Photos: Iconic New York

Hello from New York City! My name is Cait Myrdal and I am a part of this amazing study abroad trip. Today, we got together in small groups of 3 or 4 students in order to complete our first group project. My group was assigned to visit iconic New York sites, and we chose to visit the top of the Empire State Building and to take a ferry around the Statue of Liberty. At these iconic sites, we were asked to listen to New York, New York by Frank Sinatra and Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z. We discussed the tone, message, and similarities of the popular songs, and related them to our own experiences here in New York City. Listening to these songs after experiencing city life for a couple of days allowed us to understand the songs in a new light. Now, whenever we listen to these songs, we will always remember the experiences we have had in New York City and the feel of urban life.

Below you can see some pictures of our adventure:

A view of downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Bridge (the bridge in the back).

Our view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry. It was amazing!

When the ferry went below the Brooklyn Bridge.

Me (on the right) and group member Alexa at the top of the Empire State Building.

View of downtown Manhattan from the Empire State Building. It was truly breathtaking.

Visiting these iconic sites was an amazing experience. We can't wait to keep exploring the city!!!

I Love New York

Why hello there, blog readers.
My name is Alexa and I'm about to be a sophomore at the U of A, and obviously, I'm on this trip too. If I had to mention something that I've learned about myself from this trip so far, I think I could easily pick- I've been able to remind myself WHY I am a city person. I'm in love with everything about it. Not just New York, though, because I've traveled to other big cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, but being in New York, which is the biggest city in the States (obviously), has just proven all of my suspicions. I love the constant movement, the ability to walk anywhere and everywhere, and the feeling of constant excitement and exhilaration (even if you're only going across the street to Duane Reade). Today, however, was more than that, though. Being the 4th of July, celebrating America's independence in the most American city in the world was literally the coolest experience ever.
Kyle, Katie, Kaitlin, Katelyn and I decided to make the whole day a representation of our appreciation for the holiday. We began in Central Park, sitting in the grass and taking in the beautiful day. From there, we spent some time seeing a majority of the Museum of Natural History, which was so fun and interesting. It's a great museum to go to, regardless of whether you enjoy museums or not. After that, we headed to the Hudson River to watch the fireworks, along with 3 million other people. The show was fantastic. It was everything that we had imagined it would be, and was so fun to experience.
The whole day was a blast. New York is an amazing city full of opportunity and experiences and, to put it simply, energy. We're having a blast and just cannot wait to continue on our adventure.

A happy 4th of July in the city!

Today we spent the day leisurely wandering around the city in anticipation of a fantastic fireworks show in the evening. Although we spread out into separate groups for the day, I think it's safe to say that anyone who watched the fireworks show kind of witnessed a miracle.

As my group and I made our way from Central Park to the Natural History Museum to the Hudson River, all of the crowded subway rides and muscle soreness were definitely worth an incredible day. As we've been adjusting to the fast pace and intense feel of the city, we have learned that everyone always has some place to be and every single person has his or her own needs in mind at all times. However, as we searched for a shady spot along 12th avenue about four hours before the fireworks show, I realized something different about the city. As more and more people surrounded us and we crowded together to squeeze in even more people, everyone seemed to be friendlier. Groups of people made conversation with other groups of people, and everyone came together, literally and figuratively, for that 25 minutes of pure amazement.

I suppose it's comforting to know that even in a city full of honking horns, blaring city lights, and an incredibly diverse population, something as simple as a fireworks show along the Hudson can bring an entire city together to celebrate the fact that we are all here in this wonderful city.

Day 2 Part 2

Hello, my name is Sarah Saxton, and I am a sophomore at the University of Arizona Honors College. My major is currently English so I am extremely excited about the literature focus of this study abroad trip. Carrie has already given a bit of detailed information about our tour of the Tenement Museum this morning so I will be discussing the latter half of the day. Many of us explored the lower east side after the museum tour including China Town. The middle of the day was spent furthering our subway system education; it truly is like an entirely different city to navigate below the street level.

This evening the main event a trip to the theater, specifically The Trip to Bountiful. It was a play about an elderly woman, Mrs. Carrie Watts who insists on visiting her hometown, Bountiful, one last time in her life to the chagrin of her son and daughter in law. The play explored the differences between the older, rural generation and the city dwelling new generation, and the value of a person's roots. This definitely resonated with me exploring a new city with a completely different atmosphere and society. In some ways I miss the clear open air of Tucson, Arizona, the place I grew up in. However, a lot of the busy pace and the many new and exciting things we have already run into in the short time we have been in this amazing city have the appeal of progress and modernity.

My group concluded the night with a walk in the Times Square area and watching a spray paint artist and having desert at a bakery. The spray paint artist was especially exciting and skilled even though it seemed that all of his motions were careless until we saw the final product of the New York City skyline against the moon. It just goes to show amazing moments in this city are hardly ever planned.

Learning the subway system

The only group who used the subway to reach the theater after a spontaneous torrential downpour

The Trip to Bountiful theater night

The theater and play background

Exploring the area (New York Stonehenge)

Day Two

Hey everyone! My name is Carrie Dittmer and I am going to be a sophomore this upcoming year at the Honors College at University of Arizona (Bear Down!). I will be entering Eller after the Fall Semester and plan to major in MIS and Marketing. I have lived in Tucson my entire life so New York City has been an entirely new and different experience for me.

At the start of the day our group met up at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. Let me warn you, I could talk about the tour for hours! The building occupied 7,000 residents from 1863 to 1935, which is only a mere 72 years. The building is designed in a "five, four, three, two" layout which means five floors, four apartments on each floor, three tiny rooms in each apartment, and two toilets in the unlit hallway. As we walked through the apartments it amazed me how the 325 square foot space housed families of six people or more. Seeing the rooms in restored condition provided a better idea of how the characters in Bread Givers lived.

After the tour we were able to explore the city on our own and relax a little before we went to the theater and saw "The Trip to Bountiful" (a spectacular play, Sarah will tell you more about it). My group finished off the night with my favorite part: a stop at Magnolia Bakery! Now that we're back at the cozy Pod hotel we are all mentally preparing for the inevitable Fourth of July crowds we will face tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from adventures today:

In Front of the Tenement Museum

Bought matching roommate Rainbows flip flops

Red Velvet Cupcake - yum!

Photo's - Day 1

Our first excursion!

View from the hotel roof!

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.