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Brightly lit Broadway theater billboards and advertisements for The Lion King and Hairspray glow at night in New York City’s entertainment district.
New York

And … Action! New York’s Theater, Film & TV With Your Grandchild

Program No. 23137RJ
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals ( 5B, 3L, 4D )
6 expert-led lectures
7 expert-led field trips
1 hands-on experience
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Walking 1/2 mile, approximately 20 minutes; city streets and sidewalks.
Afternoon:
4:00-4:30 p.m. Program Registration: After you have your room assignment, take your bags to your room. At 4:00 p.m., 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. If you arrive late, please ask for your envelope when you check in. 4:30 pm Orientation: 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. This is a Road Scholar Intergenerational program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Children are never to be left unsupervised. This active program involves extensive walking and use of public transportation including the New York subway system with many stairs up and down. Periods in the daily 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.
Dinner:
In the Tick Tock Diner just off the lobby of the hotel.
Evening:
Following dinner, we will reassemble in our meeting room for an Improv class. This fun session will introduce us to the unscripted performance technique while also serving as a way to get to know our fellow Road Scholars better.
Activity Note
Use of New York City subway system. Walking up to 5 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks, stairs.
Breakfast:
In The Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
We'll start our day in the meeting room with an illustrated talk by a local expert who will give us an overview of the arts in this great city. Next, we’ll be joined by an industry professional for an insider’s view of how live TV works.
Lunch:
In a midtown restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll explore Rockefeller Center, home to NBC television programs including The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and a host of others past and present. As we walk around the plaza with our Group Leader, we'll learn about the history of this iconic NYC site. We'll then head over to the Museum of Broadway. This fantastic museum profiles the last 100+ years of Broadway shows and gives a peek behind the curtain at all the craftsmen that contribute to bringing a show to the stage.
Dinner:
At a neighborhood restaurant.
Evening:
After dinner, we'll visit one of NYC’s independent cinemas where we’ll have a private screening of the musical film, ‘In The Heights’, which was filmed entirely on location in New York City. Written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, ‘In the Heights’ tells the story of Usnavi, a bodega owner in Washington Heights. We’ll follow him, his family, friends and neighbors over the course of one eventful summer. Tomorrow, we'll take a deeper dive into the world of this film as we travel up to The Heights to visit the locations used in the film and see how the film mirrors and changes the real-life neighborhood to aid in its telling of the story.
Activity Note
Use of New York City subway. Walking up to 5 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks, some stairs.
Breakfast:
In the Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
In our meeting room at the hotel, we'll meet a location manager from the film industry. Tasked with finding real-world places for use as a film set (as opposed to a built set on a sound stage), our guest will discuss what it takes to find just the right spot. We'll then jump on the legendary A-train subway and head up to Washington Heights, where we'll put the knowledge we've just learned to use as we explore locations from the musical film ‘In the Heights’.
Lunch:
At a neighborhood restaurant.
Afternoon:
We'll see more filming locations before returning to the hotel for a wrap up conversation about film making and 'In the Heights.'
Dinner:
We'll explore the Times Square area before heading inside for a meal served by a singing wait staff who aspire to be future stars of stage and screen.
Evening:
After dinner, we'll head over to The Empire State Building for a trip up to the 86th floor observatory. This famous building has been featured in countless films from King Kong to Spiderman!
Activity Note
Use of New York City subway. Walking up to 5 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks, some stairs. Extent and duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
In the Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
We will divide into smaller groups and set out on a walking field trip to explore New York’s biggest and best green space and film set, Central Park. Equipped with maps and clues, we’ll search for some of the most famous sights that have appeared in movies and TV.
Lunch:
Bag lunches in Central Park.
Afternoon:
Free time. This time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. There’s so much to see and do we can’t even begin to mention all the possibilities. You might like to visit the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or any of 100 other museums; have another walk in the Park; or just spend time together taking in the sights and sounds of the city. Wednesday is Matinee Day on Broadway. If you wish to attend a performance and want to order tickets in advance, the TODAYTIX app is quite helpful in this regard. One can purchase future performances, often at a discount. The fee is modest and well below those paid on Ticketmaster or Telecharge. If you don't mind waiting til you arrive in NYC, same-day discounted tickets for many performances are available at the TKTS Discount Booth. The Group Leader will provide tips to make it go as smoothly as possible during the walk in Times Square.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Use of New York City subway. Walking up to 5 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks, some stairs.
Breakfast:
In the Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
In our hotel meeting room, our educator will give us an introduction to the Broadway musical. Then, we will head up to Radio City Music Hall for private backstage look at the famous venue. After our visit, we'll have a couple hours of free time.
Lunch:
On your own to explore the local fare.
Afternoon:
Regrouping at the hotel, we'll meet a Broadway actor to learn what it takes to do a show eight times a week.
Dinner:
At a neighborhood restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
Tonight we'll attend a performance of the four-time Tony Award winning musical, "The Lost Boys." Based on the '80s cult film, this spectacularly designed new musical centers on a family that moves to a new town looking for a fresh start only to gradually learn that the town has a dark secret and their new friends may actually be vampires.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast:
In the Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
In the meeting room, we’ll have a lively wrap-up session and discuss the performances included in the program and any you may have attended on your own. 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 another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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