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Conversation 2 - Trip to the New York City

Listen to a conversation between a student and the director of the Student Activity Center.

Director: Hello, Jack. Is everything set for the trip this Saturday?

Student: Everything’s ready. Ah, fifteen people have signed up. Our train gets into New York City at noon which leaves plenty of time to get downtown to the art gallery for the reception.

Director: It’s great. You could organize this. What an honor having a painting by one of our students in that exhibit!

Student: Yeah. My roommate’s so modest. If we weren’t such good friends, I’d never realize that his work was being exhibited. So, since I was going anyway for the opening and all, I figure that might as well make a student event out of it.

Working here at the Student Activity Centers made me realize how popular our activities are. I figure they’ll be interested in it.

Director: Well you’ve done a super job organizing everything. This poster was great. And they were up in no time.

Student: Thanks. And I’m glad you could approve the funding for us.

Director: My pleasure. By the way, how are you getting to the gallery from the train’s station?

Student: Well, there are buses that run downtown.

Director: Right. You grew up in New York City, didn’t you?

Student: Yeah. But, the bus, well, that’s kind of what I want to talk to you about.

Director: Yes.

Student: I realized that at the last minute, but, well, the weather for Saturday is supposed to be really nice, sunny, warm. It’ll be a great opportunity to walk the High Line.

Director: The……what?

Student: Haven’t you?……Oh, I guess not everyone has heard of it. It’s this amazing……it’s like this park in the sky.

Director: A park in the sky?

Student: Yeah. Well, see there was this old train line. You know one of those elevated lines, the kind that run high above the streets?

Director: OK.

Student: Well, this one was used for freight, not passengers.

Director: Aha.

Student: But when it got cheaper to move freight by trucks, they stop using it. It was abandoned for a long time. And then, a few years back, the city agreed to turn the tracks and the surrounding area into a park. It’s not very wide but it’s over a mile long. And it goes from the train station all the way downtown near the gallery. I’ve walked before, it’s really cool. There was grass and flowers everywhere, and since you’re high up, you get these great views of the city.

Director: Sounds wonderful. But have you considered not everybody might be interested in walking that far? They might prefer the bus.

Student: Couldn’t we just split up?You know how some of us walk and the others take the bus?

Director: But remember, Jack, the poster advertises you as the tour leader, not everybody sees the adventure about getting around the city.You need to find someone to accompany people on the bus, then you take the walkers.

Student: Yeah. But who? Um, the trip’s in two days.

Director: Well, I did my graduate work in New York, of course it was a while ago, but I still know how to get around the city.

Student: Yeah……

Director: And I’d love to see that exhibit.

Student: You’d go? Ah, that’ll be great!