April 7th 2009 - The City That Never Sleeps

Our day stayed out with a visit to the Empire State Building which already was quite crowded. But the view from the top was worth waiting for, though I have to say that Manhattan looks a little unreal when you are actually there and don't just see it on TV.



From the Empire State Building, we walked to the world's biggest Macy's. In this general area we had about two hours to shop and eat lunch. Following lunch, one group headed to Grand Central Station and then to the UN while the other group did it the other way around. Grand Central Station is exactly like movies such as Madagascar show them and is housed in one of the most beautiful buildings of New York.

After this short stop we headed through the canyons of Manhattan towards the UN. The UN complex, by the way, is not on US but international territory. Shortly after we arrived, Raphael pulled a miracle by arranging a tour through th UN for us. The tour was definitely among the most interesting but also emotionally shocking parts of our trip. At first we saw gifts that many nations gave for the UN, such as an ivory carving from China whose complxity you can only belive if you saw it yourself. Then we saw a new sections called The Goals of the Century which are led by fighting world hunger and poverty. Last we saw the meeting hall and a few more gifts such as a guitar made from an AK-47.

Next up was a visit to the NBC studios. The funny part here was that close to no one knew the shows whose sets we visited. We closed the day by eating Italian and going on a two-hour shopping tour.



Last thing to say: Times Square at night is one of the most impressive things you're gonna see in your lifetime.

-Hendrik (Germany)