There were lights, there were cameras, and there was definitely action. At the end of the last trimester, the Drama club skipped out on finals and flew to the drama capital of the world: New York City. For many, this trip was their first step into music and play bills. 

The minute we stepped off the plane, it was go, go, go. The bus driver awkwardly stopped in the middle of a one-way street to unload all of our luggage, and taxis and people driving to work sat in their cars honking irritably. We unloaded in less than 5 minutes and set out on the towering town. First stop: the Metropolitan Museum. We walked 4 miles, then we ate at a Brooklyn diner, and this is where our obsession with New York cheesecake began. After devouring this fluffy, rich delight, we ate cheesecake almost everywhere we went. (The result? Most of us can’t imagine eating more cheesecake for the rest of our lives.) Then, by 8:00, we were in the doors of “Moulin Rouge.” 

On Friday we went to the American Museum of Natural History and met Rexy from “Night at the Museum.” Some even met the big head that loved “gum gum.” After two hours, we began our trek to Strawberry Fields and the Central Park Zoo, which is way smaller than I expected. Everyone thinks everything in New York City is huge, but some of it isn’t much different then Idaho Falls. However, there were huge blue birds that roamed around inside the planetarium. We also visited Julliard. “The Come From Away” was our second play, and many agreed this might have been one of the best plays we saw even though we had an understudy. 

Of course, no New York trip would be complete without a trip to the green lady icon herself, so on Saturday we rode a ferry boat to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. The next destination was the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and it was huge. “It was [freaking] amazing so yeah I liked it.It went through the horrible tragedy minute by minute and hour by hour. The new World Trade Center is one of the tallest buildings in that area, and we took a tour all the way to the top and got a 360 view in the observatory, We could see all of New York City! 

That night we saw “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It may sound boring if you didn’t like the classic much in English class, but the play was breathtaking. Nick Robinson played Jem and had many great parts. Afterwards, we had a great slice of pizza, of which Aiden Kelly (12) said, “I hate pizza, but New York is soooo good!”     

On Sunday it rained, but we didn’t let that ruin our day. We went ice skating at Rockefeller Center and there were puddles of water everywhere. It was freezing. After only a few minutes, everyone was done, and we got lunch at Black Tap. It was some of the best food.  “It was [freaking] amazing so yeah I liked it” says Tasha Bruun (12) Then it was off to “Dear Evan Hansen,” Alex Nottestad’s favorite play. Then some headed for pizza or New York style cheesecake as a quick snack, and then back to the theater for “Waitress.”

Monday we ate a lot! Many of the kids were fans of Pietro Nolita, which is an all pink Italian restaurant–even the cups were pink! Monday was a huge walking day; Chinatown and Little Italy were definitely a sight to see. People kept trying to sell us hand bags and weird accessories. The Brooklyn Bridge was our next stop, and we only walked halfway, luckily.

Our final day, Beci Beck, Tasha Bruun (12), Zachary Lindbeck (11) and myself all got up before the sun to walk to the Today Show. By the time we got to the front, we were starving, so we left. We got Dunkin Donuts and went back to the hotel to pack. Before leaving for the airport, we went to this little outdoor mall and shopped a little. The bus to the airport was silent and full of sleep deprived kids; most of us were sleeping. Then we were home, and our vacation was over.