A college girl’s guide to New York City

Danielle Wagner suzwagner65@gmail.com

New York City might be the most terrifying yet exciting place I have ever visited. A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to NYC with the help of WSU’s Elliott School of Communication.

Arriving

Upon arrival at LaGuardia airport it didn’t feel all that different. It was one in the morning and all I wanted to do was sleep in my bed.

AYRTON MARROQUIN

Junior Criminal Justice

“I don’t really like it. I feel like it’s the campuses own way of subtly trying to get students to adopt an ideology. As a college, we should try to be as neutral as possible and let students choose their own politics.”

When I took that first step outside into the Queens air I knew that this was going to be amazing. Don’t get me wrong I was still nervous and scared out of my mind that someone would mug me, but in that fraction of a second it didn’t matter.

This is where the first experience with New York City drivers came into play. As someone with serious road rage in Wichita, I was going crazy in the city.

Even at such an ungodly time the horns never ceased to honk. People were swerving in and out of lanes, no blinkers. They were constantly slamming on their brakes and narrowly hitting each other.

The first stop for us was the 9/11 memorial. Getting to stand in that spot with so much history was really intense. It’s an emotional place to be and if you can handle it I would 100 percent suggest visiting.

Statue of Liberty

On a split decision we bought tickets and boarded a ferry to the Statue of Liberty — pictures don’t do it justice.

Being on Liberty Island standing in her shadow puts into perspective

BRYCE CROSS

Sophomore

Electrical Engineering

“I feel indifferent, to be honest, the names of buildings don’t really mean much to me. It’s just a place to go to class, so I don’t think about it too much.”

BRIANNA TEERINK Junior Communication

Sciences and Disorders

“I guess in the spirit of wanting to be welcoming to all people in all walks of life, I think maybe we should stay away from that. What would be a good idea would maybe be naming the building after someone who was influential to this campus.” just how powerful she is.

Also inside the museum, there are full size replicas of some parts of her. A specific one that got pointed out in our groups was the model of her feet. The amount of her “dogs are out” jokes we made should probably be a crime. Wall Street

After the quick ride back to land we started walking around. We found ourselves on Wall Street at the New York Stock Exchange.

I’m not sure that the others thought it was that cool, but I think Wall Street history is crazy to research. No, I don’t just enjoy it because of Leonardo Dicaprio (Margot Robbie is cool too).

Subway

Here’s the part of the story where the first impression of the subway comes into play. It’s about what you expect it to be: dirty, smelly and crowded.

Luckily I became a master of the subway and got us around easily enough. We only went the wrong way once and ended up in Brooklyn on our way to Coney Island. I want to point out that it was not my fault but that’s when my perfectionist came out and I took over navigation.

That night was a bit of an adventure as we made our way to Time Square. It’s a weird part of town with a lot of people and weird things going on. In all honesty I don’t think I’d suggest stopping to see it.

It’s kind of scary to be there at night even if you’re with a group.

In the more one on one meetings with alumni we got an inside into what living in New York is like. Fast paced and expensive is about what you’ll be getting yourself into.

One of my favorite places we got to see was the New York Public Library. It had a small museum with really interesting pieces. Like the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals and Charles Dickens’ desk.

Overall Experience

To wrap up the NYC experience we ventured to the upper side of Manhattan. As a Gossip Girl fan, the Upper East side was like heaven to me.

Central Park was nice to see, but when the trees are dead and there’s no green it’s kind of underwhelming. I would suggest not visiting in the winter.

As far as the Natural History Museum goes, it’s something you should see at least once in your life.I specifically enjoyed seeing the exhibits from “Night at the Museum.” The Easter Island head was my favorite part. If you’ve seen the movie you’ll understand why I made sure to have gum with me.

If you’re a Beatles fan, Strawberry Fields was a beautiful spot. Not necessarily by means of looks, but the vibe there is amazing.

The John Lennon Memorial is just so simple that it has an impact on you. While we were there, street singers were playing his music and it was emotional.

The last, and my personal favorite place we saw was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. More specifically the Met steps. It’s a more intimate part of the upper east side. It was one of the few places in the city where I genuinely felt comfortable. Definitely worth a visit.

To sum it up NYC is only half of what I expected, while it is a little sketchy it’s also amazing at the same time.

Mystery movie experience amplifies easy-going comedy ‘Paint’

Trinity Ramm sports@thesunflower.com

COLUMN

For the past few months, Regal has offered $5 tickets once a month for upcoming releases on Mondays but there’s a catch – you have no idea what movie it will be.

After hearing about this through Regal promotions and the Regal Unlimited subreddit, I decided to take a chance on a Monday at 7 p.m.

The mystery element of this watch lowered my expectations, and I would recommend going to a mystery movie if you find yourself watching the same things over and over again.

This month’s mystery movie was “Paint.” Owen Wilson stars as Carl Narge, a Bob Ross parody, as he copes with the fact that time has moved on from him and his lulling PBS painting show.

The cast as a whole worked well together and added to the small town feel of Vermont’s largest city, Burlington. Wilson in particular seems to be having fun becoming his own version of Ross.

I enjoy any kind of media that exists outside of linear time. (Where are my Series of Unfortunate Events people at?)

“Paint” puts itself sometime in the present but between the general laid-back vibe of denim-heavy and mountainous Vermont. The underfunded and outdated setting of the PBS-Burlington station places the story in some hazy in-between.

It was a fun watch that doesn’t take itself seriously. All of the comedic pieces fall into place even if all the jokes don’t individually land.

“Paint” is one of those movies that I think more fondly of the further away I am from the first viewing.

“Paint” comes to theaters again on April 6 and will get its wide release on April 7. After its theatrical release, it will stream on AMC+.

The album opens with a minute intro called “Speak to Me.” This intro takes sounds from different songs in the album and overlays them, such as clocks and metronomes, a heartbeat, people rambling, psychotic laughing and distressed screaming. This creates a crazy-sounding and unique intro, which is the perfect way to describe the album as a whole.

“Speak to Me” transitions into “Breathe (In the Air),” which relaxes the listener just right after the insanity from the previous track. It also outlays the universal principle that all we have in our lives are the people we meet and love and the things we possess. This is a theme we must always remind ourselves of when we want something too out there or a different kind of life. It’s a message that most adults struggle to accept as they live their lives.

“On the Run” is an instrumental song with sounds of a man running, an intercom in an airport and a plane crashing with a synthesizer in the background. The track emotes the fear of traveling, but on a deeper level, exemplifies how fear and anxiety take hold of and makes you feel as if you are always “on the run.”

“Time” discusses how life is consistently moving and how we grow older and change and not even realize it sometimes. When we do realize it, it scares us like a bunch of clocks going off at once (this is how the song begins).

“Money” transitions into “Us and Them” with people discussing how they are in the right. “Us and Them” subtly discusses the conflict within war and takes on a bluesier tone, given that the true reality of this song is the most difficult to muster.

“Brain Damage” discusses the insanity in life and how all the darkness we face in our lives can be overwhelming and can turn us crazy. “Brain Damage” correlates directly with the final track, “Eclipse.” “Eclipse” talks of how everything is done under how we perceive it, but how we perceive it can be clouded by the darkness life has to offer.

Considering how much of a slap in the face the real world has to offer when people finish high school, get their first jobs, undergo their career or go into the military, “The Dark Side of the Moon” shows how rough life can be. Although, understanding these dire realities is crucial to understanding the world.