NYC 2014 Day #3

Thursday.  The day that nearly killed us all.  We intentionally decided not to take the group out to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty this year because A:  You have to wake up REALLY early to not stand in a very long line and B: because every elementary school in NYC and New Jersey takes their field trips the same day as us.  I did however want to give our group something about the immigrant experience.
We decided to do the Lower East Side Tenement Museum eating tour and the Chinatown/Little Italy Gangster Tour.  I wanted to do a Chinatown tour because mainly we dump the group off, grab dim sum and get out of there.
The problem arose when our group swelled up to 90 people-- the LEST Museum wanted 3 groups of 30.  The Gangster Tour wanted 4 groups of 22-24.  When I was given the times to accomodate, this became a logistical nightmare.  Our groups left at different times (and kudos to the Kelly's, the Coxes, Miriam and Erin), everyone got where they were going just fine.
My group began with the Gangster Tour.  We saw some fascinating stuff in Chinatown (Muck Duck, the Bloody Angle, etc.) and in Little Italy- but after 90 minutes of walking a standing and hearing so many names that all blended together, we all began zoning (or looking longingly at all the foot massage places in Chinatown).  Overall, it was a fine tour, but it should only be a 1 hour (and not a 90 minute).  It did however let me see both areas in a new way (and I think it let students be a bit more bold in those neighborhoods).
With not a lot of time to spare, we raced off to the Eating Tour.  The LEST Museum has an amazing gift shop that's worth looking at.  We ate some yummy food- some students had their very first potsticker/dumpling ever- and to give our group credit, when it was done, a lot of people went back and ate at some of the places we visited.  However, we never got a proper lunch, and the other groups (still finishing up their Gangster Walking Tours) were dying of hunger and sore feet.  Never again will we take the group on two walking tours in the same day.
We had a late lunch in Little Italy (where Kelly DeHaan graciously stood gaurd at the bathroom door because I was having my own Pakinstani emergency) and went back up to the hotel because our show started at 7:00pm.
I really, really liked everything about The Cripple of Inishmann.  Daniel Radcliffe was impressive as Cripple Billy- in fact, the entire cast was spectacular (especially the drunken Grandma and the 2 aunties- one of whom talks to stones).  The best part was the fascinating talk back we got with the actors afterward (no Daniel Radcliffe- but everyone else came out!) and they were kind, gracious and informative.
The students (and adults) biggest thrill was after the show-- Daniel Radcliffe was super nice to everyone- signed all of their programs and even posed for selfies with a lot of the students!  All in all, a really great show and night.
After that, we made a quick jump up to Serendipity 3- but the wait was too long- but that was ok because we went to Carnegie Deli for amazing cheesecake and onion rings (and new and sour pickles).  Another  awesome night in the city.