jwg

Last weekend I went to New York City for my 60th High School reunion at Dalton School. When I attended there, the high school was girls only so I only attended 1st through 8th grades and then went on to Fieldston. My 8th grade graduation was in 1952 but they treat us as if we were in the class of 56.

I went to NYC on Thursday and my first activitiy after checking into my hotel was to get a ticket for American in Paris which was playing in the Palace Theatre - a magnificent old theatre. I loved it. I am a big Gershwin fan. The dancing was wonderful and they had fascinating scenery/stage effects. I just read that it is coming to Boston in the late fall and I will go again. Times Square at night is pretty amazing.
On Friday I went downtown to take the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island Ferry. Lots of waiting in line to buy tickets, go through security, wait for the boat to Liberty, wait for the boat to Ellis Island, and wait for the boat back to Manhattan.

I walked around the statue - to go up to the crown you need tickets which have to be bought in advance - way in advance I am told. Many years ago I did get all the way to the top - up a narrow staircase; now Ithink you can only go to the crown.

So as I said earlier in FB: on Thursday I went to see an American in Paris and on Friday a French woman in New York.

Ellis Island is fascinating and overwhelming. I don't remember if I was every there before. (My great grandparents were - since that is how they came to the US). There is so much information - data, pictures, posters, etc. about the whole migration history of people coming to the US. It's definitely a must see.


Then I went uptown, checked out the lobby of the building on 74th St and 5th Avenue where I lived during my last years at Dalton and then Fieldston. It looked nice, the doorman said it had been restored and they found the original marble walls under the plaster. After this I walked to Central Park to the sailboat pond. I didn't see Stuart Little; I used to sail my boat there.

And then up to Dalton. The tour was not well organized but interesting. Our group's guide is a current teacher and was a teacher there during my one year of teaching there in 1960-61. On the 12th floor (which didn't exist in my day) they have lots of science labs for the middle and high schools. I got to ask about what 7th and 8th grade science was like these days (that is what I taught). he auditorium was a lot smaller than I remember.

There were a few of my classmates there, some of which were High School only so I didn't know them. It was fun - but we weren't as chatty as the previous week at my Fieldston reunion.

We sung the Dalton School School Song - I actually remembered it.

We go forth unafraid,
Strong with love and strong with learning,
New worlds will be made
Where we set our beacons burning.
For each child,
Great and small
Is friendly with man and beast,
And the world that holds them all.
We sing to you; this is our praise,
Flung like a banner over Dalton days.
This is the school we have worked in and made.
Here we have learned to go forth unafraid.

Words by Nancy Cowles Cardozo '36 and Music by Lee Russell '38

Then I went down to the LGBT Center for the last couple of dances at Village Contra where I know quite a few of the people from dance camp. And then we went to the Village Den for food and more conversation.