Experiencing the Arts in New York City

Lucy Alessi '26  ~  January 2025

This year, the Experience the Arts wINTERMISSION trip to New York City had a wide range of activities. From seeing musicals, to taking tours, to a dance workshop, there was an endless amount of fun! The trip took place from January 5th to January 10th and was attended by Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors.

On Monday, once we arrived in NYC, we headed to The Red Flame Diner for lunch. Even though it was snowing, the walk from the hotel to the diner was not too long. After we ate, we walked over to Radio City Music Hall for a private tour, learning about the history of the building and the Rockettes. On top of that, we even got to meet two Rockettes who were Nardin alumnae, Soultana Schiavi ‘13 and Paige McRae ‘13. After a full day, we had some pizza for dinner!

We started Tuesday off at The Museum of Modern Art, with a private interactive tour of the museum and lunch. We got to see paintings from artists like Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, and Vincent van Gogh! Next, we walked over to Rockefeller Center for a tour of NBC studios. On the tour they gave us a brief history of the building, and we even got to see the sets of The Kelly Clarkson Show and Saturday Night Live! After the tour we went shopping at stores like Aritzia and Lululemon. For dinner, we walked to John’s Pizza. After dinner, we walked across the street to the Jacobs Theater where we saw the musical The Outsiders. It was such an amazing show and I would recommend it to everyone! Lastly, before heading back to the hotel, we waited outside after the show in hopes of getting to see part of the cast, and we did! I met a few of the actors: one that played Ponyboy Curtis, one that played Darrel Curtis, and one who played one of the soc’s. I also met two girls, one that played a female greaser and one that played a female soc!

Wednesday started off with a Broadway dance workshop. During this workshop we explored staging and choreography from the musical Hell’s Kitchen led by a member of the dance ensemble! It was so much fun meeting one of the ensemble members and learning a dance that we would later see performed in the musical Hell’s Kitchen. For lunch we walked a few blocks to Smashburger and had some delicious burgers. After lunch we got a tour of the Hudson Theater, where we learned about the in-depth history of the building and its original owners. For dinner we went to Junior’s Bakery and Restaurant. We ended the night by heading over to the Ethel Barrymore theater for a showing of the play, Our Town.

On Thursday morning we ventured over to the New York Times for a tour of a day in the life of working for the Times by Nardin alum, Maddy Masiello ‘14. It was so cool to hear about Maddy and her colleague’s jobs at the Times! For lunch, we walked to Le Pain Quotidien. Next, we went to The MET and took the scenic route by walking through Central Park! At The MET we saw so many cool paintings, sculptures, and artifacts like “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze, “Madonna and Child” by Duccio di Buoninsegna, and “Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies” by Claude Monet. Then, we took a car over to Virgil’s BBQ Restaurant for dinner where we sat down for a family-style barbeque dinner. Lastly, we walked to the Shubert Theater to see the musical Hell’s Kitchen. The musical showed the experiences of Alicia Keys’ early life growing up in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen.

On our final day, Friday, we headed over to Bryant Park where we went ice skating and had hot chocolate. After that we walked across the street to the New York City Public Library where we walked around and went shopping in the gift shop. At the New York City Public Library, they had the original Winnie the Pooh and Friends on display! After that we headed to the airport for our flight home.

I would recommend this wINTERMISSION trip to everyone, not just those interested or involved in the arts. It was a wonderful experience and I hope to visit again sometime soon!