*SEP 19-22* *Montpelier, OH to NYC Peoples Climate March (and back)* Our slogan for this extra trip for the GMCA was "The longest climate march joins the largest climate march." We got on our hired bus at the Montpelier Fairgrounds at 5pm *Friday Sep 19th*. The kitchen crew had made burritos—meat; vegetarian, and vegan. Once the bus got underway they passed them out for dinner. The bus driver stopped every 3 hours. That gave us a chance to use the restroom and get some refreshments. It interrupted our sleep. But the bus company couldn’t empty the bus’s restroom in NYC so they didn’t want us using it. Saturday morning [*Sep 20*] we arrived at Penn Station. From Penn Station we went to the first program. Our luggage was taxied to the 2 churches in Brooklyn where most of us would be ‘camping-out’—sleeping on the floor in the auditorium. Kai helped me find my way on the subway to the Children’s Magical Garden where Dave Finnegan introduced his program *Climate Change Is Elementary.* I have been watching his program because I hope to use it next year with local children. For my third program I walked over to Empire State College, *Organizing a Week of Resistance to Fossil Fuel Infrastructure.* There were a variety of presenters. It was in anticipation of our arrival in WDC. The entire schedule is available at http://convergeforclimate.org/schedule. Steve Norris, one of our Marchers, has had experience protesting. He gave us an idea what to expect when we organize resistance. Izzy, my assigned partner, was at this seminar. When it was over we walked to Sara D. Roosevelt Park to mingle with those who might consider joining our March or becoming Virtual Marchers. We got something to eat and took the subway to W 64th St to attend the program *Global Climate Treaty: Why US Must Lead.* Izzy planned to meet his daughter and her boyfriend at the park. I joined the Marchers that were attending. It was from 6:30 to 9:30pm. There representatives of NY City Council, and NY State. Those speaking also represented many nations and cultures. It was 3 hours of sitting and listening! Then we hopped the subway and went back to Brooklyn where we were to stay in the 2 churches. I found my luggage and Jane, who was handling all the practical enablement, ushered me to the other church where I was assigned. By the time I got settled in it was 11pm, way past my bedtime! The next morning [*Sep 21-Sun*] we got up and made our own breakfast and packed our lunch and headed for the Peoples Climate March. It was to start near Central Park on 81st St. and we were to get there early so we arrived at 8:30am. It was to start at 11:30am, but it didn’t start for over an hour. The March didn’t start moving until 1pm. because there were too many people. The police estimated 3-400 thousand, and they had planned for 100,000. Did you see news and photos of the mass of people? It was huge and yet very peaceful from what we could see. At the end of the March we went to the Park at 11th Ave between 34th and 38th Sts. After mingling with others for awhile, Izzy and I took the subway back to the church in Brooklyn and went to bed. Between 'sleeping' on the bus ride across 4 states, then walking and attending programs on Saturday, and mostly standing and waiting today, we were exhausted. (*Sep 22-Mon)* Our GMCA was joining other groups to march on Wall St. A group of us took a Ferry from the Brooklyn churches to Battery Park, going past the Statue of Liberty. We got to the park at 8:30am. Izzy brought his guitar and started a little Sing-along. The park was filled with people. There were speakers scheduled to make presentations from 9:30am to 11:30. There was such a crowd around the platform/speakers that it was not possible for me to crowd in and/or hear them. The actual March didn’t start until 12:30pm. Izzy and I didn’t see the rest of our crew so we joined the Flood Wall St. March by ourselves. When we reached Broadway the March turned and headed for Wall Street. There were barricades at the bottom of Broadway where it meets Wall St. The March stalled and some people just sat down. Izzy and I jumped the barricades in case the police planned to arrest the protesters. We went to a restaurant, ate lunch, and viewed the Flood Wall St. March out the window. Izzy got a phone call from a woman that he has been trying to connect with for 10 years. She asked where he was. He answered her and discovered that she was across the street on the other side of the March. He went and escorted her to our restaurant. They had a good time getting acquainted person to person. We watched the March for another hour. There were some who were sitting down on Broadway in the March pathway. The police made no arrests that we could see. We left and took the subway to the UN building thinking we would attend the program *Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change.* We discovered that we had to have registered ahead of time and we didn’t have a pass. While we were trying to decide what to do next, 5 women from our March came out. We joined them and looked for a place to eat our evening meal. It was interesting to hear what the women had to say because they were very enthusiastic about the UN program. Izzy and his companion, Julie, continued their meal. The rest of us walked to Penn Station where we got on our bus and left NYC by 7:45pm. It was a long ride back to Montpelier, OH. We arrived at 6am on Tue Sep 23. -- Peace, David