October 10,11,12

Click on the images below to view the Zoom Sessions from the reunion.
  The video will play in YouTube.  You can enlarge the screen using the icon in the lower right hand corner of the video screen.
Session I
Session II

Pictures from the reunion
(opens in the YouTube browser)
Enlarge the screen by clicking on the icon in the lower right playback window
Our home away from home - The Hampton Inn, Staten Island
This year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Class of "62
Group Photo taken at Joe & Eunice's home
Reunion Recap
LAHS 2022 Reunion (October 10, 11, & 12)

Our 2022 Reunion in New York City (Staten Island) is in the books and it was an awesome experience! The weather for our Reunion time was just about perfect, with mostly bright sunny days with temps in the mid to upper 60’s. Our “home” for this year’s reunion was the Staten Island Hamilton Inn and Suites. We had a grand total of 12 attendees this year, including our hosts Joe and Eunice Auer, or as we were dubbed the “Twelve Pack”.  

Thanks to cars shared by Joe A., Dianne D., Russ M., and George P. transportation around Staten Island did not require public transportation. This included our trips to the S. I. Ferry terminal on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Our motel rooms were comfortable, and the free breakfasts were very good with plenty of room for us to meet and visit prior to each day’s excursions. We didn’t have a “hospitality” room this year because the cost of their meeting room was excessive for our small group. Instead, John S. reserved a suite which was large enough to utilize as our place to visit and
snack (and drink) in addition to serving as his quarters. We were given extra chairs for the suite and this arrangement worked very nicely. 

Sunday, October 9
Most of us arrived this day (some even on Saturday) so one group of four explored the following Staten Island attractions: The Noble Maritime Collection (named after
Marine artist John Noble) and the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden both at Snug Harbor. That evening ten of us went to dinner at a classic German restaurant recommended by Joe A. It was a very interesting and historic structure and the food was terrific. We all had a great time then adjourned to our “hospitality suite” for more visiting and socializing.

Monday, October 10
After a great breakfast at the hotel and some planning, ten of us set out for
the Staten Island Ferry terminal. If you have never been able to take the ferry ride between Staten Island and Manhattan, it is truly a worthy addition to anyone’s bucket list! You are able to see some of the most spectacular and iconic views anywhere in the world! The ferries are very comfortable and large and IT’S FREE!  Once in Manhattan we walked (approximately 10 miles total) and took subways to see many of the area’s most popular sights and locations, some of which included The Battery, the 9/11 Ground Zero and memorials, One World Trade Center, Wall Street (and The Bull), as well as the NY Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, Federal Hall, and many other famous skyscrapers and historic/famous structures.

Back at the hotel, late that afternoon we were joined by our final pair, Russ and Jackie Meyer. For dinner, we walked across the parking lot to the nearby Hilton Hotel where we had a wonderful meal at the very nice Lorenzo’s Italian restaurant. We had the whole dining room to ourselves and the meal was a memorable experience with great food and service.

Tuesday, October 11
This was undoubtedly the best and most memorable day of the Reunion.
Once again we took the Ferry into Manhattan and subways to the Brooklyn Bridge, where our group walked across what is one of the most famous bridges in the world. Opening for use in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, until in 1903 when the Williamsburg Bridge opened and is 4.5 ft. longer. This approximately one mile walk is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that is shared by hundreds of tourists and locals making the walk at the same time. Again, the views were fantastic and the experience exhilarating! Once we were over the bridge, we took subways to Brooklyn and a short walk to Joe and Eunice’s amazing Brownstone home, which dates back to the late 1800’s. A few years ago our hosts remodeled and added on to the back of their house to construct a wonderful patio and beautiful garden
where we enjoyed a really great afternoon lunch, with a cake to mark the special recognition for the 60th anniversary of the 1962 class (unfortunately only two of them were able to attend this year’s reunion). During the afternoon we were treated to visits from some of our hosts friends and neighbors and talks with others walking by as we sat on the Brownstone’s front stoop. Make sure and take the time to look at the photos that show our “twelve pack” official Reunion class photo sitting on the front steps, and other shots that show our host’s spectacular back yard.

Wednesday, October 12
On this day, we split into two groups. Seven of us took the ferry and subways to get to a popular feature known as the High Line. Stretching over the Meatpacking
District, West Chelsey, and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods, the High Line was originally built as a railroad to deliver products to buildings along the route. It has been reopened as a linear park and paved pathway built on top of the old abandoned railway embankment and track some 30 feet above street level. The approximately one and a half mile walk provides a place for interesting views, beautiful linear garden features with artwork throughout a very typical Manhattan urban area. This is another feature that is very heavily frequented by tourists as well as local working people. Other attractions visited during the afternoon consisted of the Hudson Yards, the Vessel, and large areas of public plazas, gardens, groves and shops.  

Once back on Staten Island, we also visited the historic Alice Austen House. Austen was a noted photographer who lived in the house most of her life, and now the property serves as a museum and historic site.

Our other group that didn’t go into Manhattan stayed on S.I. and visited the National Lighthouse Museum with a personized lead introduction by a docent. That afternoon this group went to the Staten Island Zoo, which is small with many exhibits indoors. The zoo was very popular that day with families because it was a Jewish holiday.

Evening activities back at the motel suite consisted of ordered-in pizza and two consecutive Zoom meetings with Reunion Committee members and other reunion folks who had originally planning to attend this event, but for one reason or another were unable to make it after all. Everyone is recommended to view the recorded videos of the Zoom sessions that are posted below.

Conclusions
This reunion was another great success, in large part due to efforts of our hosts Joe
and Eunice Auer. We all thank you both for all your hard work to make this a truly unforgettable event. Their planning and execution of activities and hands-on efforts to lead us as a group to see so many great sights and attractions plus their extensive knowledge of the history and details of everything we saw really made for a rewarding and fun three days. This also included leading us in utilizing public transport like subways and the Staten Island Ferry rides. Our experience at Joe and Eunice’s home and neighborhood was probably everyone’s highlight for this reunion – it was so much fun! 

Regarding possible locations to consider for our next reunion, there have been four people so far who have expressed interest in hosting: Ann Marshall in Las Vegas, Susie Smith in Dallas, Patti (Rainford) Hull in Portland, OR, and David Ellerman in Slovenia.

Other folks interested in hosting the next reunion should contact the Reunion Committee.  

Johnny Sager

Recap of Reunion Events