NEW YORK, NEW YORK!
Of course the highlight of this tour is the thing that everyone has been talking about – The City that NEVER sleeps, The Big Apple, The one place that should never make salsa, NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
It’s today folks! Today was a day full of oohs and aahs as we approached the city from the Jersey side. Of course we had tons to time to take in the skyline because the backlog to go through the Lincoln Tunnel was like something you’d find in…well, New York. But as you exit the Lincoln Tunnel onto 42nd St. there is no doubt of exactly where you are, as it seems like the throngs of people just appear out of nowhere. Soon we were pulling up to our hotel where we had our first test of the city.
Remember how I told you yesterday that we had some time with Bemo and the sponsors to talk about how to have a safe and fun tour once we arrived in the city? Well, some of those skills were put to the test right away. We had to unload our suitcases off the bus amid what seemed like a never-ending river of pedestrians. So, we got to practice keeping accountability of our stuff and our persons, and you’d have thought they were old pros who do this all the time.
Some of the other things that we discussed in our preparations for NYC was how to deal with street vendors who were going try to hock their mix tapes, street art, and other sundry junk. We discussed how to make your dollars go as far as they can because often places will charge for things that us Midwesterners take for granted should be free – like refills. But the most important thing we stress will be extremely effective for keeping everyone safe and having a good time is never being alone and staying in their groups of at least four (It’s kept hundreds and hundreds of New G singers having a great time in NYC for over 50 years).
Another way that we are practicing that this year is by breaking everyone down into “pods” of 8 or 9 kiddos and assigning them to a sponsor. We are using these pods because we want to ensure accountability as we take the subway around the city tomorrow and Sunday. Sometimes, the subway can be a little crowded, and if you’ve ever been on it before, I’m sure you could imagine that trying to jam nearly 70 people in a group onto the subway at one time could be an inefficient way to move around. We broke down into these pods so that we can spread out in the subway cars and sponsor couples can make sure that their group all stays together and the whole group can meet up at the destination. The coolest pod (the one Emily and I are in charge of) named ourselves Howells Owls.
Once we were settled in the hotel, the evening began with a little practice of just that concept as we broke up into our pods and all followed Bemo as he gave us a walking tour of the city around Times Square. We saw Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We finally landed in the Duffy Plaza section of Times Square and released the singers in groups of four or more to shop and eat in Times Square for 2 ½ hours.
So here we are, halfway through tour and the first night of New York City under our belts. Everyone is pumped for tomorrow and heading through the city to Little Italy and China Town. Everyone except my feet, who are already mad at me for agreeing to come on this trip.
Remaining Schedule
Sing-Out – Faith United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – First Baptist Church of Plattsburg
Sing-Out – Turning Point Church of the Nazarene
Sing-Out – Oregon United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Francis Street First United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Huffman United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church
Sing-Out – Ashland United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Good Shepherd Gladstone
Sing-Out – Wyatt Park Christian Church
Tour Day 15 – Sioux Falls SD – First United Methodist – Last Day Worship
One of our favorite but also an emotional day. Those of you that have been on tour know and understand the excitment in the air, but the final understanding that this is the very last time we are all together before the energy of homecoming will overtake us. We...
Tour Day 14 – Sioux Falls, SD – First United Methodist Church
We started the day at an 8AM load at at the really beautiful Storm Mountain Camp. If I can explain this location a bit, it is like someone found a really green and beautiful Mountain, and said we can make a road all the way to the bottom of it that is safe for all...
Tour Day 13 – Mt. Rushmore – Back to the Campground
Today started with a bit more sleep than we normally get when we head back the way we are we generally loose enough time we have to get up super early. Since today was a journey to Mt. Rushmore, we were able to get loaded at 9AM to head there. When we asked how many...
Tour Day 12 – Rapid City, SD – Storm Mountain Center Campground
This was our long drive day, and the kids were able to get some extra sleep in the morning, and after lunch. We did get started around 8AM, and breakfast on them with what they bought from our world famous Wal-Mart stop. Of course just before stoping for Lunch in WY...