Day two. New York!!

Although a reasonably early call for breakfast, most Choristers arrived eager for the adventure of touring this great city. It seems a sleep in a comfortable bed, albeit brief - had renewed the energy levels in anticipation of a great day sightseeing.We met our tour guide Chris, who throughout the tour was able to provide local insight into places and events that made the tour more interesting. We essentially circled around the island of Manhattan, identifying all the districts within the bustling city. The Fashion area, Trump towers (where Celebrity Apprentice) was filmed, around Central Park (amazing - cant wait for tomorrow!) the Dakota Building outside of which John Lennon was shot, the street where Lady Gaga lives when in New York, the Finance District, the Metropolitan (home of the NY Ballet Company) Grand Central Station and numerous facts and places. Most questions seemed to revolve around TV shows such as Sex in the City and others that escape the brain of this blogger. Needless to say, the was a lot of wide eyed Choristers with cameras clicking away madly.We visited a spot where we could see the site of where the World Trade Centres stood and it was sobering to consider the magnitude of the disaster. Seven buildings came down as a result of the events on that day, and three are already appearing on the skyline. The largest one, called World Trade One has just surpassed the Empire State Building in height (although still under construction). It's completed height will be 1776 feet high, which is significant in the fact that that was the year of The Declaration of Independence. Anticipation grew as we boarded the ferry to sail past the Grand Old Lady, the Statue of Liberty. I am sure many many photos will appear to mark this occasion. We also visited Ellis Island to understand the significance of this area in the development of the United States and the risk the immigrants took in venturing into the Land of Promise, without a guarantee of passage through.The trickiest part of the day was a) finding the Subway b) getting tickets for the Subway c) getting on and off the Subway, plus finding our way out of the station. Well done everyone - still haven't lost anyone! After a small shopping adventure, we had dinner in our care groups and then managed to find the right Subway then bus to return to our hotel. Arriving at 9pm and following a debrief - it was off to bed for a well earnt sleep.I hope to load some pictures, we are looking for a way we can share them all.For parents reading this, we have secured a cell phone for which you "can" ring us in emergencies. I will have Tracy issue it via the tour parents emails. If you can't wait till then, please email me at the tour gmail account for a reply. Yav2012tour@gmail.com