Since last year, I’ve daydreamed about my awesome tourist trip to the Big Apple. I’ve been there a few times before, but the trips were mostly to solve family issues and meant doing lots of nothing. I’m excited to finally be able to be a tourist, be with friends, and be a little worm in the Big Apple.
Day 1: Rode in a bus until my butt fell off
When the clock hit 12 on March 15th, I was still trying to pull the pieces of my life together. After over an hour of cleaning up my dumpster fire AI essay for Comp 1 (sorry, Mrs.Cromer), I packed my suitcase. The morning was pretty much a blur until we all loaded up the bus. Then, it was time for the real hell to begin: 18 hours of driving. At about 2 hours in, I loaded up on snacks, but the adventure was far from over; it had hardly begun. We were, best said by Willie Nelson, “On the road again”. During this chunk of the trip, I felt a whole lot better. I ate, did some coloring, and watched YouTube videos. After 4 more hours in Illinois, we reached Ohio and made yet another stop. This of course was my saving grace since being on the bus for so long had me and my butt suffering. At some point between giggling and sleep deprivation, we reached the last gas station in god knows where on the insufferable drive to the Big Apple. I invested in melatonin since sleeping on the bus with everyone around me playing Brawl Stars’ was nearly impossible. Despite desperate efforts, Dreamland ended up being just out of reach.
Day 2: Wormin’ Around
After a treacherous drive, we finally got real food at IHOP. This was like a breath of fresh air: no more gas station food, a place to sit other than the uncomfortable bus, and we were way closer to the final destination. Continuing the journey, we went through New Jersey, headed towards the Statue of Liberty. We thanked our French exchange student friend Eloan for single-handedly making the Statue of Liberty and continued our stay at the park by touching the replica toes of the Statue in the museum. After Miss Liberty, we went to Ellis Island and fueled up on overpriced food. I missed out on the experiences of the island but got myself some souvenirs. We went back on the Ferry and made it to Battery Park to do more wormin’ around. We walked to the 9/11 Museum, which was astonishing as it was heartbreaking. It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the museum was built on top of where the Twin Towers used to stand. The exhibit that stuck with me the most was one where details about the victims would be read aloud by loved ones. It gave more insight as to how many people who were so loved were lost that day, and I do hope that those who know the victims can one day find peace.
After the museum, we returned on our buses and headed to Chinatown and Little Italy. Both were nerve-wracking because I didn’t know how to barter except when I sent offers on Depop. I was able to wave off random vendors, but I couldn’t fight off the outrageous prices. The night closed out with an insane dinner at this Italian place with a live performer, Jorge Buccio, singing his original song, “Shake your napkin”. It involved everyone getting on the chairs and waving their napkins around. On the bus, we had a giggle fest; something about the lack of sleep and closeness with friends made everything super funny.
Day 3: The perfect performance
The day’s first stop was the Saint John’s Cathedral, where the choir groups performed. The seven chapels were so stunning, I wish I were a Christian. I loved the incorporation of Keith Haring’s art, and our choir groups sounded amazing. When we headed to the Intrepid museum, the orchestra/ band performance easily became the most chaotic part of the day. Playing was nearly impossible because of the wind and rain. The terrible weather meant our music was constantly flapping around, flying away, or getting wet. Some of the music from the clarinets behind me flew with the wind and stuck to my head. Hearing the last measure of the Armed Forces was the biggest relief. Besides the unique performance, the museum was fun to explore. The Intrepid had every nerd’s favorite things: space, air, and sea. Not literally, but there were elements from each area. There was a shuttle, a VR experience, a submarine, and lots of aircraft on top of the main boat. On the way to Dallas BBQ for dinner, we stopped for pictures in Times Square, and a random guy got into our school picture. The meal was not for me, but I had fun seeing how much soda I could pour into my cup without spilling it. Following the meal, we walked to The Edge (do not laugh), a place on the top of a building where you can see the entire New York City skyline. I liked seeing the city from so high up and being able to look down at the street below through a few of the glass floors. Fun fact: if you go up high enough, New York City is actually one giant apple!
Day 4: Crazy Tourist Tuesday
The morning started bright and early with everyone on our way to one of the most iconic places in New York City: Central Park. It was giant and lively, with people walking dogs and a man playing a song on his guitar, which the choir sang along to. We bussed around town, and our tour guide pointed out the natural history museum, the Empire State Building, and pretty older-looking buildings owned by the richest of the rich. We headed down to the central station, and the architecture inside was cool since whispers in one corner could be heard in the diagonal corner. Afterwards, we moved to a different area of the city where we had free time to try out “Street Food” and buy more souvenirs. After Heid let us off the leash, we were put back on it and headed to Ripley-Grier Studios to learn a song from The Outsiders. We did vocal warm-ups, learned lyrics, practiced slurs, and then began working on choreography. The guy teaching us even knew Ben Rivera, an actor who went to Muscatine High School! We combined both elements, and it came out super nice. For dinner, we went to Bubba Gump, an interesting Forrest Gump-inspired restaurant with servers who played trivia with all of us. We went back on the bus and on the way to an Italian opera called ‘Aida.’ I may or may not have slept through the first half, but it was better than expected, with acting involved in the opera.
Day 5: The final act
I woke up at the butt crack of dawn for the last big waffle and yummylicious eggs from the hotel. I got all my souvenirs and crap together and in my obese and about-to-bust-open suitcase and we loaded up on the way to the United Nations. We headed downtown but made a turnaround after about 20 minutes of trying to get students checked in. Not sure what the issue was, but with a change of plans, we headed toward the Rockefeller Center. My group went to some stores under The Rink, but most of them were too pricey or just boring. We got some halal street food, but our freedom was taken, and it was time to tour around Madison Square Gardens. I may just be dumb, but I truly thought that we were going to a garden-garden, with plants and maybe even flowers. The Madison Square “garden” was a convertible ice rink that had changed into a boxing ring, concert stage, bullfighting ring, monster truck, and any other crazy thing you can think of. It was interesting to walk around since the ceiling was lined with a timeline of every day of the year (yes, even February 29th) where something happened at Madison Square Garden.
I also definitely saw a rat in the stadium but didn’t say anything. After that, we went to the best location of the day: Radio City. The nearly 100-year-old theater is home to the Rockettes, a synchronized dance group, and the place where so many things have been held, such as the Tony awards, the Grammys, and the iconic Christmas Spectacular. Afterward, we had some more free time to explore, and we stopped at an amazing music store with plenty of records, CDs, and cool shirts. Another great and musical part of the way was the great meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. The restaurant was a museum as well, with real artifacts and framed photos of musical artists like Jimi Hendrix, Courtney Love, and other famous people everywhere. After the fun-filled, endless day, the closing act was a Broadway showing of Hadestown. The theatre was small but homey; the workers were very kind and knew what they were doing. The mix of orchestra, band, music, and set was amusing. I loved the entire show, and each intricate part of the production was amazing.
Final thoughts
Though I had times where I was overstimulated, tired out of my mind, and felt like my entire butt was going to fall off, I enjoyed the opportunity to go to New York. I enjoyed being a tourist and wandering around town for a week (I’m lying, it was 5 days). I loved my roommates, all of the cool things we got to experience, and of course, worming around the Big Apple. For more awesome, wormy stories, check out the MHS Auroran website!!!
