The senior highs went to the tenement museum and learned about the Irish immigrant experience in the 19th century. Responses vary, but seem to think that the tour guide would have been more effective if she didn't think that 19th c. NYC was pretty much like present-day Georgia (dirt roads? really?).
After our morning activities 5 guys went to the Yankees game (Rays win!) while the rest of us took our pilgrimage to Ground Zero and St. Paul's. It was a beautiful day to walk down the West Side Hwy. but it may have been hard to concentrate on man's inhumanity to man when there were all the pretty people sunning on the grass beside us or roller blading around us.
We left the seminary at 2pm, arrived at Ground Zero around 3:15, to St. Paul's Chapel at 3:25, then on the "1" up to Harlem to meet my cousin April for a tour of Harlem. Okay, not so much a tour as a "walk around and see what you see." But we made our way to Morningside Park and sat and watched people. One of us was just about to move from the "making eyes" phase to the "hi, what's your name" phase with a cutie in the park, but then April and I ruined the moment by saying it was time to go. To get from one side of the park to the other (it's a very long and narrow park) we had to climb up a long and lovely marble staircase. Before I could use the edit on my brain, I asked if anyone wanted to race up the stairs. I managed to come in 2nd but wondered if 3 chaperones would be enough when the ambulance came to take me away.
We met the Yankees game at Columbia University and walked down to see St. John the Divine, before dispersing into small groups on Broadway for dinner. At 7pm, we regathered in front of Columbia University and went down to Times Square to see Mamma Mia, Lion King, and Chicago, while I took the Yankees group to a movie.
Everyone made it back safe and sound around 11pm (though the Chicago gang had a weirdo hanging around their group after the show while they waited for the other groups to join them, which gave their outing a little extra spice). I thought we were going to have an early night, but as it turned out we got to engage in my extra-special activity at General Seminary. We sat around on the lawn in adirondack chairs and pondered the fate of the universe under the stars. My friend Norm, the rector of St. Luke's who brought his EYC here this weekend also, invited me over and the male members of our group joined us to wonder about Biblical literalism; how old the earth is; whether Rome High is segregated by intellect, race, or class; how the Greek language is like Russian; and why it's so hard to give a homeless guy a Coke when you're 8 years old.
Not to be outdone, the female members decided to join us as well, but we sent them to their own corner of the lawn, and were not privy to their conversations.
Oh, best moment of the day. We got off the "1" at 7th Ave. and 18th St. and I thought I'd see how they were learning their way around, so I told Ellen to get us home and wouldn't give any advice. And she did it, taking us the shortest, most direct route. Hooray for Ellen!
Tomorrow is breakfast at a French restaurant nearby that has their butter specially made by Jesus, or at least one of the apostles, then off to church in the morning, fun in the afternoon, more church in the early evening, dinner, then wrap it up with a little church. Hey, they knew it was a church trip....
Greg
ps - 3 questions:
1. Who's playing Tetris on their cell phone at 12:54am after drinking not 1, but 2 Red Bulls after 10pm?
2. Who got lost crossing the street?
3. Who was making eyes in Morningside Park?
Answer to all 3: What happens in New York stays in New York!
=D
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