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SQL, LLMs, Bagels and Skyscrapers – A Journey of 5 ETH Students in NYC

May 22, 2025
Check out the photo album from the visit of an ETH student team to the Bloomberg New York City office!

Last September, we had the privilege of being a part of an ETH student team invited to visit Bloomberg for a 3-day challenge in their New York office. Excitement levels were high, and inspiration even higher! Julien Vanegue, Li Ling, and Dennis Roellke gave us the warmest of welcomes to Bloomberg and prepared an exciting challenge for us to work on during our stay. During working hours, we were engaged in lively discussions, coding, and exploration in the field of Text-to-SQL translation using open source (small) Large Language Models. In our free time, we took the opportunity to breathe in the amazing and unique city of New York. Each day, we walked as many steps as our feet could take in an attempt to absorb as much of the culture, architecture, scenery, and food as we could. In addition to the touristic experience, we also had the privilege of getting a peek at the NYC tech scene through a tour organized and guided by the amazing David Becker, co-founder of zkipster. This whole experience is difficult to convey through words, so we prepared a small photo album to give you a glimpse of our journey. We hope you enjoy it!

Our little team of 5 who will spend every waking hour together in the coming days consisted of students that have never met before! We come from different study programs and backgrounds, and were in different stages of our academic careers. Eric, Maurice, and Maša met for the first time at the airport in Zurich. We were buzzing with excitement, eating breakfast at the gate and waiting to board our flight. Vini was flying in from a vacation in Mexico, and our flights were supposed to arrive with a 1 hour difference. However, due to delays, we ended up landing at the same time and meeting at the border control. Perfect timing! Carlo was already in NYC, so our team fully came together only the next day. (Maurice Hanisch)
For most of us, this was our first time traveling to New York and the United States. Even after a 10-hour flight, an almost 2-hour wait at border control, and a 5-hour time difference, our excitement levels were high. Viewing the city for the first time on our Uber ride from the JFK airport was an incredible feeling. The sparkling lights, the high buildings… The view gave us tingling feelings of expectation. Tired and jetlagged, we still couldn’t wait to step out into the city! (Eric Nothum)
After our first night in New York and some much-needed rest, we were ready to explore the city! It was Sunday, we had a free day, and were determined to use every available minute for sightseeing and exploration. NYC greeted us with sunny and warm weather; it was perfect! We started our day with a traditional bagel breakfast in Bryant Park. Located at the heart of the city, this park is like a little oasis. We were surprised by how much greenery we were surrounded with. Not what you would expect from such a huge and urban city. And the bagels? They were amazing! I am craving one right now… (Maša Nešić)
The impressions from the city were truly incredible. It is urban but doesn’t feel crammed. The grid-like organization of the streets allows plenty of light to get through and gives a spacious feeling. Unlike what one might expect from an urban city, the architecture was not monotonous. We observed a mixture of steel and glass, stone, brick, etc. The picture shows the incredible St. Patrick’s Cathedral with an architecture I didn’t expect to see in the heart of NYC. (Maša Nešić)
We made our way to Central Park, where we met Carlo and our team was finally complete! We took the opportunity to capture our first team photo. The mixture of the natural surroundings, trees and lakes inside Central Park, and the shiny skyscrapers surrounding it give an incredible and unique feeling. (Maurice Hanisch)
After our stroll through Central Park, we made our way to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This part of the city felt so familiar since we had seen it numerous times in movies and TV series. From there, we went down to the Hudson river and  walked along the gorgeous pathway on its coast. We shared the path with many runners and cyclists, everyone was enjoying this sunny Sunday. (Eric Nothum)
We finally made our way to the Financial District. We dedicated this day towards capturing the perfect team photo. And we finally found the right spot! What you see behind us is the impressive World Trade Centre transportation hub, designed by ETH alumnus Santiago Calatrava. It was a special feeling to see a piece of ETH in the heart of NYC. We felt at home. We concluded the day with a quick stop at Times Square, following a short break to enjoy the sunset next to the North Cove Marina. (Maurice Hanisch)
Monday was a big day for us – our first day at Bloomberg. We were excited, and slightly nervous. We decided to walk to the Bloomberg office. It must not take that long, we thought, it is only a couple blocks away. That is when we learned that although the grid-like organization of NYC streets is really convenient for spatial orientation and light distribution, it also means that walking requires stopping at a traffic light every few minutes. As our walk was taking more time than anticipated, we had to adopt the swift walking pace of New Yorkers around us. After arriving at the office, we quickly forgot about our walking troubles as excitement and anticipation took over. We were greeted by our hosts and enjoyed a pleasant coffee at the green and spacious balcony, where we got to know each other and learn about Bloomberg and NYC from the experts. (Maša Nešić)
We spent the following 3 days at Bloomberg, each day more exciting than the last. We meticulously worked on the project, exploring our team’s dynamics and attempting to put everyone’s skills to best use. Our hosts, very dedicated to their roles, stayed with us the entire time, giving us the privilege of joining them in many lively discussions regarding our project. We also got to explore the Bloomberg office space, most impressive of which was probably this breathtaking view of Central Park and the Upper East Side of Manhattan from the building’s 29th floor. (Maša Nešić)
During our stay, our hosts made sure we not only got the most out of the professional side of the experience, but also the cultural side. They often talked about NYC and its little quirks and specificities only the locals know. They brought bagels for us every morning. And took us to amazing restaurants for lunch and dinner. The variety of food we had the chance to try during our stay was incredible. Vietnamese pho soup (pictured), tacos, burgers, dumplings, Sichuan cuisine, and much more – each day brought something new. (Maša Nešić)
Even though our time at Bloomberg was relatively short, the experience was immensely rich. As a team, we were motivated to achieve the best results we could in the given time frame. We read papers on our flight over, discussed findings on our walks, and used the hotel’s common area to brainstorm, read, and explore the topic deeper. This was quite the bonding experience for us and contributed to how well we worked as a team. Naturally, we also used the opportunity to play some ping pong while giving our brains a rest from all the research. (Maurice Hanisch)
Other than bonding around working together, we also bonded in exploring the city and its cuisine. We thought, when one is in New York, one should visit all its most famous landmarks, and taste all of its most famous treats. One of these treats was a hot dog from a street cart. It might not have been the best meal we had in NYC, but we would surely have regretted not trying this trademark snack! (Maurice Hanisch)
After our time at Bloomberg came to an end, we still had something to look forward to in our NYC experience. The ETH Studio and the organizers of this incredible trip had gotten in touch with David Becker, a member of the ETH Circle and an accomplished entrepreneur. He was kind enough to organize an amazing and inspiring tour of the NYC tech scene for us. We visited the campus of Cornell Tech University and New Lab – a venture platform for critical technology. We also had the privilege of hearing about David’s entrepreneurial endeavours firsthand and getting his insights into the current news in tech. (David Becker)
After the tech tour, our time in New York was slowly coming to an end. We used the rest of the day to explore as much of the city as we could. We visited the impressive Vessel, shining glamorously in the sunlight. From there we started our walk down the incredible High Line, guiding us through the core of the city in such a secluded and peaceful way. We took a lunch break at the lively and vivid Chelsea Market. And made our way to the unique Little Island, situated on the Hudson (pictured). We made our way to Little Italy and Chinatown, experiencing a wonderful mix of cultures. We enjoyed a drink in a cosy bar from the prohibition era. And ended the day with a visit to Wall Street, the New York stock exchange, and the charging bull. Who would have thought you could see and experience so much in just one day! (Maurice Hanisch)
We were lucky enough to have our flight on the evening of the last day. You know what that means? Even more exploring! We started the day early and took a ferry to Staten Island. This (free!) ride gives beautiful views of the Statue of Liberty on one side and the bottom part of Manhattan on the other. We then made our way to Brooklyn, where we had an amazing lunch at the Time Out Market. Afterwards, we enjoyed an ice cream and a walk in the wonderful Brooklyn Bridge Park, offering beautiful views of Manhattan and the East River, and a very peaceful and relaxed feeling. This was the perfect place to end our adventure. It was an incredible one, to say the very least. The experiences we had will forever stay engraved in our minds and hearts. Some of us might even come back to this incredible city and call it home someday. (Maurice Hanisch)