Take two of June 25.
I originally completed this entry this morning at 12:30 and was pretty pleased with the results. I had trouble uploading the pictures to go with it, so I decided to save it and post in the morning. Except it didn’t save.... So, here’s one more try.
The morning started off with a bang. We woke up to a huge thunderstorm. We lucked out though, as it finished before we left the hotel. All the rain left a residual of humidity, though, and it was pretty sticky all day. Guess we were bound to get wet one way or another!
I originally completed this entry this morning at 12:30 and was pretty pleased with the results. I had trouble uploading the pictures to go with it, so I decided to save it and post in the morning. Except it didn’t save.... So, here’s one more try.
The morning started off with a bang. We woke up to a huge thunderstorm. We lucked out though, as it finished before we left the hotel. All the rain left a residual of humidity, though, and it was pretty sticky all day. Guess we were bound to get wet one way or another!
We were all given a subway pass to use for entire stay here. We’ve become pretty seasoned travelers on the subway; almost like true New Yorkers! Although, I have to give credit to our guide, Rihanna. She give great directions as to which train to take and what stop we’ll be exiting. We spread out so we’re all entering the car at once and we do pretty well at getting 45 people on and off the subway successfully. We also got to see Grand Central Station: really beautiful!!
Our first stop was the UN. It’s a pretty impressive building. I like that it was how we officially started the program. We learned that the three pillars of the UN are: peace, human rights and development. They blend so well with People to People’s goal of peace through understanding. We learned a little about the background of the UN as well as current programs. At the end of the tour, we were able to go into the General Assembly chambers since there was no meeting at that time.
From there , we went to St. Paul Church which was used as an aid station during 9/11. The windows in the church were not damaged, even with its close proximity to the towers. There is a beautiful memorial chapel in the the back of the church honoring the responders.
We then went to the 9/11 Memorial Pool, a massive, beautiful structure honoring all those who died on 9/11. It provides stark reality to see see all of the names inscribed. Next to the memorial pool is the One World Observatory. This building provides a great history of the area, while affording a fantastic view of the entire city from the top floor. The ride up in the elevator was quick, and as we ascended, video on the walls detailed how the city had changed through the years. And the view was spectacular! We were told that the visibility earlier had not been good due to the rain. But by the time we got there, it had cleared considerably.
We also got to spend a little time in Times Square before dinner at the largest Applebee’s in the world. It is five stories high. Can’t imagine the rent on that building!
We had a little excitement when we got to the theater: there were a bunch of police cars parked in front and the street was blocked off. Seems that a suspicious package was found in the front. It wasn’t too long until the area was deemed safe and we were able to enter to see “King Kong.” I’m not much of a movie or musical buff, but I was excited to experience a play on Broadway. It was well-staged. The story is a little strange, but I think I would have thought the same thing about the movie. It was interesting how Kong was animated. I was a little put off by being able to see the people on stage, moving his hands and legs. But it worked. And I loved how they used video to enhance the action on the set. Pretty impressive!
We’ll be flying to Paris tonight. I’m going to post this without pictures now, and try to insert them while we’re waiting at the airport this evening.
Our first stop was the UN. It’s a pretty impressive building. I like that it was how we officially started the program. We learned that the three pillars of the UN are: peace, human rights and development. They blend so well with People to People’s goal of peace through understanding. We learned a little about the background of the UN as well as current programs. At the end of the tour, we were able to go into the General Assembly chambers since there was no meeting at that time.
From there , we went to St. Paul Church which was used as an aid station during 9/11. The windows in the church were not damaged, even with its close proximity to the towers. There is a beautiful memorial chapel in the the back of the church honoring the responders.
We then went to the 9/11 Memorial Pool, a massive, beautiful structure honoring all those who died on 9/11. It provides stark reality to see see all of the names inscribed. Next to the memorial pool is the One World Observatory. This building provides a great history of the area, while affording a fantastic view of the entire city from the top floor. The ride up in the elevator was quick, and as we ascended, video on the walls detailed how the city had changed through the years. And the view was spectacular! We were told that the visibility earlier had not been good due to the rain. But by the time we got there, it had cleared considerably.
We also got to spend a little time in Times Square before dinner at the largest Applebee’s in the world. It is five stories high. Can’t imagine the rent on that building!
We had a little excitement when we got to the theater: there were a bunch of police cars parked in front and the street was blocked off. Seems that a suspicious package was found in the front. It wasn’t too long until the area was deemed safe and we were able to enter to see “King Kong.” I’m not much of a movie or musical buff, but I was excited to experience a play on Broadway. It was well-staged. The story is a little strange, but I think I would have thought the same thing about the movie. It was interesting how Kong was animated. I was a little put off by being able to see the people on stage, moving his hands and legs. But it worked. And I loved how they used video to enhance the action on the set. Pretty impressive!
We’ll be flying to Paris tonight. I’m going to post this without pictures now, and try to insert them while we’re waiting at the airport this evening.
Safe travels. Drink lots of water.
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