Hi, I’m Jack and as I’m currently studying A Level History, Politics & Economics, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to visit Washington DC and New York in 2024, which is an exciting year for American politics!  I will take you through my tour and what I experienced along the way.

On the first morning in Washington DC we met our guide, Dan just outside the White House to begin a walking tour of historical and political sites. Dan explained a little more in detail about the US voting system and how they elect (or re-elect) their president every four years. As the White House is not open to visitors from outside the US, we headed over to the White House Visitor Centre and had a look at some fascinating exhibits on some of the former presidents and their families who have occupied the house over the years.

We continued our walk, stopping at the Washington Monument for some selfies and then we walked over to view the impressive WW2 Memorial. We strolled along the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial, which is currently under construction, but still accessible. We finished our tour with stops at both the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.

After a brief stop for lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring the Smithsonian Museums along the National Mall. I was particularly interested in the National Museum of American History, although there are so many different museums to explore I could have spent all day here!

The next morning I was excited to visit the National Law Enforcement Museum as I’m interested in a career with the police force. Although small, this museum was really interactive. I loved using the decision making simulator, answering 911 calls and there was even an opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat and go on patrol in a driving simulator.

Later we stopped at Ford’s Theatre and toured the museum learning about Abraham Lincoln’s life and shocking assassination. We were able to go across the street and enter Peterson House, which is where he died.

No trip to DC would be complete without a visit to the US Capitol. We took part in a public tour, and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. When visiting from overseas, it is possible to get a pass to enter the Senate Gallery and Congress, I highly recommend doing this if you are able to.

On our final day, we boarded the coach to Mount Vernon in Virginia, the home of the first president, George Washington. There was lots to see and I loved the tour of the house! They also had a really nice food court, so it was easy to get some lunch.

After an enjoyable few days in Washington DC, we had coach drive to New York. This took about 5 hours, but there are plenty of different places you can stop on the way, such as Philadelphia, Gettysburg or a shopping centre.

On our first full day in New York, we got up early and went on a boat to the Statue of Liberty. This was one of my favourite parts of the trip as it is so nice to see it in real life and it has so much history. There is a new interactive museum on the island too, so we didn’t need to go inside the statue itself to learn all about it and get the best pictures. We got back on the boat over to Ellis Island and had a walk around the National Museum of Immigration, it was fascinating to learn how people arrived in America all those years ago.

After catching a boat back to The Battery, we walked up towards the 9/11 Memorial and spent some time here at the pools of reflection. We spent a full afternoon inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum learning about the events of that day, 23 years ago, and how it changed life for everybody around the world.

The next day we explored Midtown Manhattan, starting with a walk up the famous 5^th Avenue. We got to window shop at some well known places like Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s and I loved getting the chance to go into the Nike House of Innovation. After we hit the shops, we headed to Central Park with our lunch (a hot dog from a Nathan’s Famous street vendor!) passing crowds of people outside Trump Tower.

That evening we ate at Hard Rock Café and there was loads of choice on the menu, the meals were really big too! After that we took the subway to Yankees Stadium to watch a baseball game. The atmosphere was so good and the Yankees won so we were all happy!

On our final morning in New York, we took a guided tour of the United Nations building. It was really exciting to learn about the history and the work that they do today. We even had time after to buy some souvenirs and American candy to take home before the coach took us to the airport. I can’t wait to go back to New York!