This is my final verdict in my series of university rankings, where I make some entirely subjective and unofficial lists out of the universities that I've visited. These rankings are comprised of the following universities:
The University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Lewis and Clark (Portland)
Reed (Portland, OR)
The University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Scripps (Claremont, Los Angeles, CA) [women only]
Pepperdine (Malibu, Los Angeles, CA)
The University of Texas at Austin (TX)
Rice (Houston)
Tulane (New Orleans, LA)
Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
The University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
Emory (Atlanta, GA)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)
The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
American (Washington, DC)
St. John’s (Annapolis, MD)
Hunter (New York, NY)
Barnard (New York, NY) [women only]
Boston University (Boston, MA)
The University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Washington University (St Louis, MO)
Kansas University (Larence, KS)
[NB: note that Washington U, Missouri, is not the same as U Washington, Seattle.]
Best Academics:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Runner Up: Reed
Most Beautiful Campus:
Winner: Pepperdine
Runner Up: North Carolina
Runner Up: The University of Washington
Best Campus Life:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Rice
Runner Up: Washington University
Craziest Parties:
Winner: University of Texas
Runner Up: University of Southern California
Runner Up: University of Florida
Runner Up: Boston University
Best College Town:
Winner: University of Washington
Runner Up: Kansas University
Runner Up: Hunter College
Runner Up: Tulane
Coolest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Lewis and Clark
Most Educated Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Scripps
Quirkiest Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Reed
Kindest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: University of Washington
Best International Program:
Tied Winner: Lewis and Clark
Tied Winner: American
Runner Up: Pepperdine
Runner Up: Florida State University
Best Sports:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: University of Florida
Runner Up: Kansas University
Coolest Scientific Facilities:
Winner: Georgia Tech
Runner Up: Reed
Runner Up: Slorida State University
Best Overall Public University:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: University of Texas
Runner Up: University of Washington
Runner Up: Kansas University
Best Overall Private University:
Tied: Chicago
Tied: Barnard
Tied: Scripps
Tied: Rice
Tied: Washington University
Tied: Emory
NB: Many of these categories were extremely difficult to pick a winner for, and the result was a
little random. Don't take these rankings too seriously.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Saturday, 25 July 2009
End of the road!
After my Appalachian adventures in Kentucky and Tennessee, I recrossed the Mississippi and passed through the gateway into St Louis, Missouri. St. Louis struck me as a really great town, with just the right mix of interesting culture and general pleasantness. In some ways St Louis is to Chicago what Philadelphia is to New York – a very similar city in a similar geographical situation, only a little smaller and toned down. Apparently the Chicago mofiosos of the old days used to use St Louis as a get-away pad when they wanted to escape the pressure of their big-city work, and perhaps recover from the bullet wound in the leg they got at the latest shoot-out.
I spent my time in St Louis meeting some awesome couchsurfers, sampling the local “frozen custard”, checking out the expensive-but-awesome Washington University, and seeing all the cool neighbourhoods. These included the artsy “Loop” (which, incidentally, is also the name for down-town Chicago), the Italian “Hill”, and Forrest Park, which is one of the biggest urban green spaces in the country (several hundred acres larger than Central Park in New York), and which hosted the World Fair around 1906.
One of the enormous palaces that was constructed for this World Fair is now a museum, and it has a whole exhibition about the Fair. I have seldom spent a more fascinating 45 minutes. I’m not sure, but I believe that the World Fair in St Louis was part of the same series as the ones which were the raison d’être of the Crystal Palace in London and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. These things are incredible. A city would spend about a year creating an extraordinary setting, in St Louis’s case about a dozen Buckingham-sized palaces, and invite delegations from pretty much every country in the world, as well as each of the 48 states (as they were then), and then people would come in massive crowds for about eight months straight to sample all the incredible things that were being created and put to use across the globe. Imagine living in a time of such breathtaking innovation! Why don’t we have these things anymore? Has humanity lost its love of progress?
The other interesting thing about St. Louis is that it’s pronounced Loo-iss. In Kentucky I had arrived at Louisville talking about Loo-iss-ville and was sternly corrected by the locals, since apparently it’s Loo-ee-ville. So naturally I assumed Missouri would have a St Loo-ee. Oh the fickleness of Midwestern phonetics! Then again, Kentucky calls its famous horse race a “Dir-bee” (instead of “Dar-bee”, which every English person knows is the right way to say it), yet its whisky is “Ber-bon”, despite being spelt b-o-u-r-b-o-n, which I would assume should be “Bor-bon”. Go figure.
Slicing straight across the middle of Missouri, I entered the glorious state of Kansas, which I was very excited about. I couldn’t wait to see endless fields of mind-numbing crops stretching without a single topographical blemish to every horizon. So you could imagine how upset I was to find not only not a single stalk of wheat or ear of corn, but an extremely detectable up-and-downess in the landscape. The road didn’t even go further than the human eye can penetrate before changing direction.
Fortunately, my bitter disillusion was immediately cast away when I reached the fantastic city of Lawrence, home to Kansas University and…erm…Kansas University students and…well…some other buildings I guess. Now, you may think that being in Kansas, the state which famously banned the mention of Darwin or his theories in classrooms, the students at the state’s premier university would be a bunch of stiff-collared puritanical fun-killers. Actually, KU is just about as bohemian and crazy as anywhere that can’t be seen from the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the people I met were sincere nutters. One of them was telling me about their next-door neighbour, who was apparently a one-eyed, shirtless man with seven rabid chiuauas who was known to sit on his porch gripping a machete. Is Lawrence the best-kept secret of the Midwest? I certainly had a great time, and the university gets two thumbs up.
Despite lots of grey clouds on my first day in Kansas, and the fact that I spent every second praying fervently for God to send a tornado, no freak winds disturbed my stay in the Dorothy State, another disappointment. Still, when I left at least I could say I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, and I can officially do so for the rest of my life. This is probably the best reason for visiting Kansas.
I spent one night in Kansas City, which, confusingly, is mostly not in Kansas, but across the border in Missouri. I had a great hostess, Babette, who took me to the quintessential KC barbeque experience at Arthur Bryant’s restaurant, which proudly had pictures on its walls of John McCain and Sarah Palin patronising the establishment during the 2008 campaign. You know it’s authentic when politicians who publically wield guns do publicity stunts there.
The other authentic experience I had in KC was a baseball game, my second of the trip. With the home team losing 7-8, this was almost four-times more high-scoring than any game I had seen so far. There was a pretty cool fireworks display afterwards, although this wasn’t impressive as the baseball game which had taken place in St Louis while I was there, which managed to get Big B-dog Obamarama himself to throw the first pitch. I missed out seeing the world’s most powerful man by a mere $600, the average price of admission. The reason for the big occasion was that it was the yearly “All Stars” game, when the best players from all the teams in each league (charmingly named the “American League” and the “National League”, as if there were any other countries that played baseball) form two teams which play against each other. I’m not sure why they do this, because even though they are supposed to be the best in the country (or the world, as they want us to believe), they are still incapable of scoring more than three or four runs per team.
If I had been excited about Kansas, it was nothing compared to the sheer thrill I felt at the prospect of my next stop, Nebraska. Of all the big, utterly pointless states in America, Nebraska has to be the most random. All other ones have at least something going for them: Utah has the Mormons, Iowa decides primary elections, Colorado has a river, Kansas has the Wizard of Oz, the Dakotas have each other, Nevada has no gambling laws, Idaho has a cool shape, Montana has a Canadian border, and even the desolation that is Wyoming – a perfect rectangle several times larger than the UK but home to only a few thousand people – has Yellowstone. But Nebraska? I am convinced that if the state were to disappear off the face of the earth, it would be months before anyone noticed.
Well, at least I can confirm it actually exists as of now. I spent most of an intriguing day exploring the town of Omaha (in the words of the Counting Crows, “somewhere in middle-America”) with Bennet, one of its couchsurfing citizens, who was – I kid you not – a supporter of the Nebraska separation movement. It’s actually not too shabby a city, with a cool restaurant district made from the bricky ruins of old warehouses, a nice-enough river side, and some sweet cafes and vintage stores. Just don’t talk to anyone about Connor Oberst, they all hate his guts.
After Nebraska, I traversed the entirety of Iowa during the night, arriving at daybreak back in Chicago again! What fun! I met up with me ol’ mates that I hadn’t seen in, oh, it must have been several days, and we hit up Pitchfork music festival, where I experienced all the delights of bands such as The Thermals, Japandroids, Walkmen and a curious rapper called Pharaohe something. The highlights were some awesome European electronica from M83, some even awesomer European shoegaze rock from legendary Danish group Mew, and of course the spectacular headliners The Flaming Lips, who were probably more notable for the massive cannon-shots of confetti, the chorus of dancing frogs, and the lip-synched music videos on a huge screen behind the band than the music they actually played. Also present were my friend Steve from DC and his brother Michael who I’d stayed with in Cinncinati, who get special mention for getting me free tickets.
Anyway, after spending the next day recouping with some of the festival goers, I headed north to my Very Final Stop of the Whole Trip, none other than Minneapolis, one of the famous Twin Cities of Minnesota, a state mostly famous for an odd accent which I think is purely fictional because I didn’t hear it at all while I was there. I had some great hosts, and enjoyed the interesting delights of the town, which is a really nice place but hopelessly cold in the winter. Highlights included a local open-mic night where I saw some ridiculously talented performers, and a basement gig at someone’s house which included a touring band from Pennsylvania called Hop-Along, which was really really good and you should all go listen to now: www.myspace.com/hopalongqueenansleis.
Well that about brings up to date. Sorry for such a tediously long final update – at least you won’t have to read anymore. I’m sitting in the waiting lounge of Minneapolis’ Lindbergh Airport just about to board a domestic flight to San Francisco, where I’m going to decompress for a couple of weeks before returning to the lovely Isle of fair Britannica (may her name be eternally glorious), where the sun is always shining and the tea flows plentifully from the electric kettles, and the streets are paved with Daily Mails and the vomit from last night’s binge. Apparently we now enjoy representation from our very own British National Party who were victorious in an election while I was away, I wonder what else has changed.
Hearty thanks go out to my incredibly supportive boss, Harriet Plyler, who has been coordinating things from her HQ in Florida, and to the Good Schools Guide itself for making the trip possible. Thanks also to for the support of my family back in England. Hopefully the articles that I’ve written on the road (which will be receiving some touch-ups in the coming weeks to make them GSGI-worthy) will have been worth it all. Stay tuned for a some more conclusory blog posts, and also for more updates on what’s happening with Uni In The USA in the coming months – we’ve got a few more plans up our sleeves!
Finally, massive thanks to the huge number of other people who all helped me along the road – couchsurfers, relatives, complete strangers and old friends (including those who stayed in touch with me from England along the way!): from the tranquil coast of Alabama to the ghettos of West Philadelphia, from an LA frat-house to the beaches of Lake Michigan, I cannot stress enough how much you have all restored my confidence in human kind, and how heartwarming all your friendship and generosity has been for me. See ya all on the next adventure!
I spent my time in St Louis meeting some awesome couchsurfers, sampling the local “frozen custard”, checking out the expensive-but-awesome Washington University, and seeing all the cool neighbourhoods. These included the artsy “Loop” (which, incidentally, is also the name for down-town Chicago), the Italian “Hill”, and Forrest Park, which is one of the biggest urban green spaces in the country (several hundred acres larger than Central Park in New York), and which hosted the World Fair around 1906.
One of the enormous palaces that was constructed for this World Fair is now a museum, and it has a whole exhibition about the Fair. I have seldom spent a more fascinating 45 minutes. I’m not sure, but I believe that the World Fair in St Louis was part of the same series as the ones which were the raison d’être of the Crystal Palace in London and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. These things are incredible. A city would spend about a year creating an extraordinary setting, in St Louis’s case about a dozen Buckingham-sized palaces, and invite delegations from pretty much every country in the world, as well as each of the 48 states (as they were then), and then people would come in massive crowds for about eight months straight to sample all the incredible things that were being created and put to use across the globe. Imagine living in a time of such breathtaking innovation! Why don’t we have these things anymore? Has humanity lost its love of progress?
The other interesting thing about St. Louis is that it’s pronounced Loo-iss. In Kentucky I had arrived at Louisville talking about Loo-iss-ville and was sternly corrected by the locals, since apparently it’s Loo-ee-ville. So naturally I assumed Missouri would have a St Loo-ee. Oh the fickleness of Midwestern phonetics! Then again, Kentucky calls its famous horse race a “Dir-bee” (instead of “Dar-bee”, which every English person knows is the right way to say it), yet its whisky is “Ber-bon”, despite being spelt b-o-u-r-b-o-n, which I would assume should be “Bor-bon”. Go figure.
Slicing straight across the middle of Missouri, I entered the glorious state of Kansas, which I was very excited about. I couldn’t wait to see endless fields of mind-numbing crops stretching without a single topographical blemish to every horizon. So you could imagine how upset I was to find not only not a single stalk of wheat or ear of corn, but an extremely detectable up-and-downess in the landscape. The road didn’t even go further than the human eye can penetrate before changing direction.
Fortunately, my bitter disillusion was immediately cast away when I reached the fantastic city of Lawrence, home to Kansas University and…erm…Kansas University students and…well…some other buildings I guess. Now, you may think that being in Kansas, the state which famously banned the mention of Darwin or his theories in classrooms, the students at the state’s premier university would be a bunch of stiff-collared puritanical fun-killers. Actually, KU is just about as bohemian and crazy as anywhere that can’t be seen from the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the people I met were sincere nutters. One of them was telling me about their next-door neighbour, who was apparently a one-eyed, shirtless man with seven rabid chiuauas who was known to sit on his porch gripping a machete. Is Lawrence the best-kept secret of the Midwest? I certainly had a great time, and the university gets two thumbs up.
Despite lots of grey clouds on my first day in Kansas, and the fact that I spent every second praying fervently for God to send a tornado, no freak winds disturbed my stay in the Dorothy State, another disappointment. Still, when I left at least I could say I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, and I can officially do so for the rest of my life. This is probably the best reason for visiting Kansas.
I spent one night in Kansas City, which, confusingly, is mostly not in Kansas, but across the border in Missouri. I had a great hostess, Babette, who took me to the quintessential KC barbeque experience at Arthur Bryant’s restaurant, which proudly had pictures on its walls of John McCain and Sarah Palin patronising the establishment during the 2008 campaign. You know it’s authentic when politicians who publically wield guns do publicity stunts there.
The other authentic experience I had in KC was a baseball game, my second of the trip. With the home team losing 7-8, this was almost four-times more high-scoring than any game I had seen so far. There was a pretty cool fireworks display afterwards, although this wasn’t impressive as the baseball game which had taken place in St Louis while I was there, which managed to get Big B-dog Obamarama himself to throw the first pitch. I missed out seeing the world’s most powerful man by a mere $600, the average price of admission. The reason for the big occasion was that it was the yearly “All Stars” game, when the best players from all the teams in each league (charmingly named the “American League” and the “National League”, as if there were any other countries that played baseball) form two teams which play against each other. I’m not sure why they do this, because even though they are supposed to be the best in the country (or the world, as they want us to believe), they are still incapable of scoring more than three or four runs per team.
If I had been excited about Kansas, it was nothing compared to the sheer thrill I felt at the prospect of my next stop, Nebraska. Of all the big, utterly pointless states in America, Nebraska has to be the most random. All other ones have at least something going for them: Utah has the Mormons, Iowa decides primary elections, Colorado has a river, Kansas has the Wizard of Oz, the Dakotas have each other, Nevada has no gambling laws, Idaho has a cool shape, Montana has a Canadian border, and even the desolation that is Wyoming – a perfect rectangle several times larger than the UK but home to only a few thousand people – has Yellowstone. But Nebraska? I am convinced that if the state were to disappear off the face of the earth, it would be months before anyone noticed.
Well, at least I can confirm it actually exists as of now. I spent most of an intriguing day exploring the town of Omaha (in the words of the Counting Crows, “somewhere in middle-America”) with Bennet, one of its couchsurfing citizens, who was – I kid you not – a supporter of the Nebraska separation movement. It’s actually not too shabby a city, with a cool restaurant district made from the bricky ruins of old warehouses, a nice-enough river side, and some sweet cafes and vintage stores. Just don’t talk to anyone about Connor Oberst, they all hate his guts.
After Nebraska, I traversed the entirety of Iowa during the night, arriving at daybreak back in Chicago again! What fun! I met up with me ol’ mates that I hadn’t seen in, oh, it must have been several days, and we hit up Pitchfork music festival, where I experienced all the delights of bands such as The Thermals, Japandroids, Walkmen and a curious rapper called Pharaohe something. The highlights were some awesome European electronica from M83, some even awesomer European shoegaze rock from legendary Danish group Mew, and of course the spectacular headliners The Flaming Lips, who were probably more notable for the massive cannon-shots of confetti, the chorus of dancing frogs, and the lip-synched music videos on a huge screen behind the band than the music they actually played. Also present were my friend Steve from DC and his brother Michael who I’d stayed with in Cinncinati, who get special mention for getting me free tickets.
Anyway, after spending the next day recouping with some of the festival goers, I headed north to my Very Final Stop of the Whole Trip, none other than Minneapolis, one of the famous Twin Cities of Minnesota, a state mostly famous for an odd accent which I think is purely fictional because I didn’t hear it at all while I was there. I had some great hosts, and enjoyed the interesting delights of the town, which is a really nice place but hopelessly cold in the winter. Highlights included a local open-mic night where I saw some ridiculously talented performers, and a basement gig at someone’s house which included a touring band from Pennsylvania called Hop-Along, which was really really good and you should all go listen to now: www.myspace.com/hopalongqueenansleis.
Well that about brings up to date. Sorry for such a tediously long final update – at least you won’t have to read anymore. I’m sitting in the waiting lounge of Minneapolis’ Lindbergh Airport just about to board a domestic flight to San Francisco, where I’m going to decompress for a couple of weeks before returning to the lovely Isle of fair Britannica (may her name be eternally glorious), where the sun is always shining and the tea flows plentifully from the electric kettles, and the streets are paved with Daily Mails and the vomit from last night’s binge. Apparently we now enjoy representation from our very own British National Party who were victorious in an election while I was away, I wonder what else has changed.
Hearty thanks go out to my incredibly supportive boss, Harriet Plyler, who has been coordinating things from her HQ in Florida, and to the Good Schools Guide itself for making the trip possible. Thanks also to for the support of my family back in England. Hopefully the articles that I’ve written on the road (which will be receiving some touch-ups in the coming weeks to make them GSGI-worthy) will have been worth it all. Stay tuned for a some more conclusory blog posts, and also for more updates on what’s happening with Uni In The USA in the coming months – we’ve got a few more plans up our sleeves!
Finally, massive thanks to the huge number of other people who all helped me along the road – couchsurfers, relatives, complete strangers and old friends (including those who stayed in touch with me from England along the way!): from the tranquil coast of Alabama to the ghettos of West Philadelphia, from an LA frat-house to the beaches of Lake Michigan, I cannot stress enough how much you have all restored my confidence in human kind, and how heartwarming all your friendship and generosity has been for me. See ya all on the next adventure!
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
University Rankings Pt. 2
Here is the second in the series of university rankings, where I make some entirely subjective and unofficial lists out of the universities that I've visited so far. These rankings are comprised of the following universities:
Emory (Atlanta, GA)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)
The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
American (Washington, DC)
St. John’s (Annapolis, MD)
Hunter (New York, NY)
Barnard (New York, NY)
Boston University (Boston, MA)
The University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Best Academics:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Most Beautiful Campus:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: St. John’s
Best Campus Life:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Emory
Craziest Parties:
Winner: Boston
Runner Up: North Carolina
Best College Town:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: American
Best Overall Social Life:
Winner: Boston
Runner Up: American
Coolest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Hunter
Most Educated Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Barnard
Quirkiest Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Chicago
Kindest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: American
Best International Program:
Winner: American
Runner Up: Hunter
Best Sports:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Coolest Scientific Facilities:
Winner: Georgia Tech
Runner Up: Chicago
Best Overall Public University:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Best Overall Private University:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: Barnard
NB: Many of these categories were extremely difficult to pick a winner for, and the result was a little random. Don't take these rankings too seriously.
Emory (Atlanta, GA)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)
The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
American (Washington, DC)
St. John’s (Annapolis, MD)
Hunter (New York, NY)
Barnard (New York, NY)
Boston University (Boston, MA)
The University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Best Academics:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Most Beautiful Campus:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: St. John’s
Best Campus Life:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Emory
Craziest Parties:
Winner: Boston
Runner Up: North Carolina
Best College Town:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: American
Best Overall Social Life:
Winner: Boston
Runner Up: American
Coolest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Hunter
Most Educated Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Barnard
Quirkiest Students:
Winner: St. John’s
Runner Up: Chicago
Kindest Students:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: American
Best International Program:
Winner: American
Runner Up: Hunter
Best Sports:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Coolest Scientific Facilities:
Winner: Georgia Tech
Runner Up: Chicago
Best Overall Public University:
Winner: North Carolina
Runner Up: Georgia Tech
Best Overall Private University:
Winner: Chicago
Runner Up: Barnard
NB: Many of these categories were extremely difficult to pick a winner for, and the result was a little random. Don't take these rankings too seriously.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Everything but Fried Chicken
Leaving Cincinnati I arrived in Bluegrass Country, which you can recognize because of the beautiful, rolling, tree-covered hills instead of the slightly gritty industrial farm-land of the rust-belt. First stop was Louisville, Kentucky, home of a ridiculous list of awesome things, including Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, the Lebowski Fest, the Disco Ball, the Slugger baseball bat, the Kentucky derby, Mohammed Ali, Colonel Sanders, Hunter S Thompson, the song “Happy Birthday to You”, and an extremely good record store called Earx-tacy.
I confess, I was expecting old wooden homes with porches adorned with banjo players, mint juleps and race-horse fanatics, so it was both a pleasant surprise and a disappointment to find that Louisville is actually an incredible cool, alternative town with masses of top-notch coffee shops, vintage stores, and a great sense of humour and eccentricities.
I had a fantastic couchsurfing host called Brigid Kaelin – she is a local folk musician who plays accordion and the musical saw and sings brilliantly. Go check her myspace. She had great stories about her touring in the UK and being friends with Elvis Costello. While I was in town Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp did a joint concert, which I was only $100 away from going to.
After Louisville I spent a night in the less cosmopolitan town of “Bowling Green”, where there isn’t any bowling green at all. Although it is in the same state as Louisville, Bowling Green is in a different time zone. Grrr. I had more fantastic hosts there; we cooled off from the ridiculous heat of the day by swimming in a river out in the sublime countryside, and then went back at dusk for a homely bonfire, and to my delight I did sample some mint juleps on a porch with a banjo: for real! I couldn’t actually believe it.
After this glorious Southern interlude, I rolled up in Nashville, Tennessee, like so many aspiring artists before me, lacking only a battered guitar and a demented sense of ambition. They’re not lying when they say there’s an abundance of great country music in Nashville. But no one ever believes me when I explain that we have some decent folk artists in the UK also. I found the romantic Nashville image to have been twisted out of proportion by unchecked tourism and the ever-present pressure of American profiteering. The glitzy honky-tonks were local-less, and were so crammed full of folksiness, tacky celebrity-worship and general cult of the country-singer legend that there wasn’t much room left for much soul.
Still, I had an awesome time in Nashville, not least because of my wonderful hosts Kristina and Chris, who drove me round to places and were just great fun to be around, as well as having a proper Southern twang in their voices. Among many other events (not to mention fine Southern eating), we went to a big-band swing dance in the famous Centennial Park, right next to a massive life-size perfectionised version of the Parthenon, as if it wasn’t surreal enough as it was. Why a Tennessean town happens to have a replica of an emblematic ancient Greek temple, complete with a 14 foot statue of Athena, I have no idea.
Kentucky and Tennessee must be among the coolest states in the union; they’re certainly earned a place up there on my list of where I might live in my middle age. Next, I plunge even deeper into the mid-west, praying that I can find a tornado somewhere, so stay tuned for more graphic Americana in the next update! And if you were wondering, Jack White’s house in Nashville is painted red, white and black after all.
I confess, I was expecting old wooden homes with porches adorned with banjo players, mint juleps and race-horse fanatics, so it was both a pleasant surprise and a disappointment to find that Louisville is actually an incredible cool, alternative town with masses of top-notch coffee shops, vintage stores, and a great sense of humour and eccentricities.
I had a fantastic couchsurfing host called Brigid Kaelin – she is a local folk musician who plays accordion and the musical saw and sings brilliantly. Go check her myspace. She had great stories about her touring in the UK and being friends with Elvis Costello. While I was in town Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp did a joint concert, which I was only $100 away from going to.
After Louisville I spent a night in the less cosmopolitan town of “Bowling Green”, where there isn’t any bowling green at all. Although it is in the same state as Louisville, Bowling Green is in a different time zone. Grrr. I had more fantastic hosts there; we cooled off from the ridiculous heat of the day by swimming in a river out in the sublime countryside, and then went back at dusk for a homely bonfire, and to my delight I did sample some mint juleps on a porch with a banjo: for real! I couldn’t actually believe it.
After this glorious Southern interlude, I rolled up in Nashville, Tennessee, like so many aspiring artists before me, lacking only a battered guitar and a demented sense of ambition. They’re not lying when they say there’s an abundance of great country music in Nashville. But no one ever believes me when I explain that we have some decent folk artists in the UK also. I found the romantic Nashville image to have been twisted out of proportion by unchecked tourism and the ever-present pressure of American profiteering. The glitzy honky-tonks were local-less, and were so crammed full of folksiness, tacky celebrity-worship and general cult of the country-singer legend that there wasn’t much room left for much soul.
Still, I had an awesome time in Nashville, not least because of my wonderful hosts Kristina and Chris, who drove me round to places and were just great fun to be around, as well as having a proper Southern twang in their voices. Among many other events (not to mention fine Southern eating), we went to a big-band swing dance in the famous Centennial Park, right next to a massive life-size perfectionised version of the Parthenon, as if it wasn’t surreal enough as it was. Why a Tennessean town happens to have a replica of an emblematic ancient Greek temple, complete with a 14 foot statue of Athena, I have no idea.
Kentucky and Tennessee must be among the coolest states in the union; they’re certainly earned a place up there on my list of where I might live in my middle age. Next, I plunge even deeper into the mid-west, praying that I can find a tornado somewhere, so stay tuned for more graphic Americana in the next update! And if you were wondering, Jack White’s house in Nashville is painted red, white and black after all.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Adventures in C-town(s)
Leaving the East Coast, I headed out into the “Mid-West”, which as far as I can make out is an area that goes from Ohio to Nevada and basically a get-out-of-jail-free card for anything that’s not on either coast. First stop Chicago, the city which taught New York everything it knows. The first sky-scraper was built in Chicago and it still has the tallest building in the country.
Now you might think that, being in the middle of the country, Chicago isn’t on the coast. In fact, Chicago is on the coast: the coast of the Sea of Michigan. A lot of people call the Sea of Michigan a lake, but this seems misguided to me, seeing as when you’re in the middle of this “lake” your eyesight would have to be 30 times better than the average person to see either side. There are beautiful beaches all along the coast of this sea, and one of the great strokes of city-planning genius that Chicago has achieved is that they have left a big strip of luxurious parkland all the way down the shores.
Other than that, Chicago is not an aesthetically pleasing place, but it makes up for it by being incredibly fun. I was lucky to catch a few days of the “Taste of Chicago”, a food festival where all kinds of restaurants set up tents and sell samples of their trademark dishes, including the delicious deep-dish pizza which, I’m sorry if I’m offending anyone, is conclusively far better than New York’s.
On one of the days I headed down to the infamous South Side and took a spin around the homely University of Chicago, the academic powerhouse where “fun goes to die”, according to the T-shirts. This is where Obama taught law during his stint as an Illinois politician, so I took a peak at his house, which is frankly far too big for any self-respecting family with only two kids. Elitist scum.
Then came July the Fourth. It’s always a little awkward being British in America on Independence Day, but also very fun. Chicago likes to make a statement by having its big fireworks display on the 3rd instead of the 4th, but it was still pretty impressive and went on for ages. In the UK, on Guy Fawkes night or New Years Eve, there are great fireworks shows, but they last about five minutes at most. In Chicago it went on for about half an hour. The combined presence of fireworks and lots of interesting food meant that the crowds were unbelievably dense across the huge area of Grant Park and the surrounding fields, so I got a taste of what things must have been like on election night when Obama gave his victory speech in the exact same place.
On the Fourth itself I headed down to a local party with my Chicago host, a great guy named Parker, where there were local bands playing and barbecue food to be devoured. It kind of went Glastonbury after the second or third hour of rain, but we were leaving anyway to head back to Grant Park to watch legendary bluesman Buddy Guy give a free performance, which was seriously cool. After that, we headed out to a couchsurfing “Revolutionary Party”, a fancy dress affair where you had to go as a famous historical American, making me feel even more awkward. Naturally I went as John Lennon. They actually had King George III up on a dart board. It was a fantastic party and I now have lots of life-long friends in Chicago, hurrah! One of the best bits was that you could go up on the roof of the building and watch the local fireworks going off all around the city, a beautiful experience.
The next morning I managed to groggily managed to pull myself into consciousness and suddenly realised that the bus was leaving soon and I had left some stuff in my hosts car, which was down by the party place. After some serious rushing I just caught the bus in time, but it was all in vain because once we got to Indianapolis, we had to change buses. They told me the new bus was leaving at eight, so with some time to kill I took a stroll around the city centre and got back for about 7:30 (Indianapolis is actually quite pleasant, contrary to what people had told me). Of course what I didn’t realise was that we had crossed a time zone and it was actually 8:30. So I spent the night taking assorted buses through various states and eventually got to my destination, Cincinnati, Ohio, about ten hours after I should have.
The whole thing was worth it though, because when I stepped out of the bus station in Indianapolis, I suddenly heard a huge roaring, like a jet plane taking off behind me, and I turned to see thre REAL LIFE Hell's Angels shoot past on REAL LIFE Harley Davidson motorbikes and REAL LIFE handlebar moustaches and shoulder-length hair, and REAL LIFE leather jackets, one of which said, for real life, "Hell's Angels" on the back. Even if I had seen nothing else in America, this would have been more than enough to justify the whole trip.
Cincinnati was also nicer than I was expecting, even if it wasn’t the most hip-hop happening place in the universe. I took a pleasant stroll around the Mont Matre-esque Mt. Adams, and then hooked up with my hosts, who were actually the brother and sister of my Obama campaign friend Steve from Washington DC. They were very enjoyable and made a great dinner for me. I also managed to sample a “three way”. For all you dirty-minded people, this is obviously a famous Cincinnati staple, basically spaghetti with chili sauce and cheese.
When I was in the bus station to leave, I saw a group of REAL LIFE Amish people. The women had long plain dresses and those white puritan head bonnet things, and the men had incredible facial hair. One old dude had a massive fluffy white beard down to his bellybutton. It was exactly like in that film whose name I can't remember with Harrison Ford. Can I just say for the record that Amish men have the coolest dress sense ever. They have these vibrant shirts and snappy waistcoats, and awesome broad-brim hats. I wish I could be as cool as them.
And so now I’m on another bus, completing the next leg of my mid-western meanderings. For now, I leave you with the million dollar question: how do you pronounce “Illinois”? Is it A) illy-no-is (rhymes with show-biz), B) illy-noi (rhymes with the French, pour quoi), C) illy-noy (rhymes with McCoy) or D) illy-noise?
Now you might think that, being in the middle of the country, Chicago isn’t on the coast. In fact, Chicago is on the coast: the coast of the Sea of Michigan. A lot of people call the Sea of Michigan a lake, but this seems misguided to me, seeing as when you’re in the middle of this “lake” your eyesight would have to be 30 times better than the average person to see either side. There are beautiful beaches all along the coast of this sea, and one of the great strokes of city-planning genius that Chicago has achieved is that they have left a big strip of luxurious parkland all the way down the shores.
Other than that, Chicago is not an aesthetically pleasing place, but it makes up for it by being incredibly fun. I was lucky to catch a few days of the “Taste of Chicago”, a food festival where all kinds of restaurants set up tents and sell samples of their trademark dishes, including the delicious deep-dish pizza which, I’m sorry if I’m offending anyone, is conclusively far better than New York’s.
On one of the days I headed down to the infamous South Side and took a spin around the homely University of Chicago, the academic powerhouse where “fun goes to die”, according to the T-shirts. This is where Obama taught law during his stint as an Illinois politician, so I took a peak at his house, which is frankly far too big for any self-respecting family with only two kids. Elitist scum.
Then came July the Fourth. It’s always a little awkward being British in America on Independence Day, but also very fun. Chicago likes to make a statement by having its big fireworks display on the 3rd instead of the 4th, but it was still pretty impressive and went on for ages. In the UK, on Guy Fawkes night or New Years Eve, there are great fireworks shows, but they last about five minutes at most. In Chicago it went on for about half an hour. The combined presence of fireworks and lots of interesting food meant that the crowds were unbelievably dense across the huge area of Grant Park and the surrounding fields, so I got a taste of what things must have been like on election night when Obama gave his victory speech in the exact same place.
On the Fourth itself I headed down to a local party with my Chicago host, a great guy named Parker, where there were local bands playing and barbecue food to be devoured. It kind of went Glastonbury after the second or third hour of rain, but we were leaving anyway to head back to Grant Park to watch legendary bluesman Buddy Guy give a free performance, which was seriously cool. After that, we headed out to a couchsurfing “Revolutionary Party”, a fancy dress affair where you had to go as a famous historical American, making me feel even more awkward. Naturally I went as John Lennon. They actually had King George III up on a dart board. It was a fantastic party and I now have lots of life-long friends in Chicago, hurrah! One of the best bits was that you could go up on the roof of the building and watch the local fireworks going off all around the city, a beautiful experience.
The next morning I managed to groggily managed to pull myself into consciousness and suddenly realised that the bus was leaving soon and I had left some stuff in my hosts car, which was down by the party place. After some serious rushing I just caught the bus in time, but it was all in vain because once we got to Indianapolis, we had to change buses. They told me the new bus was leaving at eight, so with some time to kill I took a stroll around the city centre and got back for about 7:30 (Indianapolis is actually quite pleasant, contrary to what people had told me). Of course what I didn’t realise was that we had crossed a time zone and it was actually 8:30. So I spent the night taking assorted buses through various states and eventually got to my destination, Cincinnati, Ohio, about ten hours after I should have.
The whole thing was worth it though, because when I stepped out of the bus station in Indianapolis, I suddenly heard a huge roaring, like a jet plane taking off behind me, and I turned to see thre REAL LIFE Hell's Angels shoot past on REAL LIFE Harley Davidson motorbikes and REAL LIFE handlebar moustaches and shoulder-length hair, and REAL LIFE leather jackets, one of which said, for real life, "Hell's Angels" on the back. Even if I had seen nothing else in America, this would have been more than enough to justify the whole trip.
Cincinnati was also nicer than I was expecting, even if it wasn’t the most hip-hop happening place in the universe. I took a pleasant stroll around the Mont Matre-esque Mt. Adams, and then hooked up with my hosts, who were actually the brother and sister of my Obama campaign friend Steve from Washington DC. They were very enjoyable and made a great dinner for me. I also managed to sample a “three way”. For all you dirty-minded people, this is obviously a famous Cincinnati staple, basically spaghetti with chili sauce and cheese.
When I was in the bus station to leave, I saw a group of REAL LIFE Amish people. The women had long plain dresses and those white puritan head bonnet things, and the men had incredible facial hair. One old dude had a massive fluffy white beard down to his bellybutton. It was exactly like in that film whose name I can't remember with Harrison Ford. Can I just say for the record that Amish men have the coolest dress sense ever. They have these vibrant shirts and snappy waistcoats, and awesome broad-brim hats. I wish I could be as cool as them.
And so now I’m on another bus, completing the next leg of my mid-western meanderings. For now, I leave you with the million dollar question: how do you pronounce “Illinois”? Is it A) illy-no-is (rhymes with show-biz), B) illy-noi (rhymes with the French, pour quoi), C) illy-noy (rhymes with McCoy) or D) illy-noise?
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Uni in the USA: What's Available?
Having seen some incredible universities in the States, I would argue to almost anyone making university choices that America is a better option than the UK.
But that does not mean I would say that any US university is better than any UK university. You have to choose carefully.
While I have been in agonies because each university seems so nice that I would joyfully spend four years studying there, and I find it impossible to write a negative review of any of them, I do feel that it is important to note that there are a variety of pluses and minuses at each. UK students have been looking ever-more westwards for their education due largely to the massive overcrowding of universities in Great Britain. One complaint that is being ever more loudly expressed in Britain is that, because of this, the amount of contact you actually have with teachers is shrinking disastrously.
In America, meanwhile, the economic downturn has meant that few people can afford the top colleges, and universities like Harvard are having to dig unprecedentedly deeply into their waiting lists to fill spaces. This means that there has never been a better time to apply in the US as a Brit, especially since the distance between trans-Atlantic prices is also shrinking. But it doesn’t mean that things like student-to-teacher ratios are getting better. At school after school, the students I talk to mention the impact of budget cuts. The worst hit universities are the state schools, where state funding is being rapidly rolled back and large lay-offs of professors have become necessary.
So if you want to be able to have good contact with your teachers, where do you go?
Well, unsurprisingly, I would say you still go to America. There still exist a plethora of other (smaller) schools which offer excellent levels of teacher contact. But you can’t pick any American university and hope it’s good; you obviously have to give as much detailed attention to your choices as you would in the UK. If you go to a big state school, you’ll need to be prepared for lectures with hundreds of anonymous students who barely know the professor’s name, at least for some of the lower level classes. But you get other things in return – like incredible campus life, a wealth of friendly and diverse students and top-notch facilities.
To help make sense of this and many other confusing aspects of American universities, I’ve created a highly unofficial summary of what I consider the four main types of schooling available in American universities. But be warned, even within each category there can be serious fluctuation.
1. The Big Famous School
Generalisation: This is probably the category that most people think of when they imagine American universities, but in truth it’s probably the smallest of the four. Big Famous Schools are where everyone would love to go – in their dreams. Due to huge endowments and high fees, these behemoths of US education can afford the best students, the best professors, the best facilities…the best everything really. Although there is a danger of institutional elitism at some of them, and perhaps a lack of diversity or imagination among the student body, generally these schools are large enough and take enough students on financial aid that everyone can have a good time here, as well as a world-famous quality of teaching. Note also that some public schools can be Big and Famous too.
Money: These schools are seriously expensive, but they want the best students at all costs, so financial aid and scholarships abound.
Uni in the USA picks: Harvard, Yale, University of Virginia, MIT
2. The Big Public School
Generalisation: The classic American education, Big Public Schools are essentially just that: extremely big, and financed by the state. The best thing about these universities is that they are normally so big (expect 50,000 students at times) that you can do quite literally anything. You will always find like-minded souls there, if you look hard enough. The range of courses available is stunning, though the quality of classes will range as well: it’s important to make good picks for your course choices (ask around to see which professors and which curricula are best). Normally Big Public Schools are one of the favourite haunts of fraternities and sororities, which have a tangible impact on the already extremely vibrant campus life: expect parties that will make American Pie seem dull. Sports and facilities are also fantastic at most of these schools, and extreme university spirit is compulsory.
Money: These schools are designed to be very cheap for students from their own states, but this is little comfort to international students, who have to pay higher fees, and normally are ineligible for financial aid (unless you fancy living in that state for a year prior to application). Still, by US standards, they’re probably the cheapest option available.
Uni in the USA picks: University of Texas, University of California (Berkeley and LA), University of North Carolina, University of Washington
3. The Medium-Sized (Private) Research University
Generalisation: These schools can be extremely desirable, and normally have excellent reputations. This category is perhaps more open to variance from school to school than the others, but normally these universities have first-class academics and great social lives. They might have some of the aspects of the Big Famous Schools, but also some of the Small Liberal Arts Colleges, meaning that facilities are normally superb, faculty is incredible, and there’s a lot to do on your time off. They will generally be harder working than the larger Big Public Schools, but are big enough so that you don’t feel trapped. Though these schools are normally private, one or two have public funding too.
Money: Expensive, with some scholarships on offer.
Uni in the USA picks: Tulane, NYU, Rice, University of Chicago
4. The Small Liberal Arts College
Generalisation: These schools are normally less famous but they have a lot going for them. With only a small number of students, teaching can be intense but very fulfilling. You’ll get unmatched levels of contact with professors. The Liberal Arts curriculum means you get to explore a big range of subjects and get a very well rounded education, and your contact with professors is normally very high. Plus there are no grad students so you don’t have to worry about your professors’ time being taken up by research and being taught by boring post-grads. The community will be very tight, and in some places you’ll get to know almost everyone in your university. Facilities might not be that great, but some Liberal Arts Colleges are affiliated with bigger schools (e.g. Barnard or the Clairmont Consortium) and benefit from it. Though students love their school, they might not have as intense a spirit as some of the big schools, and social life might be quieter, though usually there’s plenty to do for everyone.
Money: These schools maintain their awesome student-to-faculty ratios by charging a lot, but some are open to the idea of financial aid for international applicants.
Uni in the USA picks: Reed, Pomona, Amherst, Barnard
But that does not mean I would say that any US university is better than any UK university. You have to choose carefully.
While I have been in agonies because each university seems so nice that I would joyfully spend four years studying there, and I find it impossible to write a negative review of any of them, I do feel that it is important to note that there are a variety of pluses and minuses at each. UK students have been looking ever-more westwards for their education due largely to the massive overcrowding of universities in Great Britain. One complaint that is being ever more loudly expressed in Britain is that, because of this, the amount of contact you actually have with teachers is shrinking disastrously.
In America, meanwhile, the economic downturn has meant that few people can afford the top colleges, and universities like Harvard are having to dig unprecedentedly deeply into their waiting lists to fill spaces. This means that there has never been a better time to apply in the US as a Brit, especially since the distance between trans-Atlantic prices is also shrinking. But it doesn’t mean that things like student-to-teacher ratios are getting better. At school after school, the students I talk to mention the impact of budget cuts. The worst hit universities are the state schools, where state funding is being rapidly rolled back and large lay-offs of professors have become necessary.
So if you want to be able to have good contact with your teachers, where do you go?
Well, unsurprisingly, I would say you still go to America. There still exist a plethora of other (smaller) schools which offer excellent levels of teacher contact. But you can’t pick any American university and hope it’s good; you obviously have to give as much detailed attention to your choices as you would in the UK. If you go to a big state school, you’ll need to be prepared for lectures with hundreds of anonymous students who barely know the professor’s name, at least for some of the lower level classes. But you get other things in return – like incredible campus life, a wealth of friendly and diverse students and top-notch facilities.
To help make sense of this and many other confusing aspects of American universities, I’ve created a highly unofficial summary of what I consider the four main types of schooling available in American universities. But be warned, even within each category there can be serious fluctuation.
1. The Big Famous School
Generalisation: This is probably the category that most people think of when they imagine American universities, but in truth it’s probably the smallest of the four. Big Famous Schools are where everyone would love to go – in their dreams. Due to huge endowments and high fees, these behemoths of US education can afford the best students, the best professors, the best facilities…the best everything really. Although there is a danger of institutional elitism at some of them, and perhaps a lack of diversity or imagination among the student body, generally these schools are large enough and take enough students on financial aid that everyone can have a good time here, as well as a world-famous quality of teaching. Note also that some public schools can be Big and Famous too.
Money: These schools are seriously expensive, but they want the best students at all costs, so financial aid and scholarships abound.
Uni in the USA picks: Harvard, Yale, University of Virginia, MIT
2. The Big Public School
Generalisation: The classic American education, Big Public Schools are essentially just that: extremely big, and financed by the state. The best thing about these universities is that they are normally so big (expect 50,000 students at times) that you can do quite literally anything. You will always find like-minded souls there, if you look hard enough. The range of courses available is stunning, though the quality of classes will range as well: it’s important to make good picks for your course choices (ask around to see which professors and which curricula are best). Normally Big Public Schools are one of the favourite haunts of fraternities and sororities, which have a tangible impact on the already extremely vibrant campus life: expect parties that will make American Pie seem dull. Sports and facilities are also fantastic at most of these schools, and extreme university spirit is compulsory.
Money: These schools are designed to be very cheap for students from their own states, but this is little comfort to international students, who have to pay higher fees, and normally are ineligible for financial aid (unless you fancy living in that state for a year prior to application). Still, by US standards, they’re probably the cheapest option available.
Uni in the USA picks: University of Texas, University of California (Berkeley and LA), University of North Carolina, University of Washington
3. The Medium-Sized (Private) Research University
Generalisation: These schools can be extremely desirable, and normally have excellent reputations. This category is perhaps more open to variance from school to school than the others, but normally these universities have first-class academics and great social lives. They might have some of the aspects of the Big Famous Schools, but also some of the Small Liberal Arts Colleges, meaning that facilities are normally superb, faculty is incredible, and there’s a lot to do on your time off. They will generally be harder working than the larger Big Public Schools, but are big enough so that you don’t feel trapped. Though these schools are normally private, one or two have public funding too.
Money: Expensive, with some scholarships on offer.
Uni in the USA picks: Tulane, NYU, Rice, University of Chicago
4. The Small Liberal Arts College
Generalisation: These schools are normally less famous but they have a lot going for them. With only a small number of students, teaching can be intense but very fulfilling. You’ll get unmatched levels of contact with professors. The Liberal Arts curriculum means you get to explore a big range of subjects and get a very well rounded education, and your contact with professors is normally very high. Plus there are no grad students so you don’t have to worry about your professors’ time being taken up by research and being taught by boring post-grads. The community will be very tight, and in some places you’ll get to know almost everyone in your university. Facilities might not be that great, but some Liberal Arts Colleges are affiliated with bigger schools (e.g. Barnard or the Clairmont Consortium) and benefit from it. Though students love their school, they might not have as intense a spirit as some of the big schools, and social life might be quieter, though usually there’s plenty to do for everyone.
Money: These schools maintain their awesome student-to-faculty ratios by charging a lot, but some are open to the idea of financial aid for international applicants.
Uni in the USA picks: Reed, Pomona, Amherst, Barnard
Tea parties and Sarbatoriuman Land
I write on the verge of a bold 24-hour journey back into the middle of the country, but my last few days in the East Coast have been great.
New York was scarily similar to the movies. I had a good time hanging out in the famous NY boroughs of Greenwich, Soho, Whitehall and Chelsea. No, you didn't mis-read. New York has flagrantly plagiarised all it's neighbourhoods from London. They're not even ashamed about it. The only areas that are not named after the UK capital have boring names like "The Upper East Side" or "Little Italy".
I think this is all part of the great symptom of American place-names: imaginative dysfunction. These guys had a whole continent at their disposal and they could have named stuff anything they wanted. What would you or I have done in such a situation? Naturally, we would have spent hours cooking up the most ridiculous things you could think of. New York? What's wrong with Sarbatoriuman Land? But no, the Americans named everything after places that either already exist, which is just outrageous cheating, or after themselves. Look at New York state, for example. In this one state you can visit Hamburg, Ithaca, Geneva, Rome, Amsterdam, Dunkirk, Carthage or Norwich. Did they not realise that those names were already taken? And then there's the city Washington. What would people think if we named our capital "William the Conqueror"? How do they get away with this stuff?
It's the same with street names. You have an infinite number of names to choose from, yet in every city the street names are the same: the roads going one way are numbers (how boring can you get?) and the roads going the other are either numbers too, or they're Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and Independence. Or they're the names of the states. It's unbelievable.
Aaaannnnyyway, New York was amazing, but I don't think I'm completely sold. The "alternative" bits were a bit too pretentious, the buildings were just showing off sometimes, and the subway was a bit too run-down to be believable. Still, it would be an incredible place to live, and for this reason I was impressed by the two schools I visited, Hunter and Barnard.
I managed to find a couch with Joe (to whom I am eternally grateful), a classic New Yorker with the proper accent, who lived on Brighton Beach (there it is again!) in Brooklyn, right next to the iconic but really grimy looking theme park and a beautiful stretch of beach that reminded me of sunny Bournemouth. I recognised the area from the movie Requiem for a Dream, which I had seen just a few days before.
Boston is a great city. It's brimming with universities - I've never seen so many crammed in to one town. I was officially looking at Boston University, but I couldn't resist taking a peak at Harvard too. The historic centre was also nice, especially the incredible street-performers, and I gazed nostalgically at the harbour where the cruel, evil Americans wasted all that lovely tea that the caring British had kindly provided for them. I mean seriously, who would throw away decent tea? From India? If they wanted to offend me as a Brit they couldn't have chosen a better way.
My host Dory was awesome - she was a hip-hop DJ or something cool and also studied Japanese stuff. I also stayed with another dude named Cole and his myriad friends who have a billion musical instruments and are all extremely creative. That was cool.
Now for the non-stop express to the mid-west! Hold on to your hat Dr. Jones!
New York was scarily similar to the movies. I had a good time hanging out in the famous NY boroughs of Greenwich, Soho, Whitehall and Chelsea. No, you didn't mis-read. New York has flagrantly plagiarised all it's neighbourhoods from London. They're not even ashamed about it. The only areas that are not named after the UK capital have boring names like "The Upper East Side" or "Little Italy".
I think this is all part of the great symptom of American place-names: imaginative dysfunction. These guys had a whole continent at their disposal and they could have named stuff anything they wanted. What would you or I have done in such a situation? Naturally, we would have spent hours cooking up the most ridiculous things you could think of. New York? What's wrong with Sarbatoriuman Land? But no, the Americans named everything after places that either already exist, which is just outrageous cheating, or after themselves. Look at New York state, for example. In this one state you can visit Hamburg, Ithaca, Geneva, Rome, Amsterdam, Dunkirk, Carthage or Norwich. Did they not realise that those names were already taken? And then there's the city Washington. What would people think if we named our capital "William the Conqueror"? How do they get away with this stuff?
It's the same with street names. You have an infinite number of names to choose from, yet in every city the street names are the same: the roads going one way are numbers (how boring can you get?) and the roads going the other are either numbers too, or they're Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and Independence. Or they're the names of the states. It's unbelievable.
Aaaannnnyyway, New York was amazing, but I don't think I'm completely sold. The "alternative" bits were a bit too pretentious, the buildings were just showing off sometimes, and the subway was a bit too run-down to be believable. Still, it would be an incredible place to live, and for this reason I was impressed by the two schools I visited, Hunter and Barnard.
I managed to find a couch with Joe (to whom I am eternally grateful), a classic New Yorker with the proper accent, who lived on Brighton Beach (there it is again!) in Brooklyn, right next to the iconic but really grimy looking theme park and a beautiful stretch of beach that reminded me of sunny Bournemouth. I recognised the area from the movie Requiem for a Dream, which I had seen just a few days before.
Boston is a great city. It's brimming with universities - I've never seen so many crammed in to one town. I was officially looking at Boston University, but I couldn't resist taking a peak at Harvard too. The historic centre was also nice, especially the incredible street-performers, and I gazed nostalgically at the harbour where the cruel, evil Americans wasted all that lovely tea that the caring British had kindly provided for them. I mean seriously, who would throw away decent tea? From India? If they wanted to offend me as a Brit they couldn't have chosen a better way.
My host Dory was awesome - she was a hip-hop DJ or something cool and also studied Japanese stuff. I also stayed with another dude named Cole and his myriad friends who have a billion musical instruments and are all extremely creative. That was cool.
Now for the non-stop express to the mid-west! Hold on to your hat Dr. Jones!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
