On day five of the road trip, Nicola departed back to Cleveland for other plans. I got to drive the 11 hours to St. George, Utah on my own. Before we get to my solo driving day...
We first had breakfast in downtown Denver with some friends. I got to see my friend, Nicole, who if you are a regular reader, will recall our trips to Italy and Amsterdam . She did a one year masters in London during my first year at LSE. Nicola and I also got to be reunited by a fellow former intern friend from London. We all had brunch at a place that was themed around the disco.
Nothing like a disco ball going on a Sunday morning at 9am!
Anyone surprised?
Nicole and me
London Reunion
Best Road Trip Co-Pilot!
After breakfast and goodbyes, I snapped a few photos of downtown Denver before heading off into the Rockies!
Leaving Denver around 10am, I hit Utah a bit before 2pm. There was quite a few zones of construction in the Rocky Mountains. Plus, I was not used to the windy roads and the elevation! My ears popped enough for an entire year!
Perfect Music
Such amusement
Rockies
Rockies
For lunch, I stopped in Grand Junction to check out the Colorado National Monument. I had 30 minutes to spare, so I went in through an entrance and drove around for literally 30 minutes. The roads were nerve wracking, but the views were well worth that brush with death!
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
The longest stretch of my solo drive was in Utah.
Everyone had told me to fill up my gas tank as much as possible once I got into the state until I hit the larger cities. They weren't kidding. The state doesn't kid either. I passed a sign that said, "No Service Area for 100 Miles." I stopped and filled up my tank even with 3/4 left.
To make my trip more enjoyable getting through Utah, I took time to get off at the scenic outlook spots as I was coming through the canyons and desert.
Utah
Utah
Utah
Ghost Rock, Utah
I was puttering out as I got out of the canyons. Thank goodness for coffee! And, when Las Vegas started to show up on the signs, I got a lot more energy!
I stayed in St. George, Utah, that night. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to spend exploring the city. Thankfully, it's only two hours away from Las Vegas!
Yesterday, LSE held a graduation ceremony for the MPA program!
While I wasn't there to attend in person, I'm now officially an LSE alumna! Earlier this week, we got our grades including the mysterious capstone grade that I'm sure all my friends were waiting for me to stop talking about. For those wondering, we did better than we anticipated. But, the release of the grades confirmed my graduation!
So, while I would have loved to celebrate in-person with my class and have a great night out in London, I'm getting ready to start my job on Monday!
But, don't worry...this was my version of a graduation ceremony!
Last Wednesday, I set off from my home in upstate New York to start driving across the country to Las Vegas. For those who haven't caught up, I've relocated to Las Vegas for a job.
Instead of flying to Vegas, I decided to get my car in New York and drive out. I also had an amazing co-pilot for four out of the six days which lessened the driving time behind the wheel each day. My good friend, Nicola, joined in.
Wednesday was a day of driving for the most part. I left New York, traveled through Pennsylvania, and into Cleveland where Nicola lives. From there, we traveled through Indiana and stopped outside Chicago that evening.
The highlights of the first day included seeing Lake Erie, lots of corn, and getting to see one of my closest sorority sisters from Syracuse!
Not only is this the start of the next chapter of my life, but I can also finally cross something off my bucket list. Forever, I have dreamed of road-tripping across the United States. I've been to quite a few states, but there are the gems hidden around the US that most rarely get to see.
Rather than speeding through to Las Vegas, I'm taking my time to see those hidden gems across this great country.
Today, I pick up my friend, Nicola, in Cleveland, Ohio before we reach the suburbs of Chicago for our evening pit-stop. This evening, I get to be reunited with two sorority sisters at dinner as well!
Tomorrow, Nicola and I start to add in tourist activities to our driving adventures. We will be stopping to see Holt House, where Pi Beta Phi, was founded. We also get to see the Iowa State Capitol, several railroad monuments, and the Lewis and Clark Monument before reaching Omaha, Nebraska for the pit-stop.
On July 11th, we head to Lincoln, Nebraska passing by Chimney Rock, Ash Hollow, Fort Kearney, and the Gothenburg Pony Express Station before reaching Rapid City, South Dakota for the evening.
On July 12th, we see Mount Rushmore in the morning before heading to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Cutting down through Wyoming, we see Fort Laramie, Register Cliff Monument, and the Wyoming State Capitol. We pit-stop in Denver for the evening where we get to have dinner with a few mutual friends.
Nicola leaves me on the 13th to head back to Cleveland. I continue on through the Rocky Mountains into Utah on the 13th. I'll stop and see Grand Junction, the Colorado National Monument, and the Arches National Park before getting to St. George, Utah for the evening.
And, on July 14th, I'll leave fairly early and arrive in my new home, Las Vegas!!
It's going to be a whirlwind of a drive, but I wanted to make sure I got to see as many things as possible! I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the entire road-trip!
As some of you know, I was a history major at Syracuse. Part of the history major requirements was to take a senior seminar course in a subject area and produce an original thesis. My subject area was Britain during the War, and I chose to write on the use of the Underground (tube) during the Blitz. I specifically looked at how sheltering in the tube did not break down social classes, but rather reinforced them. It was an interesting subject area, and one that I continue to read about.
At the same time, when I studied abroad in 2010, I became very interested in the tube. I spent tons of time reading about closed tube stations, the history of the tube, and interesting facts. For example, at Sloane Square, there is a tunnel that runs above the tracks that houses a small river that feeds into the Thames. There are also two disused platforms at Holborn Station. I could go on and on... I've done the London Transport Museum several times, and I've even read the ghost stories about the tube!
So, what does this all have to do with a blog post?
A few weeks ago, I got to tour the disused Aldwych Tube Station with a few friends! Aldwych Station closed to the public in 1994, and it is rarely open for tours. We grabbed tickets as soon as we saw it was announced. I had been trying to get a tour of a disused station for years!
Old Ticket Hall
Aldwych initially opened in 1907 named the Strand. It was later renamed Aldwych once Charing Cross received the name Strand as well. For the most part, the Station served as a shuttle train to Holborn station. Even during construction, there were parts of the station never completed due to the fact that the initial passenger numbers were so low. Eventually, the shuttle service was only used during peak-hours. Aldwych closed in 1994 due to the expensive repairs the station required.
The first part of the tour led us down the spiral staircase to where the lift shafts were. We were able to see that one entire lift shaft was never completed during construction.
Elevator Shaft
From there, we were taken to the only operational station platform. If need be, it could still run today after a few minor repairs.
Platform
Next Train Sign
The platform was holding an old Northern Line train for us to peak into. As for this platform, it is the one commonly used for filming. The posters on this platform were used for old films. Some famous films that have been shot in Aldwych include Atonement and Mr. Selfridge.
We were then quickly ushered to the other platform. This platform had been out of use for longer than when the station used in 1994. Some parts of the track still remain due to the quality of wood used.
Time Standing Still
Much of this platform is used for testing by Transport for London, now. There were a variety of tile patterns visible as well as paint schemes.
This platform was heavily used during the Blitz. This platform could shelter between 3000-6000 people on any given night.
This platform also allowed us to see some posters from days gone by as well as how Aldwych was initially known as the Strand.
We completed the tour by climbing the stairs back up to the street level to see the elevators (lifts) that were once used in the station.
This was one of the biggest things on my London Bucket List, and I was so glad to cross it off before I left!
"There's nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere."
-Vivienne Westwood
Today, I leave London...
From the first time I studied in the city in 2010 to the last two years of grad school, I fell in love. London is truly one of my favorite cities in the world.
I'm heading back to America with a suitcase full of Primark clothes and memories, a handful of new slang words, a passport full of stamps, and enough game theory textbooks to start my own library.
As I begin to embark on my new journey and new chapter of my life, I want to say thanks for everyone who was apart of this chapter of my life. My blog is appropriately named "Wandering Walpole" as even though I will no longer be in London and Europe, I'll still be wandering around this amazing world.
As I'm not good with goodbyes...I'm telling London that I will "see it later." I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I know it will be as soon as possible!
Apart from a very long week of travel, I wanted to share what I've been up to in London.
As part of my goal of seeing more of London before I leave, I've been taking walks in new areas and exploring. I've also just been enjoying some of my favorite things that the City offers.
I took in three performances.
I finally got to see Les Mis live.
Miss Saigon returned to the West End for the first time in 15 years. This was an amazing performance and well worth opening prices.
Handbagged is a parody play on the relationship between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher when Thatcher was Prime Minister. I was on the floor laughing the entire time.
Last week, I went and had high tea with my friend, Chelsea, at Bond and Brook.
The MPA had a picnic last week as a study break. Alyssa and I were fully enjoying the sunshine!
And, my friend and sorority sister, Steph, was in town. She just graduated with her masters from Syracuse. I hadn't seen her since we graduated in 2012, so it was a fun evening!
This past Friday, my friend, Alex, and I jaunted up to Lincolnshire to check out Burghley House!
We left King's Cross around 8:30am, and we got off in Stamford around 10am. Stamford is England's finest stone town. The majority of the homes and buildings are made out of limestone.
Stamford Train Station
Stamford may look familiar to my fellow Pride and Prejudice fans. It was used as Meryton in the 2005 version of the movie.
No, sadly...the regiments were not around.
Alex and I took off on foot to Burghley House. It was a gorgeous day out, so we decided to walk rather than take a cab. I highly recommend this option as there are sidewalks all the way to the house as well as the opportunity to explore the English countryside.
Burghley House was used as Rosings in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.
Are you sensing a theme yet?
This trip was reminiscent of the trip to Chatsworth House I did during the first year of grad school.
Sadly, the House, itself, was closed on the day we went. But, there was still tons to do.
First, we explored the grounds.
The Elizabethan gardens have been reconstructed based off of plans found in the house, and they were adjacent to the sculpture garden.
Pond on Location
Gardens
A Big Bunny
Before we headed back into London, Alex and I feasted on traditional British fare at the restaurant in the house. Luckily, that was open, so we were able to peak a bit into how it was decorated.
It was a perfect day out of London to get some fresh air, share some laughs, and hunt for Mr. Darcy!
