This year, New Dimensions went to the most magical city in the world, New York City, a long-lasting HHS tradition that has spanned decades. The trip was led by Mrs. Scharlotte and Mr. Chiorian, who is in his twentieth year of going to NYC with New D. The teachers were accompanied by chaperones Ms. Boyd and Mr. Mangol, who each led a travel group. Mrs. Scharlotte’s travel group was known as the “Scharlotte Sweeties”, Mr. Chiorian’s was “Chiorian Lovers” (the best group), Mr. Mangol’s was the Mangol Mangos” and Ms. Boyd’s was known as the “Beastie Boyd’s.” The experience was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip that all of the students on the trip will never forget. Each day was filled with something new and exciting as we were constantly on our feet, walking around the most populated city in the United States. Here is a breakdown of what New Dimensions was up to each day while in New York City!
Saturday
All thirty-six students were out of bed and on the bus at 7:15 am, ready for the eight-hour journey that was ahead. We drove through the Pennsylvania wilderness, stopping at Buckhorn for lunch where a variety of scrumptious options were available. Wendy’s and Burger King were the biggest hits, just to name a few. We arrived in New York around mid-afternoon and we started exploring right away. Our first stop was Time Square, where we would be many other times throughout the week. We had dinner in our travel groups and went to a fun and interactive improv show that night. It was a great taste of what was to come during the week.
Sunday
Sunday was the first full day of the trip and we covered a lot of ground. We first took a subway to the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where some students chose to go to mass. After, we walked to Rockefeller Plaza, where we rode another subway to Katz’s Deli, a New York staple. Students stuffed their faces with delicious meat sandwiches for a good hour as we were all full for the rest of the day. We walked off our big lunch by going across the Brooklyn Bridge, where there were terrific views of the city. That night we had dinner in our travel groups again and saw the Blue Man Group, where New D was front row to the crazy show. New D’s own Nash Trattner was awarded Best Audience Member by the blue men, a terrific honor!
Monday
On a rainy Monday morning, we took a subway to the American Museum of Natural History, where we spent the morning exploring the big museum. There were some amazing exhibits, but nothing topped seeing Lucy, one of the earliest findings of a hominid. After the museum, we spent the afternoon shopping in SoHo. Some just liked walking around the shops, while others spent some big bucks on new clothes or accessories. For many New D students, Monday night was the highlight of the trip. We went to New D alumni Elliot Moore’s apartment in Hudson Yards, where other New D alumni were there. Current students met some impressive alumni and got some memorable advice. That night really made it feel like New Dimensions was one big supportive and loving family, a terrific opportunity for any underclassmen thinking about applying.
Tuesday
We started the day by touring the United Nations, an incredible organization and an even better building. We got to see where representatives from the countries meet, along with learning about why the UN is critical to the safety of our world. It is a very interesting building that holds a lot of important history. We had lunch at Grand Central Station, then took a subway to Chelsea. In Chelsea, we went to some… captivating exhibits to say the least. Many of them were truly unforgettable. That night, we had dinner in Times Square with our travel groups and saw our first Broadway show of the week, Hadestown. It was an amazing show and a reminder of why Broadway is world-famous.
Wednesday
Wednesday was by far the busiest day of the week, and the most emotional. First on the agenda was the Statue of Liberty, where we went on a boat in the freezing cold air to walk around the iconic American symbol, something so many of our great-great-grandparents first saw when starting a new life here. We then went to Ellis Island, where immigrants were legally processed to come into the United States. Some students found relatives in their database that came through Ellis Island with the help of current family members. It was a very surreal experience to see where the beginning of millions of families in America came through. After, we walked through Wall Street and to the New York Stock Exchange. We had lunch in the Oculus, near the World Trade Center. After lunch, we went to the 9/11 Memorial and the 9/11 Museum and spent time reflecting and thinking. It was an emotional and educational experience that every American should see once. We spent the night in Brooklyn having dinner in our travel groups after a long day. Wednesday was my favorite day of the week because it was the most impactful and moving day of the week.
Thursday
We started the day going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or “The Met” as it is more commonly called. The Met is the pinnacle of all art museums and is absolutely massive. You can spend days inside The Met and still not see every exhibit. You can see everything from Ancient Egypt tombs to famous American paintings and medieval swords and everything in between. After we spent only a couple of hours in The Met, we had some pretty amazing street meat for lunch and spent the gorgeous afternoon in Central Park. New D had an epic dance party in the middle of the park and in the end, no one wanted to leave. We went to Chinatown for dinner, which was an interesting experience as many of us tried to haggle. We also went to Night Court and saw a couple of arraignments take place, which was certainly a unique experience. It was impressive to see the American judicial system at work, especially in such a big city.
Friday
The last day of the trip was nothing short of busy. We began the morning by taking a long subway ride to Brooklyn, where we broke into two groups and visited local high schools. Half of the group went to New Utrecht High School, and the other half visited Edward R. Murrow High School. New D students had the opportunity to meet students from those schools and learn a different perspective, going to school in an urban setting. We got to tour the schools and spoke with the students about our distinct experiences going to high school. After, the group was all together in SoHo, where we separated again into small groups. Some went to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade while others went shopping in the area. We all managed to get back to our hotel and spent the last night of the trip having a dance party, seeing Moulin Rouge. The music was so fun and it was a great way to end the most amazing trip. New York City is one special place and everyone should go at least once in their lives. New Dimensions had an unforgettable trip and we are all so grateful for the opportunity as the teachers look forward once again to next year.
