All winter long, we wait for warmer weather, sun, green grass, and most of all, Spring Break! For the other breaks during the year most of us go home and spend time with our families but Spring Break is interesting because it’s the time of year when people like to get out and travel. Next year, if you don’t have to stay on campus, I highly recommend visiting a new place during your time off. If you haven’t had the chance to go very many places, perhaps you’ll get some travel ideas from these students. Here are a few of the places people went:
New York City, NY: Brandon Hanson-Senior, Anne Wentworth-Senior, and Yein Na-Senior
Minneapolis, MN: Renae Carlson-Sophomore and Alex Walker-Freshman
Nashville, TN: Rachel Foster-Freshman and Emily Smith-Freshman
Dallas, TX: Lauren Unruh-Freshman
San Diego, CA: Blake Anderson-Senior
Did you learn anything or make any new discoveries on your trip?
Yein : “New York City is not that much different, people’s lives are the same. I saw a lot of people who looked very tired while I was riding the subway.”
Renae: “I need to be more protective of my cell phone. I also learned that Minneapolis is way bigger than I thought and navigation is confusing.”
Alex: “I learned to communicate more with other people.”
Brandon: “I learned that New York is not as big as I thought it was. It’s just another city and it’s not unsafe.”
Rachel Foster: “I discovered that sleeping in the back seat of a car with two other people really hurts your back!”
Anne: “This was my fourth time in the city (NYC), so much of what I experienced was expected, however, I did have the opportunity to see some amazing theater which always inspires and refreshes me. Also, Brandon and I plan on moving to the city in June, so we were able to sort of "neighborhood shop" and ask several questions about employment and budgeting.”
Lauren: “No, but I got to see Kobe Bryant play against the Mavericks.”
Emily: “I discovered how much I miss Chick-fil-A.”
Blake: “I learned that people are very laid back and polite in California. The atmosphere and environment took me by surprise.”
Did you have to overcome any obstacles during your trip?
Yein: “I made a reservation at Hostel.com for a flight leaving Minneapolis but I had trouble finding a ride out there. Luckily Tina Spade was able to give me a ride to Minneapolis on Friday and Dennis Thump picked me up on Monday. The place I stayed in while I was in New York was very noisy and I couldn’t get good rest because of it.”
Alex: “Losing my car, getting lost, and getting past security guards. Also, if you’re under the age of 16, you can’t get into the Mall of America without a parent. Renae and I had our IDs but my boyfriend didn’t have his on him so we had to sneak in separately.”
Brandon: It’s a different culture so it was kind of difficult to adjust. It’s very very dirty and their vocabulary is a little cruder.”
Rachel: “Apart from the car ride, I had to stay in a house with two girls who get up very early in the morning.”
Lauren: “I went running in the suburbs and got lost! It was a nice neighborhood but I ended up having to ask three people where I was. There weren’t any blocks there; the streets were very curvy so that was definitely a struggle.”
Blake: “I overcame my fear of heights by going on a hot air balloon ride.”
Emily: “A bunch of third grade screaming girls at The Hunger Games!”
What was the weirdest/most interesting thing you saw?
Anne: “You always see the most interesting things - most of the time people - on the subway. My favorite are all the different musicians that play there.”
Yein: “It was stinky. There were bad smells almost everywhere, especially in the subway. In upper Manhattan, it was very beautiful though. A lot of old, beautiful houses and people out walking their dogs.”
Renae: “The names of restaurants were weird like Dino’s, Spongy’s, and Snuffy’s. The names of roads were surprisingly similar to ours such as Cliff road, Minnehaha road, and Marion Avenue. There’s a two story Target in downtown Minneapolis.”
Brandon: “People sleeping in the subway because it’s extremely disgusting, but they didn’t mind. No one bothered them, they just did their own thing.”
Rachel: “We visited Andrew Jackson’s hermitage near Nashville, which is his home.”
Lauren: “We went to the JFK memorial and the place where the assassin shot Kennedy is called the Sixth Floor museum. I stood in the same spot that Lee Harvey Oswald did when he assassinated Kennedy.”
Blake: “Most interesting is the large diversity and everyone has iPhones.”
What places would you recommend?
Yein: “Times Square because there are a lot of bright and colorful lights, there’s a lot of shopping too.”
Renae and Alex: “Mall of America, Snuffy’s malt shop, Red Robin, Rosedale Mall. If you’re in Minneapolis, you should go to a Twin’s game.”
Brandon: “Café Habana. I would suggest going to see a show for sure. I would also suggest getting out of Times Square because it’s a huge tourist spot. Dollar Pizza is another good place.”
Rachel: “Franklin, TN. It’s a cute downtown with restaurants and shops. Or downtown Nashville which is fun.”
Anne: “For a visitor, a Broadway show is a must-see (I would suggest a musical, just because they are so much fun!), but there are so many other wonderful things to do: Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Empire State Building - the list goes on and on, not to mention the vast selection of restaurants and shops. It’s such a wonderful place!”
Lauren: “The Cheesecake Factory, it was really good! I went to Hard Rock Café, that’s another good place. The American Airlines Center because that’s where the game was.”
Blake: “I would recommend Balboa Park, Coronado, Pacific Beach, Del Mar, CA, and Farmers Market.”
Emily: “I would recommend the Country Hall of Fame, all the shops in downtown Nashville, and the Pancake Pantry, where many celebrities are seen. I would also say the vintage shops in Franklin.”
Did you get to do anything that you’ve never done before?
Yein: “I went to a musical.”
Renae: “We tried Chipotle.”
Alex: “I didn’t like it [Chipotle], Qdoba’s way better.”
Brandon: “I’ve never seen a Broadway show and I got to see 7 of them.”
Rachel: “My family and I all went to a park and played 4 on 4 ultimate Frisbee. We usually just play catch or something but ultimate Frisbee with the fam was hilarious! It was the most fun I had on the trip.”
Anne: “I had the opportunity to see nine Broadway shows while I was there, eight of which I had never seen before. Like I said, seeing new theater is one of the most inspiring things for me. I'll never get sick of new shows!”
Lauren: “I’d never been to Texas before.”
Blake: “My first time riding in a hot air balloon. My first time eating Indian food.
Emily: “A 22 hour road trip!”
Would you go back? Why or why not?
Yein: “No, I think I stayed there long enough. And I can’t because it costs a lot of money. I’m going back to South Korea so I won’t have the chance anyway.”
Renae and Alex: “Yes because it was a lot of fun. It was fun to go on a road trip, get out of town, shop at the largest mall in America, and be in a bigger city.”
Brandon: “I am moving out there in 2 months, so yeah. I love the fast paced culture. I also love the fact that you can walk down one street and hear about 15 different languages.”
Rachel: “Yes, because my sisters live there so it’s nice to see them. The weather is nice down there and it’s a lot of fun!”
Anne: “Absolutely! I plan on living there in a few months! The city is just so alive. Everyone has a dream there, and it’s so easy to feel that determined energy. Passion is thick, and its one hundred percent contagious. For me, it’s the best place in the world, the only place to be.”
Lauren: “I would definitely go back because it was really fun. My sister and I went down together and we stayed with my aunt and uncle and they spoiled us! It was fun to see my cousins too and go to a new place.”
Blake: “Absolutely! The weather and scenery are great. There are so many things to do that San Diego could never get boring.”
Emily: “Yes because I have family there, and there’s so much to do and it’s always a good time!”
