Katie

In the morning...
It was so strange driving to school in the dark. When we first got there, we didn't even think that anybody was at the school yet, but then we saw the lights inside and people roaming and standing around sleepily. I thought that everybody would be really excited and pretty loud, but I think that all of us were so tired from getting up at 5:00 in the morning.

On the bus...
It had started to sprinkle on the way to school, but it wasn't really raining yet. We used the restroom, (be sure to do that) and prayed for safety and a good time. We got on the bus and were reminded of the first rule: no flash photography on a dark bus! I wanted to save my ipod battery for the trip home, so I didn't get it out right away. I also sat on the outside of the seat so that I could have the window to put my pillow against on the way home. It was a pretty quiet trip, but there was always people talking. It started to get a little bit louder as the morning went on and everyone started to wake up. I wasn't feeling tired since I'm used to getting up early.

Since it was raining...
It was very hard to see out of the windows on the bus because they were so foggy, so looking at the pretty scenery wasn't really an option even if you constantly wiped of the windows. We stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom and get breakfast. I really wasn't feeling hungry since I ate breakfast in the car on the way to school. We got back on the bus and continued on for two more hours. When we finally go close enough to see the city, most of the taller buildings were hidden in the clouds, but we could see the statue of Liberty from pretty far away. The Holland Tunnel was really neat. I thought that if I opened a window, I could touch the walls! Everything in there looked wet. I'm not sure if it was because of the cars bringing in all the rain or if there's just a lot of moisture, but everything looked kind of slimy. I'm not sure if I would want to walk through there.

The first place we got out was in Chinatown. It was so much colder and windier than I thought it would be. We all hurried out of the bus and out on to the sidewalk where we hurried into a small store to get out of the rain and regroup. It was pretty miserable trying to experience what we could of Chinatown because it was so wet and you didn't want to put your umbrella down too much or you get soaked. It was fun to be around Mrs. Smith because she knew a lot of things that we should see because she went last year. She showed us the fish market and some of Little Italy where we got cannolis. I wasn't that impressed, but maybe others are better.

When it finally stopped raining...
The sun never really came out, but it did eventually stop raining. It was still cold and wet on the streets, but I actually started to enjoy myself a little bit. We went into Tiffany's and looked at the prices on some of the jewelry. We also got Tiffany's bags to keep our earrings in from Forever 21. Some of the earring there cost about $7,000 dollars. The ones that I bought were $1.80. We visited many other stores including FAO Sharz, M&M store, Sephora (ugh :), and the Apple Store, which was really crowded. Top of the Rock was amazing, but it was so cloudy and foggy that we could really see a whole lot. The elevator ride was really neat, and it made my ears pop. Kari, Jacinda, and Taylor all chewed gum, which seemed to help them. Even though you couldn't see a whole lot, it was still amazing how tall that building was.

At the end...
The last thing we did was take the ferry to where the bus was waiting for us. It was really relaxing to go out on the back with the class and talk about what we did for the day. I didn't have to worry about bumping into people or getting lost because I was around all of the people that I knew. We also got to see the statue of liberty a little bit closer. By the time we got on the ferry, my camera battery was dying, so I didn't get to take very many pictures. The ferry was very relaxing. It reminded me of Canada where I go for vacation every summer. There's a ferry that we go to every day and water was very calming. After being pretty uptight all day, it was nice to relax.

On the bus again...
The ride home was pretty relaxed. I listened to music on my ipod and fell asleep for most of the ride. I was starting to cough and I had a sore throat from walking around in the rain and cold all day. We stopped at another rest stop and some people got food and drinks. We all had to be careful so that we wouldn't have to stop again to go to the bathroom. We finished the trip home and pulled into the school parking lot. It was nice to be back in familiar territory again. I for one am not a huge fan of the city. Sometimes it can be nice to visit, especially when it's not raining, but I'm always so glad that I live here where it smells natural and not like car exhaust all the time. I like having the space that we have here and not being so crammed together. Even our towns are more spread out it seems. There are never as many people walking about or cars honking at pedestrians. New York City is a great place to visit for a day and an amazing experience that everyone should have at some time in their life. But, when it comes right down to it, I love Pennsylvania.



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Advice:
- Go to bed early the night before if you're not used to getting to it. - Eat breakfast at home so that you can save your money for other good food in NYC instead of Burger King of McDonald's. - Bring an ipod and a pillow so that you can block out some of the noise if you want to sleep on the way home. - Be sure to bring two bags: a small one to carry around in the city, and a larger one to keep everything in on the bus. This is really nice because then it's a lot easier to keep all your things together and not lose anything. - If you find a cheap price for a sweatshirt in Chinatown and you try the next couple of stores and don't find any better deals, go back and get the cheapest one before it's too late! - Bring an umbrella or two in case yours breaks. The wind always comes at the strangest times, so be ready! Also, if it stops raining and you want to put your umbrella away, then take a grocery bag to keep it in so that it doesn't get your bag or anything in it wet. - If you get a cannoli at Ferrera's, don't sit down at a table because the hostess there will get a little bit irritated with you. - Pay attention at the Bowery Mission and be ready for anything! Sing out because the people there really appreciate it even if they might not show it. - When crossing the street, stay to the side so that you don't accidentally run in to anybody. Also keep your umbrella near you and not flapping around. People get irritated when slapped in the face with a wet umbrella. - Enjoy yourself and don't be so uptight! Having fun makes for a better day. - Go to the bathroom while you're waiting for the ferry. When there's time, do it! Don't wait until people are ready to leave and you still have to go. - If you can, sleep on the bus. Don't listen to the scary stories being told in the back of the bus because you won't be able to sleep when you get home! - DO __NOT__ TAKE PICTURES WITH FLASH ON THE BUS! Everyone around you will be blinded! :)