Compare New York City at a Slower Pace: The Best of the Big Apple by Road Scholar

Day 1 Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner New York

Hotel check-in from 3:30 p.m.

Program Registration. After 4:00 p.m., come to the hotel’s boardroom located on the lower level to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will review COVID-19 protocols and will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. Group Leaders on our programs are highly trained and knowledgeable about many aspects of the city. We will also have the benefit of local experts who will provide information and commentary on areas of particular interest. If you wish to attend an event independently, such as a Broadway show or a performance at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, etc., you may want to order tickets in advance. Same-day tickets for many performances are available at 20% to 50% off regular prices at the TKTS Discount Booth. The Group Leader will be happy to give advice on how to make it go as smoothly as possible. See www.tdf.org for details. The app TODAYTIX is also helpful. One can purchase future performances at a discount. The fee is modest and well below those paid on Ticketmaster or Telecharge. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

6:30 p.m. We will walk to a neighborhood restaurant.

Day 2 NYC Intro, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral New York

Getting on/off a motorcoach; city driving. Walking a few blocks in Rockefeller Center area, approximately an hour; Walking about 1 mile in Times Square; urban terrain.

We’ll be joined by an historian for an introductory lecture on New York City, a city with its own unique personality. We’ll then board our motorcoach and ride over to Fifth Avenue where we’ll explore St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, including Top of the Rock for a bird’s-eye view of the city.

Next, we’ll set out on an expert-led exploration of Times Square where we’ll learn about the history of the area and the Broadway Theater District located here. If a show is on your agenda during your free time, the famous TKTS discount ticket booth is a marvelous resource you might consider. It generally has a strong selection of the shows currently playing both On- and Off-Broadway and our staff will provide direction and insider tips on how best to utilize it. We’ll return to the hotel for a little break before dinner.

We’ll be joined by a former National Park Ranger who will give us an introduction to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, preparing us for tomorrow’s field trip.

At the hotel.

At a neighborhood restaurant.

At a neighborhood restaurant.

Day 3 Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island; Little Italy New York

Getting on/off a motorcoach; city driving. Getting on/off New York harbor ferries. Walking at your own pace on Liberty & Ellis islands.

We’ll head straight out this morning to take best advantage of our time on Liberty and Ellis Islands where we will explore both islands at our own pace to see and do what interests each of most. We’ll begin by boarding the ferry to Liberty Island. Liberty Island features a wonderful state of the art museum dedicated to the statue. It is not to be missed. Additionally, you may choose to stroll around the island while listening to the included audio guide or join up with a NPS Ranger. The Statue of Liberty was an amazing gift to the people of America from the people of France — our oldest ally — celebrating freedom and democracy. We’ve seen this national monument in countless movies and TV shows and may even take it for granted, but at its unveiling on the Fourth of July 1884, it was the biggest event in the country. Years later, these words of poet Emma Lazarus were added: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” With the opening of the new museum, our tickets do not include entry into the pedestal or the statue. If this is something you would like to do, these tickets may be arranged separately, in advance of the program and at your own cost via the NPS exclusive ticket seller: www.statuecruises.com. Note: Choosing to arrange this for yourself will require a great deal more time on Liberty Island and will necessarily reduce your time on Ellis Island.

Next, it’s on to Ellis Island. From 1892 when the immigration station opened until it closed in 1954, more than 12 million people coming to America passed through Ellis Island. This was their “golden door” to new lives. Today, the descendants of these immigrants make up almost half of all Americans. The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration tells the story of where people came from and what their experience was like. Many went first from Ellis Island to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, at one time the most densely populated neighborhood on earth. The museum includes numerous exhibits, an included audio guide, NPS Ranger-led walks, a documentary film and the family research center where you may choose to look up the historical documents that pertain to your family’s history through Ellis Island. We’ll reconvene with our Group Leader mid-afternoon for a stroll through the Financial District, the oldest inhabited part of the island. Then reboarding the motorcoach, we’ll ride to Little Italy for dinner.

We’ll have some independent time to explore Little Italy. For those with a sweet tooth, authentic Italian pastries and gelato are available steps away from the restaurant. We’ll return to the hotel as a group around 7:30 p.m., with the remainder of the evening at leisure.

At the hotel.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. Both Liberty and Ellis Islands have cafeterias.

In historic Little Italy.

Day 4 Grand Central, NY Public Library, Free Time New York

Walking about 2 miles with frequent stops; city streets. Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

We'll head out on a stroll to visit two iconic New York sites dating back to the turn of the 20th Century: Grand Central Terminal and The New York Public Library. Both are landmarked buildings boasting gorgeous interiors.

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We’ll have a bag lunch “picnic” in Bryant Park, a wonderful oasis in the heart of midtown. Located just a couple blocks from the hotel, the park is centrally located to begin an afternoon of independent exploration.

On your own to enjoy what you like.

Day 5 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York

Getting on/off a motorcoach; city driving. Walking about 1/2 mile through Central Park; at your own pace through the museum.

An art historian will join us to provide an overview of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’ll then board our motorcoach and ride to the Upper West Side neighborhood where we’ll stroll across Central Park to The Met.

During this self-directed field trip, we’ll explore The Met, each at our own pace. Bring your smart phone and ear buds. The Met has recently moved all of their audio guides online for easy and free access in the galleries. The Met, founded in 1870, is one of the world’s greatest museums with a collection spanning more than 5,000 years of creativity. Its artistic treasury from every corner of the world includes paintings, arms and armor, costume, decorative arts, musical instruments, photography, works on paper, and much more. There are 26,000 objects from ancient Egypt, the largest collection outside Cairo; 2,500 European paintings, one of the most extensive collections anywhere; and the most comprehensive collection of American decorative arts, paintings, and sculpture in the American Wing. The Beaux-Arts façade and Great Hall of the flagship building — designed by architect and founding museum trustee Richard Morris Hunt — opened in 1902. Today, tens of thousands of objects are on view at any given time. We’ll regroup mid-afternoon and return to the hotel for a little break before dinner.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure after our closing session in the morning.

At the hotel.

On your own to enjoy what you like. The Metropolitan offers both a cafeteria on the lower level of the Lehman Wing offering a wide range of choices and a café in the American Wing offering soups, sandwiches, coffee and pastries. Or you might take the opportunity to grab a famous New York City hot dog from one of the vendors out on Fifth Avenue. Our badges allow re-entry to the museum.

At a neighborhood restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Day 6 Living in New York City, Program Concludes New York

Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

As a final highlight, we’ll be joined by a New Yorker for a closing discussion about living in the city: how current New Yorkers manage it, how celebrated writers have portrayed it...and how we have experienced it this week. We expect the session to end by 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

At the hotel.