New York, New York!

Our art, dance and drama students were excited to spend the start of Long Leave in New York, exploring the culture and the sights of the Big Apple! Read the blog from Mark Wood, Head of Art and Trip Leader, with his day-by-day update on the group’s adventures.

Day 1: Saturday 18th October

An illuminated Grove House at 4.00am saw our Expressive Arts Tour begin. We all eagerly anticipated what the trip had in store, as we waved goodbye to LP after an industrious first half term.  This was the time to take in some serious enrichment, letting creative expression be our guide.

The itinerary was all set to awaken the senses, soaking up the frenetic pulse of New York City – after a short hop of six or seven hours across the pond from UK to USA!

A swift blurry eyed check-in arrival at JFK airport saw us greeted by our wonderful guide from the learning adventure, ready to introduce us to a city he knows and loves so well. From Queens to Brooklyn, across the Hudson River and to Manhattan.

First stop was our hotel in central midtown, awash with the dizzying showcase of Broadway shows, doughnut stores and giant, giant, giant billboards and lights that need no introduction. Welcome to the crossroads of the world; Times Square!

The rosy glow and clear skies of autumn introduced our next stop in the delightful Brooklyn and Dumbo, via a live hip-hop busker on the subway, before pausing at the Freedom Gardens, to learn about the abolition of slavery in modern America. A short meander through the tranquil tree-lined mansion blocks of Brooklyn, now home to some of New York’s highest profile celebrities, actors, musicians and authors, our view opened up to an awesome skyline and a flurry of photos for our all time greats memory wall.

Finally, we feasted and refuelled at Bubba Gump Shrimp, a restaurant covered from floor to ceiling with Forrest Gump merchandise and photos. What a way to begin as the bright lights, bridges and the energy like no other beckoned, primed and recharged us ready for tomorrow’s activities. We just can’t wait!

Day 2: Sunday 19th October

A bright start saw us up and out by 9, taking the subway north to the historic and forever evolving district of Harlem. Upon meeting our second guide for the morning, we headed straight to church to catch the morning gospel service at the very same church that Malcolm X, a key figure in the freedom of human rights, attended as a young man. From the up beat soul singing of Gospel we were ‘revived’. This was the perfect backdrop to our walking tour of the neighbourhood , learning about the key people who shaped New York over the last century.

From Harlem a short subway hop saw us arrive at the elegant Central Park. A clear autumnal freshness greeted us as we resurfaced, amidst horses and carriages gliding couples around the park towards the familiar Bethesda fountain , made instantly recognisable from the opening credits of the long-running series, ‘Friends’. With John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’  drifting across tree-lined avenues we were guided naturally towards our altogether less tranquil but equally iconic hugely popular ‘raising canes’ .

Some delicious fried chicken USA style plus a quick freshen up back at base and we were ready again to take in the off broadway smash ‘ Little Shop of Horrors’ . Following the exhilarating production, an unexpected success saw us clambering for autographs from the ever popular Tom Doherty.   Sophie , year 13, recalls the moment “ I still can’t quite believe that we got to meet him, in the words of the gospel from Harlem … I’m ready for revival’ . 

Day 3: Monday 20th October

Highlights have included The Edge with amazing views of the city, the Highline to Chelsea, a 1.45km urban garden elevated above the city streets, visiting Grand Central station and a fully interactive graffit workshop in Bush Wick!

Day 4: Tuesday 21st October

Wow! What a day! With the day now past Tuesday was a rich layered blur of movement, colours and song.

Beginning with us parting in opposite directions the dancers were up and heading out first thing heading for the renowned Alvin Ailey School of Dance. – a real defining moment in the history of dance as African Americans broke tradition and brought freedom and expression to shape contemporary dance for the future. After a reserved start the girls were soon fully involved and loving every move, seizing this exceptional opportunity. Meanwhile across town the art group arrived at the colossal MOMA to take in possibly the largest collection of western modern art in the northern hemisphere. Truly exceptional and a privilege to walk beteeen galleries housing everything from Van Gogh’s ‘Starry night’ to Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Tins’. Amazed and slightly over-whelmed by sheer size of MOMA it was wonderful to be able to just sit, reflect and draw from a favourite artwork.

Swing back to upper west side and our dancers and drama students had moved on to the Juilliard, an internationally renowned conservatoire for music, dance and drama, pioneering expressive arts crafts since 1905. Our students enjoyed the incredible facilities , shaping the industry and seeing the equally impressive  in house stage where actors were dwarfed by the sheer scale of the stage backed by a wall of stage lights and ornate seating.

In parallel the art students had shifted across to the SVA – another game changing university but this time focused on Visual Arts. We were given the chance to walk through and hear about each of the industry standard studios where students could transform ideas from concept to product , full feature film or slick graphic merch! Final year students even got to showcase final reels in one of Manhattan’s largest imax screens to kick start their career!

After our packed, respective mornings we traversed across the city to reconvene and share our adventures whilst in the famously tasty and healthy, Whole Foods deli.

Refreshed, fed and watered we are ready again for a highlight of our trip- the sensational Buena Vista Social Club!

Day 5: Wednesday 22nd October

We enjoyed a fantastic final day exploring some of New York’s most famous landmarks. Taking the Staten Island Ferry for great views of the Statue of Liberty, wandering through SoHo, Chinatown, and Little Italy and pausing for reflection at the 9/11 Memorial.

See the photos from the trip here