Childhood Event

I had been dreaming about this day for years, I was finally going to the “Big Apple”, New York City. I got this chance because I take dance lessons from a lady who took dance lessons in New York. Every two years she takes a group of her students to New York to take lessons from the same instructor from whom she took lessons. We spend a week in the city and take two hours of dance classes every day. There is just one requirement for going, you have to be a high school student. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that she was going this year. I was finally going to New York and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from having the time of my life.

We boarded the plane in Nashville on June 14, 1999 and it took about two hours and thirty minutes arrive to in Queens. The city was just as amazing as I had anticipated- cab drivers honking their horns wildly in the midst of rush hour traffic; the sight of Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, as we crossed Brooklyn Bridge. Just think, this was only on the way from the airport, I hadn’t even seen the city yet! We hadn’t even reached the magical Times Square and I was already in awe of the city. I just couldn’t wait to get to our hotel and see all of the sights.

When we finally made it to our hotel, “The Wellington”, I was utterly speechless. I knew before we had gotten there that Manhattan was huge and swarming with people, but I never expected this. Thousands of people lined the streets and sidewalks trying to reach their destination. It was amazing to see all of those people going to one specific place in this huge city and I wanted to be a part of it. So, after we got settled in our rooms we set out for dance class. After an hour of dancing we were all starving so we decided to go eat at Hard Rock Café. There was a small wait for some of us, there were 35 people in our group, but finally we all got seated and enjoyed a relaxing meal. After dinner we wandered through Times Square. Times Square is like nothing I’ve ever imagined. It’s huge and bright with more lights than I’ve ever seen in one place. The huge Coca-Cola bottle jumps at you when come into view. There are neon signs lining the streets that advertise MTV, Virgin Records, and even Jell-O. I was astonished at the sight of David Letterman’s studio and the gigantic poster of Ricky Martin. It was unbelievable to see Tom Brokaw finishing the nightly news on a big screen TV in the square. If you turn around you could find the time, weather, and even how your stocks were doing. It was one adventure that I will be talking about for years to come.

Tuesday was a relaxing day for us; we didn’t have to be at dance until 2:30pm. We all took advantage of this and slept until 9. Then we wandered around the city looking for a place to eat. It didn’t take long for us to come upon a little deli called Fluffies. Fluffies was a charming little deli with a relaxing atmosphere. It was very small and had about four tea tables furnishing the room. It was not a fancy place but it gave me a sense of safety, like nothing could harm us as long as we were in there. After we finished our breakfast we didn’t wander far from the hotel, hitting a few specialty shops. Then it was time to dance again. When we got out we ventured through Times Square again. We wanted to save the best things for last.

Wednesday and Thursday were more of the same; dance and sightsee. Both days we went to the popular store on 32^nd street, Macey’s. The store was 5 stories high and was just as historical as people have said. The original escalators were still in place. It was a wonderful place to see. Wednesday night a few of us went to see the popular play Ragtime. The play was set back when everything was segregated and blacks had no say in anything. It took the audience through life from both points of view, black and white. All I can say is that their lives were very different from one another; I don’t want to give the story away. The play got out late so we returned to our rooms and crashed. Thursday morning we got up at 6 to go and watch the Today show. One of the teachers got to talk to Al Roker. It was a really neat experience. We also went to the Empire State Building and looked onto the city. It’s beautiful from way up there.

We only danced for an hour Friday; the instructor was all booked up. After dance we went to the hotel to go to the play Beauty and the Beast. Out of the three plays we saw it was my favorite. The beast was horrifying and Belle was beautiful. It was very entertaining watching the dishes dance about the room in the famous scene Be Our Guest. It was actually more than entertaining, it was incredible! The stage lit up with plates as stairs and forks, knives, napkins, and other kitchen utensils danced about the colorful scenery. It was the absolute best performance I’ve ever seen.

Saturday we went to the Statue of Liberty. It was a breathtaking view from the ferry but even more so standing there looking at her on the island. We didn’t get to go up to her crown because they were so backed up but just being there was extraordinary. She stands so tall and proud holding her torch and Bible. She symbolizes a piece of our country’s history that no one can imagine until they have seen her up close. She truly is the symbol of our liberty and no one can ignore that.

Saturday night we went to the longest running play in history, Cats. The play runs in the Winter Garden and the stage is set up like a junkyard. I’m glad that I went to see this play simply because I can now say that I have experienced the longest running play in history, but I didn’t really understand it. I would tell you more about the story line if I understood it myself, besides you really wouldn’t want me to give it away. After the play my dance teacher took us back stage and we got signed playbooks and met a few of the Cats. It was really incredible. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.

Sunday was our last day in the city so we decided to go to a few of the specialty shops. We shopped for most of the day and then ate at Harley Café. It was relaxing and nice to just sit around and talk with the other mothers and daughters who went with us. We even got to meet Tony Orlando. What luck! After we ate we retreated back to the hotel to gather our things. Our bus finally arrived and took us to the airport. It had been a short week and I didn’t want to leave, luckily our plane got delayed for four hours. Though we didn’t go anywhere but the airport we were still in New York. It was 10 P.M. when we finally left and the city was illuminated. As the plane pulled out into the dark night I caught a glimpse of Times Square from the air. It was bright and all I could think of were those lucky people who were among the lights.

Even now when I’m talking about our wonderful trip to New York I have to stop and tell myself that it wasn’t only a dream. I was once walking the streets of Times Square and taking a carriage ride through Central Park. That trip meant more to me than anyone could ever imagine. I’ll never forget all the wonderful memories this trip has supplied.

Leigh Hanle

1,371 Words