They’ve checked out Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and seen Hamilton on Broadway.
Now visitors to Australia head to the public gallery for Donald Trump’s trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
“We woke up this morning and said we had to be in ‘the room where it happens,'” Marney said, bursting into the Hamilton hit song, quickly followed by a fit of laughter.
Across the street is the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is being tried.
He has denied 34 charges of falsifying business records.
But a seemingly mundane case over ledgers and checks has become the hottest topic in town, already fueled by the testimony of the king of American tabloids and a famous lawyer who has won payouts from Charlie Sheen.
Susan Koch (left) and Marianne Fortunato woke up at 3 a.m. to make sure they got good spots at the front of the line for public seats in the courtroom to watch Donald Trump’s secret trial.
Those who arrived early enough received a yellow ticket on Thursday that guarantees access.
Stormy Daniels will almost certainly appear.
And for the lucky few who line up early enough to get one of the golden tickets (well, the yellow card emblazoned with the logo of the New York State Unified Judicial System), there’s a chance to be in the same courtroom as the first former president to ever face criminal charges.
Marney and her friend (who decline to give their full names because they work in the Australian legal system) are too far back in the queue. Their destination is the additional room, 1523, where the proceedings are shown by video.
“It’s history,” Marney said. ‘If he is convicted, he will be the first president convicted. If he is acquitted, he might win. Either way …’
It’s only 7:30 a.m. on a drab New York morning, but there are more than 25 people lined up, along with a line for journalists who occupy the first seats.
Among the reporters is Andrew Weissmann, a former Mueller probe investigator turned MSNBC spokesman.
He has to fend off questions and selfies from perhaps the nerdiest line at a tourist attraction in town.
He points out how run down the court building looks: “You can tell by those old air conditioning units.”
Those first in line have a chance to be in room 1530, sitting in the pews behind Trump.
Visitors were able to see for themselves scenes that had otherwise only been published in cartoonists’ renderings, as prosecutor Joshua Steinglass and defense attorney Emil Bove faced off.
But this isn’t like attending a Broadway show. The facilities throughout the drab court building are in need of renovation, to say the least.
A supporter of former President Donald Trump stands in front of the Manhattan criminal court building where his hush money trial is taking place.
There is no central air here. The windows are filled with old coolers.
Ask him about the cafeteria downstairs and his nose wrinkles in surprise.
This ticket is much cheaper than Broadway (well, it’s free). And the facilities match the price.
The small park next to the line is reserved for protesters, but it is empty until a bearded man, dressed in black, arrives, ringing a bell under his elbow.
He waves a crucifix in front of him, looking around at everyone as if blessing the scruffy rows of camera crews and reporters tasked with broadcasting from in front of the courthouse.
Ten minutes later, a woman from France has joined the line. She is chatting with a Colorado man who is in town for a funeral, but she found time to complete her visit to Hamilton on Wednesday and Trump on Thursday.
By 7:25 a.m., the line already had 25 people and grew longer as the gray morning wore on.
Lucky ticket holders ride the elevator to the 15th floor, where a pen is set up for Trump to address the media gathered before and after the court sessions.
At the beginning of the trial, the media wrapped in blankets to protect themselves from the cold lined up to take their seats inside the courtroom.
Marianne Fortunato left her home in New Jersey at 3 a.m. to make sure she and her cousin had good places.
“I come from Virginia,” said Susan Koch, a 68-year-old photographer.
‘I was a history student. That’s why I want to witness history live and in action.
“And I also hope that the ‘former boy’ gets what’s coming to him.”
They arrived at 5 a.m., early enough to take positions two and three in line.
Most days, the first six in line can make it to room 1530, where they can breathe the same air as the former president and watch the back of his head for any signs of soft snoring.
“I am very interested in seeing the jury, since they are masked,” Fortunato said.
“I think it will be interesting to watch their reactions and read their body language.”
A Trump supporter walks along the line, draped in a 2024 campaign flag.
He distributes leaflets that end with the phrase: ‘Wake up people! FJB!’
What would otherwise be a boring financial fraud case has been fanned by Trump stardust. Last week, David Pecker, king of the tabloids, profiled the inner workings of the National Enquirer.
And there was laughter in the courtroom when jurors were shown caricatures shared by former Trump fixer Michael Cohen of Trump in an orange jumpsuit.
Along with her, a lawyer from the court has come to watch the drama on his day off from work. She declines to give her name for fear of professional ridicule, but says she will return after hearing testimony from David Pecker, former editor of the National Enquirer, last week.
“That was something else,” he says, smiling at the way Pecker exposed the dark arts of buying celebrity stories and doctoring the truth.
‘I am not referring to the procedural aspects or the charges.
“It was just fascinating to hear all of this. I just think it would be a service to the world and the country if people listened to it.
“You cannot summarize and convey this distorted reality.”
Shortly after eight in the morning the cards were handed out and the lucky few dozen were escorted across the street to the courthouse.
