The past few days have been really exciting for me, since I am currently writing this blog in New York City about a block from Times Square! What am I doing in New York? I’m here for the ASCE National Convention! ASCE is one of my favorite clubs at USC (read about it here!) and getting to travel for all the different ASCE conferences is a whole lot of fun. Last year I got to go to Panama for the National Convention (check it out here), and this year me and 7 other ASCE members are currently in the Big Apple!
Although the conference starts today, we got here a few days early to go exploring and take in all of the sites. I had only been to New York once before back when I was in middle school, so it has been great to come back and see it a few years later! One of the biggest things I’ve noticed so far is the way the city is layed out compared to Los Angeles (I know, such a nerdy thing to expect from a civil engineer!). New York is a very dense city, with every block filled with extremely tall buildings. This is almost the exact opposite of Los Angeles, which is extremely spread out.
So far we have been filling our days with non-stop sight-seeing! We have been walking around a ton (my legs are quite sore!) but also taking advantage of the amazing subway system here. There are seriously so many different lines you can get almost anywhere!
My favorite thing we have probably done is visit the High Line, which was a old railway that was recently converted into a park! When you walk through the park, you are elevated above the city and get views of some amazing architecture, which of course I enjoyed.
I’ve also really enjoyed getting cultured and visiting all of the amazing museums! On Saturday we visited the Guggenheim Museum, which is not only an stunning architectural building by Frank Lloyd Wright, but the building itself houses some pretty interesting art. Then on Sunday we spent half the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is a truly incredible place. There are some really famous pieces of art housed there, like “Washington Crossing the Delaware”, but also some amazing pieces from all around the world. My favorite was probably the Egyptian section, because there is a massive room that houses the entire “Temple of Dendur”! It was truly a sight to see!
We spent the morning exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art! #getcultured #newyorkSCity pic.twitter.com/25PvgZIRk7
— USC ASCE (@uscasce) October 11, 2015
We have also visited the new World Trade Center complex and 9/11 memorial, Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Wall Street, and the Seaport. The food here has been simply amazing: we have ate in Little Italy, Chelsea’s Market, and at the Halal Guys food cart.
Visited the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site today. Lots of ongoing construction here to learn about. pic.twitter.com/53EqdJSPzB
— USC ASCE (@uscasce) October 12, 2015
I’m excited for the conference to start today, and I’m looking forward to hearing more about the civil engineering profession, ASCE as a national organization, and all the cool projects taking place around the world. I will make sure to update you on what I learn!
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