New York City

The marching band trip to New York City was crazy. It was an eventful four days with a lot of things scheduled. There always seems to be a surprise that pops up on band trips, and this was no exception. 

We left early Saturday morning. When we got on the buses, it was uncertain if we would perform at the Statue of Liberty. When we got to New York City, we were unsure what our schedule was. We ended up doing a harbor tour, where we got to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Once the tour was done, we got to explore Battery Park for the afternoon.

Eventually, we got to the hotel in New Jersey. This affected the "STOMP" group, as we had to get our stuff off the bus, place it in a hotel room and then figure out where the theatre was. Eventually, we got to the theatre, although we arrived 46 minutes late. Thankfully, we got to see the second half of "STOMP." It was a very cool performance. I enjoyed watching it live.

Sunday was much calmer. Most of the band went to the musical they chose to see. "Chicago" was interesting. I really liked the songs. The story was pretty cool, too. After "Chicago," our group got dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner. The restaurant had a singing wait staff, which was cool. The food and entertainment were wonderful.

Later that night, I found some other friends and walked with them. We had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, which was next to our hotel. This was my first time there and I got crispy jumbo shrimp. It was a fun experience, and I also got a shirt.

Monday was the Columbus Day parade. We went from 47th to first in the lineup. Due to the government shutdown, the West Point band was not allowed to participate and we took their place. Once we finished, we were told we would be reinserted in the parade. Luckily, we only had to march half of the parade route the second time around.

After the parade, we went back to the hotel and a group of us went to Joe's Crab Shack. This time, I had shrimp pasta alfredo and it was really good. I decided not to go back into New York and it was a great choice. I was able to relax and I slept pretty well.

Tuesday morning, we packed up and came back to Ada. We actually got back earlier than expected. Everyone was excited when got back in Ada. Once I got home, I got to see a video of the band playing the National Anthem and marching in the parade.

Overall, it was a great experience. I got to see two shows, march in a parade and explore New York City. It made me glad to be in marching band at Ohio Northern University.