A note to the readers:
This book of memories is
written based on my own to help you keep track of yours. In that spirit I’ve
taken the liberty of using an unorthodox style to create this history. Did you
ever read those create your own adventure books as a kid? If you did you should
be able to proceed to the beginning of the story and follow the prompts without
a problem. If you didn’t here’s the dish: this story is written as you are experiencing
it. You’ll get to make choices as to some of your actions or just skip around
to your favorite memories. At the bottom of certain pages there will be notes
that tell you what page to go to in order to move to a certain experience or
another. For example you might be given the option to enter a certain store or
another or proceed directly to Broadway and the circle in a square. There are
no wrong choices. Jump around have fun and remember what a great time we had on
our adventure.
Happy
Michaela
Healton
P.S. If I missed anything I’m sorry but as Leaf Coneybear would say,
“I’m not that smart.” ;p
The Beginning
An annoying noise awakens you and you
begin waking and picking things up and dropping them at random until it
stops. With a moan from the depths of your exhausted soul, you roll over and
check the clock to see what terrible hour it is today.
CHOICE
If
it is day one go here
If it is day two go here
If it day three go here
If it is day four go here
If it is day five go here
If it is day six go here
If it is day seven go here
Day One
“It’s day one and
already they’ve begun turning on each other, and talk of cannibalism has
begun.” –Paraphrasing Natalie Morse-Noland
The time on your alarm clock is
5:30AM. You drag yourself out of bed and begin eating a breakfast of whatever
that is that you’re chewing and swallowing now. You return to your room and
dress in clothes that seem like they’ll remain comfortable after hours of
sitting and pass through the tight airport security. Finally you grab the last
of your necessities and shove them into the suitcase that you could fit
yourself, let alone your clothes, into. Grabbing your suitcase you say goodbye
to your mom and head out to the car.
After a surprisingly brief and
uneventful car ride you arrive at the airport where you are greeted by the
sight of a very shiny headed Borgstrom clad in a Hawaiian shirt.
CHOICE
If
you are early or on time - read on.
If
you are late go here
You’ve got some time to kill. You join
the group of students and parents around until Mr. Borgstrom grabs you to ask
if you have a cell phone. When you reply with a yes, he has you whip it out and
call him so he’ll have your number. Then he takes your picture with his phone
so that you’re shining cherubic face will appear whenever you try to call him.
It’s
time to start checking in. Borgstrom is yelling to make sure your ID is out and
ready so you pull it out of your bag and keep it in your hand until you reach
the head of the line and present it to the attendant. You’re bag is weighed and
tagged, and you are presented with your boarding pass, loss of which is,
according to Mr. Borgstrom, punishable by death.
You drop off your bag at luggage check
and head toward security, trying to stay out of the way of the poor people who
shouldn’t have to get stuck behind the crowd of twenty one teenagers. You drop
your coat and your carryon into the bin and proceed through the metal
detector.
You make it through without incident
and wait on the other side giggling as the clearly criminal Jake is wanded and
patted down.
CHOICE
If
you are sitting by someone from our group on the plane go here
If you are sitting by
strangers on the plane go here
If you truly wish to be bored
in the terminal go ahead. We’ll wait.
You see everyone else you know already in line to
check in and are greeted by a slightly frantic Borgstrom ushering you into
line. You quickly rifle through your carryon for your ID, barely getting it
out before you reach the head of the line. You drop off your luggage quickly
and rush to join the line waiting to go through security. You see someone being
wanded up ahead and hope it doesn’t happen to you.
You manage to get your carryon and
coat into a bin and through the metal detector along with yourself, and join
the friends that waited for you to complete their group of three on the other
side of security.
After some joyful greetings you rush
to catch up with the group so that you don’t get lost on the way to the
departure terminal. As you rush through
the airport you take a moment to reflect on the fact that if you had not been
so late you would have had a better described check in scene and resolve to do
better next time.
CHOICE
If
you are sitting by someone from our group on the plane go here
If you are sitting by
strangers on the plane go here
If you truly wish to be bored
in the terminal go ahead. We’ll wait.
You sit down by someone else from our group feeling
deeply relieved that you are sitting by some crazy person you don’t know.
Instead you are sitting by some crazy person you do know. After some brief but
comfortable conversation you fall into your own activities.
The flight attendant announces that
the cabin lights are being turned down because the cabin temperature is 280°.
The captain comes on and says that according to his instruments it’s only 80°.
A vote is taken and 280° wins by a considerable margin. It is also announced,
to a smattering of applause, that this is Rachel’s first time on an airplane.
You watch the brief safety
instructions carefully, just in case, before pulling on your headphones and
immersing yourself in whatever you brought to do on the plane. You barely
notice the time flying by as it seems almost instantly after take off you are
landing again.
CHOICE
If
you want to sit by strangers on the second flight to see how that’s different
go here
If you want to remember the
second flight while still sitting by people from our group reread this page.
If you are ready to arrive in
You plop down in your seat slightly dejected that you
have been abandoned by your good luck and may end up sitting next to a crying a
baby. You politely greet the young couple who take the seats next to you.
The flight attendant announces that
the cabin lights are being turned down because the cabin temperature is 280°.
The captain comes on and says that according to his instruments it’s only 80°.
A vote is taken and 280° wins by a considerable margin. It is also announced,
to a smattering of applause, that this is Rachel’s first time on an airplane.
You
watch the brief safety instructions carefully, just in case, before pulling on
your headphones and immersing yourself in whatever you brought to do on the
plane. However you are soon interrupted by the people sitting next to you. You
make polite conversation with them about your trip and their trip and the
troubles with getting into college these days.
CHOICE
If
you want to sit by people from our group for the second flight to see how
that’s different go here
If you want to remember the
second flight while still sitting by strangers reread this page.
If you are ready to arrive in
You are here in the Big Apple, and you can’t believe
the number of taxis outside the airport. You grab your luggage as it comes of
the conveyor and head to the bus. You quickly shove your bag underneath and
head up the bus stairs to claim your seat. Once everyone is on Mr. Borgstrom
introduces Ron and Jim, our bus driver and tour guide.
We drive for a while and then park the
bus, and walk the rest of the way to Dallas BBQ. After goofing around in front
of the restaurant for a short while you enter and eat an exceptionally decent
meal of standard BBQ fare. After finishing off both that and your ice cream bat
dessert, you return to the bus to experience the
As you stand in the seemingly endless
line through the Empire State to it’s elevators you begin to get a little
loopy. Just when you’re sure you can take no more you get shoved into the
elevator to make the journey up to the 86th floor. Your ears pop
and you wander around the balcony for a while taking in the majestic view.
After spending due time outside you rush back inside to get warm and scope out
the gift shop. When you are done you return to the bus.
You have hauled your stuff up and
claimed one of the feather soft beds as your own. It doesn’t take long before
the length of your day knocks you out. GO here to begin Day 2
“If you look closely,
Mr. Borgstrom’s tie has legs.”
–Rona Lisa Peretti
After a quick upscale breakfast care
of the hotel you hop on the bus and head out for your first full day of
adventure. Your first stop is
CHOICE
If
you want to go shopping go here
If you want to visit St.
Patrick’s Cathedral go here
If you want to wander around
the NBC Studios candy store go here
If you want to go straight to
the NBC Studios tour go here
You walk around carefully browsing the
available items. You pick up a few things and examine them before finding
something that might be a worth while souvenir. Picking it up, you look at the
price… and put it down again. Looking around some more you begin to think that
this search for something to rake home may be hopeless. When the perfect thing
catches your eye and the price is, thankfully, perfectly respectable, you
purchase it immediately and delighted with your choice head back out.
CHOICE
If
you are going to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral go here
If you want to wander around
the NBC Studios candy shop go here
If you want to go straight to
the NBC studios tour go here
If you want to use the subway
go here
If you want to go to Toys ‘R’
Us go here
If you want to go to the
Virgin music store go here
If you want to go to the
Circle in the Square Theater go here
If you want to see what else
there is in
If you want to go to
You walk into massive building with
all the quiet reverence you can. After the guard at the door checks your bag
you wander around admiring the statues of saints and the brilliant art. Slowly
so as not to miss anything you take it all in. The architecture, the windows,
the statuary, the alter, the long rows of pews, it’s all a little overwhelming.
As you slowly look around you begin feeling very small.
You work your way through the entire
floor of the Cathedral trying to imprint as much of it as possible into your
camera and onto your camera before finally giving it up and heading out the
massive doors.
CHOICE
If
you want to go shopping go here
If you want to wander around the NBC Studios
candy store go here
If you want to go straight to
the NBC Studios tour go here
You wander around looking at all the
different kinds of candy. Smiling you notice that you can make your own bag of
M and M’s in any color you like. Natalie Morse-Noland offers you a barbeque
flavored larva, but you politely decline because you are still full from
breakfast.
Moving farther into the candy shop you
discover gummy confections of every imaginable variety along with chocolate
gold coins and the standard Laffy Taffy sticks and Snickers bars. You’re mouth
waters at the sight of your very favorite kind of candy and you are sorely
tempted to use up a portion of your limited budget just to briefly enjoy this
little treat to remind you of home. Your will power holds however and you
resist, quite gallantly.
Once you think you’ve seen enough
candy to last you a life time, you sit a moment to consider your options.
CHOICE
If
you want to go shopping go here
If you want to go to St.
Patrick’s Cathedral go here
If you want to go straight to
the NBC Studios tour go here
You are greeted in the candy shop by
your tour guide and led quickly through a brief security check. Then you watch
the introductory video explaining NBC’s rich history and effect on modern
American life. When it ends you walk to studio 8H where Saturday Night Live is
filmed. You’re amazed by both the small size of the sets and the gigantic size
of the rigs used to light them.
Soon, too soon for you, it’s time to
head to the next studio 3K, where the very first color broadcast took place.
You see the spot where Howdie Doodie performed for countless years. You also
see the news desks that are the currently the occupation of the room.
Finally you go to the demonstration
studio, and watch Alex Morse-Noland prove once again that he was meant to be a
television news anchor. You end the tour with a presentation on HD TV and the
future of television. As soon as you leave it’s time to go.
CHOICE
If
you want to remember walking in
If you want to go to the
Subway go here
If you want to go straight to
shopping in
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Now look at that. Wait no time. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Ooh. That’s cool. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Check out that art. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Stop for the whiny people. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
CHOICE
If
you want to do something return to the page you were on and select another
option.
Ahh… The New York Subway experience.
You pay two dollars for a ticket and carefully try to get through the turnstile
while the light is green and the sign says go. You make it through without
incident, but the machines eat several of your compatriot’s tickets and you
stand just on the other side of the fencing passing them other tickets to try
until finally they join you in the world of public transportation.
Walking through the station you
appreciate the musicians playing a fabulous rendition of an older Santana song.
Mr. Borgstrom directs you to the right train and you jump on like a pro.
However when the train starts moving you nearly fall over and realize that
there really is a good reason to hold onto the large metal bars located throughout
the car.
As the stops whiz by, you get better
and better at keeping your balance until you almost feel a little like a
native. The native’s just smile indulgently at you and return to their papers.
CHOICE
If
you want to go to
If you want to go to
If you want to ride the
Subway back read this page again, slowly.
You run through
As you run through
After a bit more walking you find
yourself in Strawberry Fields. You are looking at a circle on the ground with
the word Imagine in it. You can hear Mr. B singing the song that this word is a
reference to and are allowed to sit and think for a couple of minutes before
heading off.
CHOICE
If
you want to remember more of
If you want to go to BB Kings
go here
You arrive at the restaurant and
appreciate the chance to sit down for a while. You enjoy the meal you ordered a
week or so ago in
When
dessert arrives you eat it quickly, partly because it’s really good and partly
because you’re getting anxious to head out and see some of
CHOICE
If
you want to go to Toys ‘R’ Us go here
If you want to go to the
Virgin music store go here
If you want to go to an “I ♥
NY” store go here
If you want to go straight to
the Circle in the Square Theater go here
The first thing that strikes you as
walk through the doors and enter the giant Toys ‘R’ Us is that the rumors you
have heard are true and there is indeed an indoor ferris wheel here. You watch
for a couple of minutes as cartoon characters you remember from your youth and
ones that you know are fairly new circle around the giant wheel before heading
deeper into the store to check out the toys.
You
look around for a while before scoping out the line at the ferris wheel. You
are disappointed, but not surprised, to see that the line is too long to get
through before you need to be at the theater. Though it’s a bummer, you quickly
recover and settle for the next best thing by taking a couple of pictures of
the wheel to show around when you get home.
CHOICE
If
you want to go the Virgin music store go here
If you want to go to an “I ♥
NY” store go here
If you want to go to the
Circle in the Square Theater go here
If you just want to stand and
marvel at Time Square go out and look at the lights and watch the tickers for a
while then come back and pick one of the other options.
You walk into the Virgin store and are
almost knocked over by the music pumping through the store’s speakers. Looking
up you realize that there is a glass walled DJ booth on the top floor and a
real live DJ is the one supplying the booking music. You are shocked and more
than a little impressed as you move through the store to see the variety of
music and other items available here.
You look at CDs by a couple of your
favorite artists and consider buying them, but you think better of it as you
know you could buy them cheaper at home. As you follow another member of your group
who has decided to buy something to the checkout area, you look over and see
the latest Harry Potter movie is playing on a block of TVs. It seems odd to you
for a moment before you realize that a large portion of the floor below you is
selling DVDs and that movie is probably this week’s cash cow. You make your
ways back up to the doors as your companions gush over the CD’s they found.
CHOICE
If
you want to go to Toys ‘R’ Us go here
If you want to go to an “I ♥
NY” store go here
If you want to go to the
Circle in the Square Theater go here
Soon you are seated in the back row of theater and the
lights are going down. The play starts with an introductory song and then Mr.
Borgstrom, along with several other audience members, is called on stage. You
are impressed by his spelling ability and think it’s hilarious that his
spelling name is Mr. Clean. After it takes two words to get Mr. Borgstrom, the
only remaining audience member, out of the competition, (Who could have known
he’d spell caterjunes right?), the play begins in earnest.
You watch intently as Chip Tolentino
sings about his unfortunate erection, and are proud of Leaf Coneybear when he
realizes that he is, indeed, smart. Your heart breaks for Logainne
Schwartzandgrubenierre when she overcomplicates vug, and you’re shocked when
Jesus arrives to tell Marcy Park that he really doesn’t care if she wins the
spelling bee. You’re at the edge of your seat to see whether the neglected Olive
Ostrovsky or the magic foot of William Barfee will win. You are shocked when
William finally shows compassion for another person and considers throwing the
bee for Olive’s sake, and are proud when Olive tells him to go ahead and
win.
The
epilogue makes you laugh so hard you can barely breathe and you donate to the
charity on the way out of the theater. You can’t stop humming all the way home.
Go here to start Day 3
Day Three
“No, now it’s
oh-boe-shi-tater-tot-tin” – various students and teachers
After another nice
continental breakfast you pile onto the bus for the short ride to where the
ferry to
However soon you are doing the wave and hanging out with the school
group from
CHOICE
If you want to ride the ferry remain seated and rock back and forth for
about ten minutes.
If you want to go to
You land on
You
are enchanted by the wavy wall that is the faces of immigrants from one angle
and the American flag from another. You look at the globe of current
immigration, and then head upstairs to the larger historical museum area.
You follow the path of an immigrant while learning
about the tests they had to pass through. You look at the supplies used to
confirm physical fitness and mental health, and read about the plight of women
and children who had to wait for a male relative to come claim them.
You
head down from there to the gift shop where you can little trinkets from the
country your ancestors came from and look at the souvenir photo that someone
snapped of you on your way in.
CHOICE
If
you want to ride the ferry rock back and forth for another ten minutes, and
don’t blame me if you get sea sick.
If
you want to go to
You arrive on
As you walk around the island you
realize that you have rarely seen pictures of the Statue of Liberty from ground
level, and after having spent a couple days in
Walking back around the statue you
notice that there are a number of birds on the island and that these birds are
quite used to having people around. This point is driven home to you when you
try and find a place on a bench to sit for a moment, but cannot seem to find
one that’s clean.
Soon you’re in line to take the ferry
to Battery Park. You are interested to see what it’s like, especially if it
means you’ll get to spend some time wandering around again.
CHOICE
If
you want to go to Battery Park go here
If you want to go the
CHOICE
If
you came to
If you came to look around
read on.
You walk around the outside of the shopping area, admiring
the large sailing ships. They are gigantic and look like they came straight out
Pirates of the
Here you find a street performer juggling fire. He does
this impressively well, pulling tricks like throwing his batons between his
legs and tossing them high in the air. Once he has blown them out he pulls a
kid from his audience and jokes around with him. You watch with rapt attention
as he pulls out a unicycle and begins standing on it. That in itself is enough
to impress you, but once astride the unicycle he begins juggling several items
including a flaming baton.
You walk back to where everyone is supposed to meet in a
daze of amazement and shock.
CHOICE
If you want to remember
getting there go here
If you just want to be at
You arrive at
You walk somberly from there to the best place in town to
take a picture of the site where the twin towers used to stand. It is a
saddening experience for everyone and you don’t really feel like you’re looking
forward to dinner.
You look at the proposals for the freedom tower that’s
proposed for the site and wonder if it is really the right thing to build. You
take your place for a group pictures on the stair next to the proposed display and
look out on the strange indoor palm trees.
After a while of talking with your friends you are feeling
slightly better and everyone heads to the texmex restaurant you’re dining at
tonight.
You eat your dinner and dessert without much conversation
because it’s been a couple of days and everyone is starting to get a bit on
each other's nerves.
When you return to your hotel you and your roommates pass
out in a physically and emotionally exhausted stupor. Go here to start Day 4
Day Four
“Nothing’s wrong.
I'm just sad.” –Michaela Healton
You wake up for the last
time in this hotel and eat your last Hilton continental breakfast. After you’re
room is inspected and you’ve left your tip for the maids that have kept your
room so tidy for the past several days, you climb onto the bus.
It isn’t long before
almost everyone around you is dead asleep, so you have some time to relax and
imagine what
You arrive and everyone
convenes at the
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the
Smithsonian Air and
You start on the top floor of the Natural History Museum by
visiting the famous Hope diamond. You’re dazzled both by its size and its deep
blue color. As you walk through the exhibit that houses it you are impressed by
the other precious stones as well. Marie Antoinette’s earrings impress you if
for no other reason than that she was supposedly wearing them when she was
beheaded.
Moving downstairs you examine the skeletons and the giant
fossils of all manner of prehistoric creatures. The pterodactyl’s fossilized
rock impression is one of the most impressive that you see along with the head
of the ancient version of a modern shark. The fossilized fish within a fish is
also a matter of some amazement. You are deeply amused by a recreation of an
ancient cross between a crab and a lobster
Finally you examine the mammal exhibit with the stuffed
mammals from around the modern world, many of whom seem ready to leap from their
displays and attack the unwary passer by.
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the
White House go here
If you want to go to Union
Station go here
As you arrive at the
Moving up to the second floor you find out about the
history of polio. You learn that Candyland was invented as a game for children
with polio by an adult with polio. You see the flag from the pentagon and the
original Star Spangled Banner. You wander through the room housing the
Inaugural Gowns of many of the first ladies.
Finally you reach the third floor where you are greeted by
the original Kermit the frog, and Oscar the grouch, along with Dorothy’s ruby
slippers from the Wizard of Oz and Fonzie’s jacket. You examine the history of
war in American and in American wars in other countries. You look at pieces of
the
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the
White house go here
If you want to go to Union
Station go here
As you enter the National Air and
Moving through another exhibit you discover the history of
flight in
You stop at an interactive exhibit and design your own
fighter plane. It ends up bearing remarkable resemblance to an aircraft from
the next exhibit over, but you don’t mind because it was fun anyway.
As you wander through the space exhibits you look at the
different styles of space suits designed in
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the
White House go here
If you want to go to Union
Station here
You arrive at the
You make your way slowly from floor to floor finding your
heart broken by the names and faces of the thousands of people who died and the
hundreds of towns that were completely destroyed. You look at the facts of how few people in the rest of the world opened their doors
to refugees fleeing the terror.
As you continue to descend you see the dehumanization and
torture and are suddenly glad that you didn’t have time to catch lunch at the
museum. Your heart is torn by the drawings and toys of children who never made
it to adulthood and you walk past information on the war crimes trials with an
empty feeling at the pit of your stomach.
As you leave the exhibit you take a moment to sit in the
memorial room, and collect yourself before heading back to the bus with somber
heart.
You perk up a little during dinner, but fall asleep quickly
on your hard mattress still feeling an overpowering sadness behind your
thoughts. Go here to
start Day 5
Day Five
“December 7, 1941,
a date which will live in infamy…No matter how long it may take us to overcome
this premeditated invasion. The American people in their righteous might, will
win through to absolute victory.” -President Franklin Delano
You drag yourself out of
bed and onto the bus to eat breakfast with the government. You are angered
slightly when you discover that it is actually breakfast at a government
cafeteria, but eat quickly anyway. Once you finish you discover that there is
some free time left before the next planned activity.
CHOICE
If you want to go to the park and hang out until the museum is open go here
If you want to go forward in
time and go straight into the National Air and
If you want to go forward in
time and go straight into the Natural History Museum go here
If you want to go forward in
time and go straight into the
You get to the park to find a few people from our school
are already there. You watch a chin up contest between a couple of the guys
before trying to climb the sitting pole. It takes a couple of tries but you
manage to drag yourself up unassisted. After posing for several pictures you
hop back down and start balancing on the balance beams watching other people
try to climb onto the sitting pole with varying levels of success and lack
there of.
You also try doing some flips over the chin up bar and
hanging by your knees like you did when you were younger and are shocked and
amazed to find you still can. You take some time to monkey around by hanging
upside down under one of the balance beams and doing your best impression of a
sloth.
The next thing you do is try to balance on the tiny round
elevated push up bars around the work out area without much success.
As it’s almost time for the museum to open, you head over to
wait on the steps for the doors to open.
CHOICE
If you want to go to the National
Air and
If you want to go the Natural
History Museum go here
If you want to go to the
You run though D.C. in a way very reminiscent of your
entire trip to
You go to the Old Post Office
and eat a quick lunch while discussing the protestors from the White House and
where to go next.
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
Natural History Museum go here
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the Air
and
If you want to go to the Ford
Theater and Peterson’s Boarding House go here
You walk into the Ford Theater and see the Balcony where
Having learned all you feel you can at the theater you
cross the street to the building where
The room
CHOICE
If you want to go to Union
Station go here.
If you want to go to the
Natural History Museum go here
If you want to go to the
If you want to go to the Air
and
You arrive at Union Station with your food voucher in hand
and feel slightly power mad knowing you could eat a meal at any restaurant for
free. After wandering around for a while and trying a couple of free samples
you settle on what you want and make your order. You eat at a natural pace
while talking about all the things you’ve seen so far in the day with a few of
your friends.
Once you decide to return to the meeting place you get to
sit down, a welcome change, and shortly you meet the fabulous and hilarious
step-on guide. He quickly gives some background on himself, and offers the fact
that he himself is a war veteran and so has some experience that will enrich
his explanation of the memorials.
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
memorials in order read on.
If you want to jump around
here is the original order:
The first memorial you visit is the fairly new World War II
memorial. The center of this memorial is a large fountain. All around the
fountain there are pillars, one for every state and territory of the
There is a wall on one side with 4000 gold stars each one
representing 100 people who lost their lives in the war. There are also two
pavilions which serve as entry points and represent the two fronts the war was
fought on. Around the foot of both pavilions are pools and around the edge of
both pools are the names of all the major battles fought on that front.
All around the outer wall of the memorial are quotes from
the war including quiet possibly the most famous one, by FDR, about
You slowly walk around the edge of the memorial listening
to the explanations of all the symbols and contemplating all the people who
never came home from this one war alone.
As you walk up to the Korean War memorial you are struck by
how truly alive the statues seem, as if they are going to unfreeze and go back
to marching through the rain at any moment. As you walk past the soldiers one
way to circle around them from the other, your guide explains that there are
nineteen statues and one highly polished wall to reflect them to make a total
of thirty eight figures, which represents the thirty eighth parallel where a
lot of the fighting centered around.
As
you hook back around the monument the lights the point at each statue draw your
attention to their faces, and you realize that the statues also represent the
different races of people who fought for the
Walking
to the end of the monument you reach a place where there is a still pool of
water and the inscription “Freedom is not free”. Your guide explains that the
pool water stands for all the men that died. It is a small way of acknowledging
the soldiers who gave their lives to pay for freedom. You are allowed to spend
a few moments here in somber thought before heading to the next memorial.
You walk up the first set of steps to the Lincoln Memorial,
and pause to see a lesser known commemoration. Engraved in the spot Martin
Luther King Jr. stood while making the famous speech are the words I HAVE A
DREAM and the information about the March on
After climbing the rest of the steps you see
You look at the sides of the monument where the words of
two of his most famous speeches are engraved. To your left as you look the
statue you see his famous
As you leave you walk part way down the steps then look
back to see the names of all the states from the time of the memorials
construction.
The next memorial is
As you move past the soldiers you walk by the high black
wall, the wall holds the names of all the soldiers who died in the Vietnam War
organized alphabetically and by when they died. There is a dot every ten lines
to help people find names on the wall, and by each name is a symbol a diamond
symbolizes that the person is confirmed dead and their body has been returned.
A plus sign symbolizes the fact that the person’s body has not been returned.
When the body is returned the plus is turned into a diamond. If a person ever
came back alive a circle would be placed around the plus. There are currently
no circles on the wall.
Finally you see the women in
You walk up to the Roosevelt memorial and your guide points
out that the Roosevelt that greets you is sitting on a chair with wheels in the
back, a quiet testament to his struggle with polio.
As you move into the memorial you see the statue of a man
listening to one of
However
on the other side of the wall of the soup kitchen is a wall of reliefs each
symbolizing a work project.
Farther
into the memorial are large water features. Water pours over giant rocks. And
nearby are other rocks purposefully piled in a haphazard manner to signify the
chaos of war.
At the very end of the
memorial is more water, but this water is different. It symbolizes not only the
end of a presidency, but the end of a life. You take a moment to reflect on the
scale of the memorial before going.
You
reach the final memorial and look up at
You
walk slowly around the tall statue of a man who was, in fact, historically
reported to be tall. Along the walls you read a number of quotes some of which,
like those from the declaration of independence are familiar, while others are
more obscure, making them no less interesting. You hear Mr. Borgstrom
commenting that he likes the one about amending the constitution, which says in
essence that it is necessary for the rules to grow with the society, just as
with all other things.
Your
guide elaborates on the fact that there is always a clear view to the White
House by mentioning that this caused problems. Some of
You
take one final look at Thomas Jefferson’s stern face as you walk out of the
pantheon style memorial, and board the bus. You sing happy birthday to your
guide before dropping him off, and as soon as you reach the hotel fall into bed
without much of a thought. Go here to start Day 6
Day Six
“…what you will
remember is the way it feels. So feel free to touch things.” Our docent at the
National Cathedral
You get out of bed, and
have a simple breakfast at the hotel before piling onto the bus for a trip to
the National Cathedral.
You start out looking around the outside the Cathedral
at the amazing architecture, especially the flying buttresses, gargoyles, and
grotesques. You wander over to catch a glimpse of the garden.
You meet the docent who will be guiding your tour. We start out in the
main body of the cathedral looking at the stained glass windows including the
one that holds the moon rock.
Moving farther, you see the pulpit Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. preached the last Sunday before his death. You also see kneeling
pillows, each dedicated to a great American. Even deeper in the cathedral is
the children’s chapel, designed to delight small children. Going downstairs you
see one last chapel before being given a choice.
CHOICE
If you want to stay in the Cathedral and look in the gift shop go here
As you wander around the portion of the Cathedral that has
been converted into a gift shop you are surrounded by vials of holy water and
statuettes made of olive wood. You see a set of postcards that has a picture of
the gargoyle based on Darth Vader, and you can’t help laughing.
Further into the gift shop you find religious jewelry with
all sorts of symbols, including the Egyptian ankh of eternal life. You also
notice that the music playing over the speakers is available to be bought out on
a table.
You continue exploring the gift shop and find a teddy bear
man of the cloth, and umbrellas covered with pictures of the cathedral’s
resident gargoyles. You walk past displays filled with different kinds of
rosaries, and just when you think you’ve seen it all you spot plush
reproductions of one of the gargoyles in green and red.
Still giggling you stumble out of the cathedral and back in
to the open air. As you head over to the bus almost everyone is trying to show
you what they bought in the gift shop. All manner of souvenirs are being
bandied about as you head out towards the tour of the Capitol.
CHOICE
If you want to stop on our
surprise trip go here
If you want to go straight to
the Capitol here
You
pull over at a little known spot where a giant metal sculpture erupts from the
ground. You read the plaque that says it’s entitled the awakening and watch as
various people attempt to climb to the top of the knee. After observing a
number of failure’s you watch as Natalie Morse-Noland pulls off her shoes and
manages to make it top. You join in the applause before going to climb on the
head.
You have some fun sticking things up the statues nose and
examining its teeth and tongue. You are soon joined by the rest of the group
and a group picture is taken of everyone climbing on various portions of the
head.
On your way back you stop to look at the cherry trees in
blossom and can’t help the urge to take a picture. You get back on the bus and drive through a
corridor made almost entirely of cherry trees, and enjoy the magical feeling
that it gives you to pass through them all.
You arrive at Jim Ramstad’s office and you’re given a name
tag with an official stamp on it and lead down the hall by official
congressional staff people, both of whom happen to be college students.
CHOICE
If you want to go on the
Capitol tour go to here
If you want to become a
Congressman’s aid go to the U of M.
You go quickly through capitol security and then head down
the tunnel between the congress office and the Capitol. It is decorated with
outstanding art done by teenagers from around the country. You rather enjoy
examining the art but there isn’t too much time for it as the walk down the
hall happens rather quickly.
As you enter you see the doors planned to go in the front
of the capitol that never actually got there, because of the amount of time
they took to make. Then in the gift shop you see a statue of Sacagawea, one of
the few female statues in the capitol.
Next you see the old Supreme Court, which used to be inside
the capitol building. As you head toward the Rotunda you stop to see an amazing
and beautifully intricate chandelier that seems to be displayed in the middle
of nowhere.
You enter the rotunda, and are stuck by the paintings,
including one of John Adams standing on Thomas Jefferson’s foot. You are also
awestruck by the painting inside the dome and the relief sculpture that goes
all the way around it showing the history of the
CHOICE
If you want to continue to
the whispering gallery go here
You enter the hall of statues also known as the whispering
gallery. One of the tour guides goes to the other side of the room to
demonstrate its unique sound altering qualities, and you hear him clearly for
the first time in the entire tour.
You next circle around the outside of the gallery to view
the statues. There are two statues in the Capitol from each state at any given
time. You stop to see one of the heaviest statues in the gallery, a Bronze
statue from Hawaii of King Kamehameha I. The guide mentions that Kamehameha is
said to have had twenty-six wives. You think that sounds a little excessive.
You continue around the gallery taking in the statue of a
man from
As you conclude the tour your return to the statue in the
gift shop of Sacagawea and take a moment, and only a moment, to look at the
famous woman from the Lewis and
CHOICE
If you want to go to the
If you want to perform there
practice.
You jump off the bus at the
You
notice the violin shaped chair in the gift shop window with a laugh as you walk
through the hall of states, which houses a flag from each of the fifty
You
meet Borgstrom at the Kennedy head statue where you discover that he has
arranged for a quick tour. You look at the main theater which is large and
amazingly beautiful. You learn that basically everything in the building was
donated. Then you head upstairs to a room that was donated and designed by
Finally you see the
President’s box, which is mostly used to entertain foreign heads of state.
CHOICE
If you want to go to
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” go here
Your final stop of the day is at Toby’s dinner theater. You
enjoy your buffet style dinner and ice cream sundae buffet dessert. Then you
sit back to enjoy “Thoroughly Modern Mille.”
You watch as Millie is transformed into a modern girl,
finds a place to live, and gets herself a roommate. You are impressed as Millie
skillfully wins a job. You are shocked to discover that your waiter is playing
one of the villains that don’t speak much English. You wonder as Millie
seemingly finds love, when it’s the last thing on her modern mind. Your heart
breaks for Millie as her love appears to crumble before her eyes.
At intermission you