The First 24 Hours

Hello all! My name is Sarah Staron and I will be a Sophomore this upcoming year in the Honors College. I am majoring in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law with a Minor is Latin American Studies and Spanish. I entered the city wide eyed, head turning, and anxious in anticipation of my adventures yet to come.  With day one come and (almost) gone I am more ready than ever to take on the city.  We were given the day to explore the city in small groups of three.  My group started by taking the subway (the wrong way) downtown and walked through Washington Square Park.  From there we strolled through the beautifully architectured brick buildings of Greenwich Village to our final destination of The High Line.  The High Line is a one mile linear elevated park that cuts through Chelsea.  With stunning views of the pier and skyline compiled with the beautiful flowers and greenery, my group and I found ourselves compelled to simply sit and take it in.  As true Arizonians, we welcomed the midday rain and I had to refrain from dancing in puddles in the street because I doubt the 4,000 speeding taxi’s would be amused.  

We met as a group at the end of the day and talked about our respective journey’s.  Some saw desperate women prying the subway doors open to get on the train and some got to shake hands with The Statue of Liberty (or they at least got really close), but we all got to experience the plethora of diversity that New York has to offer.  We are headed off to a group Mediterranean dinner to bond and discuss our weeks to come.  

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My name is Kyle Goble (as if names matter in these cities), and I am an incoming sophomore in the Honors College at the University of Arizona. Because I am a masochist, I am pursuing two degrees: a degree in physiology from the College of Medicine and a BFA in Visual Communication through the College of Fine Arts (don’t ask).

Through the Honors College during my first semester as a freshman, I heard of what seemed to be a worthwhile experience that qualifies as study abroad. During the summer of 2013, a group of students would travel with Dr. Laura Berry to New York City and to London, each for two weeks, with the intention of gaining invaluable adult experience in two of the world’s most culturally diverse locations, all at the deal-of-a-lifetime price of ~$7,000 (really, it’s a steal if you’ve ever researched summer class tuition at UA…). In addition, every student who completed the trip would be awarded 6 Honors general education credit.

The opportunity for these kinds of trips always presented themselves to me in high school, but I never was able to attend because of cost, timing, etc. I made the decision to apply without even consulting my mom, which was liberating to say the least. I was accepted, and I began planning.

Several months, several dollars, a delayed flight and a hectic cab ride later, I am here in New York City, just having returned from the first full day in our group to explore. Today’s assignment: get to know New York; report back with one thing you have learned about the city in general. My group of three hopped on the subway and headed toward the south of Manhattan to take a ferry tour on the Hudson. We first ended up near Queens across the East River. A couple hours later, we found our subway legs and emerged near the Staten Island ferry station, paid $20, and got to see all of the Manhattan skyline + the Statue of Liberty + the Brooklyn Bridge.  The most striking part of this experience for me was seeing the One World Trade Center; the symbolism of the building combined with the architecture itself was surreal.

The rest of the day we spent walking around downtown, through the financial district, up Wall Street, past the NYSE, and finally to Chinatown, where we tasted some (seemingly) authentic Chinese food. Here are some of my favorite photos of the day:

The Empire State Building

Statue of Liberty on our ferry tour

Manhattan from the ferry

Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge

My favorite from the day: he was playing patriotic music on his flute.

New York Stock Exchange

One World Trade Center, so far my favorite part about the city.

Now, as I reflect on everything that has happened in the last 24 hours, I’m kind of surprised at how comfortable I feel being here. As someone who walks the routes on campus with the fewest number of people, being here is sensation overload, but I love it. It’s fast, it stinks, it’s full of people, it’s hot, it’s humid, and I’ve probably lost 5 pounds walking places. But I can finally see what all the hype is about: New York is truly a wonder to behold and to be in. It is literally impossible for anyone to get bored here. The following fortnight will be nothing short of amazing.