LAST ENTRY!!

This is a picture of a street on the lower east side of Manhattan. The Immigration Journey continues today in New York and all over the world. The one thing that I learned from this trip is that people, throughout time and space, have faced their fears and traveled to new lands to better their lives. When Nancy and I wrote our grant, we said that we wanted our students to know that everyone has a "choice". We wanted our students to know that their choices determine their lives, and that life is not something that just "happens" to you. Your hundreds of choices every day lead you in a direction. Is the direction you have chosen leading you where you want to go? It is never too late to change your direction. Thank you, Fund for Teachers, it was a glorious trip!!!

MONDAY, June 26 - Last Day in NYC!!!!

Today we were up at 6am and headed for Times Square by 6:45. We went to see Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson on "Good Morning, America". By the time we got there, the crowds were 4 and 5 people thick. We watched for a while and then we went across the street and we actually had a better view of Charlie and Diane on the 2nd floor. We decided to head back to the hotel and we ended up watching the rest of the show from our room. After a short nap, we headed out (in the rain) to see the things we hadn't seen yet!

On the way, we stopped to get out of the rain, and found ourselves at the FOX network here in NYC. As we were standing there, a women came out of the building and she was looking for a few more people to be in the audience for the FOX TV show - "Day Side". Anyone who knows Nancy and me knows that we are not regular viewers of the FOX station. However, the temptation to see a live show (and they promised refreshments!) was too good to pass up. We joined the group in line. The process was quite interesting. The group was really divided into two groups - people (couples and families) who had sent in for reservations to be in the group and those of us "found on the street". We waited in line for a few minutes and a door would open, a guard would lean out and ask, "How many in your group?", and the people would enter, door would close, and the rest of us in the group could only wonder what was behind the door. In a few minutes, it was our turn - we went in through the door, it slammed shut behind us and we found ourselved in a small hallway with security persons and a metal detector. We were asked to hand over our cameras (until it was time to leave) and then proceed through the metal detector. From there, we went down an escalator and checked in with a receptionist who gave us a packet of news articles pertaining to what would be discussed on the show today. In a few minutes, all 60 of us were escorted into a freezingly cold TV set.

Nancy and I were pleasantly surprised to find the show hosts entertaining and well-spoken. They talked to all of us during the breaks and encouraged the audience to react and comment on what was discussed. All in all, it was a great experience!!

After our television experience, we went in search of the holy grail of New York City sweets - the Serendipity restaurant's "frozen hot chocolate" dessert. This is something we had been hearing about all week. After walking for several miles ( okay, maybe it was more like 15 minutes), we found the restaurant, and after putting our names on a HUGE waiting list, wandered off to kill the hour and a half they told us it would take to be seated. When we were finally seated and served, we had to admit we were a little disappointed. The "frozen hot chocolate" was good, but nothing out of the ordinary (no matter what Oprah says!). On the way back we stopped at Bloomingdales and Tiffanys! We are tired!!!!!

This is our last night here in NYC and we are planning on going to Central Park for a free performance of Broadway hits at 8pm. It has been an amazing week. Nancy and I want time to digest all we have seen and heard and experienced and then come back and post one last time. THANK YOU, Fund for Teachers, this has been an incredible journey!

SUNDAY, June 25 - THE TENEMENT MUSEUM

Today was another warm, overcast day in New York City. I started the day with 7am mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is a most beautiful church!! When I got back to the hotel, Nancy and I took the subway to Delancey Street. On the way to breakfast, we passed the Anna Silver Public School. I took the picture of the 911 sculpture outside because it made us wonder about the children from this school who had to live through that horrendous day. This school is less than 15 minutes from where the Twin Towers were. It is hard to image what these children had to endure that day and the many days, weeks, and months after that tragedy.

Finally, we arrived at our breakfast destination - Katz's Deli. Many people suggested that while in New York City we eat at a real New York Deli, and we choose Katz's because it is where the famous lunch scene from the Billy Crystal movie, "When Harry Met Sally" was shot. The deli even has a sign that shows you where "Harry and Sally" sat ! Our breakfast was very good, also !

After breakfast, we proceeded to the Tenement Museum again. Today, we had tickets for the tours, "Confino Family Apartment" and "Piecing it Together" . Both tours were excellent, and after the second tour we were able to participate in something called, "Kitchen Conversations". In the "Kitchen Conversations", our moderator guided the tour group in a discussion of what we had seen, how it impacted us, our own family history stories, and our thoughts on the current status of the immigration issues in our country. We were fortunate to have a wonderfully diverse group and one of the participants had actually grown up on the Lower East Side, not far from the museum.

We took the subway back to our hotel, had dinner at Bubba Gump's in Times Square and then saw a wonderful play, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Circle in the Square Theater.

Our plans for tomorrow include getting up at the crack of dawn and going to Times Square to see the Morning Show with Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer. After which, we plan to come back, get cleaned up and head out for our last day in New York City. This is an amazing place, and we have met many wonderfully kind and helpful people!

SATURDAY, June 24th - THE TENEMENT MUSEUM

Today, Nancy and I took the F subway from the Bryant Park station and found our way to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum which is located at 90 Orchard Street. There is a fabulous web-site at:
www.tenement.org
that will show you much of what we experienced. Since we knew that we wanted to spend some time here and take all the tours, we became members of this organization. The educator's membership is $40 and it allows you full access to all the tours.

This museum has re-created three turn of the century tenements and a docent took us through and explained how people lived in those days. The tenement house itself was built in 1863 by a German immigrant and had 24 different apartments. From 1863 until it closed in 1935 it housed over 7000 people from over 20 different countries! We saw the re-created apartments of the Gumpertz family and the
Baldacci family.

After the tour, we took the walking tour of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there was a torrential downpour during our tour. We trudged through though, and saw some beautiful examples of architecture and spent a somewhat dry part of the tour in the neighborhood Essex Market. I have so much to share with you when I get back!

FRIDAY, June 23 - ELLIS ISLAND

Today was Ellis Island Day!! Nancy and I were up early and we caught the subway at Times Square and got off at South Ferry. We walked over to Castle Clinton and bought our tickets for the boat ride over to Ellis Island. Security is incredible. Nancy said that the high level of security was also evident during her trip to Washington D.C.

Many of you know that my grandmother, Mary Mearon, came over from Ireland in 1905. I feel a special kinship with Ellis Island and when we got off the boat, I felt a little emotional. It is hard to put into words, but I thought of all the thousands of people who came to Ellis Island because they had a dream for a better life - their presence is still there.

We had decided to do everything Ellis Island had to offer, so we started off with a live play called, "Embracing Freedom". The actors were great and they used authentic pictures to set the scene of retelling stories of real people who came to this country. After the play, we went to see a movie called, "Island of Hope, Island of Tears", narrated by Gene Hackman. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a copy of this 25 minute film to share with my classes.

At one point in our day, we sat down on real benches that had been saved from the original furnishings of the building. As I sat there and touched the wood, I couldn't help but think of all the people who sat there and touched the wood as they waited to find out the fate of the rest of their lives. It was comforting to learn that about 98% of the people who came to Ellis Island, made it through!!

FRIDAY

This is a simulated Immigration Board of Appeals proceeding. The young man in suspenders was denied entry into the United States because he had spent the $25 he was supposed to have when he got to Ellis Island. The reenactment took place in the real Ellis Island Appeal Room and members of the audience were recruited to be the Appeals Board. The young man was eloquent in his appeal and the Board granted him entrance into the United States. In the real situation that this simulation was based on, he did not gain entrance and was sent back to his country of origin.

After this reenactment, Nancy and I took the 90 minute audio tour and learned many interesting and fascinating facts about Ellis Island and the immigration process. We will share this information with you when we get back.

At the end of this day, Nancy and I spent about an hour, sitting at a table, outside Ellis Island, drinking cold drinks, and talking about what we had seen and experienced. It has been a warm, but overcast day, so the breeze off New York Harbor made it very comfortable. In the distance, we could see the Statue of Liberty. It has been an incredible day!

THURSDAY, June 22

Today, Nancy and I took the 3 hour Circle Tour of Manhattan. This trip allowed us to go all the way around the island and see it from a different perspective ( for those of you thinking of coming to New York, the Greyline package deal - $73 - will provide you with 2 days of non-stop touring - it's a great deal!). The complete tour covered 35 miles and was breath-taking. Our tour guide shared a wealth of information and we saw the devastation of 911 up close. One of the neatest things we saw was how New York City is adding living space in Manhattan. Chelsea Piers is a new development that allows the city to add piers for recreation - the piers that have been added allow for a 50 lane bowling alley, an Olympic size pool, a golf driving range and tennis courts! Another amazing part of the trip was a view of the Hudson River valley - hills upon hills of green, lush trees transported us out of a stereotypical idea of New York City.

After our Circle Tour, we went to Fraunces Tavern. Fraunces Tavern is a museum and a restaurant, and after we had lunch, we went through the museum. Fraunces Tavern is where Gen. George Washington, on Dec. 4, 1783, bade farewell to the officers of the Continental Army
after the British relinquished control of New York City. You can actually take a tour of the 2nd floor dining room where this historic event took place. From Fraunces Tavern we walked over to Trinity Church, which was founded by King William III in 1697. Nancy spent some time wandering through the church cemetary and found the grave of Alexander Hamilton. From the church, we walked over to the former location of the World Trade Center. We both related to our own Oklahoma Murrah Building - it felt like hallowed ground.

Last but not least - SPAMALOT. It was one of the funniest plays I have ever seen. To my students who galloped their horses to the accompaniment of coconuts - you would have loved it!! Another spectacular day - tomorrow, we are off for Ellis Island!

QUESTION - "WHO IS BURIED IN GRANT'S TOMB?"

ANSWER - No one. People are not buried in a tomb.

WEDNESDAY, June 21

Today was a VERY full day!! We boarded a Gray Line double-decker bus very early and headed out to see New York City. First, we took the downtown tour - we went through Times Square, saw Ground Zero (from 9-11), and went to Wall Street (saw the bull!). We saw the Statue of Liberty (from a distance), the Lower East side of Manhattan Chinatown, Little Italy, the United Nations, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park.

After lunch, we headed out for the uptown tour. We saw Lincoln Center, the Dakota Apartments (where John Lennon died), the Upper West Side, the Riverside Church, the Cloisters, Harlem and Spanish Harlem. We also saw Grant's Tomb, and here is the question of the day -

-WHO IS BURIED IN GRANT'S TOMB? (hint - the answer is NOT Grant). Nancy and I will answer this question in tomorrow's post.

We have a great idea of the parts of the city that we will return to tomorrow. There is almost too much to take in!

WEDNESDAY

We spent the day looking at an amazing city. I would like to leave you with 3 images that reflect the city. The first one is of the Apollo Theater in Harlem. It was the site of some of the best music of the last few decades. The picture of KFC is in juxtoposition to the sign of some cultural intermingling - look closely at the food for sale. The last picture is of Central Park. After our tour, Nancy and I walked through Central Park and it was hard to believe that we were in one of the largest cities in the world.
Wednesday evening , we went to see the play, "Light in the Piazza" at Lincoln Center - it was a beautiful play. It made me laugh and cry. When the show was out, we walked to Times Square. All the plays let out at around the same time. At 11pm, there were thousands of people walking around in Times Square - laughing, talking, eating and sharing a cool summer evening. We felt perfectly safe and have found the people of New York (and their visitors) to be extremely helpful and welcoming. It's been a great day.

TUESDAY, JUNE 20th

Nancy and I headed over to Newcomers High School in Queens by getting on the #7 subway line in Times Square and getting off at the Queensborough Plaza.
Nelly Rodriguez was there to meet us and walked back to the school with us from the subway station. At the school, Nancy and I had the opportunity to meet with Mary Burke, the principal, and she told us about this remarkable school.

Newcomers High School was created to provide immigrant children with an academic program geared to achieve excellence by responding to their unique needs.

The criteria for admissions is that the students must live in Queens, have lived in the United States for less than 1 year, never attended school in the USA, and have their native language not English. The most amazing part of this is that the student body truly represents the term DIVERSITY because the students speak at least 37 different languages!

Here is a picture of Nelly in her library. She arranged for Nancy and I to meet with several of the high school students, even though school is officially done. Many of the students were in the building to finish their Regents Exams and graciously gave us some of their time.

Here Nancy and I are standing by the giant globe in the main hallway at Newcomers High School. We had a wonderful meeting with 7 of the students from this school. I would like to thank Mossamat, Anna, Gabriela, Dubis, Dudlin, Gowhid, and Irun for their time and their openness in sharing their stories. These students came from such diverse countries as Pakistan, Dominican Republic, Chile, Ecudor, Bangladesh, and Haiti. As they shared their immigration stories with us, we kept hearing the same reasons for coming to the United States - opportunity and education. All the students were incredibly motivated to do well and succeed. A college education was in the future for most of the students.

We ended the day with an amazing tour of Queens, specifically Jackson Heights. Nelly and her good friend, Eddie, were the consumate tour guides. They showed us all around the area and pointed out the diversity of the area - full of sights, sounds, and smells of other countries. As we walked along the bustling streets, we saw women in saris and men in turbans. Eddie showed us the beautiful gardens tucked into entrances of classic apartment buildings. We had dinner at a Peruvian restaurant - Pico Rico, and then returned to the city by way of Grand Central Station and the New York City Public Library.

New York City!!!

We have arrived! We had a great trip, arrived at LaGuardia Airport at 5:00pm
and were in our hotel room by 5:45! New York City is a city in motion. Nancy and I had a wonderful dinner at the 44SW Restorante (recommended by the Frommer's book) - a mom and pop Italian restaurant just a block away from our hotel. Great food, great prices.

We walked around the "neighborhood". We are 1 block from Times Square. It is bright and loud and full of energy. We called Nelly Rodriguez, our contact at Newcomers' High School in Queens. We are taking the 7 train from Times Square tomorrow morning and she will meet us at the Queensborough Station.

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum

This is a picture of a room from the Lower East Side Tenement Museum . I found this picture on their website. We will be spending two days at this museum. We will be taking tours of the museum and a walking tour of the area.