Courses at Havant & South Downs College aren’t just about what goes on inside the classroom, as Business students from the South Downs Campus found out last month when they travelled to New York City. After spending five days exploring the Big Apple and racking up a colossal 100,000 steps, the students have given insight into their transatlantic trip.
Monday
On Monday 11 March, Business students flew from Heathrow to New York!
After a full day of travelling we arrived at Hotel Pennsylvania around 6pm. We put our suitcases in our rooms and headed out straight away to see Times Square at night – what an amazing sight!
Step count: 12,231
Tuesday
We made the most of our body clocks waking us at 5.30am and were up and ready for our tour of Empire State Building. From there we headed onto Macy’s for a Merchandising Tour.
From Macy’s we walked to Times Square and the Red Steps, texting home so that our families could see us on the live cam! From Times Square we walked on to take in the sights of Rockefeller Centre and Grand Central Station.
Step count: 23,702
Wednesday
Another early morning and our first use of the Metro!
We made our way downtown to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. At first we stood at the fountains to take it all in, and then we walked around the museum – a place that is viewed in almost silence and every now and then you can feel goosebumps.
In the afternoon, we walked through the Finance District on our way to Brooklyn Bridge – we managed to walk half way across the bridge, taking some spectacular photos!
Now on to Chinatown!
In the evening some students visited Ellen’s Stardust Diner and enjoyed the energetic experience of singing and dancing waiting staff.
Step count: 26,722 steps
Thursday
Back on the metro – we feel experienced at this now!
We made our way to a Circle Line Cruise of the Statue of Liberty – a beautiful blue-sky day – absolutely perfect!
From the cruise we made our way to The High Line walking back to the hotel. The High Line is a disused railway line that is above the streets that has been refurbished into a stylish walk way incorporating seating areas, trees and lots to look at!
In the afternoon we made our way up 5th Avenue, nipping into Trump Towers, before arriving at Central Park where we found Strawberry Fields and the Friends Fountain.
Step count: 29,230
Friday
Our last morning!
We made our way from the hotel over the road to Madison Square Gardens – what a venue!
We were given a very informative tour and took part in a virtual reality viewing of a baseball game and music concert.
It’s time to go home – what a week!
As our plane takes off New York gave us one more thing to look at – a spectacular storm just as we were leaving the runway!
Step count: 10,588