Author: Jake Treadway

Pause and Reflect

Pause and Reflect leaf at Stourhead

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”     ~ Mark Twain

This quote may have many meanings, but to me it means not to be a blind follower, and to do what makes you happy and fulfilled. Looking back at our trip to London, I spent a lot of time following this quote and just pausing and reflecting on the amazing experiences that I was having. I spent a lot of time following the group as we traversed our way through London, but I always had my own perspective on what we were looking at. Some perspectives I captured with my camera, but most of them I captured in the form of a memory. I felt that pausing and reflecting at each place we went to helped me capture the moments that I will never forget. We had the opportunity to see a lot of different buildings and landscapes while we were in London, but these are some of the moments that stood out as I took the time to pause and reflect; Sketching at Stonehenge, sitting in the grotto at Stourhead and looking out at the beautiful landscape, looking over the city on top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, looking up from the ground to see all the skyscrapers surrounding me, watching the water flow at the Princess Diana memorial, looking out over the city at night from the Shard, and having a bird land on the table as I was sketching the Princess of Wales conservatory.

After the study tour hours we were able to go out and explore the city by ourselves, and this is when some of the best parts of the trip happened. From having a pint at the oldest pub in London to going and seeing The Book of Mormon at The Prince of Wales Theatre in Piccadilly, the nights I had in London really made the trip more special. I also want to thank our amazing RD’s for making the trip as smooth as possible, even when we hit bumps in the road due to the current COVID-19 situation we are dealing with in the US. I am happy that we were able to finish the whole trip without it getting cut short. The projects we got to see on the trip were awesome, but it was the people I was with that will make this trip unforgettable. I was able to make new friends that constantly made me laugh and made this trip way better than if I were to have traveled alone. When leaving for this study abroad trip I did not know that this was going to be the last experience I ever had at OSU, but if I had to choose, I would choose this ending over and over again. I want to thank everyone that I traveled with for making this trip truly amazing. London was just one page in my book, and I can’t wait to see what is on the next.

These are some of the pictures of the moments on the trip that I will never forget.

Sketching at Stonehenge

Stourhead through the Grotto

Ant eye view of the skyscrapers

Water at The Princess Diana Memorial

Night time view from the Shard

Sketching buddy at The Princess of Wales Conservatory

A Take On Stonehenge

Our visit to Stonehenge was one thing that I looked forward to the most out of everything we had planned on this trip. When we arrived at the parking lot, the stones were nowhere in site, but a short bus trip down the road revealed the stones slowly as we went over the hill. It was a windy and rainy day, but that did not stop me from taking in the amazing view of the stones that stood in front of me. In my sketch I wanted to capture the massing of the stones and how they relate to each other in size and shape. I also wanted to capture the different shades of darkness, which included shadows and natural darkening of the stones. Luckily I had a lot of time on the site and I was able to capture most of the details with out having to use a picture. Finishing the sketch on site meant I had to sit in the rain to get it done, but it was worth it!

Birds Eye View of London

London has been breathtaking so far. Everything we have visited so far has not been short of amazing. The three places that stood out to me on the first three days of the trip were St. Paul’s Cathedral on day one, The ArcelorMittal Orbit “Twizzler” on day two, and The London Eye on day three. These three sites particularly stand out to me due to their access to view the city from above. What makes it really amazing is that these are three very different structures in different locations around London. All three sites give you a completely different view of the city.

KEEP IT MOVING!!!!

On day one we went to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and it was defiantly worth the 528 step climb to the Golden Gallery at the top. The 85m view of the city gave me a sense of how big London really is. I was amazed by the views looking out from St. Paul’s, but it was also really interesting seeing the openings left in the planning for to city to preserve the views of St. Paul’s. I was so amazed by the view, that I had to take one last photo and in the process of taking it we got yelled at by the worker in the picture to keep it moving.

Bottom of the twizzler looking up.

The 80m tall observation deck that looks over Olympic Park

On day two we went to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and went to the top of the “Twizzler” to go down the curly metal slide. I was not able to get a photo from the top because we couldn’t bring any personal items on the slide. Once we got up to the 80m tall observation deck I was able to get a birds eye view of the Olympic stadium, swimming pavilion and the city from far away.

View from the top of the London Eye.

On day three of the trip we rode The London Eye, the pod took us up 135m to give a nice view of the city and the River Thames. This 360 viewing pod gave me a perfect view of the city from every angle and helped me understand the scale of everything in the city a little bit more.

Jake’s Pre-departure

Today we finally leave to go to London! I can’t wait to get to the city and experience a new culture and see all the things that London has to offer. I have been to Europe once before when I traveled to Italy, but I can already tell London will be a very different experience than that was.

I am looking forward to seeing everything scheduled on our itinerary during the trip. I am really excited to see all the architecture there, but I am especially excited to see the landscapes in London. Stonehenge and Stourhead are what I am most excited to see, but I am also looking forward to seeing all the beautiful architecture in the city. I am interested to see how the old architecture mixes in the city with the new architecture.

Overall I am overwhelmed with excitement to be able to visit my dream travel destination, and be able to do so with a group of students that I will hopefully become good friends with by the end of the trip. I think the trip will be a very inspiring experience for me and will help me grow as a professional where I will be always looking for new inspirations for designs.

Jake Treadway’s Bio

Hi, my name is Jake Treadway and I am a Senior graduating in May with a degree in Landscape Architecture. I currently work at a landscape architecture firm in Parma, Ohio. I have 2 brothers, Dawson that is 21 and studying at Ashland University and Bodhi who is 8. I am from Cleveland, Ohio about 2 hours North of Columbus. I went to Berea-Midpark High school. In high school I played for the football team. My hobbies include sculpting, camping, watching football, and anything to do with animals.

I am most interested to see London as a whole, but I am particularly excited to see the landscapes the London has to offer. It has been a dream of mine to see Stonehenge since I was a kid. I am also interested in seeing the mixture of old and new architecture in the city. Overall I am excited to travel abroad and get to see how other people so far away live their lives for a week. The last time I left the U.S. was in 10th grade when I traveled abroad to Italy, so I am excited to have to opportunity to do it again in such an amazing country like London.

Jake at the OSU vs. PSU Game