Tuesday and Wednesday: NYC Part 2 and DC Part 1

There's been so much going on I feel like it needs to be recorded before this post becomes unmanageably long. As I write Wednesday - our first day in DC - is coming to a close. Reports are coming in from home of severe storms in the north and generally dismal weather in Christchurch. We are feeling for the people at home and feeling super fortunate with our weather, as this post's photos will emphasise.

Tuesday
Our final day in New York city was a very memorable one. The day began with a long subway ride down almost the length of Manhattan Island from our hostel on the Upper-West Side to the site of the 9/11 Memorial and Museums. Many of the students haven't experienced the subway before, so NYC provided a loud, intense and somewhat stressful introduction. However, they learned quickly and some were soon working out which lines and stops to take.

There was general agreement that the 9/11 Museums is a must see for visitors to New York: an unflinching record of so many aspects of the event and its aftermath, thoughtfully and compellingly presented. The girls were moved by seeing the story retold with the emphasis on the cost in lives and the human stories of bravery and loss.

The mangled remains of a Fire Truck sent to respond to the initial attack. 

A wall behind which are kept the remains of many victims of the attacks. The quote is taken from Virgil's Aeneid Book 9, which is an important text in Year 13 Classical Studies 

(a second Classics reference in as many posts Mr T!).

Eva and Claudia contemplating the stunning memorials on the footprints of the former towers. 

From there, we walked to Battery Park to catch a (hot and crowded) bus to Queens Wharf, from which we enjoyed a cruise that featured stunning views of Manhattan bridge and skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

After that, the girls had a couple of hours exploring around the Garment District (requests for more funds can't be too far away, I'm afraid) and Times Square, before meeting up at the Longacre Theatre for our Broadway Show, A Bronx Tale. This was a smash hit, with the biggest plaudits going to the child star of the first half of the show, who played the protagonist as a 10 year old.

Attempting to come home through Times Square, the students' attention was temporarily distracted by one of the many busking shows that happen constantly featuring young men doing acrobatic tricks whilst extorting as much money from the crowd as they can.

Wednesday
Another early start saw us out of the hostel just after 6am to subway to Penn Station and catch a train ride that cut through several states (NY, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland) before arriving in DC. After grabbing some lunch at a local food court, we walked down south of the National Mall to embark on our DC Bike Tour.

The group was split into two at this point to make it easier and safer to navigate through the various monuments and memorials. For some of the students, this was their first time on a bike for a decade, but all coped very well and we enjoyed some excellent commentary from our guides. At the conclusion of the Tour, this was pronounced by some to have been the highpoint of the trip so far. It was also universally held that this was the best way to see the National Monuments, as they are so far apart that walking would be long and difficult. We also appreciated the fantastic insight of our guides and the stories that they could tell to make the monuments come alive.

 Half the group at the Martin Luther King memorial

 Looking down towards the Washington Memorial

Appreciating Albert Einstein - note the constellations of the night sky in the foreground. Standing on the centre of the sky section and talking to Einstein provides a remarkable amplifying effect.

 Bikes approaching the Washington Monument

One of the guides expounds on the origins and symbolism behind the monument. 

The girls are all looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow and the chance to experience a somewhat more relaxed itinerary from here on in. Catch you in Atlanta in a few days!