The epic, sheer wattage of Times Square is enough to impress anyone, even the travel weary, eyelid heavy kids I loaded onto a double-decker bus for a night tour of Manhattan. Lanie, Emily, and Mimi survived the twelve plus hours of airline travel, layovers, and delays starting Portland the night before only to succumb to a deep nap in the middle of what was supposed to be a full day of New York City sightseeing. We were able to get some food from a pizzeria, but by the time 3pm rolled around, all we could think about was that nap. Time changes can disrupt even the most enthusiastic of travelers. However, the power nap worked and with showers all around we set out for a night tour of Manhattan. I had done these tours in South Africa and loved them so when I knew we would get the opportunity to do one in New York, I couldn't pass it up. Luckily we have a really supportive Boosters Club at our school and they agreed to cover the costs of the tickets for us. Thanks! And the tour didn't disappoint either. Our guide was funny, insightful, and involved our kids several times on the ride. We laughed, saw beautiful buildings and bridges, and by nightfall rounded a street corner to the fully decked out, lit up wonder world of Times Square, equal in its ability to both inspire awe and overwhelming commercial revulsion all at the same time. You couldn't help but smile, though. We even continued to smile, chuckle I dare say, as it began to rain quite heavily and persistently right at the end of our tour. Emily spotted a Disney store through the sheets of rain and made it very clear that it would be nice to go inside. We sliced and diced through the throngs of people, avoiding only the largest of the puddles to the entrance. It continued to rain as we left, now looking for a dinner of some sorts. A suitable place which allowed us to grab what we wanted cafeteria style and pay by the pound appears in front of us and we dig in and again, smiles abound. It's really nice to know that even after a long long day of travel, these three kids can muster enough to go out and experience new things. For what I know about the journey they will take on the Camino, this bodes well.
We are currently sitting in our room, making phone calls home to family and friends, journaling, and trying to sort out what tomorrow has in store. All we know are the "musts." We must check out of the hotel by noon and we must be at JFK early for a flight to Denmark and 6 more hours ahead in time change. Other than that, we have a lot of time and a really big and interesting city to further explore.
Tomorrow, I pass the journaling on to the students to reflect in their own words their thoughts, experiences, wise musings and other such notable things. I hope you enjoy!
Buen Camino,
James
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