Three days in New York City
What did you do during your last school vacation? On Wednesday, February 23, my family and I left our home in Massachusetts and drove to New York City for a busy three-day get away.
Day 1:
Soon after arriving at our hotel in Times Square, we took a cab to the Italian restaurant Otto in Greenwich Village to eat dinner. Both the food and the atmosphere were nothing like the restaurants at home; they were absolutely spectacular.
In the waiting area, my family and I watched the chefs delicately cut delicious cheeses and meats and arrange them on serving plates. Their techniques were new and fun to watch.
My clam pizza arrived with a mound of littleneck clams in their shells sitting on top of it. I had never seen this before, but it was delicious. I later ordered lemon sorbet, my favorite dessert, but Otto’s freshly-made lemon sorbet was exceptional. The trip was off to a great start!
Day 2:
On Thursday morning, we stopped by Scholastic headquarters in the Soho section of New York City. At the entrance, I smiled for a picture beside the statue of Harry Potter. Dante, the Scholastic Kids Press Corps editor, met us in the lobby and led us on a tour of the building. I also met and talked with Cathy, Kristen, Marie, Tyrus, and Brian, who all work with the Kids Press Corps.
The most surprising part about the headquarters was the colorful and vibrant atmosphere. Paintings which had won Scholastic Art & Writing Awards lined the walls, and the cubicles were decorated with posters, figurines, and even toys!
In the afternoon, we visited the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Built in 1943, the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid served during World War II and Vietnam, making seven trips around the globe and surviving five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike.
Interestingly, the Intrepid itself serves as the complex for the museum, spanning the length of four city blocks. I was moved by the fact that people had lived and fought for our country in the same exact spot on which I was standing. That night, we walked from our hotel to Majestic Theatre to see the renowned play The Phantom of the Opera. Throughout the play, I was frequently shocked by sudden special effects including explosions, combustions, and chandelier crashes. I’d expected to see a good Broadway show, but I left the theatre marveling at the play’s one-of-a-kind beauty and sublimity.
Day 3:
We took a subway to Astoria, in the Queens borough of New York, to visit the Museum of the Moving Image on Friday morning. This highly interactive museum featured moving-image artifacts and exhibits. I especially enjoyed watching a “behind-the-scenes” broadcast of a New York Mets baseball game. It demonstrated how the broadcasting director determined which of the dozen cameras that were recording the event would be displayed on television. That night, we took the subway to the Metropolitan Opera House. I had never seen an opera and was a little apprehensive. I realized that a real opera wasn’t much different than the Phantom of the Opera musical, and I really enjoyed it.
We saw the opera La Bohème, which tells the story of young bohemians living in Paris who struggle with the hardships of love and life. I had wondered if I would understand an all-Italian opera, but the translation screen in front of me erased the language barrier and made the plot comprehensible.
When we got back to the hotel, I was a little sad that the trip was coming to an end and we would be going home tomorrow. My trip to the Big Apple had been unforgettable, and I can’t wait to visit there again!
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