New York

This past March I was able to go to New York with my high school band and choir. We fund raised for three years and were finally able to go on this trip. We left on a Monday after school, then the next day after 18 hours on a cramped bus, we were finally there. We were able to visit the Rockerfeller center, Madison Square Gardens, Ground Zero, Midevel Times, Wicked, The Blue Man Group, and the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island.

The Rockerfeller Center was really cool. We got the grand tour, and even learned how the stages worked. We got to see what it was like to have enough money for a balcony seat, equipped with a kitchenette. ANd while we were there Aretha Franklin was supposed to be there practicing! How cool! When we got to the bathrooms, most of us were taking pictures instead. The bathroom there is huge. It had a sitting room, a make-up room, a bathroom, and a washroom. My whole house could have fit inside this bathroom. It was also very intricat, with painting on the walls of women throughout the ages. We even got to interview and take pictures with a Rockette!

When we went to Ground Zero, it was a very special experience. There is an area where you can see into Ground Zero, but you don't really see much. My friends and I went into the World Financial Building across the street. We were able to go up to the second floor and see into Ground Zero. Even though I didn't know anyone personally who was lost on 9/11 it was still very emotional. We were all crying by the time we left 20 minutes later.

We went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by boat, I suppose the only way you can get there. Seeing the Statue of Liberty in person was so cool. In the movies the Statue always looks a lot smaller than it actually is. Then we went to Ellis Island. There are so many artifacts from when it was still open. It is fascinating to learn what happened to all of those people, it is sad too when you think about it. All of the tests these people were put through when they got to America, how horrible it must have been to arrive here and then have to hop on another ship and go back. But, the people who passed inspection had to go through a lot in order to stay. There were so many rooms, filled with facts, and beds, wheelchairs, eating utensils, and other things that these people used so many years ago.

Midevel Times was a lot of fun. Even though it smelled really bad

because of all of the horses, it was still a lot of fun. We got to watch a really funny and somewhat serious show. We had to cheer for "our" knight. And we had to eat with our hands. We got soup, half a chicken, and a dessert. By the end of dinner, I was very glad that I didn't have to eat with my hands all the time. Here is the Prince and Princess, along with the fanfare trumpeters. Those guys were awsome, I can't play like that when I play my trumpet.

The part of the trip that I liked the most was going to Wicked, we even got to go to a special workshop and learn some of the dances that they do in the musical. I'd heard a lot of people talking about Wicked, but never really looked into it. I found it very enjoyable. It was a lot of fun and, a great experience. I could watch Wicked over and over and still enjoy it. My whole trip was a lot of fun and I would go back anytime. But, I would never live there, way too much traffic and noise for me. But I had a good time.