Trip To The New York City

NARRATOR:Listen to a conversation between a student and the director of the Student Activities Center.

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Hello, Jack. Is everything set for the trip this Saturday?<-MALE STUDENT:->Everything\'s ready. Uh, 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.

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

MALE STUDENT:Yeah … My roommate's so modest. If we weren’t such good friends, I’d’ never realized his work was being exhibited.So, since I was going anyway for the opening and all, I figured I 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 figured they\'ll be interested in it.

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Well, you've done a super job organizing everything!Those posters look great. And they went up in no time!MALE STUDENT:Thanks. And I'm glad you could approve the funding for us.

<-FEMALE PROFESSOR:->My pleasure. Uh...by the way, how’re you getting to the gallery from the train station?MALE STUDENT:Well, there're buses that run downtown.FEMALE PROFESSOR:Right, you grew up in New York City, didn’t you?

MALE STUDENT:Yeah, but, the bus, well, that’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about.FEMALE PROFESSOR:Yes?

MALE STUDENT:I realize it’s last-minute, but … well, the weather for Saturday is supposed to be really nice, sunny, warm. It’d be a great opportunity to walk the High Line.FEMALE PROFESSOR: The... what?MALE STUDENT:Uh, haven’t you? Oh, I guess not everyone’s heard of it … it’s this amazing...uh, it’s like this … this park in the sky!FEMALE PROFESSOR:A park in the sky?

MALE 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?<-FEMALE PROFESSOR:->OK …MALE STUDENT:Well, this one was used for freight, not passengers.

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Aha.

MALE STUDENT:But when it got cheaper to move freight by trucks, they stopped using it.It was abandoned for a long time. And then, a few years back, the city agreed to turn the tracks and 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 it before, it’s really cool! There’s grass and flowers everywhere,and, since you’re high up, you get these great views of the city.

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

MALE STUDENT:Couldn’t we just split up? You know, have some of us walk and the others take the bus?FEMALE PROFESSOR:But remember, Jack, the poster advertises you as the tour leader, not everybody see adventure about getting around the city.You need to find someone to accompany people on the bus, then you’d take the walkers.MALE STUDENT:Yeah, but who? The trip’s in two days …

FEMALE PROFESSOR: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.MALE STUDENT:Yeah?FEMALE PROFESSOR:And I’d love to see that exhibit.

MALE STUDENT:You go? Ah, that’d be great!