Washington

Friday 28 Sept Washington

Arrived in Washington, took bus from airport past Arlington, Stromboli for Breakfast in pizza shop near L’Enfant station. Walked to Channel Inn Hotel at 650 Water St, S.W. Eventually got room key at 1 pm and got ready for 3.30 Embassy event at 37 Observatory Circle.  

Gina Anderson hosted us with a tour of the Embassy and then all students plus 2 American University students sat in discussion with Ambassador Mike Moore followed by Q & A. Adjourned for dinner with team at The Front Page Restaurant and Grill 1333 New Hampshire Avenue, Dupont Circle.

 University of Waikato team 

Sat 29 Washington

Breakfast in coffee bar at hotel – Griddle cakes & apples then to Smithsonian and Museum of American History to see Julia Child’s kitchen

Hope diamond, 1st Lady dresses and dinner ware for banquets, Walking again to the White house, Lafayette Square that Jackie B.K. saved from demolition,  Pennsylvania Ave along back of White House with a wedding outside, West Wing WW2 memorial, ,

Constitution gardens, Vietnam veterans and Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, FD Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson memorial. Dinner at Chinese restaurant - previously the boarding House of Mary Surratt where the conspirators who killed Abraham Lincoln plotted. Met Afra from the AUT SIFE

 Sun 30 Washington

Visited American botanic gardens with orchids and huge glass houses. Ate buffalo for Brunch at American Native Indian Museum which was featuring A Song for the Horse Nation exhibition,  Capitol Hill and General Grant statue. Walked to Walter E. Washington Convention Centre and registered for 2012 SIFE World Cup,

Attended Countries Culture Fair then opening ceremony followed by dinner at Cuba Libre.

Mon 1 Oct SIFE Washington

NZ Team Opening Round Competition and then afternoon Opening Round Awards Ceremony Ballroom. Waikato Uni team had great presentation but did not progress past first round. Rain started so dinner in city at Clyde Restaurant and bar.

Tues 2 Oct SIFE Washington

Meeting with Terry Holzheimer Director, Arlington Economic Development in Ballston. Walked to National Air and Space Museum. Then long walk to convention centre past the Ford theatre and house where Lincoln died. 5pm SIFE Final Awards and closing ceremony then dinner at Renaissance Hotel with the Aussie SIFE team and managers.

 Weds 3 Oct  New York

AMTRACK Train to Penn Station New York and walked to Hotel Pennsylvania 7th Ave. Coffee in Herald Square, Macys, Fashion Ave, Restaurant Row, and the lively Times Square and Broadway by night.

 Thurs 4 Oct New York

Walked down 7th Ave then caught bus to Lincoln centre, walked from 72 St to Central Park and Strawberry fields, skyline and view over lake and wedding on the famous Bow Bridge. Long walk in park then bus to Harlem and back to Uptown to 5th Ave shops.

Bought pendant for Deborah at Tiffany & Co on Fifth Avenue and 57th St then

Coffee at Trump Towers 725 5th Ave. Visited Grand Central Station and then dinner at Build your own Burgers in Times Square

Fri 5 Oct New York

Rockefeller Building –Top of the Rock,  St Barts church, Rockefeller Plaza and Promenade Park Avenue, Lunch in Bryant Park, St Patricks Cathedral, pick up bags and AMTRACK Train from Penn Stn NY at: 3:45 pm travelling up the Hudson river to Schenectady to be met by Jim and Gerry Kenney.

Sat 6 Oct Schenectady

Coffee and Bagels followed by Economic Development discussion with Prof Jim Kenney and Prof Brad Lewis of Union College. Walked around the beautiful Union College campus buildings, ground and gardens – cold Autumn day. Travelled out to Escarpment to see the colors turning and the Indian Ladder Trail near Voorheesville, NY then to Apple farm where pumpkins were on special for Halloween. 

Sat night went to first ice hockey game of the season for the Union College team.

 Sun 7 Oct Schenectady

Join the merry band of “Leaf Peepers” on a road trip to Massachusetts to Williamsburg and found the Natural Bridge National Park with the marble dam and penstock to the old textile factory. Walked around Williams College and had lunch at Pappa Charlies. On way home stopped at Marshall’s store where Isabel bought 3 pairs of label jeans for $80 total.

Mon 8 Oct New York

Amtrack train from Schenectady to New York to Hotel 31 120 East 31 Street. Dropped bags off at and then took subway from Lex / 63 St (midtown) to Lex/ 68 St (uptown) get ahead of the Columbus day parade which had been making its way up 5th Av from 11.30 am.

Got some great photos and when the parade was finished we went to see the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Met Museum of Art and also the Iranian / Assyrian artefacts, carpets and Rodin sculptures. We then took a long bus ride to South ferry and the Staten Island ferry out and back to see the city lights and Statue of Liberty by night followed by burgers for dinner at the NY Burger Company. The Empire State lights were red white and green for Columbus day.

 Tues 9 Oct New York

Tuesday took the subway to Brooklyn and then walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge to the City Hall park, Federal building, Stock Exchange

and then the World Trade Centre Museum, Ground Zero and St Pauls chapel where the survivors gathered. Then a bus to Soho and walk to Katz Deli (Houston St) for early dinner followed by bus and a walk through China Town and the shrinking Little Italy.

Searched for a bar with music and finally found The Bitter End which is NYC’s oldest rock club on 147 Bleecker St located in the heart of Greenwich Village. Sat through three great acts and then walked and subway back to the hotel. Bit scary walking home

Brooklyn Bridge

Bryant Park

 Weds 10 Oct New York

Weds before the flight we visited the Flatiron building and environs. Came across filming for TV series “SMASH” outside the Flatiron building. Walked around Madison Square Park which is privately funded enclave for the enjoyment of all. 

Headed back and checked out of Hotel 31 at midday to bus to Penn Station to pick up the train to Newark airport. Plane departed Newark 4:44 pm for LA then 9:45 pm. Depart from LA to AKL NZ0001 arriving AKL 7 am Friday 12 Oct. Found the car in Park and ride and headed back to the Tron to be home at 10am Friday morning.

Isabel and Steve at NZ Embassy after meeting with Ambassador Mike Moore

Jefferson Memorial

Steve and friend at Air and Space museum

Julia Child and her kitchen

Had a brilliant time the rest of our stay in Washington. Walked our way around the monuments, the Smithsonians, the White House. Went to various restaurants including a chinese in the former Boarding house of Mary Surratt, the first woman hung in the US. She was the owner of the boarding house where the conspirators met to plot the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Really enjoyed the fabulous weather in Washington and we walked everywhere.

Alas the Waikato team did not make it through but they all had a good time trying. Their presentation was excellent so they have some more work on their project selection when they get home. Still in NY. photos coming

We escaped LAX en route to have a mini stopover for 5 hours at Manhattan beach. Walked to the pier then out along the beautiful beach front promenade to Hormosa Beach for lunch and then back along for dinner in a little beach front sports bar. Taxi back to LAX to continue the trip to Washington landing at Dulles airport where you have to have the right change to get on the bus to the city. Our Washington Hotel was on the Potomac River next to the yacht marina. Very cool and not far from the metro into central although we usually walked into city and metro back. Washington is such a stately, orderly  city with massive classical Greek/Roman architecture.

Waikato University SIFE team completes

Waikato team choose to go up in the pool against Australia at the SIFE World Cup in Washington much to the delight of the audience at the pool selection ceremony. Around 2500 people are attending the event in the Washington convention centre  experienced unrestrained festivities at the opening cultural event. Waikato competed in the first round today and will find out in one hour whetherthey have beaten Australia to the second round. Steve

Tonight I went to the final NZ practice of the SIFE team at KPMG. They were well scripted and presented a really amazing story. Apparently they intend to practice on the plane going over. Hopefully not down our end

SOON TO LEAVE

Can hardly believe that there are only 2 big sleeps to go

Thurs 27 Sept  Depart AKL and spend 5 hours at Santa Monica beach on way to Washington  for Afternoon tea (probably lamb burgers!) with Ambassador Mike Moore at New Zealand Embassy. Then we take the students to Drinks and Dinner at The Front Page Restaurant and Grill then back to Channel Inn Hotel on other side of town. I have arranged for 2 US student guests from the American University to come to the Embassy function.

On Sat 29 we start our tourist thing on Washington DC Hop-on Hop-off buses. On Sunday visit the Smithsonian to see Julia Child's Kitchen, and in the afternoon we go to SIFE Convention Centre with 2500 other people for the cultural fair. Monday 1 October also SIFE and the opening round for the students.

 

Tues I visit Terry Holzheimer the Director of Economic Development at Arlington and then late afternoon hopefully the SIFE Awards Ceremony.

Weds 3 Oct we take the train for our first 3 days in the big Apple.