Choir students spend their second day in New York, April 11.

The class starts off their day early, leaving their hotel at 7:45 A.M. Each traveling group meets their tour guide for the day and sets out into the city. The groups take the subway to Battery Park, from where they left for The Statue Of Liberty . For many students, this was their first time on the subway, which can be an overwhelming experience at first.

Zane Munoz, ’21, took the subway for the first time to get to Battery Park, he shares his mixed emotions about the different form of transportation.

“I was nervous at first,” Munoz said. “I was super worried that it would be too rushed and that we would miss our stops. It ended up being a lot easier than I imagined. Our tour guide really helped us to figure out where to get out. After riding the subway for the first time, I don’t really like it enough to ride it again. However, it is a good option instead of walking really far.”

The group takes a boat tour around the upper bay to see The Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island. The boat stops to see Lady Liberty. Students enjoy taking photos by the 305′ foot tall copper statue and learning about the history of the iconic landmark. After visiting the statue, the group boards the boat again to go to Ellis Island. 

At Ellis Island, students get the opportunity to walk through the same hallways that European immigrants walked down during the early 1900s. With the guided tour, students learn about the history of the checkpoint and see artifacts from its days of use. Between 1892 and 1954, Ellis island processed more than 12 million immigrants into the United States. The island has been purely used as a tourist destination since its closing in 1954.

After finishing the boat tour, students walk through the financial district and Wall Street on their way to lunch. The groups see landmarks including the Charging Bull, the Stock Exchange, and the grave sight of Alexander Hamilton. After eating lunch at the Westfield Mall, students head to the 9/11 memorial and museum. 

The group spends the rest of their afternoon around the World Trade Center. The emotional memorial of 9/11 stands as a remembrance of the lives lost and stirs up emotions for many students. After observing the memorial, students walk through the museum. The museum highlights the World Trade Center before, during, and after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. 

Aimee Castanada, ’20, found the information of the event presented to her both interesting and emotional. 

“Before visiting the museum, I only knew that 9/11 was a terrorist attack a few years ago.” Castaneda said. “After visiting the museum, I realized how much people really lost during the attack. It touched my heart and I cried a little.”

The group spends the rest of the day eating dinner and spending time in the city. Tomorrow, the class will adventure around Central Park and the Natural History Museum. 

Stay tuned for more updates on the NYC trip!

For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2017-18

The slideshow below shows images of the choirs second day in New York:

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