April 26 2011 - Statue of Liberty, Subway ride, Central Station, Metropolitan Art Museum, 5th Avenue and Broadway Play...

Today we went to the Statue of Liberty. It was so exciting to see. We took a ferry and every moment we were excited. The first time we saw the Statue of Liberty we thought “oh, it’s so gorgeous!” All the tired feeling from the trip went away. It was really sunny and the place was beautiful and filled with happiness being with our friends.

Afterwards, we didn’t take the bus to lunch…but we took the Subway! It was soooooooo busy!

We ate lunch at Grand Central Station. Every single part in this place is beautiful.

After lunch we headed to the Metropolitan Art Museum. The place is beautiful and there is an Egyptian tomb inside. We had time to stroll around and check all the places. Right after the museum, we went to 5^th avenue. The avenue is famous for being in many movies… we had the chance to walk and visit the famous stores, such as Apple, Abercrombie, FAO Schwarz… and many others.

We stopped in Times Square to have a delicious Italian dinner. We had so much food!!! After we went to watch a real Broadway Show… The Phantom of the Opera.

There is nothing else to say since we have visited entire New York… Uptown, Mid-town and Downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and much more.

New York City was my life long dream…and this trip made it come true. It was so exciting when we landed here the first day, and now that it is time to leave…

Thanks everyone that followed the blog.

“See you next time”

Grand Central Station.

Subway Ride.

Statue of Liberty

What a nice reflection.

April 25 2011 - Central Park, Harlem, Grand's Memorial, Financial District, Ground Zero and Times Square!!! Beautiful Day!!!

Dinner at Planet Hollywood in Times Square!

Group in front of Alvin Alley School of Dance, after the Hip Hop Class.

Hip Hop Class.

Our teachers.

Hip Hop Class.

Group in fron tof the bull in the Financial District.

President Grand's Memorial.

City tour

Central Park

Central Park - Strawberry Fields.

Hello world!

We started today with a visit to Central Park. It was an amazing and unique place…we saw Strawberry Fields and a lot of beautiful tulips. It is such a peaceful place where you can actually hear the birds even in such a big city.

We also saw Yankee Stadium, Harlem, Wall Street, and the sight of the World Trade Center. Visiting the area of the World Trade center was so powerful, and we learned that they are building a new “One World Trade Center” and a memorial.

After the tour, we went to lunch in Greenwich Village with many different kinds of restaurants.

Next, we went to hip hop class at Alvin Ailey. This is a very famous dance studio and we got to learn part of hip hop routine from professional music video dance girls from the 80s.

We went to Macy’s in Herold Square and it was huge!!! After some free time for shopping we went to dinner at Planet Hollywood.

We had an amazing time exploring Times Square looking at the beautiful lights and even enjoying our 15 minutes of fame.

Mariam - Germany

Danilo - Brazil

Chuwei – China

April 24 2011 - First day in NEW YORK!!!

We woke up extremely excited and ready for the first full day of the trip! Breakfast was good – of course, American style filled with donuts and muffins… It was also the first time we realized just how many of us there are on this trip. It is so exciting to be surrounded by so many different cultures.

We boarded the bus and took off to Manhattan, with New York themed songs playing in the background when we saw our first sight of the city! Once we got into Manhattan, it was actually very calm because it was Easter Sunday…but there were so many yellow taxis!

The Empire State Building was the first stop for the day. It was a long line but so worth it because we had the most awesome and unbelievable view over all of New York City – especially the Hudson River, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Madison Square Garden. The weather was a perfect 72 degrees and the sun was shining brightly! We were all happy and smiley.

Next stop was to the United Nations. We went on an audio tour and it was amazing to feel the connection of countries. Learning about what the UN does and their goals for peace was interesting and inspiring. We saw the General Assembly room – and it was cool to see the area of our home countries. We also got a chance to send special postcards that can only be sent from the United Nations post office. So be sure to check your mail!

We went to lunch at Pier 17 and had some free time to shop before going to the Brooklyn Bridge.

We proudly crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and took like 1000 pictures. We took funny jumping pictures too. It was a good place to have memories from – we will never forget it. Maybe in ten years we will come back again and always remember when we were here together.

After some refreshing raindrops we saw City Hall and then headed to Chinatown. Here we saw open fish markets and live crabs – we felt bad for them! We ate dinner at a delicious Chinese restaurant with excellent service and a wide variety of new flavors. Our friends from China and Japan taught us how to eat with chopsticks. It was hard but exciting!

On our way back we had the chance to see the bright lights of Times Square at night. It was an exciting day, exactly how we’d imagine New York City! We are looking forward to tomorrow for more fun things and exciting places.

After a lot of walking, we relaxed in the hotel at the pool…and now we’re going to bed, tired but happy!

Love,

Astrid Henriksen - Denmark

Vivien Schillert - Germany

Lena Gohlke - Germany

Nikolaj Strunk - Denmark

And other excited exchange students!

Brooklyn Bridge...

Let's jump!!!

United Nations!

Some of our Japanese students at the top of the Empire States Building!

Germany, Germany, Germany, Germany and Brazil!

Some of our group on the top of the Empire States Building!

WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY!!!

Who hasn't dreamed of going to New York City? No other place in the world can match its excitement and diversity! Whether you want to stroll through Central Park, marvel at the timeless masterpieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, sing along at a Broadway show, or get a bird's eye view of the Big Apple from the top of the Empire State Building, New York can satisfy the curiosity of anyone.

For the next 4 days, we will take in all of the excitement of the city that never sleeps, all while expanding our understanding of American culture and making friendships to last a lifetime. This journal will allow you to travel with us...you'll see our pictures and read the students' own words. We will be updating everyday, so make sure you check in often!

Get ready...we can't wait to tell you our stories!