New York in a Day

Despite a painfully early wake up the Student Events Board bus trip to New York got us into the city at 11.30 am, nearly half way through the day. This didn’t stop the determination to see it all. After establishing where we were we, headed straight for the subway downtown. Our first stop was the 9/11 memorial, free to enter- donation optional. However you do have to register and print a pass before arrival. It was a beautiful sunny day, if a little cold, but perfect to appreciate this respectful memorial to all 2,983 people who died in the attacks. There are two waterfalls into the base of where the towers stood, with every single name imprinted in bronze around the edge. The museum is still under construction, and the whole site is dominated by the shining new World Trade Center being built just feet away. We then managed to fit in walking to Battery Park to look at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance- maybe not as good as taking boat trips to see them but definitely more time-effective. Next we strode across downtown Manhattan and strolled along Wall Street, cameras out at all times like typical tourists, and finally caught sight of the Brooklyn Bridge and the other side of the river. We had booked tickets to the Empire State Building, which are valid for a year but we wanted to go today! So we optimistically headed to the closest subway station, read the posters about changed schedules, and thought we had it all under control. Unfortunately, when we left the subway station thinking we were somewhere near 5^th Avenue, we had actually made it into Brooklyn; we had definitely gone in the wrong direction. Still with some enthusiasm, we jumped on the next train back to Manhattan, only to find that it was being rerouted. Eventually, an hour and a half later, and several train switches, with many stops in dark tunnels when you wonder if the train will ever start again, we made it to 5^th Avenue. We were only about 20 blocks up from the Empire State Building but walking there was like swimming against the tide. With our 7pm deadline looming we arrived to find one queue after another, just when you thought you had made it you turned another corner and joined another line. However, the exhilarating feeling of seeing all Manhattan and beyond from the 86^th floor observatory- we went for the least expensive option- was worth it. We managed to be there at a perfect time, it was getting darker so all the bright lights were on but it was still light enough to see all of the buildings. After this we just had time to grab a slice of pizza and complete our day of New York experiences with a yellow taxi ride back to the bus.

So I’ve become awful at updating this, and a few weeks ago I had an amazing weekend in D.C. I also had another fab trip to NYC a couple of weeks.

Washington D.C.

Vicky and I caught a ride with one of her roommates to one of the metro stations then took that into D.C. We decided to be adventurous and go to…a Pret a Manger for lunch! We did step it up afterwards by purchasing the fattest cupcakes ever.

We walked up to our hostel which was only three blocks away. I have to admit I was pretty nervous, never having stayed in a hostel before I was pretty sure it would be awful. It was actually fine, the only downsides were we were staying on different floors and I was in the top bunk- I tend to not be able to get down. But the 10 bed female dorms were clean.

We decided to go for a wonder and explore. So we ended up walking around the Chinatown area, going to the National Portrait Gallery, and then upto Dupoint Circle where we had an amazing dinner at an Italian restraunt. Next we trekked down to the White House and the other important buildings. Slightly funny incident when we couldn’t agree on which buildiing was actually the White House..! We also managed to walk to the Capitol building and then back to our hostel.

Saturday we revisited the White House in the daylight, of course taking hundreds of photos like proper tourists. We walked down to the lake by the Jefferson memorial, the Martin Luthor King Memorial and then the Lincoln Memorial. Once we had had our fill of sight-seeing we took a taxi over to Georgetown. A visit to the Mac store and Urban Outfitters ensured that I spent way too much money. That evening we managed to find a ‘traditional’ English pub/restraunt. Having Fish and Chips after two months without was a beautiful moment.

Sunday morning we took a free tour offered by the hostel to the Eastern Market- filled with anything and everything. We then caught our train back to Baltimore in the afternoon.  

Wednesday, August 31st

So ‘classes’ here start REALLY early, while you Swansea people are still lazing about I now have a ton of reading and papers and assignments! My first class was English 369 Race and Ethnicity in US Literature. It was only 10-10.50 so not too bad. I was on the waitlist for this class so I had to go up and talk to the professor, and luckily I was able to get in.

Thursday, September 1st

Second class was History 347, The U.S. since 1945 from 11.30-12.45. Again I was on the waitlist so after talking to the professor I had to find the History office and go get a permission number to enroll on the class. So I went to this politics class at 2.30, but it was just a back up as I really did not want to do political philosophy. After that was finished met up with Vicky and we rushed to our 4.30 class, Politics 340 Problem Solving In the Urban Black Community, only to find that for this week it wasn’t actually starting until 6. We sat around by the pond, and then went back up. I wasn’t even on the waitlist for this class but really wanted to do it, so when the professor went round asking us all to introduce ourselves and why we wanted to take this class I just said that it was something I wouldn’t be able to do in Swansea, which seemed to be the right thing to say! Went to True Grit for dinner and then used the library to print off some reading for the next day. After a lot of confusion, and asking a nice but clueless librarian guy it turns out it is just the same as at Swansea pretty much. So at 8pm I went back to my room to do the reading for the next day, and after ten minutes the power went out. On the whole campus! So me and one of my flatmates went over to Vicky’s where we sat around on their balcony outside because it was too dark inside drinking wine.

Apparently the electricity came back on at about 5 am.

Friday, August 2nd.

I got up early to finish the reading for my class now that I could actually see! and then went to my english class, and I contributed to the discussion…very exciting! Classes are so much different from how they are in Swansea. Most of the classes are about maximum 30, usually in smaller classrooms and there is generally a lot more presentation work, and discussion during the class rather than just being lectured at for an hour. 

That evening we went to a party off campus on Poplar. Met several people that didn’t believe we were actually from England…because of course we would make that up! and we played beer pong!

Monday, August 29th.

We got picked up Monday morning from the Double Tree Hilton and driven to the UMBC campus. The campus is literally about 6 times, if not more, bigger than Swansea’s- very intimidating! We went upto an office to collect some bedding, then were driven round to our apartments. Checking in was okay, took our stuff up to our rooms. Vicky’s is on the third floor so it took both of us to drag her case up, but luckily mine is on the ground floor so it’s a lot easier.

The rooms are, to be nice about it, basic. It would be a lot better if we had all our home stuff to decorate and make it pretty, but having to make do with a load of pictures on the wall. We then went to Wallmart (how exciting!) with all the other exchange students, to pick up things that we needed, like new unused bedding, Cheerios (!!!!!), hangers, toiletries etc. Then we went into the T-mobile, or “TMoble” store and everyone else got their phones sorted out, I’m still on my english number for the moment.

Unpacked our stuff in our rooms, had a Skype with my mum, the grandparents and Chris (see you got your mention!), then we went to the bank on campus and set ourselves up accounts; I paid the $25 set up into and that was it! Hung out for a bit, then went down to True Grit the dinning hall place and had some okay salad. Afterwards hanging out in Vicky’s apartment we ended up going to a party in one of the apartments that’s just ‘off’ campus with her roommates. Met alot of people, slightly hazy on most of the names.

Tuesday, August 30th

Had to be at Orientation for 9.30am, luckily I was awake from about 6am so had plently of time to get ready..and then sit around waiting to go! They served us breakfast, had a beautiful muffin! Then had several hours of talks from different people, mostly dull, but a few useful bits. The highlight was definitely the police officer that told us the best weapon you could use to defend your self is your keys if you have them in your fist and poking through your fingers, I think hitting someone like that would be horrific, you’d pretty much rip their face open! Then they provided us with lunch, and as students on the J1 visa we had to go up and have copies made of our documents, then we were free to go.

Stopped by the gym to ask about classes, where we looked at like we were martians asking a completely ridiculous question! Back in my room we spent hours trying to figure out signing up for the rest of our classes, and emailing people asking to join them. Took a wonder down to The Commons after that, where there was a massive outdoor bbq going on.

Heading back to Vicky’s we then went to a place called Grilled Cheese with a couple of her roommates. Can’t remember what the proper name was but we had a cheese toastie with crab in it, so so good! And then took another trip to Wallmart for all the things we had forgotten to get the day before. Also purchased a massive blanket to put on top of the mattress to try and make it slightly more comfortable..not sure that it worked.

We have arrived! Only after spending about 60 hours or so travelling (I know we slept but it really does not feel like it).

Got to the airport (using the shuttle bus again) for 10, had breakfast and trekked down to our departure gate, using those flat escalator/ conveyor belts because my feet hurt and I could not be bothered with walking literally miles. Easy flight, shorter than expected. Then we had a fun four hour wait in Atlanta airport for our next flight at 6.15pm. Arrive in Washington DC at about 8pm, head down to the baggage collection to discover that although we checked our bags were being rerouted to DC they are actually at BWI airport. So we got a $60 taxi (complaints are being made) to BWI to find our luggage, not very hopeful that it would be there but it actually was. I definitely got over excited by the fact that we were driving through DC and could see big important buildings, though I have little idea of what they actually were.

Now we are in the Double Tree Hilton until tomorrow morning when we are being picked up and taken to UMBC (assuming the power is back on there) for our orientation.

The only good thing about this whole day right now was that they gave us a cookie when we checked in. As for the rest of the day, nightmare does not cover it at all.

So I came up with a nice inventive name for a blog about my year in Maryland! This is just to keep everyone updated, so read on if you feel like it..

Tuesday night

An amazing suprise leaving party, all down to Emma..so glad I was able to see most people before I left.

Friday

Arrived at the hotel near heathrow in the evening to catch a few hours sleep.

Saturday

Woke up at 4.30am (!) to catch a shuttle to Terminal 4 at 5.21, and met Vicky at the check-in desk. Slight concerns that the flight would be cancelled because of Hurricane Irene, but flights to Detroit were still running. Long, dull plane journey, which I slept through most of and then we arrived in Detroit.

We went through the passport/visa checks, having asked a useless Delta woman about whether our flight to Baltimore was running, “oh yeah, there’s a hurricane, right?”. Collected our suitcases, checked them again only to find that our flight was cancelled. We got the shutttle to the Marriot hotel which we had already booked as a precaution, and tried to book alternative flights online- unsuccessfully. So, back we went on the shuttle bus to the airport, to speak to another unhelpful Delta Airlines woman, to find that all flights to Baltimore on Sunday were booked. Then having rung up the airline, we had the choice of flying at 12 noon tomorrow, to Atlanta then to Washington DC then getting a train to BWI arriving at 9pm, or going on monday to Atlanta then BWI but not getting to Baltimore til midnight. Orientation is on Monday so we have booked on to the flights tomorrow. Then we had to track down our luggage to make sure it wasn’t being sent off to unknown destinations, but this actually went right for once and they were already rerouted (said in the American way) to Atlanta and DC.

Getting the shuttle bus for the third time back to the Marriot, we then ate at the ‘Irish Pub’ in the hotel…basically felt like we had travelled all this way to sit in a Wetherspoons. Our next idea was to walk to the ‘gas station’ (!!) we’d seen down the road, which was an adventure in itself. The roads are so wide and we could not find anywhere we were meant to cross, so having waited til we saw someone else cross the road we made a run for it while it was clear. We made it back to the hotel a little eaten by mosquitos but not run over, so I guess we should be grateful for that!

Now it’s half six here and half eleven in England, definitely feeling ready to sleep but in instead I’m writing this and eating Hershey’s. Aiming to stay awake til, 9pm…I think that’s slightly optimistic though.