GSH 2019: Bye from the Big Apple

Last leg of the trip… a day of scavenges in New York City.  We have been all around the world and the ONLY two days that we had rain was in Canada and then today in New York. Hey, North America, you are losing the good weather challenge (-200 points).

We had just about 6 hours to run around the city until our final check-in.

Central Park:  Rainey and I chose the scavenge to rent bikes in Central Park and find several things like Balto, the sled dog.  Rainey didn't think it was funny at all when I said he looked so much like the dog... but you have to admit... there is a resemblance. And what a handsome dog Balto is..!!!

Play in the cherry blossoms (some are still stuck in my hair)

And visit Strawberry Fields.When we got to the John Lennon memorial, an impressively entrepreneurial guitarist - with a not-really-great voice - was sitting on the nearest bench playing Beatles songs.  Good schtick.  He was pulling in the cash.  After all ... location, location, location (and he had the right real estate).  So we sat and listened to a few songs and “Imagined all the people, living life in peace.” 

Having just seen the world – all around it – every religion, rich and poor, fancy cities and tiny villages … I do really “hope that some day … the world will be as one.” That is the magic of this trip.  It shows you so clearly what being a Global Citizen really means.  How all around the world, people are just people:  they want safety and security and decent work and to be able to laugh and love and have adventures.  We are all one living on one planet.  Sitting in the park listening to Lennon’s music - and his yearning for kinder, better times - was such a perfect close to this year’s competition.

Awards Ceremony:  Then it was off to the final event:  the awards ceremony. So – drum roll, please:

In third place: Order and Chaos (Par score: 81).  A team that really embraced the event and whom we will really miss.  So hope they come back another year as it has been a blast to get to know them.

In second place: Lazy Monday (Par score: 46).  There is NOTHING Lazy about this team.  They worked hard and smart every hour of every day for 23 days.  But whenever you saw them, they had a smile on their face.  This is probably the strongest competition we have ever had.  This team made Rainey and I a better team, as we were constantly pushing ourselves because we knew they were always nipping at our heels (and on several legs, beating our pants off).

In first place: Lawyers without Borders (Par score: 33).  YAY. 

Sad to say goodbye to all of our fellow travelers.  This has been such a great group.  

And finally we can sleep… until next year.