Today, we had a great start to the day, as we were granted more independence in the morning and got to meet our sponsors at the Museum of Modern Art at 10:15 a.m. With the extra time, we decided to stop by Chick-Fil-A before taking the subway by ourselves to the museum. It has been exciting to learn how to navigate the subway, because it is not as difficult as we had previously thought, and it is an easy way to gain independence and navigate New York City.

The Museum of Modern Art was an amazing experience, as many of us are in AP Art History and got to see influential works of art in our curriculum, such as Starry Night and Water Lilies. We also gained a new understanding of what modern art means, and how it can come in so many different forms.

After spending time at the museum, we headed to Chinatown for some authentic Chinese food for lunch. We had an amazing meal at Joe’s Shanghai, and it was very interesting to see how many different cultures live in New York City and how steeped in culture Chinatown is.

After heading to Little Italy for some amazing cannolis, we headed to the Tenement Museum to learn more about the history of New York City and its tenements through the stories of two different immigrant families that lived in similar buildings. Before this tour, we originally had a negative connotation about the meaning of the word tenement, but we soon learned that tenements come with a rich history about immigration, life, and community in New York City. After the Tenement Museum, we headed to Eataly for some amazing Italian food before going back to the hotel to reminisce about our time in New York City and prepare for our time in D.C. 

-Maddie, Kate, and Caroline