Three identical buses pull up to the side of the bustling street.

  As each set of doors opens, a sea of students flows out and looks around, mesmerized by the sheer amount of things to see – buildings as high as the airplanes passing overhead; masses of people rushing to get wherever they need to go; street vendors talking and advertising their knit scarves and hats

  After a three-and-a-half hour bus ride, for these Susky musicians, the day is still young.

  The music department’s biennial New York City trip took place on February 19, and for some, like freshman Cora Dunaja, this marked their first big outing affiliated with the high school.

  “We walked through Times Square, we went down towards Central Park, we got to walk through the plaza, we got to eat dinner at a great pizza place, and then we got to see an amazing Broadway show at the end of the day,” Dunaja said. “My favorite part was definitely the show. I cried at the end, it was just amazing, and I love the heart of New York City.”

  Of course, all of these adventures don’t come together without a sizable amount of planning, as described by orchestra director and trip chaperone Zachary Levi.

  “The process of organizing the NYC trip includes a) picking a date that works for the school calendar, b) finding 2-3 musicals through a ticket agency that seem to be reasonably priced for students and families, c) contacting a bus company and booking available buses for the day, d) sending out letters to students and families about the trip, collecting a deposit, and finding out show choices, e) asking for volunteers to chaperone, and f) collecting payments in about 3 installments,” said Levi.  “Of course, we are always ready for troubleshooting as occasions arise.”

  The department has made it a staple of its yearly routine to take at least one big trip per ensemble – if it’s not to New York, the orchestra, band and choir will usually venture somewhere else, such as Disney World or Chicago.

  According to senior Shannon Moran, the New York location is a particularly poignant one for many music students.

  “It’s relevant because a lot of people in our department like theatre and dancing and music and everything, and a lot of people love to go to New York…just to be there for whatever they like doing,” Moran said.  “…It’s important because a lot of people like us go there to do what they want to do, so…it’s kind of just good…to see people like you there, and…how they made it that far…”

  Levi agrees that, to a certain extent, the environment of New York is simply different – and more special – than anywhere else in the world.

  “To me, NYC is the extreme of big city energy,” said Levi.  “The ‘hustle and bustle’ of the people, transportation and events gives the effect of the city being almost a living thing.  Many other cities have these qualities, but not to the extent of NYC.”

  After a few hours of free time to explore the city (within certain boundaries) and have dinner, the students sat down to enjoy a Broadway show: this year’s choices were the Tony-winning show An American In Paris and the Disney musical adaptation of the movie Finding Neverland, the latter of which mesmerized Moran.

  “I saw Finding Neverland and I felt really good about it,” Moran said. “I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at first because it was just…the story of how Neverland was created, but it was so…different and it was, like, amazing. I was really shocked.”

  Though Dunaja saw the same show and was equally impressed, she notes that the trip could have been revised in some small ways.

  “I would leave a little bit earlier and get there and not have to come home at three in the morning,” said Dunaja.

  Despite this infinitesimal drawback, the experience that comes with the chance to visit NYC with a group of fellow music-oriented people is certainly not one to pass up lightly – and to the person who might be on the fence about investing in a future trip like this one, Levi has one valuable piece of advice:

  “If you have never been, you should take the opportunity to go to the greatest city on Earth.  And if you have already been, you don’t really need convincing, do you?”