2014 Senior Class Trip

New York City by Drew Boykin

The Class of 2014 Takes on NYC
Operating on little sleep, spirits were high as we left home for New York City early last Sunday morning. The flight was quick and uneventful, and we were on our way to the city! New York was unlike anything we had ever seen. There were people everywhere, giant buildings, and many interesting smells. We had a delicious lunch at John’s Pizzeria, and after we ate as much pizza as possible, we were off to the main event of the day, the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The building was magnificent, and we were able to enjoy singing from The Sounds of Liberty, a music group from the best school in the nation, Liberty University! Go Flames! After the service, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. The scenery was breathtaking, and we quickly learned not to step in the bike lane to take pictures, as the NYC bikers were not going to stop! After a busy day of travel, we finally went back to the hotel. The Days Inn would turn out to be an unexpected place to make memories; from faulty fire alarms, to broken toilets and elevators, we never knew what to expect from the Days Inn hotel!

Day two of the trip started with a visit to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, where we were able to take pictures next to stars, such as Derek Jeter, Denzel Washington, and even Carrie Underwood. After lunch in Times Square, we went to the 9/11 Memorial. It was amazing to see the memorial dedicated to the many who lost their lives that day. It was also awesome to see the Freedom Tower standing prouder and taller than any other building in the nation. It was unbelievable to experience a place so quiet and reverent in a city so fast and loud. Dinner that night was at Bubba Gump’s, where we were treated to delicious food and Forest Gump trivia games. We then went to the Empire State Building, where we waited and waited in lines. We never thought we were going to get to the top! However, once we were able to see the city that never sleeps all lit up at night, it was worth it. We could see all across New York City, and the view was beautiful.

Our second day in the city was done, but not before one of the most interesting aspects of the trip…the subway! Riding the subway had us crammed up in each other’s personal space, and while we thought it would be miserable, it turned out to be the source of a lot of fun. We played a dare game called “What are the Chances?” The game caused people to do crazy and sometimes awkward things, such as flexing next to a body builder (Beau Barger), getting rejected by an elderly lady (Mr. Deans), and even licking a subway pole (Austin Beck)…and yes, he is still alive. While on the subway we also saw some awesome entertainment, including a group of drummers, who allowed Josh Gardner to play on the bongos! The subway was always interesting; the patrons of New York will never forget WCA’s Class of 2014!

Our third day in New York started with a tour of Radio City Music Hall. It was awesome to tour the place that holds performances by the famous Rockettes, and even hosts the NFL Draft. After that, we were able to see the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden! The Garden was all decked out for the Rangers, as they are currently in the chase for the Stanley Cup. We rushed back to the hotel to get dressed up for the Broadway shows that night. The performances were amazing. My group went to see The Lion King, and it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life. The costumes were amazing, and everything was perfectly planned and performed. All of us agreed that we want to see it again! The other groups went to see Phantom of the Opera or Alladin. They all said they had a great time. The Broadway musicals were definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

On Wednesday, we were able to walk around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was really cool to have the opportunity to search your family’s name and see where they are from. We also got to see Grand Central Station, and then we split into groups and went to either Carlos’ Bakery, the MET, or the Intrepid. My group went to the bakery, the home of the TV show Cake Boss. The desserts there were delicious! They had cupcakes, brownies, cannolis, and any other dessert imaginable. We then made our way to the Mets game, however, we had a little hiccup when we lost our fearless leader, Mr. Helder, in New Jersey. We all eventually made it back safely and arrived at Citi Field. The ballpark was gorgeous and the fans were crazy. We were exposed to some true New York passion, as a Mets fan, painted Mets colors and wearing an afro, let a few Dodgers fans know he didn’t like their team. It was a great game that ended in a 4-2 Dodgers’ victory. We even got to see one of the rising stars in the game, Yasiel Puig, hit a homerun. We all went to bed ready to enjoy our final full day in New York. Thursday was my favorite day. We started off with a walk through Central Park. Here, we ran into a chorus group from New York. Our chorale was able to merge with them, and they all sang songs, while Trevor Thornton did some hilarious interpretive dancing. We then made our way to my personal favorite part of the trip…Chinatown! It was all I had hoped it would be! Name brand knock-offs at low prices; it was mayhem! I was able to get a couple of watches and gifts for my family. It was also funny to see my fellow classmates bargain. Some enjoyed driving a hard bargain, and several got to see the back rooms of the shops to get their designer purses. After we had bargained to our heart’s desire, we went to get my favorite meal of the trip…Dallas BBQ! We had a meal of delicious chicken and ribs, and Mr. Helder had a special announcement, the names of our Valedictorian and Salutatorian. This is an extreme honor, considering that we are the best class to ever walk the halls of WCA! The results were Carson Smith as Valedictorian, and Lucas McCallen as Salutatorian! After the big announcement, we took a ferry ride around the city. This was fun, but the real fun was packing 16 people into a limo to ride back to the hotel in style.

Our last day in New York consisted of last-minute shopping and enjoying our final moments in the city. We all went to Times Square one last time to enjoy the stores. We headed back to our hotel, sad to leave New York, but ready to be back home. When we arrived at the airport, we were surprised to find that our flight had been canceled. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to fly out until the next day, but God was certainly in control, as we were able to get a special flight at 10:30 that night. However, that meant we would have to hang out at JFK for seven hours! The time flew by as we played cards and enjoyed hanging out with each other. After sitting on the runway for an extra hour, we were finally heading home. We landed at an early 1:30 am. It is safe to say that the New York Trip was one of the most enjoyable memories of my high school career. I have been blessed with awesome friends, who I enjoy spending time with. However, I think all of us agree that nothing beats home sweet home, where there are Cookouts, friendly people, and grass!