Two First for the NYC Old Timer.

It has been a pleasure to have the students in the city. This group is amazingly good at making decisions and playfully discovering the city on their own.

Yesterday, the the day was spent figuring out the theatre puzzle...where to get the cheapest tickets where and when. They are really good at it!

They did a lot of star spotting, ticket buying and a little shopping before meeting me @ 2. After scouring Loehmann's for shoes, we headed down to Ground Zero. It is always a powerful gift to visit this spot where so much life, love and potential was lost with students who are oozing with those very same qualities. I love and cherish the fact that I can grab hands and pray with my students....especially when we are sharing moments such as the reality of life's fleeting nature.

We continued down to Wall Street. What an interesting time to be in the Financial District. Since our economy is not just wavering but wallowing, there were protests all over. The kids and I talked about how amazing it is to live in a country where we can stand on the steps of the stock exchange and verbally rant about specific companies and people. How about that First Amendment? We take for granted the rights we have as citizens.

Our walk south down Manhattan landed us at the Staten Island Ferry. We took the free ferry ride - which goes right by the Statue of Liberty. Fun, fun, fun. I had never done that before - what a easy, fun and cheap treat.

Last night, I was the guest of Amanda Simon's as she spent the day shadowing the New York Knicks Cheerleaders. As the coach of the Skyforce Skyleaders, she got a sit down with their staff and a set of tickets for the Knicks and Nets. Keegan Warwich came too. We saw a great game...3 dunks by Patrick Ewing jr. and the final score was 110-111 Nets. That was my first trip to Madison Square Garden - another first in one day!

Having the enthusiasm of the students in the city has really been a gift to me. I am invigorated watching the learn to love the city.