Noah Eppler ’16 and Tucker Mark ‘16 – Well, we’ve arrived in New York City. After a short flight and a shorter drive, we settled into our rooms in the Chelsea International Hostel, whose beds receive a welcome knock from the door when one opens it. In other words, the rooms are extremely small. Two beds, two lockers, shelves, along with a sink, make up our Spartan accommodations.
But enough of that! Let us discuss briefly our first experience with navigating the subway system! Luckily, we had Dr. Cherry and Dr. Gelbman to assist us in case anything went wrong – like it did for senior Raynor Mendoza. While the rest of us were able to swipe our MetroCards successfully, ‘Papa Raynor’ failed to swipe his card correctly at the turnstile, and was, shall we say, delayed momentarily.
Later that evening, we explored the East Village for about an hour, taking in the alternative and underground culture of St. Mark’s place, the hip vibes surrounding Tompkin’s Square Park, and, finally, sampling some exquisite Indian cuisine at Raj Mahal, on 6th St.
Dinner was an absolute treat. We were joined by Wabash alum (and fellow TKE) Josue Gutierrez ‘11, as well as Jessica Phillips, an accomplished Broadway and television actress, (and the daughter of our own Dean Phillips), and her two sons. Josue is currently in the second year of his MFA in Acting at Columbia here in Manhattan. Josue had plenty of advice for all of us on the trip, encouraging us to get out and pursue whatever it is that strikes us, especially anything concerning theater.
As for our other guest, Jessica Phillips will soon be featured in an episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” playing the role of an Assistant District Attorney, so be sure to look for her. Her two sons introduced us to a wonderful array of novice magic tricks, and even managed to make us all look a bit silly at one point.
All in all, our first day in New York was excellent, and we’re stoked for tomorrow.
