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!

Grease Lightning!

I just got caught up on the last two episodes of the NBC show Grease: You're the One that I Want. Things had been busy around here so I had actually kind of forgotten about the show for a while and realized that two Sundays had gone by and I hadn't watched. So, I acquired (ahem.) a copy from a "friend" and finished watching this week's episode this morning.

I had posted some first impressions a while back and I'm happy to report that some of my favorites are still in the running! I'm still very much enamored of Derek - especially after last week's performance where he did the song Footloose with a bunch of backup dancers. He'd get my vote after that one - if I were actually doing this real-time and able to call in my vote! But, this week. Eh. Not so much. It was duet week and I was not thrilled with who they paired him with (I think it was Kate? See....so unimpressed that I can't even remember a short 30 minutes after watching it). I also think the song was not right for him and his voice did warble and crack in the first few notes...never a good thing. So, I'm hoping he'll make a big comeback for me next week.

As for the women, Laura was a favorite of mine from the get-go and she's doing great! She did a FABULOUS job singing "Jesus Christ, Superstar" last week and this week she was paired with Austin. I don't much care for Austin, in general, but they made for a decent pairing and they set the scene for the song nicely.

This past week, however, I had to agree with a couple of the judges and say that Chad and Allie together with their rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" were SMOKIN'! I have not been much impressed with Allie in the past and was not surprised when she received a low vote count in the first elimination (she was spared by the judges in the sing-off) but this week she pulled it off and gave a great performance. Likewise with Chad. He was never much on my radar but I loved his performance in the duet.

I also really loved Max and Ashley in their duet "It Takes Two" - they seemed so at ease and let a lot of humor come through in that performance. Ashley was another one I've liked since the beginning, so I'm happy to see that Laura and Ashley are still hanging in there.

But, that said, it is really a tough call. They are all doing such great work and wowing the audiences every week. I am sure that I would be happy to see ANY of them playing the parts of Sandy and Danny on stage. Unfortunately, I do have to wonder if I could ever possibly get tickets! I'm assuming that this show will create a ticket frenzy and the prices will be too rich for my blood. Sigh... I plan to get down to NYC some time this year, but perhaps a little too early to see Grease...and it is highly doubtful that discount tickets will be available at the TKTS booth anyway. Ah well, it's still fun to watch and I'll be tuning in and watching until the final Sandy and Danny are on their way to NYC!

Just tired...

Yesterday, I was feeling completely spacey and out of sorts all day. By the time Rick got home I was dead on my feet. When he saw how pale I looked, he promptly sent me to bed. Actually, he escorted me to the bedroom and tucked me in.

Yeah, he's a keeper.

I ended up taking a nap for at least and hour and a half and Rick, bless his heart, managed the girls and also got dinner on the table. I was still feeling tired when I got up but a bit better and Rick commented that my color was back somewhat. We hung out a bit in the evening after getting the girls to bed and then we headed to bed ourselves at close to our regular time. Even after the nap I had no trouble getting to sleep. Obviously my body needed it. I had turned my alarm off for my morning walk because I was not sure how well I would be feeling and figured I might need the sleep more than the exercise.

When I got up this morning at 6:45 (not long after A had woken up and climbed in with me) I was still groggy. Not sure if it was from too much sleep or the effects of whatever my body is trying to fight. The morning seemed a bit rushed and we were not out the door to drop A off at preschool until about 8:50. I did not find time to make my coffee before we left so I was still not feeling too lively when I dropped her off. As soon as E and I got home I put on a pot of coffee and downed a couple of cups of caffeine goodness. It helped me wake up a bit and I'm feeling more human now. Most of yesterday's weirdness - tight throat, light headedness - is gone but I still feel on the tired side. I just don't have much energy or motivation to do anything. So, while E wandered around and played with this and that and brought me toys I sat here and watched episode three of the Grease reality show. I've been enjoying it so far and am very curious to see who makes the final cut! Personally, I'm liking Derek and Jason as "Danny" (Austin is really good but he just seems too pretty boy for Danny and as much as I love Max's voice I can't see him as Danny either) and I like Juliana, Laura and Ashley as "Sandy". Those are the ones I'm rooting for at this stage of the game!

This afternoon will be busy with just running around - I have to bring R over to the main pediatrician's office for her second dose of FluMist (it was supposed to be administered when I brought her in to the local office last week but for some reason they had run out of doses and because the vials need to stay frozen they could not transport one from the main office to the local office for us....grrrrrr....). We need to leave as soon as she gets off the bus. Her appointment is at 2:15 and one never knows what the traffic over the bridge will be like. Then, R has her first art class of the semester back here in town at 4pm. I hope the nurses at the main office are not running late today. We should have plenty of time but that office can get a bit crazy and I never have much luck getting in and out quickly - especially when I have somewhat of a schedule to follow. Thankfully, grandma is coming over to watch A and E while I run around with R. Otherwise, I think I would've just said "the heck with it" and rescheduled the FluMist appointment for another day to reduce the running around with three kids in tow.

Needless to say, I'm taking today off from any form of exercise. I am getting a bit discouraged because I've been trying to eat less and move more, but the scale is not giving me any satisfaction! I had hoped to gain some additional motivation from the numbers on the scale, but so far they are really not budging and it's annoying! And feeling like crap yesterday and just plain old tired today is not helping matters.

Well, E is now down for her nap and I need to think about getting myself some lunch before leaving to pick up A from school. I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight and hopefully tomorrow I'll find more energy - for now I'll just keep on keepin' on as best I can.

And on that note...

Well, this won't mean anything to you if you have not seen "A Chorus Line" but here's my rendition of Montage 1....it's been running through my head (and my achin' body) today so I had to throw it out there for ya.



Hello abs

Hello deltoids

Hello pain

Feelin’ Old!

Muscles Pulled

Not again!

Time to frown

To break down

I’m a mess.

I’m a mess.

Time for meds

Time for bed

More or less,

More or less.

Too young to give over

Too old to ignore

Gee, my body’s ready,

But…what…for?

There’s no gain
Without pain?
That’s so lame!

Goodbye flab
Goodbye fat pants

Hello pain…

Hopelessly Devoted...

Ok, so thanks to a little "recording magic" (ahem.) I was able to watch the first episode of the new reality show You're the One that I Want!

Oh the drama! The laughter, the tears, the hopes and dreams, the dancing and singing (ok, some of those were not great - but they were good for a laugh!), the gusty not-so-talented people and the ones who truly have a gift. I'm hooked!

'nuf said.

P.S. I really thought the 'cupcake lady' and the girl named Sunshine were talented AND gutsy! Of course, they did not make it to Grease Academy but I wanted to send a shout out to them: "You go, girl!"