Travel Tales: Interns and Junior Reporters

Palisadian-Post interns and junior reporters shared about their recent travel experiences, near and far.

Michela Zecca

Last summer, I lived in Viterbo, Italy, a small city one hour north of Rome.

The moment I met my host family, their arms were wrapped around each other, smiling in anticipation.

We had very few words in common, but a world of warmth and kindness was shared through each hug I received. I attempted to speak with them in Italian, but as we drove to their beautiful home, it occurred to me how little I could realistically converse.

The moment we arrived in San Martino (a province of Viterbo) I began to write lists of verbs and conjugations, making a promise to myself that I would lead with the intention of complete immersion.

I wanted to connect with my heritage and authentically learn what it means to be Italian.

The first few days required me to lead with an open mind and patience for myself as I adjusted to a completely foreign lifestyle. It is outlandish to think that merely six months ago, Lucia, Francesco and my host brother, Valerio, were complete strangers.

As my language improved, I began approaching Italian teenagers in Viterbo and making connections based on music and art. I wanted very much to see new parts of the world and hear from my local Italian friends’ perspectives. To this day, I often listen to the playlist I created of Italian music.

I spent those five weeks building a stronger relationship with myself in a foreign language, and connecting with my host family through cultural exploration and pure authentic conversation.

A change of scenery brought me more in touch with myself than I have ever been, filling me with gratitude for all of the role models I have in my life and all of the wonderful opportunities I have been a part of.

The best experiences of my entire life were within those five weeks in Italy. I can’t wait to return.

Ella Kraynak

During the spring of 2022, I applied to The New York Times Summer Academy.

With my blossoming interest in journalism and writing, it seemed like an appropriate and productive way to spend my summer. Applying to the program, and getting in, turned out to be the beginning of an experience that I will never forget.

I arrived at JFK with my mom on July 16, immediately immersed in the humidity and hustle that is New York City during the summer time. I was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles when I was only 3 years old, so I love traveling around the city and remembering the places my mom and I used to visit.

The following day I would take a cab from our friend’s apartment to the Fordham University campus, where my two-week adventure would begin. Little did I know the next 12 days would be full of friendship, exploration and the heartbreak of having to leave the city I got to know so fondly.

The program I applied to was Critical Thinking: Using the City as a Muse. Every morning I woke up at 7 a.m., went for a run in Central Park, ate dinner in the dining hall with my friends and was on my way to class by 8:30 a.m.

Each day we explored different neighborhoods of the city, learning the history of the community, with our instructor, a New York Times journalist, showing us how to interview and interact with strangers, observe the world around us with an open mind, and look at life through a new perspective.

Traversing through the busy city with classmates from India, Germany, England, Colombia, Canada and all over the United States, I quickly learned about the importance of diversity. All my life I have been surrounded by people with similar backgrounds to my own, only able to explore the world through someone else’s eyes. However, in New York, a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, I got the chance to explore the world on my own terms, with my own opinions, making my own friends and, most importantly, my own experiences.

Not only did my writing greatly improve, so did my social abilities, my independence and my outlook on life.

From investigating the West Village to writing a story about LGBTQ rights, to spending the day analyzing the beautiful and misunderstood community of Mott Haven in the Bronx, my experience at the School of The New York Times ignited my passion for traveling and exploring the world, while encouraging my long-time interest in journalism and advocacy.

Vanessa Masterson

Last summer my family traveled to New York to watch my brother perform with Los Angeles Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and to see the beautiful city.

We were so honored to be at Carnegie Hall because of the heritage and history that has taken place there, and it was fantastic to see my brother up on stage. The Los Angeles Youth Orchestra makes gorgeous music, and I was incredibly proud of my brother.

A huge highlight of New York for me was taking jazz and musical theater dance classes at Steps On Broadway. I was the only kid in the class so I definitely felt a little intimidated but that didn’t stop me from soaking up every moment of professional dance classes and having the time of my life.

One of my best friends lives in New Jersey so we made a plan to meet up for dinner on my birthday (which happened to fall on the day after my brother’s performance). Getting to see her then because I wasn’t going to be able to for the rest of summer was so fun.

The next day, we were able to visit the West Village. There were so many urban and vintage stores, street performers and places to eat delicious New York pizza.

I also felt so grateful to see “SIX” on Broadway, as watching mega-talented female performers was super inspiring.

Our trip to New York City was my favorite part of summer and is one of my favorite places in the world. I hope to visit again soon.

Dalton Hanna

This past July, I was longing for adventure.

My family—usually my trusted travel companions—were scattered all across the map. I had been working countless hours and my brief summer, away from the stresses of school, was starting to slip away. My solution: a staycation (kind of).

Enter my friend Millie.

She is one of those people who always goes along with my wild ideas, so when I pitched the concept of taking a $20 Greyhound bus up to her in Santa Barbara, suddenly the spontaneous plan became a reality. We made the absolute most out of our whirlwind, two-day escapade. There was so much to explore in Santa Barbara. Whether relaxing at Butterfly Beach, buying matching jewelry on State Street or attending a polo match, Millie and I were keeping ourselves busy with all sorts of activities.

I found, for the first time that summer, that even though I wasn’t thousands of miles away from my life in Los Angeles, I was able to clear my mind and purely live in the moments I was spending with Millie.

Some highlights to consider if going to Santa Barbara: kayaking deep into the ocean (even though it takes an obscene amount of arm strength), hiking the mountains before the sun starts beaming down and stopping at fruit stands on the side of the road.

Everything about my flash of a getaway made up the perfect summer trip. I highly recommend catching that Greyhound bus and taking a break sometime—I know I needed it.

Della Tebbi

I spent this summer in the loud and bustling streets of New York City.

The city felt alive, with clusters of people watching street performers, shopping bags in-hand. The bright lights made the city shine. I woke up each morning to the view of Central Park on one side and Times Square on the other.

One morning we decided to go for a walk in Central Park for the first time. As we slowly turned onto the walk path, I was amazed by all the wildlife standing right in front of me. Athletes and musicians on every corner, flocks of birds swooped down to the floor like vacuum cleaners cleaning all the crumbs left behind by humans.

After spending about half an hour exploring the beautiful oasis, we made our way to a bench to rest our legs. The bench overlooked Turtle Pond, which really lived up to its name.

I reached into my mom’s sack and grabbed a bag of crackers—a big mistake. Within a few minutes of opening the bag, geese started approaching us, staring my hands down like a kid in a candy store.

As I munched on the crackers, their eyes followed my hand from the bag to my mouth and back. I dug into the bag and picked out a few small pieces, and before I could even hand it to the geese they were gone.

The geese snatched the crackers from my hand and devoured them, crushing them under its sharp teeth. Then they looked back at me wanting more.

After realizing there were only a few crackers left, I grabbed what was remaining and threw them into the pond as an escape plan. I swiftly got rid of the evidence that there were crackers in the first place and left.

We headed toward the water fountain in the center of the park and spent the rest of the day walking around New York’s most alluring attractions—free from wild geese.

Sarah Soroosh Moghadam

This past summer, I spent two weeks in New York.

Flying out of LAX at the end of June, I left the cool summers of Los Angeles and was met with the hot, humid air of the Upper East Side. Busy streets, great food and beautiful views made up the majority of my trip, but I first spent four days in a quiet town on Long Island to visit family.

There, I enjoyed beautiful greenery and calm afternoons, while spending time with my uncles, aunts and cousins. Back in the city, I spent a few days exploring Times Square. Crowded streets and plenty of stores to shop in was a stark and exciting contrast to the peaceful Palisades, and I enjoyed walking through the loud, colorful streets.

I also went to see the Statue of Liberty. While seeing the infamous statue in-person was an incredible experience, it was the views from the boat ride to Liberty Island that truly amazed me. As the boat pulled away from its dock, I watched the beautiful New York skyline sink into the distance as we approached the island. After spending a sunny afternoon there, the boat made a stop at Ellis Island.

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration was the most impactful part of the trip for me. I had the opportunity to walk through and explore the Great Hall, baggage room and dormitories while observing heirlooms, historical records and photographs of immigrants from around the world.

Other museums I visited were The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. I loved seeing a variety of art, from Kandinsky and Van Gogh to Greek and Roman marble statues.

Lastly, I enjoyed peaceful walks through Central Park’s beautiful scenery.

My trip to New York was a wonderful and memorable experience, and I would love to visit the vibrant city again.

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Simone McClary

During the summer of 2022, I spent five weeks in New York City, and it was an incredible adventure.

I have visited New York City countless times throughout my childhood, but those five weeks were a completely different experience.

Since it was such a long period of time, I truly began to feel like a native New Yorker by the end of the trip. I visited many different sections of Manhattan that each had their own unique personality and I (kind of) learned how to navigate the subway.

I spent the first three weeks taking a creative writing class at Columbia University where I got an inspiring taste of the Ivy League lifestyle. I then participated in The New York Times journalism program for the last two weeks of my stay.

There was a perfect balance between taking enriching classes and completing homework, while still having plenty of time to explore the city. I’ll never forget going on exciting outings with my family or the new friends I made through these programs. Whether it was visiting the MET, watching a Yankees game, mini golfing, bowling or taking a stroll through Central Park, there was never a shortage of fun, new activities to try.

One of my favorite memories throughout this trip was taking the subway with my new friends to Korea Town and eating the best Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. I don’t think anything could compare to the food I ate in New York.

Since the city is so diverse, there is cuisine from all over the world, at every turn. From perfect pastas to delicious dumplings, I still think about all of the incredible meals I ate there constantly.

I got to take educational courses on topics I am extremely passionate about, meet amazing new friends, explore a diverse and incredible city, try new foods, and now I have memories that will last a lifetime from this extraordinary summer trip.