New York City: Day 5

Sunday, June 14. The trip to NYC was awesome. It was event packed! We didn't even come close to seeing all there is to see here. We'll have to come back again some day and visit the museums, Ellis Island, see the Statue of Liberty up close, go up the top of the Empire State Building, go to a Yankee game, and on and on!

We boarded the tour bus to go to the airport and I noticed that everyone seemed to be passing us while we were going across the Brooklyn Bridge. Then I realized that the engine was awfully quiet--that's because it wasn't on. The bus had stalled and we were coasting along the bridge. The driver was able to get the bus started again but we had only driven about 2 miles when the engine stalled again. This continued to happen all the way to the airport. We weren't sure if we were going to make it to the airport. I had visions of this large group of children pulling their suitcases along the roadside hoofing it to the airport. However, we did finally arrive at the airport and enjoyed a quiet ride back to Dallas. What a fun trip. I am so glad I was able to do this with Anna. She made me so proud. She did a wonderful job at Carnegie and handled herself very well in the big city!

New York City: Day 4

Saturday, June 13. Today was the day I was able to go jogging in Central Park. What a beautiful day for a run. The sun finally broke through the clouds and the park was full of activity. There was a bike race, a road race, and I think every dog owner in New York City was there walking their dogs. I explored the park for over an hour. I ran around the Jackie Onassis Reservoir and explored an area called "The Remote." Despite all the activity at the park, I found relatively few people and/or dogs in this area. It was a wooded area of meandering paths. I wondered if I should feel threatened being along in the park, but I really felt very safe. I had meant to emerge from the park near W58th street where I entered, but I came out in front of the Museum of Natural History at W81st street. Just a little off course! I would have loved to have time to visit this museum but you have to have a reason to go back to a place, right? I made my way back to 57 Street where the hotel was located. It ended up being a longer run than I had planned, but it was well worth it.

The kids had their final rehearsal in the morning and then we were free until the afternoon. We went to Grand Central Station where we had lunch and a New York pretzel. We then went to the Rockefeller Center and road up to the "Top of the Rock." That was an awesome view of the city. I really enjoyed that. It was fun to see the view of Central Park from so high above. It made my run seem all the longer! After this, we got the kids back to the hotel to get ready for their big performance at Carnegie Hall.

The big night finally arrived. The kids were very excited. They performed a wonderfully entertaining repertoire of songs including "Where the Music Comes From" (Hoiby), "Regina Coeli" (Haydn) "Laudate Dominum" (Mozart), "Walk in Jerusalem" (Dilworth), "Servant's Chorus from Don Pasquale" (Donizetti), and "How Can I Keep From Singing?" (Walker). They received a standing ovation after the spiritual "Walk in Jerusalem" as well as at the end of the performance. They were by far the most entertaining of all the performances that night. I'm not just speaking as a proud parent either! They really did a nice job.

After the concert we hurried back to the hotel to change our clothes and wait for a bus to take us to the harbor where we boarded a boat for a nighttime cruise around the harbor. They had kid-friendly party food (Chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, cookies), a dance floor, and a wonderful cruise near the Statue of Liberty. It did rain most of the night but that didn't stop anyone from having a great time. We got back to the hotel about 1:30 in the morning so the kids (and grownups) were quite pooped!

New York City: Day 3

Friday morning began bright an early as the Younger Generation Chorus had a private rehearsal for a program we were offering that afternoon at the Calvary Baptist Church in downtown NYC. I was the accompanist for this program.

After our rehearsal, the kids practiced with the rest of the children's choirs. The grown-ups took the opportunity for some sight seeing without the kids. A few of us rode the subway to Wall Street to see the Trinity Church and St. Paul's Church. Trinity Church is the church made famous in the movie National Treasure with Nicolas Cage. I really enjoyed St. Paul's Church. This church is located adjacent to the site of the World Trade Center. It was built in 1765 and survived the great NYC fire (in which the Trinity church was destroyed) as well as the WTC bombings. Inside the church a museum of sorts has developed. This was the place where the search and rescue workers would go for respite and relief. It was also the place family members would place flyers looking for loved ones or memorializing them. It is also the site where George Washington worshiped. They have the pew in which he prayed sectioned off. It was really a neat place to visit and see in more detail than what was allotted on our bus tour of the city. I wish Anna could have seen this because I think it would have made an impression on her as to the significance of the events of 9-11.

At 1:00 that afternoon, we walked over to the church where we performed for the parents, and Emily Ellsworth, the guest conductor. I was excited to hear that I would be playing a concert Steinway piano that Van Cliburn played when he lived next to the church. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by how the piano played. It seemed as if it might be time to do some maintenance on the piano. Anyway, the choir sounded beautiful! Ms. Ellsworth really praised them for their attention to detail and their superior quality of tone. However, she did give the choir some fantastic feedback on "feeling the music" and being more engaging with their audience.

Following the concert, we all went to John's Pizzaria for lunch. After eating, the choir sang "You've Got a Friend" for the patrons of the restaurant. Many of the choir members then headed to Time Square for a little street performance, but Anna was itching to go to Chinatown and find herself a "designer" purse. We boarded the Subway for Chinatown and emerged from the subway into a whole 'nother world! We were quickly whisked away by a lady who promised us "purses..Gucci, Coach, Louis Vuitton, etc." The "designer" purses are often hidden in a van, under the floor, or in a small back room hidden from the street. Anna finally found the purse she was looking for "Juicy Couture." We headed back uptown to the Majestic Theatre where Anna and I saw Phantom of the Opera. She really enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed it as well. Our seats were excellent and the Phantom did a really nice job. Carlotta was my favorite. She had the "Diva" role down pat!

After the concert we wondered around Time Square at night. Anna was bumped by a young kid who was suspiciously running away. A few seconds later, two men came sprinting behind him trying to catch him. I doubt they ever found him. It is easy to blend in the crowd there. We finally returned to the hotel and collapsed after a very busy day in the city!

New York City Day 2

Thursday, June 11. Today was tour day. We boarded a tour bus and had the "down and dirty" tour of NYC. We stopped at Central Park and walked near the John Lennon memorial section of the park. Of course, everyone is morbidly curious as to where exactly he was shot, so we saw the entrance to the Dakota Apartment building as well. We drove through Greenwich Village, Times Square, Chinatown, and Little Italy. We also drove by the Lincoln Center and Julliard. We stopped at the South Street Seaport. Here we had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge and caught the Staten Island Ferry. Unfortunately, it was a foggy day and the Statue of Liberty was quite foggy. It was still really neat to see her. I just imagined the joy the immigrants felt as they saw her in the harbor after such a long journey over the sea.

We drove by the Empire State building and was only able to jump off the bus long enough to take a photo. Since it was a foggy day, the top of the building was in the clouds. It was still pretty magnificent. We did stop at the Rockefeller Plaza and see where the Today Show was filmed. We stopped at St. Patrick's cathedral and walked around inside for a few minutes. We drove to Wall Street and saw the NY Stock Exchange, the Trinity Church (made famous in National Treasure with Nicolas Cage, saw Ground Zero and St. Paul's Church.

Day 2 was also the first day of rehearsal. I think the kids had forgotten they were in New York to sing and not just sight-see. They were groaning about having to rehearse. They were joined by kids from 4 other children's choirs. The other choirs were the Ko'olauloa Choir of Laie, HI; the Louisville Youth Choir from Louisville, KY; the Northwest Community Music Academy Encore Choir from Crystal Lake, IL; and coincidentally, another choir from Plano, the Children's Chorus of Collin County. The director was Emily Ellsworth. She is a nationally recognized leader in youth chorus circles. She was fantastic. She had an obvious love of music and love for children.

New York City: Day 1

Anna and I went to New York City on June 10, 2009. Her choir, the Younger Generation Chorus got to sing at Carnegie Hall as part of a Children's Music Festival. Here's the rundown on our trip.

Wednesday, June 10. Arrive in Newark, NJ. Ride the bus to the hotel, get settled and quickly head out the door to begin exploring New York City. Our first stop was the world famous Carnegie Deli. They are famous for their corned beef and pastrami sandwich. You know what they say, "When in Rome..." So I tried the famous sandwich. It was delicious. However, those New Yorkers are hooked on spicy yellow mustard. Who needs that?? After filling out bellies, we headed for Time Square and the M & M store. That night we went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater. It was a fantastic show. The set was really neat and the theatre was beautiful. My favorite part was the dancing on the rooftops..."Step in Time" (also my favorite part in the movie). Anna really enjoyed the show. At intermission, there was a flurry of text messaging going on as we received word of severe thunderstorms and tornadic activity back home. Fortunately, the family was safe and hiding out in the closet for the evening.