keskiviikko 10. tammikuuta 2018

Dear Readers



Dear readers, 

One would think a decade is a long time but when I look back to February 2008, it seems like yesterday. That is when I flew to New York to plan a course a bit later to be named ‘American Studies’. In 2017, once again, I had the great privilege of leading a group of students through both the course and a memorable week in our favorite city, New York. As always, there was a lot to see and much to experience in the city that offered us both rain and shine, hot days and chilly mornings. The group of twelve students and yours truly surely made the most of it. We were tourists, of course, but I dare to claim that we got to take a good glimpse on several aspects of American life regardless.
Do read and enjoy the accounts written by my students. They certainly had their own favorites on our itinerary. Mine were the Metropolitan Opera, as always, Phantom of the Opera (was it the 4th time already?), and our visits to Columbia University and to the UN (Thanks again, Cessi!). Seeing the enthusiasm our visits evoke is always the best possible thank you one can get. 



I would like to thank my wonderfully enthusiastic, punctual and bubbly students as well as their exceptionally supportive families. NYC is a city to be experienced in person. I hope there will be new groups of students to do so one day. 

Until next time, New York!
Love,
M


Our Home Away from Home



Vanderbilt 

We spent our nights at Vanderbilt Hostel YMCA, located on Manhattan’s East side of New York City. The location of Vanderbilt was perfect, near Grand Central Terminal and some of the places we visited were only a walking distance away. Still, New York is a large city so sometimes we had to take a subway from Grand Central or a bus from the nearest bus stop. Staff at Vanderbilt was fun and helpful when there were some small problems. The rooms were nice, and after a long day it was a blessing to get to lie on the bed, even if you had to climb to the upper bed. In our floor there was only one shower and one toilet. That didn’t cause any problems but of course it would’ve been nice and luxurious to have your own toilet and shower. But everyone got used to that very fast, so no problems. Vanderbilt treated us well and overall it was a great place to stay. 


Wall Street and the High Line - something for the next visit?



The High Line 

The High Line is located in the west side of Manhattan. It is a breathtaking public park built on a historic freight rail line above the streets. It offers tourists, families and schools many different activities depending on the season. The High Line is 2.3 kilometers long. It’s an urbanites’ playground featuring wildflowers, greenery and outdoor art, while offering pedestrians some of the best views in the city of New York. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to go and see this beautiful, unique view over the city. Perhaps during my next visit?



Wall Street 

Wall Street is an eight-block-long street located in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The area has made New York City known as the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world. The world’s two largest stock exchanges have their headquarters on Wall Street.
The power of Wall Street is presented in several movies, such as Wall Street and its sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Wolf of Wall Street.
On our trip to New York we didn’t really spend time on Wall Street since we had an extremely full schedule. If I ever return to New York City, I’ll make sure to visit!