The cross-country journey has officially begun as marked today by the team arriving in New York City from Chicago, family homes, or friends nearby. The excitement was and is real and even these first stories traveling as a team give so much hope for the Summer ahead! How did we get to New York and what has happened so far? Read on to find out!
Ride Overview:
Distance: 725 miles
Elevation: ~35,000 ft. (cruising altitude)
Quite a rapid ride on some kind of seated vehicle that flies over the ground!
Ren (left) and Lauren (right) at Midway Airport in Chicago on a very early morning.
Tales of the Trail
Day -1 started with half of the team meeting at Midway Airport in Chicago bright and early at 3 am. (Or dark and late depending on how you view it.) The others would eventually meet us all in NYC through their own transportation (Cole in the van). As you might expect, everyone was pretty tired, but excited for the journey to come. We made it through the airport to our gate without any issues, and once there, most of the team either tried to relax or get a few more minutes of shut-eye before boarding the airplane. Once we landed at LaGuardia airport, we all got off the plane and took a bus, heading towards our first stayover at St. Mary’s Episcopal church in Harlem.
Aadit (left) and Anthony (right) becoming acquainted with true New York cuisine.
When we reached the church we were greeted by our gracious hosts; then eagerly awaited the van to bring our bikes for us to unload so we could start our adventures in the city. By the time we were ready to explore, most of us were incredibly hungry, and decided the best first meal in NY would of course be a slice of pizza! Throughout the day more members of the team met us at the church, most of which either flying in a few days before or living close enough to make the drive up to New York City. After being satiated most of us went out to explore the city, as it was a few of our first times being in the Big Apple. It was the perfect weather to walk around New York City, which the team was very excited about especially since there is rain in the forecast for the next few days.
One group made their way to Brooklyn for a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline. (from left to right: Cole, Maaike, Parker, Aadit, Anthony, Tada, Vedang)
The team was a little split up still, some visiting friends and family in the area, but everyone got plenty of pictures of the many sights New York City has to offer all over town. One of these being a big group of us who went to visit and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. At the first sight of a picture-worthy view of the bridge, we all laughed as everyone pulled out a digital camera instead of just their phone. Where did the space come to pack all of those? Another group went to explore Central Park and ran into a retired professor who made for great conversation (not pictured). The weather, which was especially beautiful, made that trip more than worthwhile.
With all of the excitement in exploring the city, as soon as we looked down at our watches, it was time to head back uptown for dinner. We were honored to be joined by Professor Bipin who has been a host, sponsor, and friend of the Illini 4000 since its inception in 2006. He brought with him a strong message of generating change through love and kindness and friends that had their own inspirational words to share too. Economics, non-violent protest, and changes in the world of cancer research were all at the table for discussion. Oh, and some fantastic food! The team had a feast of Indian cuisine: channa, biryani, samosas, and rice. Stomachs were certainly full!
In the evening, after a wonderful dinner the team had been rejuvenated with energy (once we had digested) and decided to go to a basketball court nearby. We had a quite surprisingly competitive 4v4 game that would go down in the history books. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if people walking by would even mistake us for the New York Knicks. After this, however, the team had officially worn ourselves out enough that we were ready to head to bed to get ready for new adventures tomorrow.
This basketball game also led to our favorite quote of the day:
“Don’t worry, I am a legend.”
All smiles from Maaike after the post-dinner matchup! (group from left to right: Maaike, Vedang, Lauren, Sam, Parker, Max, Anthony, Nishk)