Our senior class was very excited to be the first group since Covid to carry on the tradition of visiting New York City for our senior trip! On Sunday, February 26, we boarded the bus, and drove through the night while attempting to get some sleep. We made a quick stop in New Jersey where we changed clothes and ate breakfast before reaching our final destination for an incredible few days in the Big Apple.

Day one began with dropping our bags off at the Hotel Edison and immediately venturing out into the city for our walking tours. We saw many famous sites such as Ellen’s Stardust Diner and the skinniest skyscraper in New York. After enjoying a variety of options for lunch, we walked all throughout Central Park where we were able to see the zoo, Tavern on the Green, and Strawberry Fields, and we think we may have even seen–from a distance–the house from the very popular Disney Channel Show Jessie. Following our tour, we spent a few hours enjoying the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has some incredible sculptures and paintings. It was then time to check into our hotel rooms and change for the Knicks vs. Celtics basketball game at Madison Square Garden! We had a great time watching the Knicks secure a victory over the Celtics. I cannot leave out that we were in the same room as the Outer Banks star Chase Stokes and saw him on the jumbotron! We had an amazing but exhausting first day, and we fell asleep immediately upon returning to our hotel rooms.

The next morning, we woke up to flurries outside! The day began with one of my personal favorite parts of the trip–a visit to The Today Show, where seniors were so excited to see Jenna Bush and Dierks Bentley! After some free time to shop and explore the city, we rode the elevator up to Top of the Rock to take in the incredible view and take some pictures. A popular choice for lunch on day two was Shake Shack! Highlights from our afternoon walking tour were visits to Trump Towers and the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral. After some shopping time, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for dinner and a play. Tuesday night’s dinner at Carmine’s was a huge hit. We had amazing Italian dishes such as penne alla vodka, chicken parmigian, ravioli, lasagni, calamari, and the ‘Titanic’ dessert. Following dinner, we saw our first Broadway play, & Juliet, which tells the story of what could’ve been if Juliet hadn’t died at the end of Romeo and Juliet. It was amazing! Many of the lead roles were played by understudies, which we never would have guessed. Everyone loved the music in & Juliet because it was modern songs we all know and love, such as “Roar” by Katy Perry and “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. After walking through the city and making nighttime stops such as at Hershey World and Krispy Kreme, we got settled in for the night. 

After getting our bags packed up on Wednesday morning, we made our way over to Ground Zero to view the 9/11 Memorial. We spent a few hours in the museum, which was extremely meaningful and gave us greater perspective on the events of 9/11. We then ate lunch and stopped at the Battery to view the Statue of Liberty before being dropped off in Chinatown for the afternoon. Our last few hours in New York were spent bargaining for Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags and shopping all throughout the city. We concluded our time in New York with dinner and the play Wicked; it was fantastic, and we loved all of the outstanding Broadway effects. Following the play, we loaded the bus to drive back to Rocky Mount through the night. 

The seniors had an amazing and unforgettable trip, and we are so appreciative of our chaperones who made the trip possible! New York was the best way to celebrate senior year!