So my daughter comes up to me and gives me is permission slip for the Washington DC trip. I don't think this could have possibly come at a worse time for her, with getting kicked off the bus and trying to make $42.50 and everything. They want $670 to take her on the trip, about 4 or 5 days. That pays for the bus and hotel... not the food or really anything else. I know they won't be dropping in on Chinatown via the subway, like I did, so who knows. It sure seems a bit pricey for a trip that really isn't necessary for any one or group of classes.
Then I continue reading, only 40-80 kids can go... Hmmm, do you want your kid to feel loved and appreciated? Better act soon, or you'll lose your chance to get a seat. WTF?!? Yeah I think it is unreasonable to see the whole 7th grade on the trip, but still. We're talking about 1200 to 1400 kids for the whole school, 400 to 450 per grade. And only 80 are going to get to go, tops? (those numbers I threw out there... I don't know what the school's population is).
So with that in mind I asked my daughter if she even wanted to go. She said, not really. To delve further into it I looked into booking a trip to DC, which included a flight, not a bus. It was by far less. I'm not saying that the school trip isn't nice, but I can do better, and it will show my kid the real world. Plus, I wonder how much they are going to see.
Everything in DC is free, I mean all the monuments, the museums, even the zoo, so nobody is spending money there. How would I do a 4 or 5 day trip? Oh man, boy oh boy. But my traveling arrangements were cut short by my wife. We've already been to DC, we need to do something else. Ah, I hate it when she makes sense. And as far as my kid going on the trip... I told her if she makes the money herself or at least part of it I would support her, but that went over like a fart in church. So we're right back where we started.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The DC trip
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2 comments:
My two oldest didn't go, but my baby girl did. She told me that it was more of a party than anything else - and getting the buses to pick them up and drop them off on time in DC traffic was a pain. One bus didn't show up for several hours; he had fallen asleep! They didn't get to see half what they wanted to see; and the kids went to a shopping mall and spent all of their money buying expensive geegaws.
I used to go to DC on business all the time, and never got to see what I wanted to see - the Smithsonian, etc. Too busy. But one time I stayed in an old OLD motel that happened to be next door to the Cato Institute (think tank) and was able to bow down in front of it. Sadly, that was pretty much the highlight of the trips... that, experiencing the 'whisper spot' in the foyer of the House, and sneaking out of the Congressional garage door for a cigarette and conning one of the National Guard guys to let me go back in the same way instead of going around thru the security checkpoints.
If you want to learn about the decline of our Republic, DC is a great place to imbibe of cynicism and a serious lack of farsightedness and hope.
I have to say that the DC of TODAY is a far cry from the DC of decades past, especially at night.
The Iwo Jima memorial across the river has become a hangout for crime and gays, and wandering anywhere away from the historical and governmental areas can get you mugged...(or worse).
Used to be a time you could catch a USMC band concert on the Capitol steps...don't think they even do that anymore.
We took all day cab rides all over..saw everything, but that was in the '60s. I'd be careful these days.
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