Wednesday, March 16

 We got moving bright and early this morning to we could get into New York in decent time. We hit some traffic on our way, but made it before lunchtime! The students enjoyed watching National Treasure on the bus while we drove. 

We began our tour at Battery Park. After a quick stop at the restroom at the National Museum of the American Indian we walked to the harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty.  She was far away, but just being able to see her was incredible!

We then made our way Fraunces Tavern which was the location where Washington resigned his job as General of the Continental Army so that he could be President. Next was the bull for the New York Stock Exchange. Although we weren’t able to make it to the theater portion of Broadway, we did get to walk Broadway Street.   The New York Stock Exchange was next which was just across the way from Federal Hall which is where Washington had his inauguration.  

A stop outside Trinity Church and a peek at Alexander Hamilton’s gravesite occurred before we headed to lunch for some authentic New York Style pizza! I’m not sure what all the kids thought, but I thought it ranks up there as some of the best pizza I’ve had! 

Our next stop was the 9/11 Memorial. We saw House 10 which was the firehouse that was first on the scene. The memorial was beautiful and peaceful. The names of those lost in the attack were around the ponds. People left flowers, flags and other items on their names. It went much deeper than I imagined in the center. We saw the survivor tree and had a few minutes to soak it all in before we had to head back to the bus.

Hector took us through the city so we could see some sights from the bus. We saw Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall and the National Museum. 

It was a super fast tour of New York, but we saw so much in the very short time we were there!

Our bus ride to Boston took a little longer due to traffic, but we arrived about 9:00. Unfortunately the hotel had a pipe burst so the pool isn’t open- the kids were disappointed, but we’re looking into a couple options to see if we can get them into a pool before the trip is over. 

The group did a great job sticking together in New York. I think some students loved it and some would be okay not going back.  Tomorrow is our Freedom Trail day at Boston- hopefully the rain holds off for us!

Tuesday, March 15

 Another incredible day! This morning we began with the National Museum of the Marine Corps. This museum is so beautiful.  Once again we gave the students about an hour and fifteen minutes and it proved not to be long enough. What I find so amazing about this museum is how it brings you into scenes that Marines could have experienced throughout the world.  You can experience being cold and listening to gunfire while hiding behind a hill or running off a helicopter into a scene of war.  There are planes and helicopters throughout the museum.  The group really enjoyed taking in this museum.  When we were finished inside the museum we followed a path outside the museum. It is so peaceful.  We took the path all the way to see Sergeant Reckless. Sergeant Reckless is a horse who carried 9,000 pounds of ammunition through the Korean mountains to soldiers in war in active fire. 

After a quick stop at McDonalds we were on our way to Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon is George Washington’s home. When we arrived we began a with a tour of his grounds and viewed his tomb.  It is just insane to think that we are walking on the same grounds where our first President walked. We viewed his gravesite, farm and slave quarters.  We toured his house which has 10 bedrooms. I think it surprised a lot of students who bright the paint is in the rooms. The outside of his house is actually wood, but was painted with sand to get the appearance of stone.  They were refurbishing the outside while we were there; they do this every couple years. One of the grosser concepts that always makes the kids laugh is the privy at the estate—it has 3 seats all together- party at the potty! Ew!

The museum is also neat to explore. There was a 4D video that Brad recommended that many students watched- it included your seat vibrating when there were cannons shot, bright light flashes with gunfire and snow coming from the ceiling. It was a cool show! One of the highlights at the Mount Vernon museum is always seeing George Washington’s teeth which are made of human and animal teeth. 

After Mount Vernon we headed back to DC. We had a quick stop outside of Ford’s Theater and at a souvenir shop before dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.  It was a nice dinner. 

Unfortunately, we were running late for our ghost tour so we took a vote- ghost tour or view the Vietnam and Korean Memorials. The majority of the students voted for the memorials, so unfortunately, we had to cancel our ghost tour.  

Next, we made our way to the Vietnam Memorial. One of the substitute teachers in our district served in the Vietnam War and asked us to take a picture of some of his fallen comrades’ names. Our students took on this mission and were able to find all the names. This moment was very impactful for students and many got emotional thinking about their family members who served.  

After seeing the nurses’ statue (Faith, Hope and Charity) and the Three Soldiers we headed to the Korean Memorial. The Korean Memorial is under renovation and a beautiful addition is coming with people’s names similar to the Vietnam Memorial.  The Korean Memorial can be eerie at night- a soldier is always looking at you no matter where you walk.

After a stop at the very small World War I Memorial we walked over to the Albert Einstein statue. The kids like to climb on the Albert Einstein statue and rub his nose for intelligence. 

Tonight the kids started to pack for our trip to Boston. The drive will take awhile from DC to New York. Our students are so excited about New York!