George Lauder Bursary - Week 9

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end eventually. This post marks the last week in NYC and the U.S as a whole. I am saving a brief written note from myself till the end of this post so we can check off every last detail of my final week here. Let's just get right into it!

(There may be less pictures on this post as Wix does not seem to accept the file format of my photos, apologies!)

Monday 4th August

At the beginning of my trip I had set out a few personal goals I wanted to achieve by the end of my trip, mainly for places to have visited. While some fell through, I had set myself the challenge of visiting all five boroughs before I left. So far I had visited Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx but I was yet to visit Staten Island. So today I hopped on a subway to Whitehall Terminal and waited on the Staten Island Ferry (which is free!). The journey is only around 25 minutes and takes you directly to St George. After departing the ferry, I started to wander around to get an idea of my surroundings and decided to go and visit one of the lesser known 9/11 memorials. The Staten Island September 11th Memorial and September 11th First Responders Memorial sits on the waterfront and looks out onto southern Manhattan, far in the distance. It is dedicated to both ordinary Staten Island citizens and first responders who lost their lives during the attack. The SI memorial was built purposefully in both its design and placement; the design meant to resemble enlarged folded postcards and the placement lines up exactly with where the Twin Towers would have sat if they were still standing, while the FR memorial sits in front lining the railings and matches a similar design to the Ground Zero memorial back in Manhattan with all the names of the first responders.

Eventually after grabbing a bite to eat, I decided to go and explore southwards into areas like Tompkinsville, Silver Lake and Park Hill before doubling back and finding myself at a park called Stapleton Esplanade by the waterfront. I decided to sit here for a while as it was a beautiful view out onto southern Brooklyn, I caught up over the phone with my best friend Finn as well. I managed to go and explore a little more of the surrounding area before I decided it was time to head back to Manhattan. I ended up timing my ferry journey perfectly as the sun began to set across the river and I took one of my best photos of the Statue of Liberty with the sun right behind it! After arriving back to Manhattan, I spent the rest of my day relaxing at a few of the local parks before heading back to Brooklyn in the evening.

Tuesday 5th August

I decided to use today to check off some more key spots I wanted to visit so I travelled up to 51st Street in Midtown East to see about using the Roosevelt Island Tramway! Unfortunately when I arrived, there were only trams coming from the island, not towards. So instead, I hopped on the subway to head over instead. I ventured towards the north of the island and walked by the waterfront, getting a good view of the Upper East Side as well as the recreational and residential areas of the island. I managed to cover most of the west side of the island so I doubled back and went down the east side instead. I managed to cover most of the island and decided to head back via the Tramway since it was open for heading back to Manhattan. It was incredibly busy so I never managed to get some good photos but it was great to see the Queensboro Bridge up close! Afterwards, the next stop was Grand Central "Station", which is actually called Grand Central Terminal (which I was shocked to learn as I had always known it as station). This was one of the most impressive buildings I visited in NYC, the architecture is absolutely phenomenal and it is incredibly iconic as well! I explored almost every area of the terminal, eventually I left and swung by Bryant Park to grab something to eat and relax for a little before heading back to the accommodation for the remainder of the night.

Wednesday 6th August

I had managed to say my goodbyes to a couple of the friends I had made during my trip like Jackson. Unfortunately I never got the chance to say goodbye in person to Sabrina and JV but we did exchange a few messages. However I had managed to organise to spend the afternoon with Alex as it would be my last opportunity to see them before I left for Washington. We met up near Union Square before grabbing a drink and walking west! We ended up near to one of the High Line entrances and Alex said they had barely had a chance to explore the park so we decided to go wandering and I even managed to see some cool murals and views of the city which I had missed when I visited initially! Alex had mentioned that we were close to the Chelsea Market, an indoor marketplace of grocers and restaurants which they recommended for getting some lunch, so we made our way there and thankfully the High Line passed right beside it! We got some lunch and eventually started making our way back to Union Square, and soon enough it was time to say goodbye to Alex. It was definitely tougher than anticipated saying goodbye to not only Alex but all of my other friends over the last few weeks, especially after making such meaningful connections with each of them. Afterwards, I ended up heading back to the accommodation to rest up.

Thursday 7th August

I spent most of today grabbing some last minute gifts for my friends and family around the Park Avenue area. I managed to get a few magnets, an ash tray, and a few other bits for everyone. Afterwards I used the remainder of my day to relax and take in more of the city before my departure to Washington D.C tomorrow. It was starting to feel more and more surreal that my time in New York was coming to an end so soon, and I really did not want to leave. The remainder of my day was unfortunately spend back at the accommodation packing for my journey tomorrow.

Friday 8th August

Today was incredibly difficult, I didn't realise how connected I would feel to New York City but after wandering around the city yesterday...it really set in. I decided to spend my last couple of hours back where my trip started, at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade! There was something quite surreal and comforting about this area, while it is a busy place with a lot of tourists and cars passing underneath, the view out onto the majority of Manhattan is truly a sight to behold and one that will always take my breath away anytime I visit New York City in the future. Soon enough it was time to head back to the accommodation to finish the rest of my suitcase packing. I got myself ready, checked out of my room and hopped on a subway up to Penn Station where I would catch the bus through to Washington D.C. It was around a 4 hour trip with a brief stop in Delaware at the Biden Welcome Centre for food and drinks. Eventually I arrived at the bus stop and met up with William who took my bags before we set off to a Tex-Mex restaurant called Cactus Cantina where we met up with Erin, the other bursary winner who has spent her trip in Washington staying at William's house. It was nice to finally get a catchup with William and Erin since it had been nearly 2 months since I had seen them both. We ate our meal before heading back to William's house to rest for the remainder of the evening. Me and Erin agreed that she would show me around the city tomorrow, allowing me see some of the iconic sights!

Saturday 9th August

After a long lie in, me and Erin ventured out to catch a metro train through to the city centre! We started off with the National Museum of American History after a brief wander around the city centre. They had a lot of different sections dedicated to various time periods of American history, one area which caught my attention was the entertainment section! From Prince's infamous guitar to the original Bert and Ernie puppets, there was so much to see! I was particularly interested in the music area which showcased things like an old gramophone, the Walkman, a first-generation iPod and many other trinkets! After exploring more of the museum, and spotting a nod to Andrew Carnegie, it was time to leave to go and explore around the National Mall! We initially made our way towards Union Square (not to be confused with the park in NYC!) which overlooks onto the U.S Capitol Building, which is also the tallest building in the city! Doubling back, we wandered back towards the Washington Monument which was an overwhelming sight to bare given its incredible size! Close by was the outdoor World War II memorial honouring the 16 million Americans who served during the war in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Right next to the memorial was the incredible Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial in the distance! I made sure to head along to go inside the memorial to see the statue of Lincoln and the Martin Luther King Jr. plaque. Eventually we started making our way back to the metro station before a brief stop by The White House. After a short metro ride, we made our way back to William's to rest up for a big day tomorrow! I spend the rest of the evening relaxing in the downstairs living room, watching one of my favourite films called Entergalactic! I found myself staying up later than expected as William was also awake late to make some food, we ended up having an incredibly introspective chat for nearly an hour before I eventually had to go to bed.

Sunday 10th August

The time has come, my last day in the U.S before a long journey back home to Scotland. It was a strange feeling waking up this morning and sorting through my luggage before we packed everything into William's car. But we wouldn't be going straight to the airport, instead William had planned a full day for us to go into the Virginia countryside to see more of the rural areas of the country and to meet his good friend Mary, a poet and teacher, for some lunch! We arrived at a town also called Washington, but most refer to it as "Little Washington" where we were scheduled to have lunch at a restaurant called Patty O's Cafe. We had a great discussion with Mary about our fields of interest as well things like life in both Scotland and the U.S, our plans for the future, etc. We also got to explore around the town where Mary took us around a lovely park owned by the restaurant which is open to the public to explore which was absolutely beautiful. Eventually it was time to say goodbye to Mary, and we set off again. After a couple stops at more of William's friends properties and a short jaunt in a small town called Middleburg, it was time to start heading back to Dulles International Airport. Once we arrived, we unloaded our bags before bidding fairwell to William! We dropped our checked luggage off and headed for security and the terminal. We waited for our flight to start boarding, and after a short while, we were onboard and homebound!

And that concludes my blog posts for the 2025 George Lauder Bursary trip! This scholarship has been one of the best experiences in my life and I am so fortunate and privileged to have been given the opportunity to even be considered, let alone chosen for this incredible award. Even with two months in the big city, I still feel like there is so much left for me to do and explore! While at the beginning of my trip, I was unsure if I would ever live in a place like New York City. Now, I am convinced that it is the place for me to return at some point in the future to potentially live there for good, and hopefully further my career in the audio industry. I have made so many incredible connections with both peers and industry professionals that I cannot wait to potentially relink with them all whenever I decide to return to the states. As such, I feel it's incredibly necessary for me to thank the people who made this possible, who believed in me and who made my trip one of the best times in my life...

A special thanks to:

• My family - For believing and encouraging me to take on such an opportunity!

• Lyn Gold and the Adam Smith Scholarship team - For being some of the most supportive and encouraging teams who helped with all the planning and legwork towards making this trip possible!

• William Garner - For also supporting me in the planning of the trip but also throughout my time in the U.S!

• Fife College and the Fife College Sound Production team - For enabling me to have the skills, knowledge and most importantly, the belief in myself to take a leap of faith on this opportunity.

• My amazing U.S friends (Jackson, Sabrina, JV, Alex and Sonny) - For welcoming me into their life, showing me around the city and sharing our common interests and hobbies with one another. Without them, my trip would not have been as amazing as it was!

• The City of New York - For showing me that it's okay to be myself, to be adventurous or nervous to try something new, to be open to making connections or having conversations, and that no matter what, that I will always be welcome there.