Five Days, Five Boroughs

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment and take your luggage to your room, come to the designated hotel meeting room (location will be posted) to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your envelope when you check in.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m.: In the Tick Tock Diner just off the hotel lobby, we’ll have our first meal together and order from a select menu. This 24-hour diner features American cooking and “comfort food.” Dinner in the diner is included even if you arrive late. You may eat later but please attend Orientation first. Or, get takeout and bring your plate to the meeting room.

Evening: Orientation: 6:15 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Group Leaders on our programs are highly trained and knowledgeable about many aspects of the city. We will also have the benefit of local experts who will provide information and commentary on areas of particular interest. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Following the Orientation session, we will walk three blocks with our Group Leader to the Empire State Building for a bird’s eye view of the city. The Group Leader will return to the hotel and you may stay as long as you like.

Activity note: Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking up to 8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.

Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, and butter, plus milk (regular and low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea. Please arrive on time with a photocopy of your ID to register for a senior citizen MetroCard if you are 65 or over. During breakfast, we will register with the MTA for a senior citizen MetroCard (if you are 65 or over). This cost is included in the program price. A representative from the MTA will take your picture and a copy of your driver’s license to process your permanent MetroCard application. They will give you a temporary card to use for the week, enabling you to ride for half price. A few weeks after you return home you will receive a permanent card in the mail — your official invitation to come back to New York and ride around for half price. If you have been on a previous program and have a senior citizen's MetroCard, please bring it with you.

Morning: We’ll be joined by an architectural historian who will give us an introduction to the five boroughs of New York City — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island — each with its own history, personality, and appeal. We’ll then depart via subway for Queens. Each of the days on this program is designed to give a representative taste of the Borough visited. The #7 Train which runs straight through the Borough of Queens is nicknamed "The International Express." And that's our theme for Queens: "The International Borough." As of the 2010 Census, Queens was the single most ethnically and culturally diverse county in the entire United States. We begin with a short pre-lunch stroll through one of the neighborhoods that sprang up in the early 20th Century and has seen marked demographic change over the last 100 years.

Lunch: We break for lunch along the South Asian shopping strip of Jackson Heights for an Indian Buffet. The Jackson Diner is heralded as one of the best Indian restaurants in NYC, drawing diners from all over the city and the world.

Afternoon: This afternoon we travel further into Queens for a visit to the site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. In between the fairs, The NYC Pavilion was temporarily repurposed as the first United Nations General Assembly Building during construction of the current UN complex on The East River. Now The Queens Museum, the building opens especially for us this afternoon so that we may visit their signature exhibit: The Panorama of the City of New York. Created for the 1964 World's Fair and updated periodically, it is a scale model of the entire 5 Boroughs of New York... including every single building, all parks and even the airports - look for the planes taking off and landing at LGA!

Dinner: At a Chinese restaurant near the hotel, we’ll have a family-style meal with tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: We'll visit a Manhattan neighborhood with a local expert to see what's most interesting at the time of the program.

Activity note: Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking up to 8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Today is "Brownstone Brooklyn." A subway ride will take us back in time as we travel with our architectural historian to a few Brooklyn neighborhoods where we will learn about the development of this borough throughout the 19th Century. Until it was consolidated into the City of New York in 1898, Brooklyn was an independent city. It was founded by the Dutch in 1646 as the village of Breukelen. Today it is one of the most densely populated of all the boroughs, and if it were its own city, it would be the fourth largest in the United States, rivaling Philadelphia and Houston.

Lunch: At a local restaurant in Brooklyn.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we'll continue our exploration of Brooklyn with a stroll along the famous Brooklyn Promenade and view The Brooklyn Bridge, one of America’s most significant engineering achievements in the 19th century.. Designed by a German immigrant, John A. Roebling, this magnificent suspension bridge of granite and steel took 14 years to complete (1869-1883), spanning the East River to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Dinner: At a restaurant near the hotel.

Evening: We'll take a stroll in one of New York’s historic neighborhoods with a local expert to see what's most interesting at the time of the program.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Limited use of New York City public transportation (subway); stair climbing. Walking 5-8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.

Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, butter, milk (regular and low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea.

Morning: This morning we travel via subway to the very bottom of Manhattan Island where we'll connect with our Staten Island expert for a discussion of "Staten Island: The Residential Borough on the Harbor." Our discussion will span the morning as we ride out and back on the Staten Island Ferry, explore the Victorian neighborhood of St. George and take a look at the changing waterfront.

Lunch: Returning to Manhattan on the ferry, we’ll have box lunches.

Afternoon: The Group Leader will take us on a walk through Historic Lower Manhattan ending at the 9/11 Memorial site by approximately 3:00 p.m. You may return to the hotel with the Group Leader or stay out to explore independently. If you wish to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum or the 1 World Trade Center Observatory, we recommend making reservations online ahead of time.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking up to 8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Today we explore "The Evolving City" aboard a private motorcoach. With our local expert, we'll ride through Upper Manhattan, Harlem and The Bronx. We’ll make a brief stop in Harlem to take in one particularly well-preserved, historic block on foot before continuing our ride up to the South Bronx where we’ll see a variety of neighborhoods representative of the vast changes that impacted this borough over the course of the 20th century; we’ll discuss some of the factors and results of these changes.

Lunch: In the Little Italy section of the Bronx, on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Our journey will continue through The Bronx to Wave Hill where we’ll have some time to explore its beautiful gardens overlooking the Hudson River independently. We’ll then return to the hotel via subway.

Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant near the hotel, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: With a local expert, we’ll have an opportunity for another walk in Manhattan. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and departure following our final session in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: In the meeting room.

Morning: As a closing highlight, we’ll be joined by a New Yorker who’s in touch with what’s happening in the five boroughs and who will lead a lively group discussion. The session will end at approximately 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!