The most exciting week of a senior’s year has to be the trip to New York City. In the years of being an underclassman, the “most important” field trip is the one that the seniors take. This time there are no colleges to visit or school-related activities; only three very packed days of visiting every single monument, museum, and shop available. There are always hiccups along the way, but even with its problems, this is a trip to remember for a lifetime. 

The day to leave came quickly on a cold Monday night. A large holiday tours bus waited to take us on the long ride all the way to New York. After a few gas station stops for us to get out and walk around, we made it to New York City at about 9:00. Sleeping on the bus was difficult, so many of the seniors were tired when we arrived. That didn’t stop the tour guide from getting us to walk for hours to see the sights. I’m not complaining though, as the city was beautiful to see on a day that was surprisingly warm for February. Our many stops included the sights around Times Square close to the Hotel Edison, where we were staying for the night. As we traveled further from our hotel, the tour passed the New York Library before ending near the edge of Central Park. From there, individual groups could explore shops in the surrounding area and grab lunch from one of the many roadside stands before we had to meet back. After this outing, it was back to walking through Central Park and beyond.

The next stop of the day was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

This building housed more works that we could ever hope to see in a day, much less the few hours we were given. Nevertheless, my group split off from the others and we saw as much as possible, including priceless paintings, pottery, and armor. Our time here was over all too quickly and we were then asked to find a way to get back to the hotel. Not wanting to pay for a taxi, we decided it would be smart to walk back (this was a mistake). 

After nearly an hour of walking, we made it to the hotel a few minutes before our time set to leave for the Broadway play Come From Away. 

This was a relaxing experience after a long day and, thankfully, was the last item on our schedule. 

Day two was just as exciting as the first. With the Olympics in South Korea, the NBC Today Show was sadly not broadcasting from NYC, and we weren’t able to be seen on TV. Instead, we were all able to sleep in before our NBC studio tour. After a quick walk to Rockefeller Center, our class was divided into multiple groups for the tours. We were granted access to many of the sets of largely popular TV shows such as the Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. At the end of the tour, many groups took time to see the surrounding area, visiting shops such as Bouchon Bakery and the Lego store. Some people even went ice skating. Later, everyone was reunited for a trip up to the Top of the Rock and a 360-degree view of the city. The Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen was next, followed by dinner at Carmine’s, an Italian restaurant with massively sized portions that were sure to fill anyone up. The following hours were occupied free time to roam around the city yet again.   

Seemingly all too soon our final day in New York arrived. We all scrambled to pack our bags and walk to the subway for our trip to the new World Trade Center. Both buildings and the memorial were as beautiful as I had hoped, even with the now overly cold weather. A well-deserved visit to the somber yet captivating 9/11 museum completed our visit here before. After a quick lunch at the neighboring food court, we all took the bus down a few blocks to Chinatown. Endless shops and plenty of fake Rolexes later, a taxi ride took us back to our hotel where we boarded the bus and left for RMA.