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New York 2008
Matthew Smith
It was unfortunate that the time of our trip coincided with the coldest day of the winter season, with the wind chill bringing the temperature down to minus 9, but my father and I braved the cold and over the next three days gained a good feel for this urgent, vibrant city. Our hotel was located right next to Times Square, so we made the most of the nearby diners for morning and evening meals. i to the downtown areas of Manhattan we spent our first frosty morning in the Staten Island ferry, capruting photos of the Statue of Liberty and the whole of the southern skyline.
Close by was the Skyscraper Museum, a small exhibition the focussed on the history of the New York skyscraper. This contained some impressive models of the Twin Towers and the planned Freedom Tower, which is a key point of my study.
We then took a short walk to Ground Zero. Unfortunately it was difficult to see what was going on, with the building site surrounded by fencing, although small glimpses showed the foundations being laid for each of the four towers that will replace the World Trade Centre. The memorial itself will consist of two sunken waterfalls. The current memorial is a board listing the names of the 2749 victims, placed above the WTC subway station.
The Flatiron Building, one of the first skyscrapers to be built in the city, was our next destination and it turned out to be quite an architectural find. Now engulfed bu modern structures, it was decorated with lavish ornamentation and was worthy of many photographs.
The day was capped off by a late night trip to the top of the Empire State Building. Having avoided the daytime queues we enjoyed the spectacular views of the illuminated skyline in calm and crystal clear conditions.
The second day saw us visit two major galleries. The Guggenheim, although a stunning piece of architecture, held a slightly dispppointing collection, but the recently redeveloped Museum of Modern Art was simply magnificent, holding the most impressive collection of art and design pieces I has ever seen.
The reest of the afternoon was spent photographing the minimalist Seagram Building, followed by a trip to the Chrysler Building, with its superb Art Deco lobby. In the evening we dined by the ice rink at the Rockefeller Centre, which was resplendent in superb festive decor. Our final few hours in the city were spent on 5th Avenue, taking advantage of the January sales and the weak dollar!
I would like to thank the RGSPA for the funding, the money making a real difference to a thoroughly enjoyable trip which has helped me not only in my project work, but as a strong topic of interest in university interviews over the last few months.
Sponsorship & Grants ›› New York 2008