Penny W (@penny4m) tweeted at 1:44 PM on Mon, Apr 01, 2013:
Thanks @TCBCSchoolTours & all their friendly and informative city guides for a superb itinerary & a fab time in the USA. #withingtonusa2013
(https://twitter.com/penny4m/status/318705311080906752)
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I’m making this post whilst waiting at our gate for the flight home.
We have had another great day in New York City, starting with a cruise along the harbour and out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
The.views of the City were fantastic!
Back on dry hand we walked along Wall St
Next was the top of the Empire State Building …
Then shopping and away to the airport.
I hope you’ve enjoyed following our journey, though I am sure nowhere near as much as all the girls and staff have done! Special thanks go to Ms Maher for arranging such an ‘awesome’ itinerary!
Posted by Mrs Willis at JFK Airport, New York. 20.50 AM
Penny W (@penny4m) tweeted at 11:27 AM on Sat, Mar 30, 2013:
Back on dry land after a fantastic trip around the harbour in glorious sunshine! http://t.co/ZKuVQL0RXO
(https://twitter.com/penny4m/status/318021633879179266)
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After a somewhat long pause (due to a 16 hour non-stop day yesterday!) I am pleased to report.that we had a fantastic day yesterday in sparkling blue skies.
We walked through all five boroughs including Greenwich Village (below)
Then we visited the 9/11 Memorial – a truly sobering experience. Our guide commented on the exemplary behaviour and empathy of our girls.
After a quick change back at the hotel we headed for Times Square and Broadway where we saw Chicago.
Now we embark on our final day before heading to the airport and home. I think we’ll all sleep well on the plane!
TCBC School Tours (@TCBCSchoolTours) tweeted at 6:03 PM on Thu, Mar 28, 2013:
Breakfast in DC, lunch in Philly, dinner in NYC. WGS just had tour of Independence Hall #withingtonusa2013 http://t.co/F4ERsbrn62
(https://twitter.com/TCBCSchoolTours/status/317396600165126144)
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We have arrived in New York City! Having started off at 8 AM we headed off by coach toward Philadelphia. With a one-hour stop at Christiana Mall in Delaware (no sales tax here!), we arrived in Philadelphia to be met by our guide , Jen, who ushered us to the State House , where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the US Constitution was formulated and where the senate sat until the state buildings at Washington were completed.
After a look around the State House then lunch in the Bourse, once a stock exchange we took a guided trip around Philadelphia by coach – definitely a taster for a return visit one day! We ended at the ‘Rocky steps‘ site of one of the iconic scenes in the Rocky film.
All the girls and Mrs Hughes and Ms Maher took the run to the top and were rewarded with a fantastic view of the city at the top!
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Here is our first view of NYC – more tomorrow!
Posted by Mrs Willis in NYC, 8 AM
It’s day three and day one seems an age away! We began the day with a tour of the Capitol and the Library of Congress. It was another glorious sunny day – though still cold.
Some of the group outside the Capitol.
_ _
We enjoyed an excellent guided tour of the Capitol building and learnt a great deal about the mechanics of the US political system and gained a much greater understanding of how Americans view their rights and freedoms.
Next we visited the Library of Congress, a superbly designed building and where we were able to view Thomas Jefferson’s amazing book collection.
The afternoon was spent visiting the museums of our choice. Most girls chose the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Speaking for myself, I was enraptured by seeing the actual lunar module that orbited the Moon on the Apollo 11 mission – especially as we had only hosted actual Moon rocks at Withington only a couple of weeks ago!
The late afternoon and early evening saw us taking a short bus trip to Georgetown – the oldest part of Washington – a really quaint and beautifully preserved town. Here we had a very good dinner at Paolo’s.
Then it was back on the coach again for a tour of Washington by night, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial , Second World War Memorial and the White House.
Another packed day and suitcases are to be packed tonight ready for an early departure for Philly in the morning.
Posted by Mrs Willis, 11pm Washington time.
TCBC School Tours (@TCBCSchoolTours) tweeted at 0:17 PM on Wed, Mar 27, 2013:
Guess where…#withingtonusa2013 having a great time! http://t.co/JhhUnwW8ps
(https://twitter.com/TCBCSchoolTours/status/316947062186983424)
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Our group has spent a very full day visiting a number of the Washington memorials, the Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum, mostly on foot. We were fortunate that it was a sunny albeit cold day. Spring is late this side of the Atlantic as well! The Cherry Blossom festival is imminent, but the blossom is yet to happen!
Here we all are with the Potomac tidal basin and the Jefferson Memorial in the background.
At the FDR memorial everyone loved the statue of his dog, a Scottish Terrier called Fala.
It has been an amazing day where we have had the opportunity to learn about great and good men of humanity and vision, while conversely considering the worst horrors of war and chaos.
In the evening we enjoyed our evening meal at the Hard Rock Cafe …where our girls joined an impromptu performance by the cafe waiting staff of Gangnam Style!
Well we have arrived! Straight away when we got off the plane the transport to the airport building was very different – a sort of hydraulic sci-fi type huge transporter!
The queue for customs was more than two hours long . What a wait!
We were met ‘on the other side’ by our guide, Canden, and taken to our hotel . In some ways the delay at customs was fortuitous as when we arrived at the hotel all the guests – some of them in bath robes – were outside at the front due to a fire alarm!
All inside in the warm now! We are all looking forward to a packed day tomorrow.
Posted by Mrs Willis, 8 PM Washington time.
Withington Girls' School in the USA 2013 