New York City - Day 3

Saturday was a little more laid-back on our New York City trip. Our first stop was Central Park. We just saw a tiny section of the park; Strawberry Fields - the memorial for John Lennon. 

We also stopped for a few minutes at Lincoln Center before driving through Harlem, where we saw the Apollo Theater. We also passed Columbia University on our sightseeing trip; in fact, we drove right by the Teachers College where the new reading/writing curriculum I'm using at school was developed. I also finally got to taste my first (and last!) New York hot dog. (Not sure why they're supposed to be so good...it was just a little hot dog with ketchup and mustard on it that was very overpriced!)

Lincoln Center

Saturday afternoon was the primary reason I was in New York City: to see my first Broadway show ON Broadway - Amazing Grace! I had seen the show twice in Chicago when it was doing a trial run and was interested to see the changes in the show. It is still amazing; the changes I noticed enhanced the story and some of the songs still gave me goosebumps. This is a wonderful show; I'm so glad I was able to see it again and in New York! This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

In New York, everyone lines up outside the theatre before the show. The Nederlander theatre is quite small and it was interesting to see that the wall on the side was actually made up of doors, so we walked right onto the sidewalk from our row after the show! The other difference from the Chicago, Toronto, and touring shows I've seen is that in New York the cast members come out after the show to greet fans and sign autographs - that was so cool! (Yes, I turned into a gushing teenager when I met the main cast members.)

Josh Young plays John Newton

Harriett D Foy plays Princess Peyai

Chuck Cooper plays Thomas

Erin Mackey plays Mary Catlett

We met the rest of our tour group for supper at Ben's Deli and then rode the Staten Island Ferry so we could get another view of the city at night. We got to see fireworks as the boat left Staten Island - a fun bonus!

New York City - Day 1

My mom and I are taking a short bus tour to New York City. She hasn't been on a vacation in several years because of my dad's health and we've both wanted to visit New York. We found this "long weekend getaway" tour online and the timing is perfect. In a way it's a little bittersweet as we still miss my dad very much; in fact, there have been several times today that one of us has said we can't wait to tell dad about something. But we know he would want us to enjoy ourselves and that's what we plan to do. It's good to have this short vacation time together.

We started off very early this morning (5:30 a.m.) boarding our Blue Lakes Charter bus in Adrian, Michigan and then spent a very l-o-n-g day traveling. I didn't realize how long of a drive it is (although we stopped for a few short breaks). Beautiful scenery along the way, though. We even saw the sunrise.

We arrived at our New Jersey hotel around 5:30 and then headed into the city for the evening. Did you know the Lincoln Tunnel goes under the Hudson River? I hope they keep checking to make sure there are no leaks!

About half of us had New York pizza for supper at Cafe Rustico II - delicious!

Then we walked to Times Square for a bit of exploration. Apparently you can find almost anything there: caricaturists, rappers, live snakes (being held by people, not just wandering around!), girls in thongs and body paint (nothing else) in patriotic red - white- and blue colors, costumed characters, and tons of people with cell phones. Actually tons of people in general.

I did learn a lesson involving the costumed characters. As we were walking past some of them I thought it might be fun to have my picture taken with one of them to show my students. "Elmo" saw me glancing over and immediately came up to me, shook my hand, and began to pose. I realized I was going to have to give him a tip, so I handed my mom my phone to take a photo. As she started taking the picture, three other costumed characters slid into place next to us and then I had to give them each a dollar! (Even though they didn't all get in the photo!) So from now on, I will not make eye contact with any costumed characters in New York City!

The photo that ended up costing me $4!

Lots of lights, signs, tall buildings, people, movement = a busy place! 

And we found the theater where Amazing Grace is playing - can't wait to see the show on Saturday!

Amazing Grace

When I was in fifth or sixth grade, our church Calvinette group (previous name of GEMS - church youth group for girls) visited a few nursing homes and sang for the residents. I was assigned to sing the song Amazing Grace as a duet with another girl. We had fun singing together, but the song didn't mean much to me at that time.

As I've grown older, however, I've come to love this song and now consider it one of my favorites. I love the way it talks about God's mercy and providence throughout life and the hope and promise of our future. For several years we sang this song in class so often that my second graders had memorized all five verses in our songbook. There are now several tunes associated with this song; I have my favorite, but with any tune these words still resonate the truth of God's love and grace to sinful people.

I didn't know much about the composer of this song, John Newton, except that he was previously a slave trader and had a religious conversion. A new musical shares more of the story of Newton's life. This musical, also called "Amazing Grace" opened in Chicago last month with the hope of moving to Broadway next year. It's an ambitious show with settings in England, Sierra Leone, and the ocean. The cast is wonderful, the music is awesome, and the special effects are incredible. (An underwater rescue scene is absolutely breathtaking!) In fact, I loved the show so much that I found a deal for half-price tickets and returned the following weekend to see it again! 

After seeing the theatrical production, I became more curious about John Newton and his life. I wondered how much of the storyline was dramatic license and what was actually true. I'm now reading a biography of Newton and am amazed at his pre conversion life - he was quite self-centered, vulgar, and wanted nothing to do with God. And yet - God had a plan for him that included becoming an Anglican priest; he spent the latter part of his life working to abolish slavery and sharing God's love with others. Knowing more about his life adds a deeper meaning to the words of his song Amazing Grace. My favorite song in the musical is called "Testimony" - the song John Newton sings after his realization that God is real and loves him (occurring when John survives an intense storm aboard a ship). It's a powerful song. Since there is no soundtrack (yet), this version is from the concept recording. 

Testimony - Amazing Grace the Musical

(I can't embed it, so here's the link.)

I find it so comforting that God loves every person and desires all to know and love him - His grace extends to all. It's a comforting reminder on days when I mess up as well. 

He came for me. He came to set. me. free.

Praise God!

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
   That saved a wretch like me!
   I once was lost, but now am found;
   Was blind, but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears relieved;
   How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
   I have already come;
   ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
   And mortal life shall cease,
   I shall possess, within the veil,
   A life of joy and peace.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
   Bright shining as the sun,
   We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
   Than when we’d first begun.