Compare Ultimate Opera: Two Productions at the Met by Road Scholar vs National Parks Family Journey: Yellowstone and Grand Teton by G Adventures

Day 1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
New York D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Hotel check-in 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m.: After checking in at the hotel front desk, take your bags to your room. At 4:00 p.m., come to the meeting room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your schedule when you check in.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m. at Trattoria Bianca, conveniently located inside the hotel, we’ll enjoy a plated dinner with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Dinner is included even if you arrive late. If your arrival is delayed, please attend orientation and then eat afterwards.

Evening: Orientation: 6:15 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will be using public transportation/subways exclusively throughout the program. Artists and repertoire are subject to change by the Metropolitan Opera. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Wrapping up the evening, we will set out on a walk to become familiar with the neighborhood around the hotel. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Day 2
History of Opera, Overview of First Opera, Lincoln Center
New York B,L,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, butter, plus milk (regular/low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea, water. During breakfast, we will register with the MTA for a senior citizen MetroCard (if you are 65 or over). A representative from the MTA will take your picture and a copy of your driver’s license to process your permanent MetroCard application. They will give you a temporary card to use for the week, enabling you to ride for half price. A few weeks after you return home you will receive a permanent card in the mail — your official invitation to come back to New York and ride around for half price. If you have a NYC Senior Citizen MetroCard from a previous program, please bring it with you.

Morning: We’ll be joined by a local expert who will give us an overview of opera history. With another expert, we’ll have an overview of the first opera we will attend.

Lunch: In the meeting room, we’ll have a sandwich lunch with green salad and a beverage.

Afternoon: We’ll visit Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a 16.3-acre complex that is home to 11 resident arts organizations representing the highest standards of excellence in opera, symphony, chamber music, theater, dance, film, and arts education. There are 30 indoor and outdoor facilities that welcome 5 million visitors annually. Lincoln Center is the world’s leading presenter of superb artistic programming and a national leader in arts and education and community relations. A $1.2 billion campus renovation was completed in 2012.

Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 3
About Opera Productions, Opera People, Met Opera Performance
New York B,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the Tick Tock Diner off the hotel lobby, we’ll have a plated breakfast and order from a select menu; juice, coffee, tea included, other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: Opera began in 16th century Italy. A lot has changed since then! We’ll learn from local experts about different aspects of opera productions.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Back at the hotel, we’ll meet people in the opera world and learn what got them where they are today.

Dinner: At a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Performance. We will attend a Metropolitan Opera production of Bizet's "Carmen." Bizet's masterpiece of the gypsy seductress who lives by her own rules has had an impact far beyond the opera house. The opera's melodic sweep is as irresistible as the title character herself, a force of nature who has become a defining female cultural figure. "Carmen" was a scandal at its premier at the Opera Comique in Paris (1875) but soon after became a triumphal success and has remained one of the most frequently staged operas in the world.

Day 4
Performance Review-Critique, The Met & New Media, Free Time
New York B,L New Yorker Hotel
Breakfast: In the Meeting Room.

Morning: Led by a local expert, we’ll engage in a discussion and critique of last night's performance. With another expert, we’ll examine the Metropolitan Opera’s approach to new media. Like performing arts institutions everywhere, the Met feels pressure to attract younger audiences to succeed its aging base, which means selling nearly 4,000 seats for performances that now range from $25 for rush tickets to hundreds of dollars for the best seats in the house. A break from traditionally reserved methods of promotion took place after Peter Gelb became General Manager in 2006. The Met began placing ads in conspicuous places such as city buses, lamp posts, subways, and public telephones. That was 2006. Today, there are new media initiatives including filmed performances in local theaters around the country. We’ll learn what’s happening.

Lunch: In the Meeting Room.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like. New York has literally thousands of dining options. This might be your big splurge meal or a quick bite before taking in a show.

Evening: At leisure. See and do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences.

Day 5
Overview of Our Second Opera, Meet a Met Performer
New York B,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the Tick Tock Diner.

Morning: We’ll be joined by an expert who will provide an overview of the opera we will attend this evening. We’ll then have a class with another expert who will delve more into different aspects of opera productions.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Afternoon: Regrouping at the hotel, we’ll meet a Metropolitan Opera performer and learn what’s involved.

Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Performance. We’ll attend the Metropolitan Opera production of Boito's "Mefistofele." This spectacular Robert Carson production of the opera is returning to The Met stage for the first time since 2000. "Mefistofele" is the celebrated and only opera by Arigo Boito, who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for "Otello" and "Falstaff." Based on the Faust legend, Boito shifts the focus onto the character that truly drives the action: the devil of himself. The title character is one of the great bass-baritone roles in opera.

Day 6
Performance Review-Critique, Program Concludes
New York B
Activity note: Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: In the Meeting Room.

Morning: With our expert, we’ll have a discussion and critique of last night's performance as well as a review of the week as a whole, ending at approximately 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Day 1 Jackson

Arrive in time to meet your fellow travelers for a welcome gathering this evening. Your arrival transfer is included.

Day 2 Jackson/Grand Teton National Park

Spend the day exploring the spectacular peaks and valleys of Grand Teton National Park, beginning in the Moose historic district, where early log-cabin homesteads help tell the stories of the bold fur trappers, mountain men, and female entrepreneurs who settled the region. At the park's Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, young travelers begin their junior ranger journey. Later, grab an oar for a rafting expedition down the Snake River. As you gently float along, spot mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose in the surrounding woodlands and meadows. Enjoy a delicious lunch after your river adventure.

Day 3 Grand Teton National Park

Board a boat for the ride across Jenny Lake; then set out on a hike in Cascade Canyon—carved by retreating glaciers some 15,000 years ago—and continue to Hidden Falls, plummeting almost a hundred feet into the gorge. This afternoon, opt for a hike around Jackson Lake. Young explorers will also have the opportunity to complete their junior ranger activities and claim their Grand Teton badge!

Day 4 Grand Teton National Park/Yellowstone National Park

On a morning drive, we’ll cross the Continental Divide and travel into the vast caldera of the Yellowstone supervolcano—a volcano capable of a massive eruptions, which Yellowstone has experienced three times in just over two million years. View wisps of steam rising from geothermal hotspots throughout the park—home to about half of the world’s geysers. Visit the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center to begin a new junior ranger journey, and gather to watch the famed geyser erupt on the clock. Stroll boardwalks winding between the bubbling and gurgling hot springs and geysers of the Upper Geyser Basin, and peer into the spectacular rainbow-hued Grand Prismatic Spring, where thermophilic bacteria generate incredible shades of yellow, blue, and red.

Please note, the long drive days listed on days 4-7 include multiple stops and are inclusive of all activities described in the day itinerary.

Day 5 Yellowstone National Park

Venture out in search of astonishing geological activity and amazing creatures in the Yellowstone wilderness—established as the world’s first national park in 1872. Hike in the spectacular Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and see the rushing river and falls; then in the lush Hayden Valley, marvel at the bubbling Mud Volcano and the turbulent waters of the acidic Sulphur Caldron. Further your discoveries at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center where you will encounter bear habitats, gray wolves, river otters, and have the opportunity to observe, understand and ultimately appreciate these magnificent animals.You’ll also have the chance to explore the historic town of Mammoth Hot Springs, home to Yellowstone National Park headquarters; and stop at Roosevelt Lodge, once a tent camp for trappers and explorers. Set out on safari through the sweeping Lamar Valley—known as the “Serengeti of North America” for its high concentration of wildlife, including bison, elk, and elusive wolves and grizzly bears.

There is so much to see and do in Yellowstone National Park and the wildlife is a big part. Based on animal sightings and park ranger feedback, we give our CEOs the opportunity to adjust the order of highlights explored in the park. The activities above will be delivered across day 5 and 6 of this tour.

Day 6 Yellowstone National Park

Venture out in search of astonishing geological activity and amazing creatures in the Yellowstone wilderness—established as the world’s first national park in 1872. Hike in the spectacular Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and see the rushing river and falls; then in the lush Hayden Valley, marvel at the bubbling Mud Volcano and the turbulent waters of the acidic Sulphur Caldron. Further your discoveries at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center where you will encounter bear habitats, gray wolves, river otters, and have the opportunity to observe, understand and ultimately appreciate these magnificent animals.You’ll also have the chance to explore the historic town of Mammoth Hot Springs, home to Yellowstone National Park headquarters; and stop at Roosevelt Lodge, once a tent camp for trappers and explorers. Set out on safari through the sweeping Lamar Valley—known as the “Serengeti of North America” for its high concentration of wildlife, including bison, elk, and elusive wolves and grizzly bears.

There is so much to see and do in Yellowstone National Park and the wildlife is a big part. Based on animal sightings and park ranger feedback, we give our CEOs the opportunity to adjust the order of highlights explored in the park. The activities above will be delivered across day 5 and 6 of this tour.

Day 7 Yellowstone National Park

Enjoy a final day exploring one of America’s most beloved national parks. Descend a wooden boardwalk into the vast Norris Geyser Basin, dotted with colorful pools and steaming fumaroles; then stop by the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center for lunch, where young travelers can claim a Yellowstone junior ranger badge.

Day 8 Yellowstone National Park/Jackson

Head back to Jackson early this morning where tour ends in downtown Jackson.

When arranging your flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration. Please note that your outgoing flight from Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) must depart no earlier than 14:00 (2pm) on Day 8. The group will be brought to downtown Jackson. You must make your own way to the airport from there as only permitted airport vehicles can do airport drop offs.