March 22, 2007

College Sponsored New York City trip worth the money
Erin Siebel
siebele@marietta.edu

Spring break has always been a time for students to venture outside of their little college town and relax somewhere else. But the really difficult aspect of this so-called break is the planning and executing of this excursion. Students will spend weeks researching and planning out a trip that may just fall through in the end when one of your friends decided to bail. But luckily here at Marietta College, things are a little easier for those students who wish to travel on a college-sponsored trip.  In the past few years, Student Activities and the International Office have planned trips to Washington D.C., Orlando, Florida, and this year to New York City. 

I’ve been lucky enough to travel with the school on all of these trips, and can attest to how convenient they are.  Having someone else make all the plans is worth the little extra money it might cost.  To me, my time is more important than money, so I’ll give you a few more bucks if you can get me to point A without any input or help from me.

The college’s trip to New York City this year was definitely worth the $675. Nearly forty students, staff, and community members traveled to NYC for a week, and were able to basically see everything the city has to offer. Not only were we able to see Rent and The Lion King on Broadway, but we also saw the city through the eyes of a very eccentric tour guide, traveled to the top of the Empire State Building, rode on a ferryboat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and sat in on a taping of MTV’s TRL.  Granted, TRL would probably have been a lot more fun if we were all still sixteen, but it was definitely a fun experience. (Woooo!) And we got to see Ne-Yo up and personal! (Yeah, I didn’t really know who Ne-Yo was either, but apparently the kids love him.) 

The highlight of the week to me was the interesting and entertaining dinners we all attended at unique New York restaurants.  First we ate a diner where the waiters were obviously wishing to be on center stage, and therefore sang many Broadway tunes while serving our meals. We then ate at Jekyll and Hyde restaurant, where Marietta College got a nice shout out by an odd creature in a coffin-like box. On our last night, we were guests at Rosa Mexicana, an upscale restaurant chain owned by Marietta College Alum Douglas Griebel.  The four-course meal was all included, and was a really nice ending to a great week.

I’m not trying to impress anyone with my fun spring break or anything, but I just hope that students next year do not overlook the value in going on one of these college-sponsored trips.  Just the idea of not having to do any of the planning or worrying yourself should be enough for anyone to fork over the money. And you may just surprise yourself with how fun riding on a charter bus can be. (Just kidding! Riding on the bus is awful. But you have to pick your battles.) Here’s hoping next year’s trip goes just as smoothly.