SATURDAY
Illinois International Travel will arrange a round-trip flight
from your hometown city to New York’s Newark Airport. Upon arrival
you will be transferred to the Newark Courtyard Marriott Hotel
that has an indoor swimming pool and fitness center. Here you
will be able to meet friends from many other parts of the country
including your tour escort who will review the day-by-day Bethel
Tour Vacation with you.
SUNDAY
This morning a complimentary continental breakfast will be served
at the hotel. Everyone will then depart the hotel on our private
motorcoach and drive through the Lincoln tunnel from New Jersey
to Manhattan. Here you will enjoy a sightseeing tour of New York
City, known as the Big Apple. Your tour escort will point out
such interesting sights as the Empire State Building, Times Square,
Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, Central Park, Chinatown, the Garment
District, Wall Street, Ground Zero and much more. You will soon
see how so many people live in the different cultures that make
this city one of the most unique in the world. Even the skyscrapers
are amazing in their architecture. The afternoon is at leisure
in Manhattan or your tour escort will make arrangements for you
to take an optional boat cruise around Manhattan Island that sails
under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. While cruising, you
will have a view of all the Watchtower buildings and other famous
landmarks and towering skyscrapers. Balance of the day is free
in Manhattan to do as you please. At 5:00 p.m., our chartered
bus will return everyone to the hotel or you can remain in Manhattan
and your tour escort will explain how easy it is to return to
the hotel by bus or train at your leisure. Located across the
street from your hotel is New Jersey’s largest indoor outlet mall
that has a variety of restaurants, a food court and several movie
theaters.
MONDAY
Today everyone will depart on our private motorcoach for a beautiful
drive through upstate New York to Wallkill to visit the new factory
and Bethel Home at Watchtower Farm. You will see the various printing
facilities and presses in the new factory that is all automated
and equivalent in space to 125 Kingdom Halls or larger than nine
football fields. You’ll be amazed at the new MAN presses that
are 18 feet high and how over 90,000 Watchtower and Awake magazines
are printed per hour. One roll of paper weighs 38,000 pounds,
is 14 miles long and is gone through in 25 minutes. (See WT 12/1/05,
p. 8 and 7/1/09, p. 15) The bindery line has 33 machines that
can produce 50,000 books and Bibles a day or 120 per minute. The
paperback book line assembles and packages as many as 100,000
books a day. In the shipping department, you will see how literature
requests for over 12,000 congregations are processed each month
on special conveyors that are 1.5 miles long. A congregation order
of 350 magazines can be completed in just 14 seconds. Late in
2010, the English magazines will be printed at the Canadian Branch,
however, many other publications will still be printed at Wallkill.
You’ll see how literature is printed differently for those who
are in prisons or for those that can only read Braille. You will
then have time to enjoy your included box lunch in the picnic
area. (If you know someone at Bethel, you may contact them ahead
of time to see if you can be invited as their guest for lunch
on this day at Wallkill or on Tuesday at Brooklyn Bethel in the
“30 Dining Room.”) Each year thousands of friends from around
the world travel to New York and Wallkill to visit the New Factory
and all of the amazing printing facilities (See WT 12/1/05 p.
8). After lunch, it is a one hour drive to Patterson where you
will visit the new Educational Center at Patterson Bethel. Here
you will see displays describing the work done in the Society’s
offices, including the service, art, legal and translation services
departments. Other offices oversee the activities of missionaries,
relief efforts in disaster areas and direct the teaching programs
for congregations throughout the world. You’ll see the large dining
room, kitchen, laundry and the Gilead School Auditorium. You will
be amazed at this beautiful project, including the courtyard that
was completed mostly by vounteer workers. (See WT 11/15/99, p.
9) Following the tour, you’ll return to the hotel. Balance of
the evening is free.
TUESDAY
This morning your private motorcoach will depart from the Courtyard
Marriott and travel through the Holland Tunnel on to the Island
of Manhattan passing Chinatown and over the Brooklyn Bridge to
visit the World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses. You will
first visit the Brooklyn Bethel Office known as the "25 Building"
where the work for over 100 Branch Offices is coordinated by the
Administration Departments. This is where the Governing Body is
located that handles all of the materials related to the preaching
activity worldwide. The Public Relations Department has a display
of awards and even an EMMY for their outstanding public services
by the way of our tapes and DVD’s. Under the direction of the
writing committee, material is prepared here that will be published
worldwide. Considerable research is done which means it must be
checked and proofread for accuracy. It is then sent to Branches
around the world so that it can be translated in different languages
for all nationalities to understand. You’ll also see the Archive’s
Room where you can view the original “PHOTO DRAMA OF CREATION”.
You will then enjoy your included box lunch at noon on the promenade
next to Bethel that has a beautiful view overlooking Manhattan
and the Stautue of Liberty.
After
lunch, you will proceed to 117 Adams Street where there is a display
in the lobby of the worldwide work. The highlight will be seeing
how the newly fully automatic laundry system takes up two floors
to cover the needs of 1,500 Bethelites. You will also tour the
Sands Residence Building to see the lobby, kitchen, dining room
and a Bethelite apartment. At the end of the tour, you will take
an elevator to the rooftop of the Sands Building for a fantastic
view of New York City. You will then return to the hotel or you
may want to remain in Manhattan to visit Chinatown, eat in Little
Italy or perhaps see a Broadway play in the evening. Your tour
escort will explain how easy it is to return to the hotel.
WEDNESDAY
Enjoy your complimentary breakfast at leisure and then the entire
day and evening will be free to do as you please to enjoy New
York City. Don’t miss the indoor outlet mall across the street
from your hotel. Here you will find name brand stores with merchandise
at discounted prices. Your tour escort will also have several
suggestions on places to visit and how easy it is to take transportation
into and back from Manhattan where there is a variety of things
to enjoy. You will have plenty of time to visit the Empire State
Building, Time’s Square, Macy’s Department Store, Chinatown and
many other great shopping areas plus there is a variety of restaurants
and several museums. You may also want to take in an afternoon
matinee or evening musical or some other live performance at one
of the Broadway theaters. Be sure to try some New York style cheesecake
and pizza.
THURSDAY
This morning continental breakfast is again included. Depending
on your return flight schedule, you have your choice of either
returning home or continluing on our private motorcoach to Washington
D.C. Upon arrival in Washington in the afternoon, you will enjoy
a sightseeing tour to view the United States Capitol Building,
Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Washington Monument, Smithsonian,
and the White House. Later, check in at the beautiful Hilton Alexandria
Mark Center Hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure.
FRIDAY
This morning our motorcoach will take everyone to the Holocaust
Museum where we have included special tickets so you can spend
as much time as you please. The museum is dedicated to presenting
the story of how more than 30,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted
by the Nazis. It has many documents, photographs, videotaped eye
witness accounts and interviews with over 70 Jehovah’s Witnesses
who were victims of Nazi rule. You will be able to see the coats
with the purple triangle badges that identified Jehovah’s Witnesses
in the concentration camps. (For information on the Holocaust
Museum see Awake, 3/8/05, p. 16 and 11/8/93, p 16.) Balance of
the day free to do as you please or to tour the Smithsonian Museum.
SATURDAY
Entire day free to visit the United States Capitol Building, White
House, Bureau of Engraving and Printing of money, Washington Monument,
Library of Congress, National Archives, Smithsonian, Air and Space
Museum, and many other points of interest. All attractions are
free of charge.
SUNDAY
This morning, everyone will take the hotel shuttle bus to Reagan
Airport for their return flight home with many Bethel Tour Vacation
memories.
2010
TOUR DATES TO NEW YORK
June 12-17
- July 2-10
August 7-12
*
September 11-16 or 19
October 16-21
- This date includes the New York and Canadian Bethel Home plus
Niagra Falls.
* On this date you can return home after the 5-day New York tour
or take the optional 3-day tour to Washington, D.C.
NOTE:You can travel to New York on any of the
above dates from any departure city listed on the next page. Please
indicate the city and departure date you prefer on the reservation
form. If your city is not listed, please let us know which city
you would like to fly from and we will then inform you of the
total cost from your hometown.
BOOK
EARLY AS THESE TOURS SELL OUT QUICKLY! |