New York

Day 1 With excitement at its peak once again, the 42 Drama and Music students and 7 staff gathered for a 2am departure from Lower School and set off for another adventure to The Big Apple. After a 7.5 hour flight from Heathrow, the group were on their way to the city, being guided by Andy who has been our fantastic tour guide for the last 10 years. We filmed part of the journey into New York from the airport - Video 1 and Video 2. An early start led to an early arrival in New York with bright blue sunny skies above and temperatures well above those back home, subsequently checking into our stunning hotel and all settling into our rooms. We trekked through the streets of Manhattan and Times Square to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Please click on an image below to view in fullscreen and links to view a video.

Day 2 Our first day waking up in The Big Apple started well with 'the best breakfast cafe experience we've had these 10 years of NYC visits' and a prompt start to our walking tour. Andy, our tour guide showcased the significant parts of Manhattan to us, including Grand Central Terminal, NYC Public Library (filming location of Ghostbusters) and Rockerfeller Plaza. The tour was followed by an exploration of Central Park with ample opportunity for photos. The walking tour and exploration of Central Park were accompanied by a guided bus tour of Upper Manhattan and a visit to the Natural History Museum. By 7pm, we were ready to watch the designated broadway musical, 'Wicked'. It was well received and thoroughly enjoyed. Everyone was floating on air after the show and pizza, it was almost as if we were 'defying gravity'!

Day 3 A top-notch breakfast started the stunning day well fuelling us for the large amounts of walking and standing we were in store for today. We were off on our way heading through the subway to our destination - The Statue of Liberty. We also visited the Ellis Island Immigration Center followed by a ferry back to land to visit The One World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial. The climb up the interactive elevator led us to a dramatic reveal of the view and the observatory area. Our next venture through Times Square was to our trip-renowned Bubba Gump diner, where we were shown to our private/reserved area of the restaurant which had great views over Times Sqaure. We also quizzed and celebrated the birthday of one of our students. Following the energetic dinner, we went to Times Square and the 'Red Steps' for photos.

Day 4 The final day of the WHS New 2022 trip started with a not so sunny sky, and a bit of rain, but that didn't impact the energy and excitement of the students. We headed to our workshop with a quick wander past the Empire State building and then into Pearl Studios on 8th Avenue to learn a segment of 'One Short Day' from Wicked. The students were taught collectively and then siphoned into groups to practise under the instruction of Taylor Cyrus (one of the performers from day 2's Wicked show). Groups performed and practised together with the aid of Taylor Cyrus to perfect their versions. After a whistle stop drop into Macy's department store, we enjoyed a leisurely walk up 7th Avenue in the blazing sunshine, with a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts. Then it was into the Rockerfeller Center to make our way to the Top of the Rock up another animated elevator. Thankfully the sky had cleared, perfect for more group and skyline photographs. Finally, we said goodbye to The Big Apple and transferred to the airport, arriving at 11am in Heathrow.