2025 Honors Juniors in NYC

Itinerary
Day One: Our direct flight was canceled and we were rerouted with a layover and connecting flight in Atlanta; Ubers to our hotel in Brooklyn; a late-night walk across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan.

Day Two:  Ferry across the East River to lower Manhattan; walk down Wall Street, "Fearless Girl" statue, Trinity Church and the adjacent cemetery, where Alexander Hamilton, his son Philip, his wife Eliza and her sister Angelica are buried; the National Museum of the American Indian; subway to Chinatown; soup dumpling lunch at Shanghai 21; subway to Greenwich Village, where an epic walk (we finished the day with 34,000 steps!) included stops at the houses of Woody Guthrie, Mark Twain, Taylor Swift, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Allen Poe (the address, anyway); John Wilkes Booth (the planned Lincoln's assassination here), Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, The Weathermen (domestic terrorists and neighbors of Dustin Hoffman who accidentally blew up their own apartment in 1970);  historic buildings: site of Stonewall riots in 1969 that launched the gay rights movement; the Jefferson Market Library; Washington Mews (cobblestone street and stables converted into home and NYU classrooms); Washington Square Park; Café Wha? (where Bob Dylan first played in NYC); the building exteriors for "Sex and the City" and "Friends." We then dined in Chelsea Market and capped the day with the Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2025: Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theatre, featuring Darren Criss in his Tony Award-winning performance as the lead actor. Subway to hotel.

Day Three: Subway to the American Museum of Natural History; walk to Zabar's deli; picnic in Central Park; choose your own adventure afternoon (some selections included: Empire State building and 9/11 Museum); dinner at "Little Italy" pizza restaurant; and an evening at Majestic Theatre, where we saw the Broadway classic Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald, who has more Tony Award nominations (11) and wins (6) than any other actor in Broadway history. Subway back to hotel.

Day Last: We hired a speedboat and captain (!) for a two-hour cruise and close-up views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Libery. The most popular choices for this Choose Your Own Adventure day was the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the 9/11 Museum.

Favorite experiences?
Jimena: Going to the MoMA and seeing Gypsy and Maybe Happy Ending live (new favorite musical, I have never gotten that emotional at a live show before)

Alyssa: It’s hard to pick because they were all amazing! The 9/11 museum moved me to tears, being on the boat in front of the Statue of Liberty was so surreal, and eating in Central Park was a dream! I couldn’t possibly pick my favorite part because the whole trip would make my highlight reel!

Aldan: The shows were great, but I also enjoyed the 9/11 museum and the MoMA. Normally I’m not one to listen to music in public but I put in some AirPods while walking through the MoMA and listened to classical and marimba music, which made for a really unique and fun experience. Additionally, I’m a Thunder fan so the roller coaster of watching them lose on the flight to NY then win the championship on our flight back was a great time.

Gwenny: Going to the MoMA and walking around.

Alexus: My favorite experiences were going to the MoMA and seeing John Cena walking on the street.

John: My favorite experience was the Broadway musicals we saw each night. I really liked the visuals of Maybe Happy Ending.

Camden: Going to see all of my song locations and cosplaying as a rich person for the day with a Versace bathrobe; being the first to walk across the intersection and then the tourists see me go and then they go because it’s safe; being the shot caller was cool; I felt like a real New Yorker; getting called "boss" at the deli; going to the bodega and ordering was cool--I felt like a local there too. Also: buying lotto tickets and winning with Aldan and John. Felt like Percy Jackson when he was trapped in the casino and had to keep playing since we couldn’t cash the tickets so we just bought more. Also: understanding the memes where it’s like “east coast people will make fun of you and help but west coast people will be really nice and not help.” Everyone in NY I talked to kinda had that attitude but they were always helpful. Also my street interview was awesome and cool.

Favorite foods?
Alyssa: My favorite food was the pizza! I’ve always heard of New York’s pizza and it did not disappoint. I also got to eat Chinese food for the first time! That was such a fun experience and I tried a lot of new things!

Gwenny: Cucumber salad.

Alexus: My favorite food was the egg drop soup from 21 Shanghai.

Jimena: Little Italy and soup dumplings (in Chinatown) 

John: My favorite food was the slice of pizza at Little Italy.

Camden: Soup dumplings and my chop cheese from the bodega.

Aldan: Definitely New York pizza. The Little Italy pizza place we went to Saturday night was some of the best pizza I’ve had, and I ate some great margarita pizza.

Anything you did for the first time?

Gwenny: Rode in a boat

Alexus: 34,000 steps in one day, a harbor cruise, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and trying Agua Fresca!

Alyssa: I went to New York for the first time! I did a lot of new things like go to a Broadway play, eat Chinese food, ride the subway, see the Atlantic Ocean, and ride in a taxi! My eyes stayed wide with wonder on this trip because of all these new experiences!

Jimena: Saw a Broadway musical

John: I rode a subway for the first time, and it was a magical experience.

Camden: Getting called "boss" in a real Italian deli (awesome experience); buying a $50 scratcher; going to Native American museum; seeing a play/musical; being interviewed on the street

Aldan: Taking the subway, Uber/taxi services, and this was definitely the biggest city that I’ve been to. However, the coolest thing I did for the first time was see Broadway shows, Maybe Happy Ending and Gypsy, both of which I was in awe of the performances and logistics of such productions. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

NYC Weekend

 

NYC Thursday: 35,000 Steps?!