Our annual spring break tour is taking us in a new direction. California! We hope to meet many people and make many friends. It is always a privelage to spread the name of Purdue and the Glee Club in a new part of the world.
March 09, 2007
Well our tour begins today in sunny West Lafayette! Actually its pretty warm today back in good old Indiana. We drove down to Indianapolis and flew out at 2:30 to Atlanta. We had a little layover and arrived in Los Angeles at 8:30 local time. We took a quick drive to Redondo beach and the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Many of us explored the area found a marina and a great set of restaurants nearby. We have some commitments tomorrow though so we called it a day.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 10, 2007
Day 2 of sunny California: Our day started of with a fantastic breakfast at the hotel. Then we loaded the bus and headed downtown to the Los Angeles Food Bank. We met up with some old friends from back home and made some new ones, all volunteers. We then made our way down to the University of Southern California to eat lunch then were off to Garden Grove. Forty-five minutes later the “Tower of Power” was in view. By the time we got the lay of land it was time to head back to the Blue Water Grill to meet up with a few great Boilermakers. Finally, we walked back to the hotel to pack and grab a quick nap before morning.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 11, 2007
Oh what an exciting day! We woke up bright and early so we could rehearse with the Crystal Cathedral Orchestra at 8:30. We then sang at the 9:30 and 11:30 services! Both were incredible, and I don't think we quite realize the fact that millions of people will see us next week when it airs on television! That experience will remain in our memories for a long time. Many of our friends and family came to see us there and we had so much fun. However, our day was far from over. We got back on the bus and drove inland to Palm Desert. The scenery in California is so beautiful! Mountains everywhere! We got to Palm Desert where Brian used to sing when he was with Fred Waring, and now he was bringing the Glee Club! It was very exciting and a great show. The audience loved it and wanted more. Tonight we actually stayed in town with homestays. Thank you to all of our host families for letting us stay with you!
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 12, 2007
We all had a leisurely morning with our homestays. Some of us went hiking in the mountains, some went swimming, others went golfing. We all met again at the church at 3:30 for a few pictures and the we were off to the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament. There we had the opportunity to go in and see the Jeff Blake vs Julien Benneteau and Raphael Nadal vs Fernando Verdasco matches, which was an amazing experience. We grabbed a bite to eat and gathered in the tunnel to run out between the first and second matches of the evening session. We were proud to represent Purdue in this way and we had a blast. It was then back on the buses to head back to the Crown Plaza at Redondo Beach. Free day tomorrow!
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 13, 2007
FREE DAY!!! Our activities are as different as each of the guys. Some of us went to Venice Beach. Others went to Hollywood to go sightseeing. Still others went to Knottsberry Farm to enjoy a day of rollercoasters and rides. There were actually a few tickets to go see a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno so a few of the guys got to go to that and see guests Sandra Bullock and Andy Richter! We all returned to the hotel to get ready to head back on the road tomorrow.
March 14, 2007
Back on the road again! Our first stop today is a one Ontario Christian High School. We did a convocation (that's an assembly for you non Indiana folk) for all the students there. They loved it! Of course nothing will get high schoolers going like a bunch of college guys coming to their school to sing for them (or maybe it was just getting out of class that excited them...). It really was fun and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. Our next stop was the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital, a world leader in pediatric care. We broke up into two groups and sang in different parts of the hospital in order to lift the spirits of children and parents, as well as staff and volunteers. There were actually a couple people who followed us from place to place so they could hear more! We also passed out Glee Club beanie babies to the kids. It was a unique and very humbling experience. After dinner at an In-N-Out Burger, we headed out of Los Angeles to Azusa where we will sing tomorrow. It's homestays again tonight, but this time we are staying with fellow students! We are at Azusa Pacific University. The men's chorale here volunteered to house us for a couple nights. So far on this trip, we haven't had the opportunity to talk with too many people our age and relate to them. This is our chance to ask what California is really like! Hopefully, we will get some rest. Another busy day tomorrow.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 15, 2007
We visited our second Christian high school today. We went to Valley Christian School and sang for the students there. As always, we did our best to recruit them for Purdue, but that is quite difficult to do in California. After lunch and ice cream, we returned to Azusa Pacific for dinner and our performance. It was another great show and everybody there loved it. Many students were there, mostly people we met the night before and encouraged to come. We got to sing a little bit with their mens chorale too. All in all, it was a great stay at Azusa and we made many friends there. We have one more night here, and then we must move on.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 16, 2007
We left Azusa at around 9:45 and made our way back to Hollywood. There we took a group photo in front of the Chinese Theater and sang for a bit. We walked around the mall nearby, singing for people that we saw and in cool plazas. We scattered for lunch and moved on. A special invitation was extended to the Glee Club to visit the world famous mansion of Hugh Hefner, in beautiful Beverly Hills. The aunt of one of our own, Glee Club manager Dave Bukiet, works for Mr. Hefner and generously helped arrange our visit. We were given a customized tour of the grounds including the gardens and aviary. We sang for our hosts at the tennis court and then boarded the buses for Chino. We arrived at Crosspoint Church, a beautiful new building housing a great group of people who invited us to sing there. We were very impressed at everything, from the stage to the sound system to the welcoming and energetic people that we sang for. The night was somewhat bittersweet for this was the last show of the Spring Break tour, always a landmark for graduating seniors. This trip was full of memories and great moments, but we still have one more day, a free day.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 17, 2007
Well, our last day in California is finally here. We were on our own again for most of the day and many of us took this opportunity to get some rest. Others went to a nearby beach to play some football. The hot tub was another popular hangout since it was a little chilly today, only 56 degrees. Tonight we had a farewell gathering for all of our friends who came to support us on this trip. We went to a lounge across the street from the hotel and had desserts and refreshments while we shared the final moments of this great trip. The Glee Club got to experience some very exciting and unique things on this trip, things that we won't soon forget. Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible. We appreciate what we get to do so very much.
Check out pictures from the day here.
March 18, 2007
Travel day. It started with a very early morning. 4:00 am. Some of us decided not to sleep during the night and wait until we got on the plane. We departed our hotel with some breakfast and made our 7:00 am flight out of LAX on time. We arrived in Atlanta to discover that our flight was delayed by about an hour. This was actually quite fortunate for us because it left us with just enough time to watch the Purdue game on TV! We were proud of how they represented Purdue in the Tournament, despite their loss. After the game, it was back in the air for us. We flew into Indianapolis at about 7:15 and got ready for the last leg of our trip. This went without a hitch and we arrived to campus around 9:15. A long day, a great trip, and many memories make us all eagerly desire our own beds as we part ways and head home. Back to classes for us!