21 years on... We've come home at lasssssssshhhhhhhst

Today's the day.  Matt and John finally get a day in New York together.  And more importantly, they get to see their show Sunset Blvd on Broadway.  21 and half years after meeting for the first time.  If you don't know the story of Matt and John, you'll have to wait for the memoirs.

I started out the day by taking the subway to Brooklyn to meet John   Which I did and I met him.  We had breakfast at a bagel place and I got a quick mini tour of his neighborhood which included this place...

I had heard of the Doughnut Plant on some Food Channel thing, but whatever.  I walked in and they had round and SQUARE doughnuts.  Really?  Square - not to mention savory doughnuts?  Seriously? People who try and improve upon tradition really bug me.  But I digress...

We checked out John's new apartment and then headed back into Manhattan.  I had wanted to see Little Italy and the Village, so that was the plan.  We walked around Little Italy and then took the subway to Greenwich Village.  We had lunch at the Waverley Diner and walked down Christopher Street to the Hudson River.  We sat down and eat our Black and White cookies and then headed back to the Subway and back to Times Square.  We walked a little and I went and put my things in my hotel room and we headed to Sardi's for dinner with Peter and Krijn before Sunset Blvd.

Dinner at Sardi's was fun.  It's something cool to do and probably will not have to do again.  We were then off to the Palace Theatre to see the revival of Sunset Blvd. with Glenn Close.  I saw Glenn last year in London in this same production.  I have to say, I love this show.  It's my favorite show, I have such a connection with it, and I'm very protective of Glenn's Norma Desmond.  I saw her in 1993 in Los Angeles.  She's a different singer now, and the direction of this revival is different from the original.  Her singing is much better 23 years on, while not perfect, still so much better than the first time around.  Still, it's a fabulous production that includes a 41 piece orchestra on stage.  Sunset may be Andrew Lloyd Webber's best score.  It certainly is my favorite.  

After the show, we tried to get into Junior's for dessert and to talk about the show, but ended up sitting outside because the wait was 45 minutes.  We debated, we asked each other questions, and agreed and we disagreed. and we agreed to disagree.  Not everyone can like the same things, as much as you'd like them to,

We said our goodbyes and I went off to my hotel with my slice if Junior's cheesecake and to pack up my things.  6:30am comes very early.

Come from Away - and that's all I'm saying about THAT

Today started out at about 9:30am with breakfast with Donna and Anthony at this great little hole in the wall called "The Rustic Table" in Hells Kitchen.  It was a neat little place, but it was one of those places where a description of the items always had one or two things in it that made you go "huh?" And made you step out of your food comfort zone.  Also, everything had arugula  in it.  In the end, everything was really good. Sometimes you gotta take a chance and step out of your food "box". 

After breakfast, we walked up to Madison Ave so Donna and Anthony could meet up with their friends from Chicago.  It was a fun walk, and yes, we talked about all of you!   We said our goodbyes and I headed on down Madison Ave.  It was quite boring, so I moved back to 5th ave which had a little bit more action.  The next thing on the agenda was coffee with my cousin Ruth.  I still had some time to kill, so I walked around, did some window shopping, stopped at the Todd English Food Hall adjacent to the Plaza hotel to find a restroom, which I did after much navigating through the maze of kiosks selling crazy food.  It was like a mouse looking for the cheese.  And the way out wasn't much better.  

I arrived at Ruth's building a little early, so I messaged up to her, and she came down.  Ruth is my mom's first cousin, daughter of my grandmother's youngest sister Vilma.  We are not that far apart in age, etc.  We caught up, laughed, joke and had much sparkling conversation.  After about an hour and a half we said our goodbyes and I was off again.  I felt really great after my time with Ruth.  It's great to connect with family, and while you're not as close as you are with your immediate family, you feel much closer after you spent time together.  And personally, my list of people in the NYC area is growing so I know I always have a place to stay when I visit.  

After walking around a bit, I decided to head down to the Wrold Trade Center.  It was on my list of things to do, so I decided just to get it down.   So, I got on the subway and away I went.  I got off at the World Trade Center stop and headed up to the street.  I was not prepared for what I was about to see.  The last time I was down here there was a big hole in the ground.  Now there is a big building called The Freedom Tower.  I went in and went in, bought a ticket and went to the top.  It was a really cool 360 degree look at NYC and it[s surroundings. However, I made a huge mistake and really wanted to see the memorial.  Anyway, so I head back down the really cool elevator and out to the street.  I asked someone where the memorial was and they pointed me in the right direction.  I REALLY was not prepared for what I saw.  Two waterfall like holes in the ground.... Waterfalls on the side, and big pool in the middle with another hole/waterfall in the center, surrounded on the ground level by the names of people who died at this spot on 9/11.   It was the most moving thing I think I've ever saw.  While looking into this pool, I was reminded that there are 1000's of people lost on the exact area I'm standing on.  And the water flowing down into the ground was highly symbolic.  I thought it was the perfect way to memorialize these victims.  There were two identical memorial pools, both where each tower stood.  The fact that they didn't re-billed in the exact location of the towers is a tribute to NYC.  The freedom tower stands to the left of the actual site.  They really did this right.

I, however, did not do this right.  I missed my opportunity to go to the actual memorial building because of time, etc.  But I did get to a church nearby to pray and then to another chapel to view a memorial that was there.  

I headed back to mid town and I met a Joe Barros for a drink and some catching up. It was fun to catch up with Joe. It's nice to know that people you knew when they were growing up have made a life for themselves in the theatre in NY.  

I hurried back to my hotel and changed for my next show Come From Away.  It's a new musical this season that tells the story of a town in Newfoundland called Gander.  (Or the Rock as they refer to it as). And it takes at the time of the 9/11 tragedy.  Gander has a big airport, for a town of 1800 people because that is where planes would stop and re-fuel during trains-Atlantic flights when planes weren't designed to carry enough fuel to make the trip.  In this case, planes were diverted to Gander when the US airspace was closed due to the tragedy in NYC.  So, a town of 1600 was now a town of 1600+7000 more.  It tells the story of how the town rallied together to take care of the "plane people" who had no where to go and not a clue as to why they landed in this small town.  The show has 12 people that play the people of Gander and some of the passengers.  It's quite flawless.  The score is fantastic, very Celtic-influenced as I guess that's what the "sound" is in Gander.   I was riveted for 1 1/12 hours (no intermission) and was crying by the end.  It's very well done.   This had better win the Tony for best musical this year.  I know I said that about Great Comet, but I think this may have the edge.

After the show, I met Peter at Wollansky grill where we ate and drank until 1;30am or so.   Good food, good people, good drinks, good times.

OMG - Today!

Today started out kinda normal.  I had to run a few errands around 10:00, Walgreens and the TKTS Booth.  Once I got in line at TKTS, I was in the "Play" line, not the "musical" line so I had to change lines, and of course the musical line was longer.  I ended up getting what I wanted which was a ticket for "Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812", and I went back to the hotel and had breakfast and wrote yesterday's blog.

After that, I did some shopping and picked up School of Rock swag that wasn't ready the last time I was here.  So, I have my program and hat to add to my collection.  I walked around some more and went back to my hotel room and got ready to head to "Natasha, Pierre. And the Great Comet of 1812. When I walked into the Imperial Theatre I new this would be an experience.  This did NOT look like the Imperial theatre I remember from 2003 when Raegena and I saw The Boy From Oz

It reminded me a lot of Teatro Zinzani, at least the theatre did.  There were ramps everywhere, and stairs to go up to the mezzanine.  The band was sorta spread out, etc.  It was really cool.  At the beginning, the cast came out and threw periogi's at everyone.  I didnt' get one, but it was really cool.  Then Josh Groban openined the show center stage with just him and an accordion.  The actors played instruments, and the action really never seemed to stop.  The story is based on "War and Peace" which of course, I've never read.   At intermission and got a shot or 2 of vodka, because after all, we were in Russia.  

It's a really great show.  I'm glad I got to see it.  It's totally Tony worthy.  We'll see how it fairs in June.  It's a very environmental, interactive experience (at one point, I was playing an egg shaker along with the show) and I know this sort of experience isn't everyone's cup of tea - "Keep the actors out of the audience!" - people say.  But I really had fun.  Lots of accordion music, which I love. 

Afterwards, I met Peter for dinner at Oceana Restarant on West 49th Street.  It was a great dinner - I had swordfish ceviche, ran cakes, a lovely grouper, and some great dessert and really great wine to pair with everything.  I loved the experience of the seafood restaurant.  Something that I've never really done before.

Then it was time for Hello, Dolly! With Bette Middler and David Hyde Pierce.  This is the first Broadway revival of the show that didn't star Carol Channing and didn't have the original Gower Champiopn direction.  On Bette's entrance, well... I think the applause is still happening.  After the first scene, the show came to a grinding halt with a sound system issue and the main curtain came in and the show was stalled for 10 minutes or so.  Hey, it gave me time to go to the men's room!   Anyway, the show continued and it was quite lovely.  I love this show quite a lot, and it didn't disappoint - too much - I think Bette sounded vocally tired tonight, but she pushed through.  Some cool little nuances that they added were fun, but the script/songs were pretty much the same.  Of course, during the title song, everyone clapped every time they started singing and dancing - and the song got a standing ovation.  Something I've heard of mid-show but have never experienced.  Man, this was great.  It was nice to see a revival that wasn't really tampered with.  Also, it was great to be at the Shubert`Theatre!

After the show, Peter went his own way and I joined Donna and Anthony at Carmine's for a drink while they had their after show dinner.  It was quite a coincidence that their vacation was also in NYC and they are staying at the Row as wel!!   I work with Donna at OLA.  

Tomorrow, one show, some meet ups with friends and a cousin.  A show, and then another steak dinner.   That's what we do when I come to town, I take care of the theatre tickets and Peter takes care of the food!   It works well!  

And it's late, but I didn't want to wait I until tomorrow to write this because to day was SO GOOD!!! 

CATS!!!! Now and Forever -- I'm not kidding!

Today started out a little later than I expected, but it was nice to have the sleep.  The hotel is connected to an upscale "food court" so I went down and had breakfast.   Everything was fantastic.  After breakfast, I head to Central Park. 

On the way to Central Park, I took a quick side trip to Lincoln Center and took a picture.  I think Lincoln Center photographs better at night.  Anyway, I headed into the park and just started walking.  I thought it would be great to climb n the rocks and take some pictures.  That was all well and good until it was time to climb down and ... Well, let's just say I fell.  Ok, there I said.  Right on my knee that I fell on on the set of "Cabaret" in January.   I just picked myself up, dusted myself off, and kept going.   

I finally got to Strawberry Fields.  The last few times I was there, it was quiet, today it was bustling and there was a guy with a guitar singing through the Beatles catalogue.  It wasn't bad, but still, it wasn't what I wanted to hear, so I drank my water and left.

I headed up to the Delacourt theatre where the Public Theatre does Shakespeare in the park each summer.  It's also where the Linda Ronstadt "Pirates of Penzance" and the recent revival of "Hair" got its start.  

Here are some random Central Park pics...

I found this a little un-nerving - I also find it fitting the presidency of #45

After a more than 2 hour walk - close to 11 miles or so - I headed back towards TIme Square where I had a meet up with some guys from a website that we all follow  haineshisway.com.  The website of producer, Bruce Kimmel. I had met one of the guys, orchestrator extraordinaire - Larry Moore - on my last trip, but I hadne't met Fred or Charles before.  We all feel like we know each other from chatting with each other for so long, and it was great chatting with them about shows, gossip, etc.

I went back to the hotel to get ready for Cats.  Cats was the first show I saw on Broadway - at the Winter Garden theatre in 1999.  I remember having doubts after not liking the National Tour that I had seen a few years before, but Mark told me I had to see it on Broadway, so I did.  And thank goodness I did.  It changed my opinion of the show forever.  I saw the show whenever it came to town after that, and it never failed to dissapoint - as cheezy as those tours could be, and they were!  I never thought anything could be as good as that original production. 

Guess what?  I was WRONG!  This revival of Cats is just as good as the original Broadway- because it's different.  All the songs are there, etc... But some of the new choreography as well as the new staging is just as fresh as it was 30 years ago.   We also got to go on stage during intermission.  So I can say I've been on the stage of a Broadway theatre!!!

  It was such a great night.  I had met up with Peter, John, Jeanne and John brought AJ along, and that was a welcome surprise!  It was a Bay Area reunion - except for Peter because he's from NY!   After the show we went to Gallagher's (a steak house) for dinner, and even that was incredible!  

What a great day this has been.   

In my Easter Bonnet - Fred Astaire style.

Wow, what a day this has been.  Great stuff.   Took a cab to my hotel from the airport, the driver was PISSED that he didn't get a larger tip on a fixed fare, but seriously, I almost died 4 times.   I checked into the hotel, but coldn't get in my room because it was too early.  So, I was able to store my suitcase and head out into the world.    I wasn't feeling great from my flight, but I knew I had to eat so breakfast seemed in order. I had breakfast at Junior's (right around the corner) - corned beef hash, very yummy. 

After breakfast, I just started walking.  I walked around the theatre district, checking out marquees and such and I wandered up to 5th ave to take my traditional stroll on 5th Ave -which I love to do.  It makes one feel quite fancy, except when you miss the Easter parade by a day.  But really, is there still an Easter Parade on 5th Ave anymore?   I took a sad selfie and moved on.  As I was walking up 5th Ave I was heading toward Trump Tower (which was surrounded by cops) and as I approached, I was observing several conversations in several languages with Donald Trump" in the conversation - which of course doesn't translate into any other language... I can't imagine what they were sayings, but they would point and laugh.  

Back to Broadway where I went to Starbucks near the School of Rock Theatre (the Winter Garden) and got some water because it was pretty obvious that I was dehydrated.  I got some water and a table and charged my phone and checked in with Mom, etc.  Then I was challenged on Facebook to find my own Easter Bonnet and have my own parade on 5th ave. Challenge was accepted, so I headed back up to 5th Ave.  

I ended up going to Mass at St Patrick's at 1:00pm, which was nice.   I decided that I was going to be fancy, I was going to do it right.  So, I step foot for the first time in a Saks 5th Ave Department store and headed straight to the men's accessories department to find a hat.  And find a hat I did!   I bought the hat and headed back down to 5th ave to have my personal parade.  

After the parade that I'm pretty sure no one saw, I headed back to the hotel and got my room key.   I took a shower and a much needed nap.  The nap ended up being a "good" nap and I was ready to head out to meet my friend Peter at Becco - one of Lidia Bastianich's restaurants. The food was great, the wine was great, and the conversation sparkled.

We then headed to the Broadway Theatre to see the revival of Miss Saigon.  This show is very personal to me for a lot of reasons.  I knew there were lyric changes, song changes, etc, but I wasn't prepared to actually see these in person.I still love the show, but the changes were for the most part unnecessary.  I could totally geek out and go on and on about them, but in the end it was still a really good production for the most part.   The sound design needs work.  

After the show, Peter and I got to sit down with author extroidinare, Peter Filichia for a while to talk about shows, and stuff like that.  It was like meeting a legend that I have been reading for 20+ years.  It was beyond delightful.

Anyhow, for the first day, it was great.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I promise it will be Jellicle!

N-Y-Ceeeeeeeeeee

The time is finally here.  The last time I was in New York was Thanksgiving, 2015 - but the time before that was 2006.  My NY friend, Peter, told me that I really shouldn't let so much time go between visits.  So, I decided to listen to him and here I am, a little more than a year since my last trip, going back to NYC.  This is going to be a great week.   6 shows (4 confirmed), meet ups with family, friends and even Internet friends whom I've been chatting with for 10+ years and we're going to have an east coast meet up.  I intend to walk, train, bike ride (I hope) and subway as much as possible.  I have a list of a few places to go so far - ground zero, (since I haven't been there since it was a big hole in the ground), Central Park (with a bike I hope), the village, and some other important places.  The weather seems ok until Thursday, and then it's suppose to rain, we'll just have to see.

Broadway has SOOOO many new musicals this season.  However, the revivals happening at the moment makes Broadway seem like it's 1994 - Cats, Phantom, Miss Saigon, and Sunset Blvd... All that's missing is Les Miserables.  And yes, I'm seeing all of them, except Phantom.  I figured since I missed them the first time, might as well say I've seen them on Broadway.   I'm also seeing Hello Dolly! With the divine Miss M, which I believe is what got me to go in the first place.  The rest just "happened". I can't wait!

Thanks to Donna C for sharing her family (and her wine) this eve and for the ride to the airport.  I'm here now with my Makers Mark and my trusty blogging iPad.  I ended up purchasing more leg room for this flight and at the moment, there is no one in the middle.  It also got me priority security and priority boarding.  Totally good with all of this.  Oh, and I'm flying JetBlue for those who are wondering.

So, I'm hoping to sleep my way across the country - and hoping the bourbon will help with this.

See you in NYC!