One might be confused to think that the New York Marathon took place last weekend. The real New York marathon took place when the Notre Dame Art, Textiles and Photography Trip touched down on the 16th October 2024.
Following an early start and 7-hour flight the Notre Dame students from Year 10 – 13 hit the ground running in the big apple. We headed to our hotel in Times Square and begun Day 1 of our adventures.
First stop was lunch and following an overwhelming vote the group visited Raising Canes in Times Square. This felt more like a night club rather than a chicken shop with the most extraordinary Halloween decorations. With full tummies and satisfied students, we began walking off lunch navigating the buzzy streets of Manhattan.
With cameras and sketchbooks in hand the first creative visit was to the American Natural History Museum on the Upper West side. Students were able to wander the great halls and view the Blue whale, dinosaurs and other wondrous Natural Forms.
There is no better way to see New York than by foot. The wide, busy and noisy bustle saw the Notre Dame group hustle their way through the city to Hudson’s Yard. We arrived at the Edge at sunset. We were 100 stories above Manhattan and saw breathtaking views.
Our first day ended with a family meal together at the Times Square Hard Rock Café. There was no doubt that everyone was excited but exhausted with all students and teachers sound asleep by 10:00pm.
Day two we arose eager and excited as we walked to the Highline which is a converted old train line that is now filled with gardens and public Art. The students made stops along the Highline to draw and sketch the art and surrounding architecture. The highline was a perfect mixture of good weather good company and beautiful city sites.
The Highline led us to our lunch spot at the Chelsea Food Market. Students were able to go off and spend time together eating and trying out the delicacies of the New York food scene. The highlight was by far the Bagels and Cherry Tarts.
We then spent the afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art where the students spent three hours exploring the MOMA and all of its masterpieces. Van Gogh, Warhol, Matisse were inspiring whilst the GCSE Art students were delighted to see Cubist artworks hanging on the walls. It was wonderful to see how excited our students were to see Art that they had studied for years now in front of them. The awe and wonder was wonderful.
All of a sudden it was Day three and we were off! First stop was Central Park and some sketching of the New York Skyline from the park. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. We were overlooking the ice rink and marvelled at the tall skyscrapers that surrounded the beautiful park.
We then headed to the Financial District taking a moment to pause and reflect at the 911 memorial. Our students were reflective and respectful taking the time to witness the power of Art in remembrance.
New York is best known for its Art, Food and of course Shopping scene and it was officially our shopping day. With budgets agreed we headed to Westfield.
We then made our way down to Brooklyn Museum crossing the Hudson River and into Brooklyn. I never like to have favourites but if I had to chose my favourite museum it would have to be the Brooklyn. The range of Textiles, Photography and Art was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to NYC. The students spent a few hours walking through sketching and observing the original Contemporary and Modern work.
Following the culture fest we did the next best thing in Brooklyn and visited a thrift shop. My original plan was to allow 45 mins for the girls to have a quick shop but soon after we arrived I knew that this time needed to be extended. Upcycling and sustainable fashion is a passion of the department and one that was clearly shared with all of the students.
We then headed to Little Italy for some New York pizza before heading home to pack and prepare for our last busy day.
Our final day in Manhattan was upon us and without a doubt there was one thing on every students mind… Crumbl Cookie. So never wanting to disappoint I kept my promise and we beelined for the Upper Eastside Crumble Cookie bakery. Knowing how excited the students were I had taken a moment to email the bakery to let them know that we were coming. Although I’m not sure anything could have prepared the bakers for the excitement of 34 UK Students. Stepping into the bright pink bakery immediately the hit of sugar washes over you. The cookies were so very sweet but delicious scoring 5 Stars from the ND students.
We then did our best impression of Blair and Serena and headed to the Upper East Side and headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Masterpiece after masterpiece were seen, photographed and sketched.
As an art teacher you dream of taking your students to places like New York. I was so proud of our students as they were genuinely inspired and excited by everything. One student said to me ‘I just love sitting and drawing the artworks, it makes me really happy’.
It is safe to say that every student and staff member who attended the trip were thankful for the opportunity and got the most out of every museum, food, park, shopping tourist stop that we visited. Well done to all involved and I am already planning our next Art, Textiles and Photography adventure.
Do check out their adventures on our School Trips Instagram Account
