Beckford Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Beckford Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple

On the 8^th day of our trip, we started out in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence is the first community founded by the colonist, Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island in 1636. Roger named it Providence because he felt that god had guided him there so he made it a haven for persecuted dissenters. We grabbed a quick breakfast and we were on our way to take in some of the sights.

Our first stop was the Roger Williams National Memorial. The Memorial is a 4.5 acre landscaped park located on the original settlement in Providence. From there we traveled in La Gondola, these are boats like they have in the canals of Venice, Italy. They travel along the Woonasquatuicket and Providence rivers. Omid sang to the Italian music, but he accidentally knocked the entire accordion player into the water. Oops!

Then we went to the first Baptist Meetings House, built in 1775, which is the oldest Baptist church in the United States. Last, we visited the John Brown house, and Brown’s University, which were chartered in 1764. John Brown was a patriot who helped in the sinking of the British schooner, the Gasper, before the American Revolutionary War. Colin thought Brown University would be a good school to attend. We decided it was time to hit the road for New York so we piled in the car again and we were off.

We arrived in New York, New York by driving over the Brooklyn Bridge. Wow! New York City, so many amazing sights to see, but first we had to have lunch. We decided to go to Time Square to eat at the ESPN Zone. They had televisions on everywhere that broadcast sporting events all over the country. They even had a television in each of the stalls in the bathroom. We had a great lunch and the most delicious ice cream, cookie sundae dessert you could imagine. Afterward we went to look at their huge virtual reality arcade on the third floor. Barrett went for a ride on a virtual para-sail, while Jomel and Omid played virtual soccer, Colin and Philip took turns trying to score points playing virtual hockey. We were having a great time, but there was still so much more to see and do so we decided to get going.

We took a ride on a boat to see the Statue of Liberty. When we got to the Island in the harbor, we took a tour of the Statue and climbed the stairs all the way to her crown. We were all tired and dizzy after we had finished. Next we passed Ellis Island where so many immigrants stopped on their way to America. When we arrived back at shore, we went straight to the Empire State Building, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world. We took a special elevator straight to the top and the view was spectacular.

Once we got into Philadelphia, we went to Independence Hall to see the Liberty Bell. Did you know it was cracked 3 times? We also went to The Carpenter’s Hall and Congress Hall where Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others laid the foundations of a new nation in 1776. Then we visited the Betsy Ross’ house. She made the first American flag in 1777. Next we drove by the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky ran up the steps in his first movie. Philadelphia is famous for their museums and libraries, and we stopped at the Library Company of Philadelphia, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin as the first public library in the United States. They had volumes of books that once belonged to Jefferson, William Penn and George Washington. We were hungry after that so we ate Philly cheese steak sandwiches and stuffed ourselves, we could barely fit back into the car. Then it was off to the hotel and a good nights rest. What a day!!!