This is a guest post from Year 2 Photography pathway student, Jorja Hall:
Going to New York will definitely be my highlight of 2016.
We did so much in the six days we had to explore the City. The excitement of going to MOMA, travelling up Top of the Rock, and going to the different Art and Design studios; my favourite being a trip to Google. The trip was planned so that the first three days we toured the City as a group, and the last few days we could explore New York independently.
On the first night, after a 7-hour flight and transfers to our hotel, my friends and I went straight to Times Square. I had to pinch myself that we were actually there, it was so bright, vibrant and noisy all at the same time, just fantastic!
On the second day, we went to the Rockefeller Centre. The views were breathtaking and it was remarkable to see the whole City from just one place – on an open terrace seventy storeys in the sky. Then we went to the Museum of Modern Art and spent a good couple of hours exploring the 6 levels of outstanding modern art.
The following day was the day we went to visit Google. I was so excited about going inside Google offices and to be honest, simply being there! We were given the grand tour of the building by two Google staff members, they were both lovely and answered all our questions. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take any photographs; it was so hard not to!
On the Fourth day we travelled to Lower Manhattan for our Studio visits, firstly we went to Moving Brands. After studying Moving Brands in my first year, to have the opportunity to go there and talk to them directly about the design industry, was just awesome. They answered all our questions and gave a lot of helpful advice! After Moving Brands, we split into two groups. My group went with Danny to the Dexter Sinister Studio and got to chat with David Reinfurt. The other group went to The Lubalin Study Centre with Sarah.
The fifth and sixth day we had to ourselves, where my friends and I could go wherever we wanted. We spent all day travelling around the City looking at the iconic land marks that we have seen in so many films and TV series. My favourites being Central Park, The Society of Illustrators and Trump Tower. It was so cool having the freedom to roam around New York. The atmosphere was incredible, especially going to Trump Tower at such a controversial time. Being able to capture those moments as a photographer was amazing.
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit New York City. The views, the sounds, the street art – everything about this place is truly outstanding! I loved capturing my adventures and posting them on Instagram with the hashtag- #excitingtimesnyc. If you have the opportunity to go – DO IT!