Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera

 

In the evening of our fourth day in New York, October 14^th, we went to Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera. The group was to meet in the lobby of our hostel at 7.15 pm. At 6.45 pm, I and five other girls were still in a taxi in a horrible traffic jam about 18 blocks away on Sixth Avenue. That experience really taught us a thing or two about NYC traffic. Fortunately, we made it well on time.

The Met is located in the Lincoln center, so we could walk there from our accommodation in a few minutes. The opera house is a beautiful building built in the 1960’s. After security, we saw the stunning entrance hall where we ran into a Finnish boy and his American mother. They heard us speak Finnish and came over to talk with us.

The performance was outstanding, even though they didn’t sing the most famous part – Va, Pensiero - twice as we expected. I might have also heard a little snoring from my left, but that just makes the evening even more memorable. Outside we took some pictures of the opera house in its beautiful night lighting and some group photos by the fountain. Then we made our way to buy some bedtime snacks before returning to our home away from home next door to the Met.

Text by Iines 
Photos by Iines and Mervi

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum

 

 

Text by Aaro
Photos by Mervi October 14, 2023

In the heart of New York City stands a reminder of a day that changed the lives of every American: the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Our American Studies group visited the site on the 4th day of our trip – October 14, following our visit to the Statue of Liberty. Upon exiting the metro station, we were met by the two massive memorial pools standing in the places of the late twin towers. After paying our respects at the fountains, we started making our way into the museum. It had been raining the whole day but luckily, we got the skip the queue and made it inside the museum. Once we made it past the security checkpoint, we split off into our own groups and went through the museum at our own pace. It was a moving experience for all of us. Personal stories of each of the 3,000+ victims and thousands of artifacts from the 9/11 and '93 bombing told a touching story. Our group left the museum with a greater appreciation for our own lives and the human spirit in general.  

Photos by Mervi October 11, 2023

Ellis Island

 

I’m going to tell you about our visit to Ellis Island on Saturday, October 14th. After visiting the Statue of Liberty took we the ferry to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island is an important place in the history of the United States. The immigrants' reception center was located on the island in 1892–1954. Millions of migrants arrived in the United States through the island.

On Ellis Island we were given some tasks: we had to find something Finnish, find the Great Hall and the place where you can find out if someone in your family has entered the US through Ellis Island. We also had to find out what kind of procedures everyone coming to America had to go through on Ellis Island. We spotted for example a Finnish passport and learned a lot and got a lot of new information.

Text and photos by Ella

I really liked our visit, it was very interesting. I learned a lot and it was nice to get to know the history of immigration in more detail. The Great Hall was beautiful, like the whole building. The structures have not been changed almost at all, so it was lovely.

Statue of Liberty

 

On Saturday 14th of October we went to see the Statue of Liberty. First we took the subway to South Ferry, and then a ferry to Liberty Island – after an airport style security, of course.

On Liberty Island we went through another security check to go inside of the Statue of Liberty. Inside the Statue of Liberty we climbed the stairs to the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal observation deck to see the views.

It was the only rainy day in New York during our visit and the views to Manhattan and other borroughs were not the best ones. Still, we and the rest of the Saturday crowds got to meet Lady Liberty and learn more about her, which is an experience in itself.

Text and photos by Catarina

Columbus Circle and the Upper West Side

 

Columbus Circle/Upper West Side 

 

We had our first encounter with New York in the Upper West Side and on the evening of our very first day we got introduced to the Columbus Circle. The first impression of New York was slightly overwhelming, for me at least. However, over the next few days I got used to the busy environment. Upper West Side and the nearby area started to feel very familiar.  

 

We traveled around the city quite a lot and most of the traveling was done by subway. The closest subway station was the Columbus Circle. At first using the subway felt a bit stressful since the atmosphere at the station was quite hectic. The place felt like a labyrinth compared to the subway stations in Helsinki and the air-conditioning was non-existent so it was really hot. Nonetheless, traveling by subway became easier as the days went by and by the end of the trip my friends and I managed to take the subway successfully all by ourselves. 

Text and photos by Julia