A Long and Worthwhile Day in NYC!

When I first looked at our schedule for the day, I didn't think we'd have enough time to do everything we had listed. Man, was I wrong! We started our day bright and early at 6:45 and arrived in NYC with time to spare before our first event, the Tenement Museum. We were given a tour through a building that over 7,000 people had once called home. It was so interesting to see that while many people think of the late 1800s- early 1900s as a time of simpler life and beautiful Victorian clothes and artwork, it was a rough time for many families who struggled to pay rent each month for a cramped apartment with no running water.

Afterward we had a few hours to grab lunch and walk through China Town and Little Italy. I enjoyed this part of our day a lot because you could sense that even though we're in NYC, these neighborhoods have a sense of their native country for the people living and working there. While Lexis, Kristin, Alex, Emilie and I sat in a park in China Town with our lunches, we felt almost as out of place as we would have if we were in abroad in China because of the difference in culture and language. It was interesting to see that while these neighborhoods were formed over a hundred years ago because of the immigration flood that they're still here and have become a permanent and welcome part of such a large and diverse city.

Our first show of the day was Traces, an incredible and breathtaking acrobatics show. I was on the edge of my seat by the first ten minutes! They did such a wide variety of intense stunts, while also incorporating humor and even little musical performances by the actors/actress. What made the show so real was that they messed up a few times, but tried again and again until they did it perfectly. Usually messing up is frowned upon by the audience, but it just goes to show that what they do is so incredible and difficult that even with all of the training and practice that they're always a chance that everything won't go perfectly. I didn't mind at all that there were a few slip-ups during the show, because it made the experience so real. We even got to meet and take pictures with a few of the actors afterward.

We had plenty of time to kill between Traces and Hair, and we headed over to the incredibly huge Strand bookstore to spend some time (and money) before trekking over 20 blocks to the Broadway district. Lexis, Emilie, Alex and I enjoyed dinner (and the chance to sit down) at TGI Friday's, although I was a bit unnerved by Anderson Cooper staring me down from across the street while we were at our table.

After drooling over clothes in Forever 21 and feeling like we were 5 again as we walked through the Disney Store, it was time to head back to the theater for Hair! Overall, I thought it was a great musical with a lot of energetic songs and a strong message. However, all of the time in NYC had taken a toll on me and I zoned out a few times during the show but it was still a great performance. I liked how the cast would get the audience involved during the show and would go into the aisles to interact with people. It made it feel like you were a part of what was going on, which made the message of the show a lot more powerful, especially since many of the themes (freedom, equality, sexuality, war, etc) are themes that everyone can relate to. The "wow" moment for me was at the end of "Let The Sun Shine In" when Claude is laying on the flag with snow falling around him. Overall, Hair was a great musical even though it wasn't quite my cup of tea, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so exhausted from our big day in NYC. But it was a great show nonetheless, and we were very lucky to have seen it on closing night!

Our trip was jam-packed with all kinds of tours and shows, but definitely worthwhile. There's just so much to do in NYC, and you have to get the most out of your day!