Strolling with Stobbe will follow the movements of The Feather students on their trip to New York. Every blog I will share the steps, stairs, miles and calories recorded on my Fitbit Charge for that day, as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of New York food from a healthy perspective. Finally, I will provide insight into the craziest moments of the day straight from the mouths of Feather staffers.

Brooklyn Bridge, Juliana’s Pizza and CSPA Gold Crown

Yesterday at around mid- afternoon we all sat in Learner Hall at Columbia University in high anticipation. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) organizers announced their Gold and Silver Crown winners in alphabetical order. The time in which we waited for The Feather’s name and rank to be called, it seemed to stretch on forever. Then in an instant, we were all on our feet screaming in triumph. The Feather won another Gold Crown! It’s 4th in a row and fifth Gold (plus two Silvers) overall since 2010.

Today we set out for our last site, the Brooklyn Bridge at around 9:45 a.m.  We first ate lunch at Juliana’s Pizza, a sister restaurant of the famous Grimaldi’s across the street. The pizza was delicious and well worth the price we paid for it.  After this we walked the bridge. It was a fantastic experience to see the city stretched out below us in all of it’s beauty.

We boarded the bus to the airport at 2 p.m. Our flight is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. and we plan to arrive back in Fresno at 2 a.m.

The vital statistics from Emily Ladd’s fitbit for this whole week including today as of 6:30 p.m. are as follows.

Total Vital Statistics

Steps: 117, 415

Miles: 49.53

Calories: 15,657

Stairs: 201

Craziest Moment

Philip Christopher, ’17, says the craziest moment of the whole trip was when the group got separated on their way back from MLB studios.

“The craziest moment of the trip for me was when we took the NJ Transit back to New York from the MLB studios,” Christopher said. “Half of our group got on the train and the other half got stuck getting through the gates. We had to split up and there was a little bit of chaos going on. Looking back everything was under control but while we were in the moment most people were kind of stressing out.”

Best Moment

Co-Editor and Chief senior Rees Roggenstein says the moment The Feather was announced as a Gold Crown winner was the best moment of the trip for him.

“The best moment of the trip was winning the Gold crown,” Roggenstein said. “For me it was the best moment because I continued the legacy of the Feather winning Gold Crowns. I am now part of a legacy of success.”

Most Memorable Moment

Senior Oliva Quebe says her most memorable moment occurred the first day of the trip at Wollman Rink.

“For me, the most memorable part of the New York trip was our first day in the city after the red-eye flight,” Quebe said. “Everyone was exhausted, but the day was still jam-packed with activities. The best part of the day had to be ice skating at the end of the day. It was only my second time attempting to ice skate and Josh Carter even taught me how to skate backwards. It was also entertaining to watch Kevin and Rees try and chase Jarrod on the ice.”

This experience was truly one of the best ones of my life. We saw so many of New York’s most famous and renowned sites along with a few unexpected ones. From Little Italy to FOXNews to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, New York 2016 was a rewarding and memorable experience.

Words cannot express my gratitude towards our advisers and chaperons for making these once-in-a-lifetime experiences possible for us.

For the previous Strolling With Stobbe read  Strolling with Stobbe No. 3.

Don’t forget to read more about health and fitness at my blog, Health Nut.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee and via Email: Skyler Lee.