Post-Tour Wrap Up

There are a couple of things to keep in mind now that we are back in South Florida.

1. Please remember to return your folder, music, and concert attire to my room. I have some lovely "parting gifts" for you when you do!
2. If you have digital pictures of this tour that you don't mind sharing, please e-mail them to me. I would like to compile a photo CD for this tour that includes some of your pictures as well as mine. You can e-mail them to me at the school this week, or you can e-mail them to my personal e-mail address after this week. I will give out my personal e-mail address off-line so that I don't get tons more spam than I already do!

Have a great summer!

A Very Big Thank You!

. . . to Brad Tremper and Nichole Genchi, who joined me to help chaperon our students on this trip. You guys were great!

Day 5 - Morning and Afternoon

Since we returned to the hotel so late, we took advantage of our late departure by sleeping in a bit. The hotel check-out time was 12:00pm, so many slept in until 11:00am, then made sure that all of their belongings were packed.

At 12:00pm, everyone met in the lobby with their luggage, which the bell staff placed into storage so that we could experience just one more New York moment. A trip to New York is not complete until you experience New York-style pizza in New York. Ray's Pizza was just down the street from the hotel, so the group headed there to grab a quick bite before leaving for the airport.

After getting lunch, we headed back to the hotel to meet our bus for the airport. We left Manhattan for Newark Airport about 1:00pm.

Coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel, we caught some of the last few views of Midtown Manhattan for this trip.

Upon arrival at Newark, we found that we had already been checked in for our flight, so all we had to do was to show our photo IDs, hand over our checked luggage, and clear security. Passenger volume at the airport was surprisingly light, so much so that the entire group had cleared security before 2:00pm.

The kids explored the various shops and eateries in the secure portion of the airport, then we boarded our return flight to West Palm Beach at 3:30pm. The flight was uneventful, and we arrived home at approximately 7:00pm tired but fulfilled.

Day 4 - Evening

Tonight was the culmination of all that we have been working toward for the past year. The students did a great job at the concert, and should be very proud of their efforts throughout this year!

At this concert, there were three different mass choirs performing. Each had been rehearsing in a different location around New York, but all performed together last night. The first part of the concert was a performance of French composer Maurice Durufle's Requiem. Our chorus was second, performing works of Handel, Mozart, Thiman, Thompson, and Bernstein. The last group performed three compositions by Mark Hayes with the composer conducting. It was a very special night of music!

I really wish that I had been able to take pictures of the group on stage, but we were given dire warnings about what would happen to us if we took pictures in Carnegie Hall. Since Carnegie Hall is a union house, there are strict rules regarding photography and recording, and stagehands have been known to permanently confiscate cameras of those who are taking pictures inside the hall. So, I don't have pictures of the group in the hall, but was able to take a picture with the group outside the stage door waiting to go in.

Following the concert, the students raced back to the hotel to change into different attire for our post-concert dinner cruise on the Hudson. The ship departed from Chelsea Piers and sailed down the Hudson.

The first order of business was a gourmet buffet dinner. Students loaded their plates and chowed down.

During the cruise, the students were treated to spectacular views of the New York skyline, including the Statue of Liberty.

Our group also showed off their prowess on the dance floor . . .

. . . but by the end of the night fatigue had taken its toll.

We got back to the pier around 2:00am, but before disembarking we stopped to take a group picture with our conductor for the past few days.

As soon as we got back to dock, we headed straight for the bus back to the hotel to rest for our journey later this morning. We are all looking forward to getting home, but are also proud of the job that we accomplished here in New York!

Day 4 - Morning and Afternoon

This morning, since we had no rehearsals scheduled, the group decided to explore the Chinatown area and see what bargains were to be had. We met in the hotel lobby at 10:00am, then headed off to find sustenance. There is a little diner a block away from the hotel that serves good food at a reasonable price - something that is not always easy to find in midtown Manhattan! After breakfast, we walked to the Subway and boarded the "E" train to Canal Street. We spent a couple of hours looking around at all of the merchandise for sale. Students found deals on sunglasses, shoes, and clothing, and had fun trying to negotiate prices with the business owners. About 1:30pm, we decided that we had had enough shopping and made our way back to midtown. Some students elected to stay in the hotel with some of the chaperones and rest up for the concert, but others decided to find food. Mr. Mowry took a group to Jamba Juice and to a deli so that those who wanted to eat could do so. Since we will not be eating again until very late this evening, it was probably a wise decision by those who decided to go!

Unfortunately, I left the camera in the hotel room by accident, so all I have for you in terms of pictures are some that I found on the internet of the Chinatown area. I will remember the camera tonight, however!

Tonight is the big night. Our concert begins at 8:00pm. We are performing as a part of the second of three groups. After we are finished performing, we have seats in the hall to listen to the final group perform, then we will come back to the hotel and prepare for the after-concert cruise and dinner. Seeing as though we will probably get back to the hotel around 3:00am, this will probably be the last update until tomorrow morning. Until then, break a leg!

Day 3 - Evening

Tonight, we experienced a different side of New York. Much of midtown Manhattan is comprised of office skyscrapers, and the Times Square area is in many ways a tourist area. However, once you get west of 8th Avenue, everything begins to be smaller in scale, both in the size of the buildings and in the types of businesses and people you meet. This area of Manhattan is commonly called Hell's Kitchen. Because of its relatively low prices and proximity to the Broadway theatres, many actors live in this area of the island.

One restaurant in this area of town is VYNL. As the name suggests, the theme is retro music. Menu covers are actually old LP covers, and the dessert menu actually comes printed on a "45." (Students, you probably have no idea what those are!) Everyone enjoyed the American-Thai cuisine, and found it to be much more affordable than Mars 2112.

After dinner, the group decided to make a trip to Dylan's Candy Bar, which appears to be one of the largest candy stores in the world. If you can dream it, they probably have it.

Tomorrow is our concert day, so we have no rehearsals scheduled for tomorrow. The plan is to visit Chinatown earlier in the day, then return to the hotel so the students can rest up and get dressed for the concert. We then will have a post-concert dinner and dancing cruise around the island of Manhattan.

Day 3 - Morning and Afternoon

Today was our heavy "work" day. We rehearsed all morning, from 9am to 12:15pm, then left the hotel at 1:00pm for our dress rehearsal on the stage of Carnegie Hall with our orchestra. The students were quite impressed with the beauty of Carnegie Hall

The view from the stage is amazing, even with an empty hall. When you add a full house of wellwishers and music lovers, it becomes one of the greatest musical experiences in the world.

Tonight, we will check out VYNL, a fusion restaurant on 9th Avenue. Then, we will see what the prevailing mood of the group is!

Day 2 - Evening

This evening, we decided to eat at one of the ultra-theme restaurants around Times Square. Mars 2112 simulates a spaceship ride to Mars (complete with a motion simulator of a flying saucer), then a dining experience on the red planet.

Martians walk around allowing patrons to have their pictures taken with them.

Some students just "chilled" with the alien . . .

. . . while one student started falling for the strange creature.

The students enjoyed this meal, but were shocked when the bill came. This is certainly not a restaurant for the weak of wallet! The kids thought the place was entertaining, but were not sure that it was worth the price.

After dinner, we headed a few blocks down Broadway to view some of the lights in Times Square. The sight of Times Square at night is one thing that every visitor must do! Along the way, some students had their pictures taken with Spiderman, while others were overjoyed to find the M&Ms store. Several souvenir shops line Broadway and Seventh Avenue, and some students looked through some of the items there, including tee-shirts, snowglobes, magnets, key rings, and so on.

Tomorrow, we spend most of our day rehearsing. We have a rehearsal from 9am until noon, then we have a dress rehearsal in Carnegie Hall at 2pm. After that, we will come back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's activities.

Day 2 - Morning and Afternoon

Today, we actually began the job which we came here to do. Our first rehearsal with the combined choruses began at 8:30am. We met in the Hall of the Americas II, which is in a building attached to the hotel. About 9:00am, we heard the group sing for the first time.

Originally, our conductor was going to be Dr. Lee Kjelson, a retired professor who was the head of the choral studies division at the University of Miami. However, health complications kept him from being able to conduct. One of his former students, Terri Russell, agreed to conduct in his place.

The group sounded quite good, but the big complaint from everyone was the temperature of the room. Since the room is usually used as an exhibit space for conventions, the temperature is kept very low, since each exhibitor usually brings a certain amount of lights and there are many people around to bring the temperature up. Hopefully, the students learned that tomorrow they must bring a sweater to the rehearsal!

Following the rehearsal, the group headed to an organic restaurant on the East Side called Bunchberries. They have a cold and hot buffet, as well as sandwiches, wraps, and smoothies. The students agreed that the walk was worth it!

Along the way, we stopped to take a group photo in front of a pretty little pocket park with a waterfall in the background.

After lunch, the group voted to visit F.A.O. Schwartz, one of the most famous toy retailers in the world. Some opted to have their picture taken with the "guard" at the front door.

F.A.O. Schwartz is located on the southeast corner of Central Park. So, on our way back to the hotel, we took a detour to see a little of this oasis in the middle of the city.

The skyline of New York is only enhanced when viewed through all of the green foliage of Central Park.

While in the park, some students opted for more adventurous activities . . .

. . . while others found that the rehearsing and shopping were far too tiring!

On the way back to the hotel, we passed Carnegie Hall, the venue where we will perform Sunday evening. The students were able to see their "names in lights"!

Right now, the students are resting and preparing to have dinner at one of the ultimate theme restaurants - Mars 2112. Stay tuned for information from that!

Day 1 - Evening

This evening, we went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The students had a great time, and were raving about how good the show was. Robert said that he enjoyed it more than Spamalot, which is really saying something for him! For more information about the show, visit their official website.

On the way back to the hotel, we caught a glimpse of all of the neon signs in Times Square.

Tomorrow, we begin our rehearsals for our performance in Carnegie Hall. The students will be rehearsing from 8:30am until 12:00pm, then we will try to explore more of the "city that never sleeps"!

Day 1 - Morning and Afternoon

Greetings from the Big Apple!

5:30am saw us at Palm Beach International Airport ready to begin this adventure. The students were excited about traveling and were wide awake and ready to go!

Some were more awake than others!

By 6:10am, we were through security and in line at the Starbucks for our morning caffeine fix. Boarding began at 6:30am, and we took off shortly after 7am.

While in flight, students passed the time in different ways. Some were practicing their music on their iPods . . .

. . . while others tried to recover from the early morning.

We landed at about 10am in Newark, then reclaimed our bags and boarded a bus for Manhattan. Everyone was happy to be back on the ground!

Since we arrived so early in the morning, our rooms were not ready for us. We placed our luggage in the one room that was ready, then headed off to begin exploring the city. The first stop was a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Rockefeller Center. After lunch, we stopped for a quick group picture.

We then headed to the tallest building in New York, the Empire State Building. We saw amazing views of New York from 86 floors up.

Along the way, we were able to meet one of the most famous “residents” of the Empire State Building.

Right now, the students are resting and preparing to see a show this evening. We will be watching The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Welcome!

. . . to the new American Heritage Chamber Singers blog. Here, you will find updates about our program and pictures of what is happening in class and on tour! Enjoy!