Sunday 5/29 - Breakfast Time in New York

Well, once again it is breakfast time. However, today is a little less hectic first thing, so I thought I'd catch up everything here - with the exception of pictures. I still need to go through those and figure out what should get posted.

Anyway, we got to NYC on Friday. The first thing we did was get a bus to the hotel and check in. Let me tell you that the digs are very nice. We're two blocks south of Central Park, and a fairly short walk from the places we need to rehearse and perform. It is, all in all, a good experience to this point.

Next, we all gathered together to walk down to Times Square. Picture, if you will, twenty-five college students and two faculty members strolling down the sidewalk of 7th Avenue in NYC. Well, it was interesting. On a side note, the people watching here is intriguing. That's something that "Law & Order" never really suggests.

After our first introduction to Times Square, we broke up the group to go to dinner. I went to Ellen's Stardust Diner. Oh boy, am I glad I did. I had an incredible Reuben sandwich, and TWO, yes 2, milkshakes. I love corned beef almost as much as I love pastrami. That makes me a happy camper since I am spending the weekend in the city of delis.

After dinner, we went as a group to see Wicked. I must admit, I thought the production was beautiful, certainly well staged (not to mention IMPRESSIVELY huge in scale), and there were some amazing performances by the actors. I didn't like the story much, but I won't go into that here. I did leave the theatre very impressed with the experience.

Then yesterday, Saturday, we topped our Friday experience!

After breakfast, we went to our rehearsal in the Alvin Ailey Theatre - home of the American Dance Theatre. It was enjoyable and I learned good stuff (always a pleasant experience). The rehearsal was professional in nature and productive - melding members of four different choirs into a single one.

After rehearsal, I grabbed a quick sandwich from a deli, wolfed part of it down in time to get on a bus for a four hour tour of the city. It was pleasant too. There was some good information provided by our guide, and several opportunities to get out and explore. The highlights included a stop in Central Park, a drive up Central Park Avenue West and returning on the East side of the park - with its "old money" houses to look at. We also rode through several NYC neighborhoods, such as SoHo and Tribeca on our way to Battery Park to get a view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We rode past the WTC site and saw the new construction going on - rising from the ashes, so to speak. That seemed like such a poignant metaphor and symbol of what America means to me.

After our tour, we stopped to get show tickets a TKTS in Times Square. Then, we had time for a much more liesurely dinner. I ate at Maison, a French restaurant near the Broadway Theatre. The meal was amazingly good. Then I went to see Sister Act at the Broadway Theatre. To be honest, I had not expected much, but I was much more than pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was blown away. The show was eye-popping in its staging (though a little smaller in scope than Wicked the night before). The vocalists were wonderful performers (particularly the woman who sang the part of Mary Robert - the novice). The story and action had me laughing so hard that I thought I would fall out of my chair. All in all, the experience was over the top!

I am now anxious to see what Sunday in New York has in store.

Saturday AM 5/28 - Dateline NYC

Well, I'm here in New York City. I only have time for a quick post now. Think of it as a "teaser" on the news. "Coming up after the break" a reaction to day 1 in NYC, including a take on his excellent dinner, and a review of the Broadway musical Wicked. But first, there's a need for breakfast, then rehearsal for the concert he's up here for.

Thursday Night 5/26

Finally packed for New York. I have a very early day tomorrow, a lot of travelling (bus to Jacksonville, then plane to NYC), and then a play on Broadway - we're seeing Wicked. It'll be new to me, though I have heard the music for years. I'll post when I can.

Wednesday 5/25

Though it has nothing to do with my study abroad class in London this summer, I will be traveling to New York City this weekend. It will be my first trip to NYC, though I have flown through JFK once or twice. I'm a little apprehensive, but that's probably because I watch too much "Law & Order" and "CSI: NY."

Anyway, I will be traveling with the ABAC Chamber Choir to perform the Faure Requiem at Lincoln Center along with the Valdosta State University Chamber Choir. It is part of the DCINY concert series. I'm looking forward to it because I really enjoy singing with the choir. Music is another one of my passions (as is theatre). In addition, the students in the ABAC Chamber Choir are generally good kids, and mostly fun to be around. They sometimes drive me crazy, but they also keep me feeling younger than I am. I think of myself as sort of their "crazy uncle." I'll post pictures and reflections on this trip, too.

Monday 5/23

I thought I'd write a little about the class I will be teaching. It will be a theme-based survey course of British Literature. The theme is "Arthurian Ideals in Later British Literature." Basically, it will look at a variety literary works that incorporate the ideals of chivalry, duty, honor, and nationalism, among others. Not all of the works will directly deal with these ideas, and in fact, some of them will look at the negatives of these ideas. Still, we will explore how these ideas are reflected in the English psyche, as reflected in the literature of the late 18th century through to the literature of today. We will be looking at works by Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, Tennyson, Eliot, Yeats, Thomas, Arnold, Houseman, Brooke, Owen, Rosenberg, Churchill, Tolkien, Hill, and Rowling.


Of course, since we will be in London, we will also be taking advantage of the unique opportunities that studying British Literature in England affords. That is, we will also be traveling to Winchester, England to visit the remains of the castle there. If you aren't aware of it, there is a huge Round Table hanging in the Great Hall. Winchester was also the capital city of one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings of England, King Alfred the Great. Many of the qualities attributed to the literary King Arthur were actually embodied in this great king.


We will also be looking at exhibits in many of London's museums and art galleries. Of course, since we will be reading selections from J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, we will also be visiting many of the sites around London associated with the making of the Harry Potter films. In addition, as an extra bonus we will do our best to take some pictures of the Harry Potter movie stars as they attend the London premiere of the release of the last Harry Potter movie!

First Word

This blog is being established as a chronicle of an English professor's adventure in England during the summer of 2011. It may eventually grow beyond that scope, but for now, plans are modest.

This trip to England is part of a study abroad opportunity with the University System of Georgia. It is hosted by the European Council, which is a consortium of colleges and universities in the state of Georgia in the U.S. that works to provide study abroad opportunities for American students to study in various locations in Europe and receive college credit for their experiences.

I am an Associate Professor of English at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia. I love where I work, and I am excited to explore England at every opportunity that I can.

The study abroad trip doesn't begin for a little over a month. We leave on June 23 and return July 28. Until then, I will update this blog (maybe daily, then again, maybe not) with the preparations for the trip and reflections on the experience.