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Our heavyweight title fight: The Big Apple vs DC in the travel punch-up of the year
» By Katja Beardsell, Jack Cully & Georgia Smith
New York and Washington DC. Two mega cities, two
overblown egos, one serious fight! In the heavyweight
punch-up between two of the world's greatest cities, which
one is knocked out cold on the canvas and which one
stands victorious? Two cities that polarise opinions
Washington and New York may be two of the most important cities in the world, with Washington as a political power base, and New York famous for its fashion, culture and food. Our research took us on a whirlwind 10 day adventure with a group of eager and eagle eyed sixth formers. We were taken across two states and two highly contrasting experiences until we reached sensory overload.
Meet our first contestant. He's entering the ring in his formal attire, without a political hair out of place. A suited and booted professional, losing is not an option for this upstanding member of society. Briefcase put aside for the moment- it's time to loosen the tie and come face to face with his arch enemy. Years have passed and so far there has been no winner, tonight we shall see who will be the final conqueror. Next we have the city slicker, the man who brings a whole new meaning to the word cool. Beneath his clean DKNY composure you can see the hip hop heritage which comes from years of swaggering around streets. He knows what's in and what's out, who to know and who not to know. In the city where the American dream becomes reality he's on the up and not afraid of elbowing anyone out of the way to get to the top.
With both opponents ready for the fight, emotions are running high. This is it.
Round 1: Atmosphere
• New York thinks he has this one down before we've even begun. You can tell he's confidant without even need for a warm up. Bright lights. Big city. Times Square. A city of ants crawling over the metropolis. A city where life is abundant and new experiences await around every corner. Whether its 3am or 6pm the energy never dies in this city. Buzzing would be an understatement.
• Washington knows this ones going to be a tough one but pulls out the big guns straight away. Picture this; pink haze surrounds you as the sun sets to fade the shadow of the Washington Monument. Years of history press down upon you everywhere you turn, fantastical appeal of this beautiful city as the day draws to a close.
• Washington is pushed against the ropes as although putting up a good fight he doesn't quite have the strength to over power the towering stature that is New York.
WINNER: NEW YORK CITY
Round 2: Friendliness
• Washington appears to pull himself together for this next round, not letting his previous fall hinder his confidence. He manages to stand proud without having the arrogance of New York, welcoming its curious explorers with open arms. Underneath its cast iron governmental structure lays a soft underbelly where strangers are given more than just the time of day.
• Cocky from his prior triumph, New York swaggers into the ring for Round 2. Yet this round is not so easy, with New York's busy atmosphere there comes weaknesses as well as strengths. Human kindness is everywhere if you search for it but you may be limited to the 3 minute 35 second window before the next subway station comes rushing into view.
• Where Washington is the warm Uncle, New York is more the troublesome teen.
WINNER: WASHINGTON DC
Round 3: Attractions
• Like the sweat dripping from his head, Washington is drenched in history. Wherever you look you will see majestic buildings professing their pride in their democratic values. Dedications to previous presidents are dotted around the city, they stand mightily. Every building nursed with the affection of many generations. If you're looking for an insight into the past Washington is the place to be.
• Shocked from his previous blow New York is convinced he can regain his winning form. New York boasts countless attractions for the modern tourist; bright lights, busy shops, buildings of enormous stature. Row upon row of places to go, things to do, people to see. He has it all.
• New York just clinches it, a narrow defeat. Unlucky, Washington.
WINNER: NEW YORK CITY
Round 4: Beauty
• New York stands as an example of the modern man, incorporating nature with industrialism. This combination of Central Park with the Chrysler Building creates a new form of beauty higher than anything traditional concepts can provide.
• Spectators fear that after his last concession to New York, victory may be out of reach. However Washington will not give up without a fight. Monuments are carefully planned and beautifully arranged around the picturesque landscapes of the area.
• A long dog walk would be pleasure in Washington, but really, who needs dogs when you have New York?
WINNER: NEW YORK CITY
Mud, Mountains, Maintenance… and still the trip of a lifetime.
» By Alex Lord
The term ‘a trip of a lifetime’ is one that in my eyes is over-used. “You must come to the Yorkshire Dales… walking, rain, Boggle and half a cocoa; it will be the trip of a lifetime”. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating. However, I think it does pose an interesting question; what defines a trip of a lifetime? I think the true answer to this is, in fact, quite subjective. This said, each view seems to revolve around one underlying theme - being placed out of your comfort zone in a different environment and broadening your horizons. Henry Miller once said ‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things’, and I think this can be achieved in many different ways whether it be physically, mentally or spiritually. However, it is really something that I would recommend to any reader, that they too should embark on the trip of a life time. For me, the life changing trip was initiated by the World Challenge organisation. This is a group of people who work in conjunction with schools to give teenagers the opportunity to see some of the wonders of the world. It may be argued that my World Challenge trip to India in summer 2011 was simply a long holiday, and yes in some ways it was. However, mile-long beaches were replaced by mile-high mountains, wetsuits were replaced by waterproofs and Malia (pound a pint) was replaced by Manali –(pound a meal). All of these things taken into account however, those three weeks were the best holiday of my life, and all in all the trip of a lifetime.
Our trip was spilt into three parts; the expedition, the project and rest and relaxation. The expedition was a five day altitude trek to Brighu Lake camp in the Kullu Valley, Northern India, which stands 4235m above sea level. From the outset only a couple of members of our party were looking forward to the trek, and I can safely say that I was not one of them. From the first day of walking, the optimism of those members decreased. Our first day of walking was a steep ascent. Although not fully feeling the altitude, we were suddenly quite aware of what we had let ourselves into. Despite the negativity, it was the group of chefs that joined us along with our guide who raised our spirits. Their enthusiasm, humour and remarkable food, especially the food, meant they were great company. We were treated to three meals a day along with snacks at many intervals throughout the day, and even on one evening a birthday cake. This was just outstanding! The fact that we were 3000m high, the kitchen was a tent, there was no oven, and yet somehow they produced a birthday cake. My favourite memory of the chefs was on the penultimate day of the descent, in which we were treated to a rest day. This allowed us to relax from day after day of gruelling five hour walks, but also for us to show the chefs our culture and in return for them to show us theirs. Now I’m not sure that ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ or ‘Kabaddi’ (Indian wrestling) was either country’s most valuable cultural export, however this seemed like the most enjoyable activities for a ‘winding down’ afternoon. Despite the trek being tough, and nearly everyone feeling the altitude at points, it was certainly not a downer on the trip itself. The main reason for this was most the team aspect behind it. Every member of our team reached Brighu Lake; a few of us even celebrated the feat by going for a paddle in Brighu Lake itself! This act gave me some key advice, if you can see snow less than fifteen metres from the water, don’t go swimming. However, the fact that everyone reached the top, however easy or hard they found it, we were in great spirits for the rest of the trip.
As I mentioned before, the second phase of our trip was the “project” phase. We were still situated in the Kullu Valley, around 9km from Manali and were based in a small primary school, where we were given the job to paint one classroom and the headmistress’ office. To say our group had a mixture of artistic talents would be a bit of an understatement. Nevertheless, together we produced two rather impressive looking rooms. In the classroom, we painted the walls, and then painted on top a blackboard, a map of India, a Cokethorpe School symbol and the human digestive system; all of which looked amazing. I however, was given the task of painting the ‘Wall of Formulae’. Given the fact that my least favourite school subjects were maths and art, I wouldn’t have seen myself as the right person for the job, but I tried, and with the combination of everyone else’s work it didn’t look too bad! The headmistress’ office was dealt with in true changing room fashion; nothing seemed to stay in the same place for longer than five minutes, no matter the reason, whether it was for painting, varnishing or because the decorative positioning just wasn’t quite right. On the final night, just before dinner one of the school’s teachers popped by to check how we were getting on. Seeing the smile on his face reminded us exactly why we were doing the project.
The final part of the trip was the “Rest and Relaxation” phase. This was based around two incredible cities; Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur (or the Pink City as it is commonly known) was our first port of call. After twenty four hours of solid travelling, we arrived at a four star hotel in the Pink City. After just over two weeks of sleeping on buses, trains, classroom floors and tents, this hotel was the highest extent of luxury. Ensuite rooms, a buffet breakfast and a swimming pool… it seemed like another world to the one we were in only twenty four hours previously. Jaipur was in indescribably amazing. It was a world of exotic culture, different to any we had previously experienced. On the first of our two days in Jaipur, in groups of three, we had a rickshaw driver who took us around the main sights of the city which he knew like the back of his hands. We saw temples, forts, silver shops and textile factories, meeting some unforgettable people and really intriguing characters. Along with the history, Jaipur was also significant as it was our first real glance of modernised, citified India. There were shopping centres, branches of “Subway” and a cinema, where we enjoyed Harry Potter on our last night! Despite the whole group enjoying the Pink City, it was Agra that we were desperate to visit, and this was for one reason only; the Taj Mahal. This had been something that we had only seen in photos, magazine articles and videos. However, none of these images could prepare us for the actual thing; it was an ineffable sight; the marble stature towering above the market stalls, and souvenir shops. The stark contrast between this grand creation, only metres away from hundreds, thousands even, living in poverty, was baffling. The word “surreal” had accompanied me throughout the trip, but the Taj Mahal had to be the most surreal experience of all. I had to look over my photos, was I really there? Was that me in front of the Seven Wonders of the World?
The trip of a life time may well be over-used … and why not? Everyone has their own vision of what travel can bring in terms of an intoxicating and life-altering experience. However, the month of July 2011 will be indelibly marked in my memory – an undeniable truth – it was “The trip of a lifetime”.
Our trip was spilt into three parts; the expedition, the project and rest and relaxation. The expedition was a five day altitude trek to Brighu Lake camp in the Kullu Valley, Northern India, which stands 4235m above sea level. From the outset only a couple of members of our party were looking forward to the trek, and I can safely say that I was not one of them. From the first day of walking, the optimism of those members decreased. Our first day of walking was a steep ascent. Although not fully feeling the altitude, we were suddenly quite aware of what we had let ourselves into. Despite the negativity, it was the group of chefs that joined us along with our guide who raised our spirits. Their enthusiasm, humour and remarkable food, especially the food, meant they were great company. We were treated to three meals a day along with snacks at many intervals throughout the day, and even on one evening a birthday cake. This was just outstanding! The fact that we were 3000m high, the kitchen was a tent, there was no oven, and yet somehow they produced a birthday cake. My favourite memory of the chefs was on the penultimate day of the descent, in which we were treated to a rest day. This allowed us to relax from day after day of gruelling five hour walks, but also for us to show the chefs our culture and in return for them to show us theirs. Now I’m not sure that ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ or ‘Kabaddi’ (Indian wrestling) was either country’s most valuable cultural export, however this seemed like the most enjoyable activities for a ‘winding down’ afternoon. Despite the trek being tough, and nearly everyone feeling the altitude at points, it was certainly not a downer on the trip itself. The main reason for this was most the team aspect behind it. Every member of our team reached Brighu Lake; a few of us even celebrated the feat by going for a paddle in Brighu Lake itself! This act gave me some key advice, if you can see snow less than fifteen metres from the water, don’t go swimming. However, the fact that everyone reached the top, however easy or hard they found it, we were in great spirits for the rest of the trip.
As I mentioned before, the second phase of our trip was the “project” phase. We were still situated in the Kullu Valley, around 9km from Manali and were based in a small primary school, where we were given the job to paint one classroom and the headmistress’ office. To say our group had a mixture of artistic talents would be a bit of an understatement. Nevertheless, together we produced two rather impressive looking rooms. In the classroom, we painted the walls, and then painted on top a blackboard, a map of India, a Cokethorpe School symbol and the human digestive system; all of which looked amazing. I however, was given the task of painting the ‘Wall of Formulae’. Given the fact that my least favourite school subjects were maths and art, I wouldn’t have seen myself as the right person for the job, but I tried, and with the combination of everyone else’s work it didn’t look too bad! The headmistress’ office was dealt with in true changing room fashion; nothing seemed to stay in the same place for longer than five minutes, no matter the reason, whether it was for painting, varnishing or because the decorative positioning just wasn’t quite right. On the final night, just before dinner one of the school’s teachers popped by to check how we were getting on. Seeing the smile on his face reminded us exactly why we were doing the project.
The final part of the trip was the “Rest and Relaxation” phase. This was based around two incredible cities; Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur (or the Pink City as it is commonly known) was our first port of call. After twenty four hours of solid travelling, we arrived at a four star hotel in the Pink City. After just over two weeks of sleeping on buses, trains, classroom floors and tents, this hotel was the highest extent of luxury. Ensuite rooms, a buffet breakfast and a swimming pool… it seemed like another world to the one we were in only twenty four hours previously. Jaipur was in indescribably amazing. It was a world of exotic culture, different to any we had previously experienced. On the first of our two days in Jaipur, in groups of three, we had a rickshaw driver who took us around the main sights of the city which he knew like the back of his hands. We saw temples, forts, silver shops and textile factories, meeting some unforgettable people and really intriguing characters. Along with the history, Jaipur was also significant as it was our first real glance of modernised, citified India. There were shopping centres, branches of “Subway” and a cinema, where we enjoyed Harry Potter on our last night! Despite the whole group enjoying the Pink City, it was Agra that we were desperate to visit, and this was for one reason only; the Taj Mahal. This had been something that we had only seen in photos, magazine articles and videos. However, none of these images could prepare us for the actual thing; it was an ineffable sight; the marble stature towering above the market stalls, and souvenir shops. The stark contrast between this grand creation, only metres away from hundreds, thousands even, living in poverty, was baffling. The word “surreal” had accompanied me throughout the trip, but the Taj Mahal had to be the most surreal experience of all. I had to look over my photos, was I really there? Was that me in front of the Seven Wonders of the World?
The trip of a life time may well be over-used … and why not? Everyone has their own vision of what travel can bring in terms of an intoxicating and life-altering experience. However, the month of July 2011 will be indelibly marked in my memory – an undeniable truth – it was “The trip of a lifetime”.