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

Still reeling from the excitement of last night’s theatre show, and becoming steadily more at ease with the busyness of central Manhattan , day 3 beckoned us to take on the challenge at the next level with our first stop being New York’s newest offering to rooftop skyline views – The Edge.  We had already seen this new high rise skyscraper from across the bay at Brooklyn Heights, but as we arrived it became clear just what a magnificent building it was. Stepping out onto the deck we were able to take in 360 degree views of the Manhattan skyline and Hudson bay , picking out the old familiar skyscrapers of downtown and taking stock of the changing face of this once industrial area in midtown westside, New York . 

Suitably blown and refreshed by the experience we descended to the safety and calm of the meatpacking district, confronted initially by the elegant Thomas Heatherwick designed structure, the Vessel , before elevating our walk via the Highline. This newly completed walkway weaves its way through to Chelsea Market , our next stop, providing a series of changing viewpoints of this charming, layered neighbourhood, with artworks appearing between, above and across the walls of the various buildings along the way. 

Chelsea Market was just the warm bustling stop we needed , providing all sorts of delicious home cooked food, from the iconic bagels, to freshly stretched noodles and finely crafted sushi! After we had taken our fill, we were ready for our next adventure, comparing and learning about two distinctly different , although overlapping styles of art. From American gallery driven artwork at the Whitney Art museum to the raw, immediate and changing scene of Bushwick’s graffiti art. 

The Whitney Museum itself is a work of art , designed by Renzo Piano, and home to a host of American Modern Art. Starting with the playful lines and models of Alexander Calder we enjoyed recording and drawing from the artwork across the top three floors. Reflecting on our favourites,  Junmo, an A Level Art student , commented on his love of Mark Rothko’s work, where abstract, flat planes of layered ‘colourfields’ encourage contemplation and inward reflection. A painting and meditation in one.

With our eyes and minds now tuned into painted expressions, we headed for our final stop via the subway , with a treat from our tour guide to boost energy levels. At last we were able to taste the eagerly anticipated Crumble Cookies. Worth the hype? Absolutely!

Resurfacing at Bushwick, a stone throw from Brooklyn, we were instantly surrounded by huge murals of colour and global styles of graffiti script and tags. From here our guide became a local artist with studios on a street filled with music studios, a radio station and every surface adorned with street style artwork. 

Once we’d learned about the history and culture around New York street art and graffiti, it was our turn to have a go…The studios became a frenzy of spray and noise as we practised our newly learned craft , leaving our own distinctive LP tag on the walls of the studio before heading homeward. 

What a day it’s been, the city of many faces, keeps introducing its multifaceted personality.

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

Our final day saw us get packed up and ready to head through downtown in the relative serenity of our coach transfer. Accompanied by our MC tour guide , we were able to see Times Square from a quiet elevation , while hearing stories and fun facts about the area. One slightly surprising note was that anyone can advertise in Times Square and for just $150 you can add a personal message for 15 seconds , every hour for 24 hours. So the potential is there as the world’s most famous intersection sees between 350000 and 450000 people passing through each day! The mind boggles how powerful this could be with the influence of social media and its ripple effect!

Within a short ride  Times Square and the congestion of downtown passed as we travelled riverside along past our previous days visit to Chelsea, The Meatpacking District, and finally to our stop near Wall Street.  From here the Hudson bay stretches out towards the Atlantic with the instantly familiar icon that is Lady Liberty. With her flaming 22 carat gold torch glistening in the sun , our voyage aboard the Staten Island Ferry provided clear views and opportunities for photos. 

On return we were able to see the span of Manhattan Island and it’s magnificent skyline; stretching eastwards towards the now developed Brooklyn and Dumbo and west towards the steadily growing boroughs of Hoboken and Jersey City. The city that never sleeps continues to grow and expand, now stretching outwards as well as upwards!. 

Back on shore again we were able to pause for reflection in the peace park beneath where the World Trade twin towers stood. Collectively we sat and paused for thought, with the elegant ribs of Santiago Calatrava’s ‘Oculus’ building stretching upwards , mimicking a phoenix taking flight – an appropriate symbol of New York’s resilience and connected humanity and identity, alongside the memorial of the lives lost during the tragic 911 attacks. 

From here we headed around the block to the legendary Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. They have served up new york italian style food since the 50’s hosting to the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Danny De Vito, Michelle Obama and a plethora of new york celebrities ever  since. Second interesting fact of the day , being that Grimaldi’s is housed in a former bank. This was the very same bank that helped fund the building of the Brooklyn Bridge beneath which the now restaurant sits. There is history at every turn in this city, and now LP has become part of that story!

With limited time our final activity was held with curiosity and huge anticipation. Back in the warehouse district of Brooklyn we entered a UV lit archway with bright splattered paint adorning the walls. Changing into paper forensic style suits we entered into the alarmingly named escape room style game called ‘Beat the Bomb’! Working in teams we were all able to solve different styled scenarios to accrue time before the final challenge. 

Predictably none of us managed to ‘beat the bomb’ but we did all survive the cannons of paint hurled at us before heading back to the coach ! A fitting way to leave New York with a bang! The lyrics of Frank Sinatra echoing through the coach tannoy as we drove away. 

Our journey and adventure had come to a close for now at least as we boarded the plane in Newark airport , still with the myriad of memories, colours, stories and new friendships buzzing through our minds. New York has left a tangible impact on us all and we all agreed that one day we would return . A city of art , music , dance , theatre and a rich culture, we can’t wait to see it continue to inspire and ignite our imagination for expressive and creative arts at LP. Thank you New York, it has been an absolute pleasure!

See the photos from the trip here