After a busy day of traveling and getting settled yesterday, we got to do some sighting-seeing today. It was nice to see and experience more of the city. Chicago seems to be a great city so far. I am looking forward to seeing more tomorrow and starting our volunteer servie Tuesday. Staying in an international hostel has also been a good experience, getting to meet and see people from all over the world.
Observing and Interacting With the People of Chicago
We finally have our first full day of the windy city under our belts! Our service here is based around a school and a boys and girls club, so our weekend was free to travel and getacclimated to our surroundings. Today was an eye opening experience for all. We embarked from the Hostel in the morning and were greeted at the subway station by a man rapping loudly across the tracks. We arrived at the Chicago Cultural Center and chatted with a volunteer there who was eager to guide us in ouractivities for the day and was interested in hearing our story. We tourist hopped from the bean to the Shedd Aquarium, and concluded our evening’s festivities with team-made tacos and a Hostel sponsored Improv show.
In closing, we had a chance to see the people of Chicago in a variety of locations. From the hot-spots to the public buses we observed the culture and interacted with those around us. Maybe by the end of the week we’ll blend right in!
Getting to see the city
What a beautiful view of the city from Museum Camapus. Looking back at the Chicago sky line and down Lake Michigan, WOW…Just taking it all in and breathing the fresh air was awesome. The group is awesome and we all bring a new perspective .
Dana F
Sight Seeing in Chi-town
Today we went through chicago looking at various landmarks unique to chicago. One very interesting landmark was the bean, a giant metal reflective bean shaped structure that was erected in the center of millenium park. The most interesting part of it was the fact that when you looked at “the bean” you saw the rest of the city of chicago behind you.
Rainy Day in the City
Now before you get too enthralled with this entry..I must warn you that I have very little knowledge of the geography of New York City, and I will do my best with my last 1 and half days of city experience. =]
(1-16) We settled into a surprisingly comfortable and well situated hostel upon arrival in the city yesterday afternoon. We were lucky to catch some good weather for our first half day, and our navigation expert, Jess, got us here easily. All being hungry from our travels, we made it one of our first efforts to find a filling and cheap meal in the city. With the wonderful resource of Amber’s iphone, we found a fabulous little local chain called “The Hummus Place.” Although a few of us could not pronounce the names of our meals, we were all pleasantly surprised at how delicious and satisfying it was!
We topped off the night was a tour around the electrifying Times Square. People, lights, and sights galore, it was hard to feel tired or bored. We tried our hand at schmoozing ticket prices, got to fill our noses with the aroma of chocolate at the M&Ms and Hershey’s stores, and even got a few pictures with David Blaine.
Needless to say, after all of this we were exhausted and enjoyed curling up into bed with books and music for the night.
(1-17) This morning, our “cultural” day off, we tried to get off to a quick start and beat the oncoming rain. After a few of the group took a nice run through Central Park, we enjoyed a quick breakfast and boarded the subway going downtown; destination Bryant Park.
We got off the train and stared from afar at the city public library, subconsciously steering clear :). We watched the ice skaters shimmy around the crowded rink in the park and stared at the overwhelmingly tall buildings surrounding us. We were disappointed to find that the infamous Wich’craft cafe in the park that we had heard so much about, only had peanut butter hot chocolate left..but then scurried towards Rockefeller Center. We were drawn in by the copious number of flags surrounding yet another ice rink, and spent some more time people watching.
We had heard stories of the huge Anthropology store, and had to give it a try while we were there. For those of us who were not frequent visitors, the art and energy of the place was a cool break from the cold. By the time we left, the skies had opened up so we dodged in and out a few stores before we decided it was time to move on to the next adventure.
The Met sounded all too inviting while we were navigating the wet and cold streets of downtown, so we once again, boarded the subway and made our way up Central Park. With a lucky addition of a seasoned New York City veteran, we got there and were able to enjoy the exhibited before closing. We broke up to hit all of the rooms, some of us to Van Gogh, others to Modern Art, and even others to Oceanic and African Art. Our time there pasted all too quickly, and we came back to the hostel to plan out dinner and the rest of the night. We had a delicious home-cooked pasta and garlic bread meal and retired for games and relaxation.
Tomorrow we head to our first sight of service bright and early! Pray for some sunshine!
Peace Be..
-ASB New York
ASB Winter Trip Updates
The ASB teams traveling to Chicago, New York, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador have arrived safely at their destinations!
Adventures on our day off!
We’ve had a busy day so far in the big apple. Some of us started off with a jog around central park. Then we enjoyed a team breakfast at the hostel. Now we’re trying to stay dry by window shopping on 5th Avenue before we head to the Met for the afternoon.
First Day (1/16/2010)
Yay, we finally made it to Chicago. Our group has been planning for this all semester. We’ve settled in and are ready for the upcoming week. We did not expect it to be so cold up here but we have made the best out of it and have bundled up as best as we can. Tomorrow we look forward to experiencing the spirit of Chicago by going site-seeing. We will keep you updated.
First Impressions
Today, we arrived at Chicago! We took public transportation to our hostel and became acquainted with some of the areas surrounding downtown Chicago. We bought some groceries and made specific plans for the next few days. We all look forward to having a great week!
Safe arrival in the village!
I received an email from our contact at the bus company, and he informed me that the students arrived safely in Arutam village at 7:00 am yesterday morning without any problems. He will give me another update when they return to pick the students up next week!