A group of 45 travelers organized through Explorica Educational Travel and Piedmont Academy traveled to New York City and Washington, D.C. March 31 through April 4.
Upon arriving in New York City, their first stop was Grand Central Station where they toured the main concourse and had lunch in the food court. Afterwards, they went on a walking tour of Midtown Manhattan, New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue, the Diamond District, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center.
Their first guided tour was of Radio City Music Hall and they had the opportunity to meet and visit with a Rockette dancer.
Afterwards, several of the students skated in Rockefeller Plaza. They enjoyed dinner at Heartland Restaurant in the Empire State Building. Another shopping spree in the Herald Square district was followed by a trip to the very top of the Empire State Building, the tallest in New York City. The views from the 86th floor observation deck at night were breathtaking.
The group kicked off their second day by boarding a ferry and visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The ferry disembarked at the fort in Battery Park in Lower Manhattan and they walked down Wall Street seeing Trinity Church, Ground Zero and the Fireman’s Memorial. After lunch, they headed to Chinatown. They enjoyed dinner at Mamma Sbarro’s in Times Square before a truly wonderful Broadway show, The Addams Family.
Their final day in New York included a walking tour of Central Park. They saw the Strawberry Fields, the Dakota, Bethesda Fountain, and Belvedere Castle. After touring the park they spent time in the American Museum of Natural History.
Upon leaving the busy city, they traveled by coach to Washington, D.C. and rolled into their first stop in D.C., the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl, for a delicious dinner. Afterwards, they took night tours of the White House, Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln Memorials as well as the monuments to those who died in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The next morning began with a visit to George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, followed by lunch at the Pentagon City Mall. Then, they walked through Arlington National Cemetery, watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and experienced an unpredicted hail and rain storm! Luckily, the storm blew over quickly and they continued to the Eternal Flame and toured the Arlington House. Dinner that evening was at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The tourists had some free time afterwards to explore the area, and then finished the day with a ghost and history tour of the colonial town.
Their first stop for the next day was Georgetown Cupcake where they tasted cupcakes so delicious they have their own show on The Learning Channel. Their group ordered their cupcakes the night before and observed a very long line where shoppers stand in line for over an hour to buy cupcakes. They drove though Georgetown University, by the National Cathedral, the Naval Observatory where the Vice President lives, Embassy Row, and DuPont Circle.
Next on the agenda was visiting the Smithsonian museums: American History, Natural History, Air & Space, Native American, Botanical Gardens, and the Holocaust Memorial and Museum. The weather was perfect and crowds were everywhere on the Mall for the Cherry Blossom Festival with the trees in full bloom. They had dinner at King Street Blues in Crystal City followed by a visit to the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial.
Their last day in D.C. included the museum at Ford’s Theater, the National Archives, Madame Tussauds wax museum, and the Capitol building before catching their flight at Dulles airport to Atlanta.
Travelers included Jana and Blakely Arp; Ryan, Amanda, Michael and Patrick Berg; Elaine Boggs; Traci and Mack Brady; Doris Cunard; Elizabeth, Ben, and Sydney Davis; Stephanie and Lynne Marie Edwards; Laura and Ivy English; Scott, Dominique and Levi Ford; Melissa and Evan Harvey; Rae, Ashley, and Mattie Johnston; Susan and Anna Jones; Curtin and Lynne Morgan; Judy and Ivey Nelson; Amy and Rylee Owens; Kathy and Garrett Richardson; Jennifer and O’Neil Sealy; Donia Smith; Gena, Matti and Ryn Smith.
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