Stop.  Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.  I want you to picture yourself on a street corner.  This street corner is in the heart of New York City, with 6^th avenue to your right as you face the opposite block, about to cross 53^nd street.  There are a million cars and taxis zooming down the road, and about a million more people surrounding you on the sidewalk.  You might feel overwhelmed, or even completely lost and alone as the people walking past are absorbed in their own minds and lives. But, never fear, because 168 of your sisters are standing next to you on that street corner, experiencing the pulse and the excitement of the city, hand in hand.

Now that January has passed, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful, whimsical city of NYC and the fantastic trip our senior class took.  This longstanding tradition gave us the opportunity to explore one of the world’s most famous cities and become even closer as a class.

Most of the trip was of our own design, including choosing a tour to take with other NDP girls.  Some of the tours offered were for NBC studios, Radio City Music Hall, the Met, or MoMath (National Museum of Math)!  I chose the NBC studio tour, and it was amazing to see where TV programs like “The Today Show,” “SNL,” or “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” are filmed.  Rockefeller center is quite an impressive building, and I felt a bit like Liz Lemon walking through those halls.

Another major part of the NYC trip was seeing two Broadways shows, one on Thursday and one on Friday.  As a class, we saw Anastasia and Kinky Boots, both of which were absolutely extraordinary!  For me, it was such a privilege to see these stunning shows and reveal in the glorious Broadway theatre magic with all of my NDP sisters.

When we were not on a tour or seeing a show, we had time to explore the city with our friends.  This led to everyone’s experience being a little bit different.  Some of the expeditions I took included eating at Ellen’s Stardust Diner (featuring a singing waitstaff), trying out the subway, walking through Central Park and New York Public Library, and visiting a little book shop called Book Off.  Honestly, my favorite part of this trip was the quality time I spent with some of my best friends.  I laughed and cried and smiled my way through the excitement of the city with my best friends, and we bonded even further over the city blocks where we walked.  I couldn’t have asked for a better time, and I’m eternally grateful for the wonderful adventure that was NDP’s 2018 Senior NYC Trip!