The day started with our flight being canceled, but by some miracle we were able to get on an earlier flight and arrive one hour earlier in New York. This gave us time to walk around Central Park and sing on the Concert Choir's traditional Central Park Rock.

We also sang at the famous fountain. Phew! That was a lot of walking. Afterwards we went to the hotel to change for dinner and a show. Students went in groups with chaperones to various restaurants and afterwards met up at the Shubert Theatre for Spamalot.

The view of Broadway lit up in lights at night was absolutely stunning. The shutters of lots of digital cameras were clicking all day long, so expect a montage of pictures upon our return. It was amazing to walk back to the hotel late at night and experience a city that was as alive as at any other time of the day.

Pictures from Wednesday

Today we took our first subway ride to Battery Park. The mangled remains of the globe sculpture that once stood at the World Trade Center has been transplanted there as a memorial. Here we took the opportunity to sing God Bless America on this eerie foggy morning that later turned out to be a beautifully warm and sunny 70 degree day. Afterwards we walked to the infamous ground zero site. We paid our respects form across the street by once again singing God Bless America and other moving songs. The city noises blended with the
sounds of singing as passers by would glance, or stop to listen.

Later we shopped at Century 21, no not for real estate, but for discount items. This is a famous discount store in Manhattan. We then took the subway back to the hotel to get ready for a performance. We arrived at St. John the Divine and rehearsed on the steps. Then we went inside of this church that has been under renovation for over 7 years to perform a half hour concert for our entourage as well as tourists. After spending time walking through this amazing edifice, we walked to the campus of Columbia University to sing on the library steps. This is a common area where students and university staff congregate to relax outdoors. The public loved our concert. Many college students came up to interact with our group and a small group of Columbia students even started singing a song back to us!!

After a quick stop at Grant's tomb, we took the subway back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and a show. We all had dinner at Planet Hollywood and then attended one of three shows. They were Hairspray, Wicked, and Lion King. What a great day!! The weather was perfect for walking the Great White Way and spending time in the Big Apple!

Friday was our big performance day. We started the day in concert black taking the subway downtown to St. Paul's Chapel in the financial district. St. Paul's is one of the oldest congregations in the country that is still active. This was George Washington's church when he lived in New York. This church was immortalized in the minds of the whole world, when it was the lone church seen standing on the news broadcasts after the 9/11 disaster. Tourists as well as our group were moved to tears to hear the concert choir sing amongst all of the 9/11 memorial artifacts within and outside of the church. It was a very emotional concert.

We walked to Trinity Church a few blocks away for our next performance. We performed before and after the mass. The Concert Choir was also selected to perform during the mass, which is a rare honor that Trinity Church grants to outside choral groups. There were many people and tourists who attended the mass and appreciated the peace that the music gave them. The Director of Music Ministry was so impressed, he thought the singers were adults and was surprised to find 49 high school students producing such mature, musical sound. Afterwards the students really wanted to go back to Ground Zero to sing again. This time we were able to sing by the flagpole that is next to the makeshift subway station that was destroyed during the attack. The Operations Manager of the Ground Zero site heard us sing God Bless America and Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, thanked us for our performance, and said it was needed and appreciated. We had just enough time to get back to the hotel to change out of our performance clothes.

Now it was time for a subway trip to Sal Anthony's Restaurant in Little Italy. Food choices were Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, or Lasagna. The food was great! We scurried to the subways again to head to one of three shows: Phantom of the Opera, Young Frankenstein, and Wicked. The walk home was rainy, but that didn't dampen the excitement of chatting about the shows along the Great White Way. Let's hope the weather improves tomorrow.

We braced ourselves for a cool rainy day today, but our worries were in vain. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of the trip. It was partly cloudy with a high of about 73 degrees. Not a drop of rain was in sight. That was important because there was a lot of walking planned and a Brewers game to go to. Our first stop was the Radio City Music Hall. We took the tour in three shifts. It was amazing to be in a hall that seats over 6000 people. We also went backstage to see the mechanics of the unique and versatile stage floor. In 1999 this premier music hall was restored to its original grandeur. That means we experienced this music hall just like someone would have 70 years ago! The highlight of the tour was the interview and photo op with an authentic, living, and breathing Rockette. How exciting!

Next a large group of people headed for the Brewers vs Mets game at Shea Stadium proudly wearing their Brewers apparel. The Brewers were down 2 to nothing upon the arrival of Hartford. But with the help of Hartford's cheers of support, the Brewers turned the game around to pull out a 5-3 victory. Go Brewers!! Other group members opted to go shopping and visit museums. Everyone came back for dinner in the city with exciting stories about the game and their excursions. Incidentally we walked about 30 miles during the trip.

After dinner many people continued to shop and others went to see the evening skyline at the Empire State building. The most exciting event of the evening was seeing Hartford's own Curt Hansen in his first Broadway show, H airspray. The cheers from the back row of the theatre resounded as Curt took the stage as a member of the chorus. Afterwards he came out to sign autographs and take pictures with his adoring fans and proud friends and family. Congratulations Curt!

At the final room check, students were getting ready for bed with mixed emotions. They were elated about their opportunity to experience New York and to give something back to that great city through music. Yet they were sad that this was the last night they would spend there. What an experience! Will the students' lives ever be the same again? We hope not. May this experience cause us all to be better musicians, citizens, parents, children, brothers, sisters, students, teachers, administrators, and most of all, better humans.