Smiling Teen (NYC)

Author: Gloria C.
Date of Trip: May 2007

Our 14-year old granddaughter was graduating from the eighth grade with honors and we wanted to do something special for her. She has never been away from home or on an airplane. With permission from her parents, I started planning a surprise trip of a lifetime for her. Her grandfather and I gave her a box full of New York paraphernalia (plane tickets, hotel reservations, Hairspray tickets, Statue of Liberty reservation, Frommer’s Guide to New York) to break the news. The smile started and didn’t end until our return home.

Arriving in Manhattan on a Saturday morning, we had an early check in at the hotel and headed for Times Square. After lunch at a NY deli, we went to see Hairspray. We all loved it. On the walk to Central Park where we took a carriage ride, we saw Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, and all the wonderful stores (Prada, Gucci, etc.). The day ended with dinner at a nice restaurant and we fell exhausted in our hotel room.

Sunday morning found us in line for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our granddaughter’s eyes were wide with excitement. Lunch was pizza in Little Italy and palm reading at a street festival. Ground Zero was a quiet stop with sad memories.

Monday was spent at the Tenement Museum in the lower East Side. Being a history buff this was her favorite experience. Chinatown was our next stop on the way to the airport for our departing flight.

It was 3 days of action packed adventure, great learning experiences, and a memory to last a lifetime.