Day 5 - Friday 31 December

Happy New Year!
we started the day on the bus wishing each other a happy new year for Brisbane time (9am here), and ended the day just now at 2.15am as we arrived back at our hotel, wishing each other a USA happy new year.
Our first port of call this morning was Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Socks and we all really enjoyed listening to young Pete, our tour guide, as he proudly showed off the oldest ball park in the USA - the tour was a real highlight and allowed us a chance to really experience the feeling of baseball and the World Series. Then we headed off to New York City, a four hour drive through some most beautiful countryside, stopping along the way to let the group have their first try at lunch at McDonalds or Taco Bell! We were able to arrange for the hotel restuarant to provide dinner (which was really lovely, and quite cheap) before we rugged up and boarded the bus heading for the South Street Seaport on Manhattan Island. Along the way we drove through Harlem, alongside the full length of Central Park, saw where John Lennon was shot, the New York Zoo (as last seen in the movie Madagascar) and drove much of the length of 5th Avenue. There was little traffic so it gave us all a chance to see into the shops (which were shut, much to some keen shoppers disgust) and fewer people around as they had all headed for Times Square.
After buying a few cheap 'I Love New York' tshirts and hoodies from a street vendor we boarded our New York City Ferry at 9pm and journeyed along the Hudson River for much of the full length of Downtown and Midtown, seeing so many famous site - the aircraft carrier Intrepid, where the 737 was brought down, the dock which was where the Titanic was supposed to pull up, the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building and the beauty of New Jersey across the river from NYC. Floating back we ended up at the foot of the Statue of Liberty - a breathtaking experience with so very many photos taken from the top deck of the ferry. A short cruise under the bridges over the Brooklyn River saw us head back toward the Statue in preparation for midnight. We were all given noisy horns, silly tiaras and a glass of bubbly for the adults and braved the cold to go back out for midnight. Words cannot explain how I felt on that deck as the fireworks rose of the State of Liberty, with New York City behind us - a once in a lifetime experience which brought tears to some of our eyes. The boys were fantastic, and watched in awe at the display and the setting.
We got back to the dock at 1.45am, and all are now safely tucked up in bed (many slept on the bus ride home too).
A couple of funny photos tonight - the first is of the swimming pool from my hotel room window, and the second is what you get in a restaurant when you order chips, not fries! The other two are from our river cruise.
Apologies with the mobile phone arrangements - the phones the boys have been given do not receive calls or texts from overseas - feel free to call or text my USA mobile (+1 201 443 6486) or my Blackberry (+6142 555 7672) or call one of the hotels - just remember the time difference as one mum called through at 4am this morning.
We are sleeping in tomorrow (or today really) and not heading off until 10.30am.

Day 4 - Thursday 30 December

A quieter day was appreciated by all today. We collected the boys at Norwich Free Academy as they were brought back by their host families - all reports were more than positive, and most wished they could have had much longer with their families. Some commented on it being the first chance to have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, while others talked of falling asleep sitting in the room talking with their billets! The other big story was the Local Newspaper report - check it, and all their photos, out at
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/photos/x1599383710/NFA-vs-St-Josephs-Nudgee-basketball.
We headed off for Springfield, MA, the town where basketball was invented in 1891, to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame (no, not from the Simpsons) and spent a wonderful couple of hours wandering through the displays, trying out the many interactive activities, shooting hoops and dunking on the low rings. It was great to see Seamus win two of his challenges on centre court, and to see the photo of Nudgee Old Boy Ryan Thompson in the 2004 NCAA Championship team.
From there we headed into Boston, and saw Boston Common, the wonderful architecture of the houses in the city and the famed Boston Garden - then it was off to our hotel with a short stop at a CVS Pharmacy where many bought drinks and snacks.
Dinner at a local restaurant was quick, so it meant a earlier night in the hotel, and much needed sleep for everyone.
Happy New Year if you are reading this after 9am in Brisbane - we have a day to go until our celebrations!

Day 3 - Wednesday 29th December

A very early start - another 3 hour night which meant many of the staff and boys were a bit slower than usual.
We headed off at 7am for Norwich, Connecticut, and had a wonderful trip through the Bronx, near Queens and close to Long Island in our luxury coach toward the beautiful town of Norwich. As we were running a little early we had a stopover at Dunkin Donuts - the boys were amazed at the cheap price (3 donuts and a coffee for under $4) and the awesome donuts! A quick visit to Walmart saw me get 27 phones (I'll work on activating them tomorrow) so you will be able to call your sons (or text them) and again, the spending sprees were remarkable, as were the low prices.
We got to Norwich around 11.30am and headed off for a walk through the Indian themed Mohegan Sun Casino (as big as a small town, and in the middle of nowhere) and lunch at either Michael Jordan's Sports Bar or Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville - a huge feed which the boys really enjoyed. Alex was the most remarkable - a HUGE volcano of nachos (see the photo).
Back at Norwich Free Academy, a most beautiful school which, whilst a public school, is almost a private one with a great reputation. Two great basketball courts - one which seated 999 in the stands, awaited us. It was a bit of a mix from a scene out of Glee and the Wildcats from High School Musical - red and white and all. Our boys really enjoyed the chance to play, but their level of exhaustion showed a little after close first quarters from each team. The opportunity to play in front of a huge crowd who all paid to watch us, complete with cheerleaders and a dance troupe was something they'll never forget!
Our Freshman went down 66 to 32 with Seamus scoring 13, Nelson scoring 9 and Jaleel hitting 6. All boys played and really enjoyed the experience. Our Junior Varsity team lost 32 to 77 but played with real heart. Alex, Reid and Marmush all scored 7 and Aidan 5 - again all boys got on the court and had so much fun. Our Varsity team played really well but again struggled with their energy levels and finally lost 30 to 60. Top scorers were Tom with 7 and Pat and Jake both scoring 6. We will be a real feature in the local newspaper tomorrow - can't wait to see the interviews and photos!
The boys are with their billets tonight which has given us a chance to wash the boys' uniforms, and hopefully will allow us to get to bed on the same day we got up!
Tomorrow night I'll try to set up the Flickr account with all the photos we've taken so far - Chris took over 600 at the games tonight alone!
Please understand that we have been flat out so far so the boys will have struggled to have time to contact home - let's hope my plans for tomorrow night will allow us an early night at the hotel!
Enjoy!

Day Two - Tuesday 28 December

Hi all - what a fantastic day we've had!
After very little sleep the boys dragged themselves out of bed to a wonderful hot breakfast before leaving our hotel at 10am for a huge day of sightseeing. First stop was the riverside of New Jersey overlooking the New York skyline and the landing place of that fateful jet - a stop which saw many snow balls thrown and a great tour group photo. We then headed off under the Hudson River to Manhattan Island with stops at Central Park, 5th Avenue (the NBA shop might be a bit lighter on goods now as are some of the ladies' wallets after Karen and Robyn dropped in to Tiffanys) and then Madison Square Garden to watch our first College basketball game (Rutgers v Uni of North Carolina) which was a blow out to UNC. Sights we saw included the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and skating rink, the horse drawn carriages in Central Park, the incredible shops along 5th Avenue, The New York City Hall and Public Library and the eerie sight of the re-building taking place at Ground Zero.
The final part of the day was on our trip home from The Garden when our coach driver went out of his way to show us Times Square at midnight - the lights, people, traffic - all unbelievable!
It is worth mentioning the snow - there is just so much of it - three feet deep along the sides of many roads, covering cars, footpaths, whole lanes on highways - it is just incredible. Only about 6 flights made it in to JFK airport yesterday and we were lucky enough to be one of them - much better than being stuck in Los Angeles as so many people are. Sunday saw over 24 inches of snow fall over all of New York - it shut down the city in many ways, but we are so very lucky to be experiencing beautiful sun and clear skies - even though it is so very cold. The good Lord has smiled upon us!
Tomorrow (in fact in a few hours) we are off to our first school in Norwich, CT - look forward to the update!

St Joseph's Nudgee College USA Tour 2010/2011: We've finally arrived in New York!

St Joseph's Nudgee College USA Tour 2010/2011: We've finally arrived in New York!: "Yes, it is 3.15am Tuesday, 40 hours since we left Brisbane, and we have finally arrived in New York at our hotel! The flight from ..."

We've finally arrived in New York!

Yes, it is 3.15am Tuesday, 40 hours since we left Brisbane, and we have finally arrived in New York at our hotel! The flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was excellent - the boys were really well behaved and quiet throughout. We cleared customs in LA and then went back through security (yes, belts and shoes off) and sat in one of the poorest served departure areas I've ever been in. Our flight to New York was delayed an hour to allow JFK to reopen following their blizzard, and we touched down just a little after 6pm at JFK. That flight was hard work - we were all over it! We then got caught on the taxiway for 2 and a half hours while they cleared the snow away, a snow plow broke down, a plane was in the wrong spot, etc, so we finally got off the plane at 8.30pm. After collecting the luggage we found that our bus was snowed in and wasn't coming to pick us up, so we worked hard to find four shuttles and a stretch limo to get us to the Holiday Inn - and finally got there just on 3am!
Photos today include some of the group photos we took in Sydney - more to follow!
Tomorrow is a big day sightseeing - so I'm off to bed!

At the airport just before departure

Is this what we will find when we get to New York City?

A blizzard is predicted to hit New York tomorrow (Boxing Day) - let's hope the runways are clear by Monday night!

Looking forward to . . .

We are all looking forward to ur 21 days away in the US - from Sightseeing in New York to a visit to Fenway Park, from a tour of the White House to watching the Clipper play Miami, from a visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame to a day at Disneyland - we'll be tired when we return. Watch this space to see how the tour is progressing!

Sorting out the clothing

a few photos of us sorting the clothing!

Fenway Park Tour

31st December will start with a tour of one of the most famous ball parks in the world!

New York City sightseeing next week - can't wait to see the Christmas lights! Weather forecast is cold and sunny!

One week from today we head off - don't forget to be packed and ready as the 4.30am meeting time is VERY early!

New York arrival

Weather forecase for our arrival in New York on 27 December - maximum of 0 degress, minimum of minus 6 with snow showers!

Clippers v Heat

Yes - we have tickets - can't wait for January 12 when we get to see them play!

White House Tour Confirmed

January 4 @ 10.30am we will be walking through the White House!

New Years Eve

New Years Eve Hudson River Cruise booked with New York Water Taxis - ending up watching the fireworks over the Statue of Liberty!