<h5>New York was certainly one of the most memorable trips I have ever been on; it was filled to the brim with activities and trips throughout the week.</h5> <p>Despite the early starts, late nights and long flights testing our abilities to not get on each other’s nerves, what we got out of the trip was truly all worth it.</p> <p>We had the opportunity to go to loads of galleries and museums - at The Metropolitan Museum, we visited the Egyptian section where they had recreated part of a tomb with a real block which was cool. The best part of the Natural History Museum was seeing the dinosaurs - it’s surreal how big the skeletons are, and at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) I saw something I never thought I’d get to see: one of Monet’s Water Lilies paintings. It was huge, and so impressive - I could sit there for hours staring at it.</p> <p>I was also really inspired by the Jackson Pollock that I saw at MoMA - I love the splatters on canvas, I think it’s really free and spontaneous. I feel like the inspiration I took from seeing his work, but also from the trip in general, is to make art that makes you feel happy - whether it’s an installation, or a painting, or anything else in between.<br /></p>

<p>All of the museums and galleries were so incredible, if you ever get the chance to visit New York, they are well worth seeing. Each place had so many different things to see, you could spend days in each one.</p> <p>We also visited the 9/11 Memorial &amp; Museum. This was a shock to the system, as there was a room with photos of everyone who had died that day, and some of us knew of a few of the people on the wall. That hit home a little.</p> <p>We also went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, where the view were incredible - even more so it when it started snowing; some of us who still had some energy even walked the High Line later that day.<br /></p>

<p>My two personal favourites were visiting the Statue of Liberty, despite temperatures of -2 degrees without wind chill when we got over there (my hands went white, no feeling to them at all) – and also going up the Empire State Building at night; the views were amazing, just like you’d see in a magazine or movie, honestly INCREDIBLE! It was so good to see the city from another angle - I find it interesting how it gives you a whole new perspective on things.</p> <p>The trip took place in late January 2019, just as New York was hit by a major snow squall. If we had stayed just one more day, we would have been delayed coming home by at least three days so we were lucky to get our flights home when we did - or unlucky, whichever way you want to look at it!</p>

<p>Whilst we were in New York, we enjoyed trying lots of different food from different cultures - and of course we had to try some of the street food trucks! One of the most memorable meals was our last evening meal, where we went to Little Italy for dinner - we had a lovely, relaxing meal there on our last night.</p> <p>The final thing that I have to mention is the cheesecake from Juniors Cheesecake Factory: we were determined to taste real New York Cheesecake before we left! All the food was amazing, but the cheesecake was to die for, and it was the best midnight snack I’ve ever had – I would fully recommend you try one from there if you ever get the chance to visit New York.</p> <p>So yes, New York was definitely one of the most memorable trips I have been on - I loved it; it was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/open-days" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Interested in creative study? Visit our next Open Day to get a tour of our incredible studios and workshops, and chat to current students and staff about studying here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/foundation-diploma-in-art-and-design-post-a-level" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more about our Foundation Diploma, a year long course where students discover, experiment and explore across a wide range of disciplines.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/resources" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check out our Facilities and LABs page for a taste of the creative resources available on campus.</a></li></ul>