Start Spreading the News! It's New York!

Above: This is a replica of the Google Chelsa Office made with Legos. It is on display at Google. The Google Office is the same width as the Empire State Building is tall.

Above: Me at the conclusion of the GTA Experience!

Above: Brenda & I take time out from our shopping extravaganza in Times Square for a photo!
Above: Brenda at HardRock Cafe in Times Square! Her first time to eat at a Hardrock!

Above: Our very compact room at the Sheraton in Manhattan.

Big, brash, crowded, cosmopolitan, cultured, expensive -- no matter what you may think about it, there's just no denying that New York is probably the single most exciting, most varied, most vital city in the United States! A great place to visit, but I sure wouldn't want to call it home. My first trip to NY was so exciting. My flight didn't arrive until late in the evening. I flew into LaGuardia, stayed in Brooklyn, and every night took the subway into Manhattan to experience the world's most intriguing city! Without a doubt the most memorable part of that trip was the Broadway experience! I saw "Mama Mia", which had just opened. Maybe it was it the glimmer of the Broadway lights, or perhaps the memories of growing up listening to Abba music that made this a one of a kind experience that I will absolutely never forget! Whatever the reason for this clear and distinct impression etched in my memory, I've always wanted the chance to share it with someone else!

So finally, the opportunity for my second trip to NY came when I received a call from GOOGLE asking me to participate in their National Certified Teachers' Academy. They selected 50 educators around the world to participate. The GOOGLE work environment alone is worthy of a blog entry, but I will spare my blogger friends since most of you probably wouldn't find the techie talk as exciting as I do! After all, I would hate to be the only reader of my blog! The Google trip came about so quickly. I found out I was going on a Monday night and only one week later I was arriving in New York! I knew Alison wouldn't be able to juggle her work schedule, a baby and a husband with this short of notice and Kelli had just returned from a big vacation with Scott. So I thought to myself who of my friends is the most spontaneous and who doesn't have to have a plan to act! And I thought of Brenda. I was right, she said, "Yes, I'll go!" Brenda and I have been like sisters for a little over 25 years and I knew we would have an incredible time. We arrived very late on Monday night because I had a workshop in Owensboro that morning. Tuesday morning I had to head to class while Brenda headed out on a sight seeing tour. She took in all hot spots of the city. The Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and the list goes on! I finished up with my class a bit earlier than I had anticipated so I called Brenda and told her to be ready and we would grab a cab and try to make a Broadway show! I soooooooooo wish I had my camera with me so I could have shared with you all the expressions on Brenda's face as she experienced New York cab rides. She couldn't get her seat belt fastened tight enough! We saw "Wicked" and loved it! The next day we dedicated to shopping! It was an experience very similar to the day after Thanksgiving shopping in Bowling Green, multiplied by 5! People everywhere!!!

We had a very fast, safe trip and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to share this experience with Brenda! Above are a few photos from the trip!