Saturday, June 13

On Saturday we left Washington D.C. early in the morning to make our way to New York. On the way we made a quick stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We arrived at our hotel in New York at about three in the afternoon.
After everyone had time to get freshened up for supper and Broadway we headed out onto the streets of New York. Right off the bat we had a true New York experience, about 50 naked people were riding their bikes in the middle of the street chanting “Less cars more bikes.” They definitely got our groups attention. We continued walking to John’s Pizzeria where we had supper. The restaurant was in an old church and setting was impressive, as well as the pizza. After we had our supper we walked down to Broadway to watch Shrek the Musical. The plot followed the movie with all the favorite characters, a few new one-liners, and all new songs. The majority census the musical was phenomenal, but there were a couple of people who slept through the whole thing. After Broadway we walked down through Times Square at night which was another great experience of the hustle and bustle of New York City.
After a long day everyone was anxious to get back up to their rooms at the hotel. About 10 or so of the most eager people crammed into the first elevator available. Unfortunately these people were the last to arrive at their rooms, because the elevator got stuck and it wasn’t until the fire department came did the trapped become free. But no worries everyone was safe, and now a few have chosen to make their lives healthier by taking the stairs more often.

Danae, Blog Creator

Sunday, June 14

Sunday we set out for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We weren’t able to go up to lady liberty’s crown since it has been closed since 9/11, but the statue was still awe inspiring. After coming back to the mainland everyone meandered through Battery Park. Many people had their portraits drawn and most all of the girls invested in a new “designer” purse (or 3). Next we were to have a step on tour guide but unfortunately they didn’t show .So Shalee’s cousin ,who lives in New York, became our new tour guide. We saw Ground Zero and then we traveled down to China town. 30 minutes in China Town was enough time to get a feel for the area. The people, smells, and items for sale are unlike anywhere else and personally once was enough for me. Next we walked a little bit in Central Park, just enough to get a taste of it. Afterward we walked down to Rockefeller Plaza and then down to Planet Hollywood for supper. We celebrated the birthdays of Kristin, Nick, Jeremy, Kailin, and Steven. Then we walked even more up to the Empire State Building. We had to wait in the longest line of the whole trip to go to the top observatory. The view of all of New York City was breath taking, but then there was another extensive line to get back down which tried the patience of many people. Sunday consisted of a lot of walking and once down from the Empire State Building many felt like they couldn’t walk the next 8 blocks back to the hotel. There were much better ways of transportation for the short jaunt and many felt it worth the money to invest in a bicycle carriage or even a limousine. Everyone made it back to the hotel without being abducted and with an exciting experience.

Danae, Blog Creator