such a tragic event famous to the world was really moving, especially looking down the memorial pools. The One World Observatory was magnificent, as you could see miles and miles of the concrete jungle from almost all angles. That night we were also given the special opportunity to experience Ellen’s Stardust diner, a musical diner that integrated theatre with American cuisine. Better yet, this was followed by a real New York Broadway show, Hamilton, to end the night.
The next day was considerably less packed, consisting of a visit to the United Nations, Madame Tussauds and some free time. The United Nations headquarters were as grand as you would expect. We went on a guided tour with strict security around the buildings, essentially being shown around the places where some of the most important figures around the world have gathered. It was striking to see the General Assembly hall and feel the tangible importance of the room. Afterwards, we visited Madame Tussauds and had our own shopping time to explore the city centre (within a certain area of course).
On our last day in New York, we took a boat trip tour around the whole city. We saw all angles of the city on offer, even a little bit of New Jersey. The tour lasted a good chunk of the day, and we ended it with the Rangers’ ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden.
Exhausted, we were grateful for the long coach trip to Washington DC which gave us the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. The journey was made even better by a stop at Hershey Chocolate World, where we were instantly hit by the wonderful smell of cocoa and sugar. Our next hotel had us all impressed, with each room having sofas and an atrium, and to top it all off, was conveniently around the corner from a Chipotle!
Wednesday was the day we had all been waiting for – the visit to the White House. Getting to see inside one of the most talked about buildings in the world was a surreal experience, and one we were very lucky to have. We then visited more of Washington’s iconic landmarks, including the Capitol building and Supreme Court, where we learnt about the US legislative and judicial system. To finish the day, a trip to the Lincoln memorial allowed us to reflect on the American history we had learnt about whilst enjoying the sunset.
On our final day, we had the opportunity to visit the World Bank where we learnt about how this organisation helped reduce poverty and uphold the world economy through the various programmes made available to the countries around the world. This was followed by a treat to panoramic views from the Washington Monument, where we were able to see everywhere we had been, perfectly rounding up our exploration of the capital. To finish off the trip we visited the National African American Museum of History and Culture, which provided a fascinating and educational insight into the struggles and achievements of the African American community in America, and was a very thought-provoking way to finish off our time in America.
Thank you to Ms Dass and Mr Gallacher for organising everything, and to Ms Edsall, Mrs D’Souza-Eva and Ms Siddiqi for giving up their time and also coming on the trip.
