Today was easily the best day so far. Our phones were ringing at 6 (which, honestly was not the best part of the day. Good and necessary, but not fun.). I think we finally accidently answered and promptly dropped the receiver. Then everyone was up.
Breakfast was excellent. There was a great variety of food. I was particularly pleasantly surprised when the wait staff went out of their way to get some active culture yogurt for someone who needed it. They were all working so hard to get us the food we needed to power us through the day, and we, as a band, are very thankful.
Our first stop was the 9/11 museum. Only one of the waterfalls was on at 9 o'clock in the morning, and that only made the whole experience more somber. A couple of names had white roses next to them, probably left by loved ones. Inside the museum was even more memorable. We saw remnants of the towers, twisted iron and steel, a crushed fire truck, remnants of the footings. There were so many names, so many faces so many stories. So many names. We were really moved by the memorial, and we all appreciated the purpose and message of such a strong memorial.
We spent most of the morning at the 9/11 memorial. Afterwards, we went to lunch. My group went to 48th street and got aome authentic New York pizza. It was easily some of the best pizza I have ever had. The crust was just the right crispiness, the cheese was delicious, and the toppings was delicious, especially the pineapple. It might have been a bit too greasy, but that didn't stop it from tasting great.
After lunch, we had time to wander around and explore. We went to see the Rockefeller, the ice skating rink, 5th avenue, and most importantly St. Patrick's cathedral. I've never been inside a cathedral before or any Catholic church before, and St. Patrick's cathedral was beautiful. Even though it was under renovation. The stain glass was in a Middle Age style, with dinner plate halos. But they were beautiful, eloquently done. I loved being able to have the time to see what we wanted to see. It was relaxing to be so free.
We also got to go to Radio City Music Hall. Tons of the greatest performers have graced the staged of Radio City Music Hall and we got to hear all about them. We also saw all thew beautiful architecture and art. The bathrooms were kept in the orginal design, so the sinks are mint green and the hand driers are orginial to the 1930s. I made sure to use paper towels. We even got to meet a Rockette! They are world renowned for their precision while dancing and kicklining. Becky talked with us for a few minutes about what it takes to audition, the kind of work she does, and we took pictures.
We also went to the Top of the Rock. It was amazingly beautiful and awe-inspiring up there. We were about 65 stories off the ground, so we were amongst the skyline and above the overly fat pigeons. I overheard a couple of kids get into a friendly disagreement over which building was the Chrysler and which the Empire State. I don't think we ever came to an agreement.
Dinner felt slightly rushed because everyone was running around, but it was delicious. Then we got about three minutes in Grand Central Station. It was one of the most amazing building I had seen all day. There are constellations painted on the ceiling, beautiful chandeliers everywhere, and the clock in all the movies actually does exist! I was very excited.
The New York Philharmonics were amazing. The third sympathy was the best piece. It was loud and quiet and fast and slow and unpredictable and completely easy to understand. So, in other words, plain and simple. But there was a soloist in the second piece and he was amazing. His technique was flawless and he was a joy to listen to.
So, basically, we didn't do too much today. Just saw practically all of Manhattan, except the parts that we didn't see. And we're all looking forward to another exciting, packed day tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow, we'll finally figure out which building is the Chrysler and which is the Empire State.
