Halem Trip

I don't know where to start, but i'll give it a try. First we did the tour of Harlem and even though i knew a lot of the history behind it I never realized how much there was. I knew about the migrations, and a couple of other things, into Harlem but not much beyond that. Neal was great because he would talk about all the interesting sites in the city. As I looked around at all the sites I remembered flashbacks from various movies I had seen depicting Harlem. It was and amazing tour especially when we saw Rucker Park. I admire the NBA and I realized that most of my favorite players grew up on that court.

Sylvia's was great. The cornbread was awesome and since I'm a vegetarian and all, I got a special dish just for me. The macaroni and cheese was fantastic and the string beans tasted just like how I would cook them. For me, Sylvia's was great even though some of the students think so.

The Apollo theater was, in my opinion, the second best part of the whole trip. I mean to be in a historic building as old as the Apollo really gets a person to appreciate music and entertainment of all kinds. Our host at the Apollo was a great speaker and he knew EVERYTHING about the apollo. When we went to see the stage, I was filled with joy because one of my favorite comedians, Chris Rock, performed there and just to be on the same stage was amazing. The marvelous history of music and talent that walked through that theater was just mind-boggling. Legends like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Marvin Gay, B.B. King! Oh man that was awesome.

The best part of the day was when we went to the Mosque. When I went in there, I felt like a changed person. I mean it wasn't just a building to me, it was like I was home in God's house. I sensed a feeling that I have felt before when I walked in there. It was like that all the sins that I have committed were barred out of this holy place and I felt like a pure soul. I feel like that whenever I walk into any religious institution but I don't know I keep feeling the same feelings over and over again. Now I'm hindu and when Brother Tarik spoke, he didn't praise his own religion, he talked about the ideals of Islam and what it is. He was a great speaker and I admired how much he knew about Harlem and the neighborhood around the Mosque.

Overall, This trip was amazing and I thank all the Teachers for putting this together. Neal Shoemaker and Andi Owens were the best tour guides ever. Brother Tarik was great. I hope to return to Harlem soon and hope to revisit the historic places in it.