I Love New York!

I was looking back in my blog archives to see if I could post links to my previous NYC trips and realized that I don't actually HAVE any posts about my previous trips - at least not that I could find in a brief search of keywords or based on dates. How did that happen? Beats me.

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog for a while probably knows of my love for Broadway musicals. I've loved them since I was very young but did not actually see my first show ON Broadway until I was 32 years old...and nearly eight months pregnant with A. That first experience in August of 2002 - which was also my first time in NYC - was unforgettable. I went with my wonderful mother-in-law and a friend from NJ met us in the city that day and served as our tour guide. We saw 42nd Street - can you say 'quintessential Broadway show'? - and I soaked in a fair bit of the city on that visit. I should have signed up for one of the Duck Tours on that visit. My waddle would've fit right in. On foot we actually managed to cover quite a bit of ground in that day-long visit due to my insatiable appetite for the sights of the city. However, my feet were very happy for the 2.5 hour reprieve once we actually got to the show. And the show itself was a feast for the eyes, ears, heart and soul. It was everything I had hoped it would be...and more!

After that first taste of NYC I vowed that I would be back - as often as possible. In the intervening years I've managed to co-opt my mother-in-law into the role of travel partner and co-adventurer into the city to see more Broadway shows. We've been joined by a small cast of other characters who also enjoy the city in general and musicals in particular and we've managed to see some other great shows:

2004

2005












2007













This year I was joined in my NYC adventure by my mother-in-law J, next door neighbor L, and J's friend E. Another friend who has joined us from NJ in the past (but not the NJ friend who joined us in 2002!) was going to try to come this year but other financial obligations took precedence. (Note to S: we missed you!)

Here's the whole gang in NYC:



As you can see we had a cool and cloudy day in the city. Thankfully the skies stayed dry for the day.

When we arrived we headed straight for the TXTS booth and got in line for tickets. I have not been to NYC all that often but I have never seen the line quite as long as they were yesterday.
However, you would be amazed at the expertise with crowd control and the way they keep the line moving swiftly. We expected to be waiting quite a while but I think our total time in line and getting tickets was not more than 25 minutes. Not too shabby. We had checked the large screens that give you the list of available shows and while we were in line we discussed which shows we could all agree on. Our first choice, based on some recommendations we had gotten from friends (and from an employee who was helping to direct the throngs of theater-goers) was the show Curtains. The only thing I knew about the show was that it stars David Hyde Pierce (who won a 2007 Tony for his role as Detective Cioffee) and Debra Monk (who I later found out has played the role of George's mom on Grey's Anatomy - which is why she seemed so very familiar to me). I also knew that it was a murder-mystery-comedy which sounded entertaining enough for me. Not knowing if tickets would still be available once we reached the front of the line we had to have a back-up plan. They really like to keep things moving in those lines so you can stand there gawking and making up your mind or people get a bit testy. And lucky us! There were still tickets available once we got to the window so we did not need our to go to Plan B or C.

Lunch was the next order of business. L had not even eaten breakfast that morning and I knew I was hungry! L had been handed a flyer for a new French restaurant right in the theater district that was advertising matinee specials. We took a walk around the block and found the place and decided to give it a try. The food was delicious and although the service was slow it gave us time to chat and just 'be' in New York amid the noise, crowds (it was a small little place with close seating), and the excitement of the city. So, we enjoyed that experience even though it provided us with little time to actually explore the city - we decided later that the next trip will have to include more sight-seeing. With lunch over it was nearly time for the show to start so we left the restaurant, got our bearings and headed for the Al Hirschfeld Theater.

This lighted sign showed us the way to the theater from a couple of blocks away.

A very common sight in NYC - limos and taxi cabs...


...and tour buses, of course!


Once we got close the theater we saw a huge clot of people. Another amazing line.
It stretched from the theater entrance down the sidewalk, around a corner and ended about a third of the way down the block. Once again, the theater employees are masters of moving large groups of people in a short amount of time. And they opened the doors promptly at 1:45PM for a 2:00PM show.


If you work for that theater just ignore the next picture, please. I am being completely honest when I say that I had NO idea that photography in the theater was forbidden at ALL times. I understand no videos or photos of the show but I didn't think anyone would mind if I took a picture of the empty stage - with no flash even! Oh well - live and learn. Here's the one picture I took of the stage before hearing "NO PHOTOGRAPHY, PLEASE!" from an usher. At least she was polite about it.



Isn't it purrrrdy?

Due to photography restrictions mentioned above I obviously have no fun pictures to share of the big event but I will say that it is probably my second favorite show that I've seen in NYC so far. (Gypsy and 42nd Street currently tie for first place). What a great show! I am so glad that we picked that one to see and I think we were all equally entertained and delighted by it. The comedy was perfect, the music was fun and the costumes and scenery were fabulous!

Coming out of the theater there was a clot of people waiting on the sidewalk and we realized they were stationed around the Stage Entrance in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the cast and maybe get an autograph or two.




After waiting about 15 minutes - and seeing any number of people come out from orchestra members to lessen known members of the cast - we were rewarded with a glimpse of a few of the well-known, leading cast members.

Debra Monk (Hey look! It's George's Mom!!)



David Hyde Pierce


I could not get close enough when Debra Monk came out to get an autograph but I had managed to squeeze a bit closer when David Hyde Pierce made his appearance and so I handed him my playbill for an autograph and let him know that I enjoyed the show. He seemed so very small in person compared to how he looked on stage. He was gracious about having his photo taken and signing autographs even though he did look a bit tired. I was hoping he had time to rest before the 8PM show that night. It must be a completely grueling schedule and I just looked in the Playbill and noticed that the show has been running for over a year already.




By now it was getting late and we needed to get on the road soon but we decided on one last stop at the M&M store in Times Square.


I wanted to find a treat to bring home for the girls - and good thing I did because the first thing A asked me this morning was "Did you bring something home for us from New York?" ;-) I told them to go look on the dining room table which they did and they were delighted to find little plastic boxes filled with M&Ms - R got blue and white ones in a butterfly-shaped box, A got pink and white ones in a flower-shaped box and E got a rainbow of colors in an appropriately shaped rainbow box.

The drive home at the end of the day is the least exciting part of the day so I'll spare you the details but just suffice it to say it was uneventful and we all got home tired, but in one piece, and very happy for our day in NYC. And of course we have already discussed plans for our next visit which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!