After two and a half hours in the air, seniors on Goodpasture’s newspaper team and two chaperones landed in the Big Apple for two action packed days of fun.
English teachers Becky Boyd and Jo Ellen Sholl cared for the eight senior girls who went on the trip. The group flew out of Nashville on Nov 2, and wasted no time getting busy in New York City.
“We got to the hotel and ate some good New York style pizza in Times Square from a place called Two Bros,” senior Mikaela King said.
After, students and chaperones headed back to their hotel in Times Square for the evening.
“I liked the hotel,” senior Hannah Billingsley said. “It smelt good and it was in a great spot. We all had so much fun.”
After a good night’s rest, everyone boarded the subway to head to the renowned Ivy League Columbia University.
Students went to two classes before heading to lunch at a local restaurant. Classes involved topics such as the future of journalism, how to make websites more appealing, and freedom of speech.
“It was so neat being on Columbia’s campus and learning from experienced writers with different knowledge and points of view,” senior Lila Hughes said.
After lunch, students attended two more classes.
“The classes were really fun and educational,” senior Claire Marshall said. “I really liked the campus of Columbia, it was super pretty. I feel like I learned a lot in the classes that could help us improve the newspaper.”
After a long day on campus, seniors and chaperones loaded back on the subway and travelled back to Times Square to clean up for dinner at Carmine’s.
“Carmine’s was really good and the food was delicious,” King said. “Every server was so nice too.”
The next day was a more tourist-centered day where the group toured many aspects of the city such as the Rockefeller Center, Macy’s, Central Park, Chelsea Market, and so much more.
“I loved Chelsea,” Marshall said. “It was so adorable and had so many cute shops.”
At many stores, the girls were able to buy souvenirs such as coats, stuffed animals, jewelry, garland, and more.
“We all got cute matching New York t-shirts and that was so fun,” Hughes said. “We also went to Rockefeller Center and got Jellycats from the toy store. It was so fun picking them out with my bestfriends.”
Students also got the opportunity to see many landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, the Hotel Chelsea, and Broadway.
Quote about stuff we saw
After the fun-filled seven hours, the group went to Gossip for an Irish dinner and then headed to Bernard B. Jacob’s Theatre to watch the Broadway show Outsiders.
“It was an amazing production and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time,” Hughes said.
After the show, the group was able to meet a few of the main characters of the show such as Eli Talley who played Ponyboy, Victor Carrillo Tracey who played Sodapop, and Sequoia who played Two-Bit.
“I was shocked because I had no idea the actors would come out after the show,” senior Eden Dominski said. “The first actor who came out was the actor for Sodapop and he was super cute.”
The group of 10 then headed to a dessert shop called Serendipity to get a sweet treat before wrapping up their time in New York City.
“I loved the atmosphere and I especially loved our server because he was so goofy and fun,” Billingsley said. “I got strawberries and cream and it was one of the best things I’ve ever had in my life.”
Trisha Paytas, who some may know for her performance of ‘I Love You Jesus’, her podcast with Ethan Klein, or the various TV shows she’s been in, performed in ‘Beetlejuice’ at the theatre across the street from Serendipity.
“I was really excited at the chance to potentially meet her,” Dominski said. “All of us were so excited. I wish she would’ve came, I think we all would’ve connected with her.”
Exhausted from the action packed day, everyone got back to the hotel and packed their bags to get ready for the early morning flight the next day.
“Next year’s trip would be to Orlando if all goes as planned,” Mrs. Sholl said.
The group returned to Nashville on Nov. 5.
“It was a wonderful trip filled with fun and learning that you would never get the opportunity to experience otherwise,” Hughes said. “It’s not something you want to miss out on.”
