Lots to love about New York, lots to miss about home

By Christi Chesnut
Special to The Star
03-18-2006, 2 p.m.

Christi Chesnut, 17, a senior member of the Oxford High School marching band, is writing a daily journal for The Star's Web site about the band's trip to New York for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Christi, who plays the saxophone, will enroll in Auburn in the fall, where she will study veterinary medicine. This is her eighth journal entry, as told this morning to editors at The Star. She filed her report as the band prepared to visit the Statue of Liberty. We had fun shopping downtown yesterday after the parade. There are Macy's stores in the South, but nothing like this one (the flagship store). It was huge. So big, there were just floors of nothing but shoes. Everyone couldn't believe how big the store was and how many things they had. Huge. We went to dinner and then went to Broadway for Beauty and the Beast, which was amazing. Everybody was just in awe of the show and how incredible the experience was. The theater was beautiful, and most of us had never seen anything like it, either. This morning we're going to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero and Chinatown. Ellis Island should be really cool, and Chinatown — that will be another first for almost all of us. Probably out of this world. I don't even know what to expect there, actually. Who knows? The trip has been incredible for all of us. Of course, it takes an hour to drive anywhere — the city's just so huge — but it's been interesting, amazing, really. We're just really enjoying ourselves being here and seeing everything. We're getting ready to head home tomorrow, about 11:00, I think. It's funny, but as much as we've enjoyed this city and how incredible everything is, a few people, I've heard them say they appreciate Alabama more. There are so many people, just so much concrete, that you do appreciate Alabama.