This past Friday we had lunch in the renovated colonial pub, Fraunces Tavern. It gave us a chance to feel the old New York and learn 200 years of history! From the moment we passed through the front door, we were inundated with American culture. As one student put it, the room was “antique.” From the cracked yet well-preserved eggshell paint on the doorframes to the lighting fixtures that could have just as easily held gaslights rather than electric bulbs, this was a treat we would not forget any time soon.

The tavern is much more than a bar. It has several dining rooms and there’s even a museum on the second floor. There’s a little something for everyone, and it’s well worth a stop if you like giant American hamburgers. When our meal came to an end, we all got a peek of the relics in the upper floor. It’s amazing what has been passed from generation to generation and how much life has changed since New York’s story as a city began.

We certainly left with more than a full stomach, and I look forward to taking more students to such a rich oasis of culture again.

Group left the school at around 12:30 and headed on foot via the R train. After arriving with the R line at 36th Street station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, we decided we needed some fuel for the activity, so we headed towards the popular taco truck, El Bronco. Unfortunately, business was not set to open until half an hour later, so we walked nearby to the restaurant with the same name. Offering more options on the menu, some ordered tacos while others had burritos.

After eating lunch in Sunset Park itself, we walked back a few blocks to the bowling alley, Melody Lanes. Once inside, we received our bowling shoes and played a good game of bowling by splitting up two different lanes.

Later on, we decided to walk to Industry City and check out the new Japanese market, Japan Village, where a number of the Japanese students had the pleasure of looking at and purchasing snacks and drinks reminding them of home.

This week the students went to The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The museum offered a very interactive experience. First we saw an exhibit about the history of sports games, going back to the very early history of video gaming to now. The students got lost playing games as old as the original Pong, to Nintendo and Sega classics and even recent favorites such as FIFA on a giant screen.

There was also an exhibit on the early history of cinema and film making. Students got to use some of the first entertainment machines available for viewing short moving pictures. We were also awed by a moving sculpture that used the play of light and dark to create the stunning optical illusion of an artist’s dream.

On the other levels of the museum, students got to see original props from the special effects scenes in some famous Sci-Fi and horror movies. The visual explanations revealed the magic of movie-making, showing us how these moments were created and filmed.

Overall it was a wonderful way to experience many old memories from childhood in a new way. And afterwards, no one could turn down trying some of the famous empanadas on Steinway Avenue!