The Brampton College Art and Photography trip to the ‘City That Never Sleeps’ proved that New York meets, and exceeds, all expectations (and the barriers were set very high!). Our trip began on the 17th October, as fifteen eager students hopped off the UA15 flight from London to Newark, eagle-eyed and cameras fully charged. Our first visit was to the Rockefeller centre (Top of the Rock), where we looked over the city of New York at night. After a quick dinner at Bill’s Burgers we fell, exhausted, into the questionably squeaky beds of the YMCA Upper West Side.
On Thursday morning at breakfast, reservations were missed, pancakes were eaten and Adam Sandler was greeted (yes, we bumped into Sandler at a diner!). Following a long walk and a subway ride, the group split into Photography and Art students as we explored the individual galleries and artists of Chelsea. A personal favourite included Steven Salzman. The endless road of modern, abstract and classical paintings held our attention for a few hours, before we split up again for a quick bite to eat. A long walk along the highline (an old railway track converted into a sky park), took us to Soho where we enjoyed three hours of shopping. Being known as the fashion central of New York, Soho presented us with a mix of high end brands, local boutiques and the odd vintage marker (don’t be fooled, the cheapest item was a $10 badge). The long roads filled with various ways to empty our wallets was eventually left behind, as the group settled down for dinner at an Italian restaurant just by Times Square.
Sadly, we didn’t end up visiting the infamous, flashy Times Square. However, the long walk back to the YMCA was evidence enough that New York certainly doesn’t sleep and we were met with endless photo opportunities as the City continued to glow and entertain.