Hello all! Your correspondent got a chance to catch some kids and get their thoughts down on paper as we waited for the subway to Chinatown and then when we came back and took a short rest break. Here are a few of the comments, and there'll be plenty more later, along with photos, when we get back home to Concord. PS, please forgive any spelling or other crazy errors, this old lady is so worn out she can't even tell time anymore! PPS: Our bus is going to depart one hour earlier tonight than originally planned. We will be leaving the city at 8 p.m.
Ben:
"New York is great - at nighttime it's just like the movies - flashy, crowded, fun.
There are so many shops, it's impossible not to find what you're looking for. ... The subways are the best way to travel."
Stephen:
"We got a lot of opportunities (on this trip) that most people don't get. Not everybody gets to sing in front of the Statue of Liberty. I think the Arts Experience is a great program. ... 'Wicked' was exceptional. The lighting and effects were stunning."
Parent chaperone Deborah:
"This is Bradford's first trip to New York. It was a good opportunity."
Hearing her son's choir sing at the Statue of Liberty was a highlight for Deborah, she said. She doesn't know if he's old enough now to fully appreciate the opportunity ... "I don't think all this will really register with him until he gets older."
Grandparent chaperone Velma:
"This was a lovely opportunity and experience for the children, learning about different cultures."
Velma said she was most moved by visiting Ground Zero. Visiting the site of the World Trade Centers brought her to tears.
"Seeing that, there was so much to think about. All those people. That's a lesson and an inspiration to me."
Charlie:
"'Wicked' was amazing. When she sang 'Defying Gravity' and started rising in the air, I started shaking in my chair." Charlie's friend Sarah said he was saying, "I'm not worthy to be seeing this," during that scene.
"The music was awesome," Charlie said. "The Empire State building was pretty cool. It was very high up. The lights were amazing. The line was very long, but it was very fun. Looking off the top of the Empire State Building was very beautiful."
Sarah:
"Looking over the edge of the Empire State Building was like looking down on a huge Christmas tree in April. It was wonderful - dazzling!"
Chelsea:
"I thought the trip was fun. I liked it. 'Wicked' - I loved it. It was a great show." Chelsea said it was really interesting learning about the actors and how they got where they were.
Breana:
"This trip was fun. 'Wicked' was the best. The Empire State Building was fun. Sometimes it was scary. When you got to the edge and looked down at all those people down below, the looked like ants. That was scary."
Jeremy:
"Chinatown - I loved it. I want to go back so bad. That was the best part of the trip. I bought my mom a purse. I bought a watch, a lot of shirts."
Jeremy was fresh off the trip to Chinatown when he said that was his favorite part. He also loved "Wicked," he said. "That was a really cool play. That was my first Broadway play."
Younger choir sibling Creighton:
"I liked all of it."
Sarah, on singing at the Statue of Liberty:
"I thought it was very humbling to be there, remembering all the people that went past there, our ancestors. They saw that statue when they were coming in to Ellis Island. It was awe-inspiring."
Maya:
"My favorite thing was the Empire State Building. You could see over the whole town. It looked like Las Vegas!"
Diamond:
"My favorite part was shopping and being here with my friends and stuff." Diamond also enjoyed the actors' seminar. "That was funny. I learned a lot about what goes on in the theater. The play had a lot of big old scenes in it that I liked. The actors were really good at making it what it was."
Liz:
"Chinatown was way more Americanized than I thought it would be. Having lived in China, I thought it was very bland." Liz's parents previously taught school in China and she was a student there. Even though Chinatown didn't live up to her expectations, the trip was a blast, she said. "I really liked this trip. Our connection as a singing group is stronger. I now consider some of these people that before I didn't really know like my brothers and sisters. ... And if I could be in 'Wicked' I would be Alphaba, so I could be green."
Ciara:
"The line for the Empire State Building was really long. We stood in line for two hours."
Was it worth it? Poor little Ciara answered no, because she was just too tired at the end of the day yesterday. But she had a great time overall, she said. "Today was my favorite part."
David:
"I had fun in Chinatown. But some of those Chinese food places were kinda raw. They didn't seem sanitary."
David has had his headphones on for most of the trip, except when singing in the choir. What was he listening to, we asked. Dumb question. "Music!" he answered.
His favorite part of the trip was the Empire State Building. "That was the most amazing view! You didn't even need to go to the 110th floor. We saw it all from the 80th."
Cameron:
"The worst part of the trip was people wanting to go to chain restaurants or wanting to stay in the room. When I'm traveling I like to experience the character of the place. ... Chinatown was fun. It was fun walking around with my friends. I've really had good friendships here and I've built on them."
Ben:
"If anyone is ever in New York, an ideal place to tour is the Lincoln Center. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been."
Parent chaperone Kim:
"Anyone who has a child who is musically inclined should make sure their child is in the Arts Experience. It's a great program."
Your correspondent Beth Feeback also wishes to add that even though she has a slight phobia of Interstate travel, the drivers who will be taking us home tonight impressed her greatly on the trip here. We got a fresh driver in Fredricksburg - is that Virginia or Maryland? Somewhere near DC - and the same will happen tonight. Just wanted to throw that in there for any parents who might be anxious while their children are on the road!
