Citizens of the World

          We literally ran back down to the bottom of the island for a boat ride under the Brooklyn Bridge and over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We discussed the ways in which new immigrants would have viewed these islands as they approached the United States for the first time.
           The rain made our trip to Broadway a bit more of an adventure. We navigated below ground to stay dry. The students enjoyed the energy of the actors as they made the show interactive at the end. While the audience was quite international, speak myriad languages, we all shared the fun of the music of ABBA in common.
           This morning, we toured the United Nations. Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable and led us through the General Assembly and Security Council rooms. The students were captivated by the variety of roles of the U.N. around the world.
           Since we were on the East Side, we enjoyed one final subway ride down to Murray Hill for the tastiest Indian food in Manhattan. We made a stop to the base of the Empire State Building on the way back to our hotel to meet the shuttle.
           We're now en route to JFK ready to share tales of our travels with our family and friends. It's been a fun adventure!

Wandering on the West Side

          Greetings from Central Park! We have had a very busy day.
We began with bagels as we walked through Columbia University's campus on the Upper West Side. We also visited Barnard College.
          We visited the Seinfeld diner and happened upon the country's largest cathedral, an Episcopal space called the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The greeter was warm and welcomed us to listen to a visiting student choir.
          On our way to the American Museum of Natural History, one of our students answered a question from a woman looking for directions. We all clapped in awe of the city savvy. We explored dinosaur fossils and under the ocean life. The planetarium was probably the coolest (and comfiest) thing we've seen in a while.
          From the museum, we went to Fairway and bought food for our picnic in Central Park. We just enjoyed fresh New York cheesecake. Now, we're off again. We have a date with a boat in Lower Manhattan!

Students of Art and the Subway

          What a busy and warm afternoon! After the Fifth Avenue browsing, we continued moving up the East Side toward the museums.
          We happened upon a video game store right next door to our lunch venue. From there, we were welcomed to the Met by our enthusiastic docent, Meg. She was impressed with our students knowledge of art history and their eagerness to participate. Below, you'll see photos of the students learning about Jackson Pollack and El Greco.
          We spent over an hour wandering the Met after our tour. The students were fascinated by actual Egyptian structural ruins, Medieval suits of armor, and African masks.
          At the Guggenheim, the students explored more contemporary art than what we saw at the Met. Some were surprised to see an entire Kandinsky collection, which they recalled learning about in Hebrew.
          On our way to the Knicks game, we stopped in at Grand Central Station during rush hour. Our students had the chance to display their ability to navigate crowded subway terminals and train changes at the end of a workday in Midtown Manhattan!
          Please enjoy the photos taken moments ago at the basketball game at Madison Square Garden.

Fifth Avenue Fun!

There's so much to do on Fifth Avenue and the Upper East Side before our trips to the Met and the Guggenheim.

Today

So today were going SHOPPING!! Also were going to be going to museums and the met. Also were going to a Nicks game!!

Lower Manhattan, Jewish history, and old-fashioned haggling!

     Monday was a very busy day!  Our trip to Coney Island on Sunday was fun, and we were ready to continue the week.
     We all experienced a meaningful, thoughtful Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).  We began our day by visiting the World Trade Center site.  It was somber, and the students reflected on the place of the towers in the otherwise bustling Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
     We made our way over the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a Living Memorial to the Holocaust, where we spoke face-to-face with many survivors of the Holocaust who were in attendance for a day of special programming.  The museum itself was filled with artifacts and videos that effectively communicated the ways in which Jewish communities coped with and responded to the Holocaust.  It was not traumatic; rather, the stories of survivors were touching and effectively told.
     After a morning of stories and history, we enjoyed a tasty lunch in Chinatown.  From there, we walked to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, where our students impressed the other attendees and our docent with their knowledge of the work with which immigrant Jewish communities were involved in the early twentieth century.  It was such a pleasure to hear the students speak so eloquently on the subject, not only with knowledge but with conviction.
     The late afternoon was filled with wandering through the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy.  We shopped, noshed, and walked our legs off.  A few more students than I had expected even tried their hands at some old-fashioned haggling on the street.  The vendors were great sports about it!  We took the subway up to Bryant Park and the greater Times Square area for sightseeing before dinner.  Even though we stopped by to see the lights and crowds in Times Square on Sunday night, we were able to spend time in a few stores today.  The students particularly loved the indoor ferris wheel that Toys-R-Us offered.  We were also thrilled by all the fun at the M&M store, among others.
     The students enjoyed overstuffed sandwiches and amazing service at a kosher deli on Broadway, only blocks from our hotel.  We made our way back, more than ready to rest up for a day at the museums on the Upper East Side.  It really has been a lot of fun.  Everyone seems happy albeit exhausted by the end of the day.  We look forward to more updates and even more photos!

 

Good morning!

Everyone wakes up to cereal and sandwiches starting the day off good. Today is a history day and were going to be going to several museums and visiting Ground Zero!!

Night

Everyones headed to bed after a long tiring day. Tomorrow morning I will post pictures of any sights or pictures we took!

NYC

We just got to New York!!! Yay! Were going to be headed to the hotel! :)

Airport

Hi I'm Alana. So I'm going to be posting updates throughout our trip and posting pictures every night so parents and friends can see whats happening. So far we've checked into the airport and are waiting at our gate