I love going to New York City! I suppose if I had all the money in the world I would go much more often. Until my lottery win comes in, I’ll have to settle for these occasional--but great!--visits.
A summary of this trip: arrived in NYC to pouring rain and hail! The shuttle let me out and the driver said the hotel was right around the corner; which it was if you count half a block as around the corner. I arrived soaked through and through. And they had Roger and I in a king room; while I'm very fond of Roger, I do not want to share a bed with him. They had no more doubles, so we ended up in a queen room (don't say it!) with a cot; that actually worked out nicely as the cot was very comfortable--and Roger slept on it. Mostly relaxing and wandering around that evening--once we dried off. Roger's flight from Amsterdam was late.
The next day were the beautiful fountains at the 9/11 Memorial; very moving, too. Then the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The statue was closed as the pedestal is being remodeled and cleaned, but it was nice to walk around it. Then to Ellis Island where we just took in one exhibit. Each leg of the journey required standing in line for 30 to 45 minutes--three times standing in huge lines and there was no choice as that's the only way on and off the two islands; by the time we got to Ellis I was in a lot of pain. Still, I did enjoy the cruise, but I was glad to be back at Battery Park.
That night off to see Ricky Martin and Elena Rogers in Evita. Both called in sick and their parts were played by understudies! Just my luck. Of course understudies on Broadway are hugely accomplished performers, so we loved the show anyway. But we had gone to see Ricky Martin perform.
Next day was the stunning visit to the terri-cotta warriors exhibit at the Discovery Museum. These magnificent statues take one's breath away. They stand about 7 feet tall. Each face of the 2,000 or so statues is different (only five of the complete statues and a horse were on exhibit, though) is different. It was truly awe-inspiring to stand in front of these statues. And there were lots of other items exhibited from the site--including ancient Chinese sex toys. Oh my! Who knew? Anyway, a great, great exhibit and I am so glad I had a chance to see these rarely exported items.
That night was the musical Newsies, probably the best of the three shows we saw. Predictable plot, good, although not great, music, but I have never seen such dancing in all my life! Wonderfully exciting. Here is a sample--and this is the cast we saw (everyone showed up): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3vtPAFA6sY. Just now seeing it again I found it moving; such a talented bunch of young men. Imagine two and a half hours of this kind of dancing! Truly a great evening and that alone would have been worth the trip.
The next day was rain all day, so we mostly stayed in and rested. My knees and legs were really hurting by now. Then that night was Peter and the Starcatcher. What a theatrical experience that was. It's a total slapstick fantasy. The premise is an explanation of how Peter Pan came to be Peter Pan and how he ended up in Never Never Land. I haven't laughed so much in the theater for years. You can see a pastiche here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZj5yj8SDBA. The guy who plays Black Stash won the Tony--and he was a delight. It's not technically a musical, but there are some musical numbers.
The last partial day we loafed and packed and relaxed--much needed.
All told I loved the trip. The only part that I hated was the standing in line at the ferry and the islands. Liked to done me in.
And on a side note: today is the anniversary of New York State granting marriage to same sex couples. Congratulations, New York. And those fundamentalist naysayers must just be beside themselves to see it working out so well--and lighting not destroying the whole state. Nor Massachusetts, nor the other states granting this simple civil right. Now, when will it come to the other states--and when will the federal government recognize such marriages--and eliminate that dreadful DOMA. Somehow, I remain hopeful.
A summary of this trip: arrived in NYC to pouring rain and hail! The shuttle let me out and the driver said the hotel was right around the corner; which it was if you count half a block as around the corner. I arrived soaked through and through. And they had Roger and I in a king room; while I'm very fond of Roger, I do not want to share a bed with him. They had no more doubles, so we ended up in a queen room (don't say it!) with a cot; that actually worked out nicely as the cot was very comfortable--and Roger slept on it. Mostly relaxing and wandering around that evening--once we dried off. Roger's flight from Amsterdam was late.
The next day were the beautiful fountains at the 9/11 Memorial; very moving, too. Then the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The statue was closed as the pedestal is being remodeled and cleaned, but it was nice to walk around it. Then to Ellis Island where we just took in one exhibit. Each leg of the journey required standing in line for 30 to 45 minutes--three times standing in huge lines and there was no choice as that's the only way on and off the two islands; by the time we got to Ellis I was in a lot of pain. Still, I did enjoy the cruise, but I was glad to be back at Battery Park.
That night off to see Ricky Martin and Elena Rogers in Evita. Both called in sick and their parts were played by understudies! Just my luck. Of course understudies on Broadway are hugely accomplished performers, so we loved the show anyway. But we had gone to see Ricky Martin perform.
Next day was the stunning visit to the terri-cotta warriors exhibit at the Discovery Museum. These magnificent statues take one's breath away. They stand about 7 feet tall. Each face of the 2,000 or so statues is different (only five of the complete statues and a horse were on exhibit, though) is different. It was truly awe-inspiring to stand in front of these statues. And there were lots of other items exhibited from the site--including ancient Chinese sex toys. Oh my! Who knew? Anyway, a great, great exhibit and I am so glad I had a chance to see these rarely exported items.
That night was the musical Newsies, probably the best of the three shows we saw. Predictable plot, good, although not great, music, but I have never seen such dancing in all my life! Wonderfully exciting. Here is a sample--and this is the cast we saw (everyone showed up): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3vtPAFA6sY. Just now seeing it again I found it moving; such a talented bunch of young men. Imagine two and a half hours of this kind of dancing! Truly a great evening and that alone would have been worth the trip.
The next day was rain all day, so we mostly stayed in and rested. My knees and legs were really hurting by now. Then that night was Peter and the Starcatcher. What a theatrical experience that was. It's a total slapstick fantasy. The premise is an explanation of how Peter Pan came to be Peter Pan and how he ended up in Never Never Land. I haven't laughed so much in the theater for years. You can see a pastiche here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZj5yj8SDBA. The guy who plays Black Stash won the Tony--and he was a delight. It's not technically a musical, but there are some musical numbers.
The last partial day we loafed and packed and relaxed--much needed.
All told I loved the trip. The only part that I hated was the standing in line at the ferry and the islands. Liked to done me in.
And on a side note: today is the anniversary of New York State granting marriage to same sex couples. Congratulations, New York. And those fundamentalist naysayers must just be beside themselves to see it working out so well--and lighting not destroying the whole state. Nor Massachusetts, nor the other states granting this simple civil right. Now, when will it come to the other states--and when will the federal government recognize such marriages--and eliminate that dreadful DOMA. Somehow, I remain hopeful.
Sounds like a great trip. Wish I could have been there.
ReplyDeleteYou're funny, Dorien/Roger! And thanks for sharing about your trip, Gary. Sorry to hear about your knees. Can your doc give you steroids before you go on another trip? I don't know if that would help, but maybe. Where did you all go to eat while in NYC? My one and only time in NYC was many moons ago and my partner at the time and I walked into a kosher pizza place--we were the only goys there and the men were observant, dress and all. Great culture shock. Really!!
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