NYC 2018

I was more comfortable this time around in NYC. It felt familiar. We revisited eating establishments and added some new ones, and of course, Darcy had the whole Broadway thing down pat. She and Tom were in charge of rushing tickets and we were able to see some good shows. We had purchased Once On This Island before we left, but the rest of the shows they rushed. Staying over on a Monday when most of Broadway is off, isn't recommended, but with the girls' Spring Break we were limited.

This time Grandma made it! Last time she was sick and unable to be with us, but despite having been home one week from her last travels, she stayed healthy and accompanied us. Her foot bothered her while on the trip, but as usual, she sucked it up and forged on. She also learned that Uber wasn't as bad as she had once thought.

We arrived first from Florida and Madison eventually caught up with us flying from North Carolina. Her flight had gotten moved and instead of arriving an hour after us she came in five hours after us. Tom and I had some moments of anxiety on leaving the airport without her, but she managed just fine to Uber her way to our hotel.

The first show we saw was Beautiful, the story of Carole King. I had no wish to see this but was napping when the texts came through from Darcy on choices. I was annoyed that my Hello Dolly choice, declared the day we planned this damn trip, was ignored and I might have been more than a little vocal on that. Grandma backed me too. We both had to eat our words, however, because the musical was phenomenal. I had no idea that Carole King wrote all of those songs sung by others. Wow. The music was great. The acting was superb. The script had humor. It was a great evening. I apologized. It was Tom's pick.

The next day we got tickets to Hello Dolly and Grandma and I were thrilled. The others not so much, but they were accommodating us. I kept saying BERNADETTE PETERS but apparently, that meant nothing to the other three. Until we were in our seats and they saw the playbill. AHHHHHH! Darcy got it then. The Queen of Broadway Baby! She was amazing! Grandma and I cried some tears during the whole thing. She had to do some ad-libbing during some scenes when things went awry and I thought that just added to whole experience. I really didn't know the story. I've never seen it before and so it was a new experience like the one the night before. I loved it! Musicals are so much fun!

We had dinner after that and then went to Once On This Island. Only Darcy knew what to expect from this show and we were all spread out over the theater. It was an experience on its own. The theater was stadium seating in a circle with the stage on the floor in front of us. Because it was set on an island, the floor was covered in sand. The actors would exit and enter up the various stairs. It was an interesting show, but I thought it depressing. It didn't leave me feeling happy as the other two performances. But the actors were great. The lead was only 18 years old and her voice was awesome. My favorites were the uncle and the girl playing Death. She was a former American Idol girl from Season I and WOW. Awesome. When the stage went from the island to the hotel they lifted up two sides of the flooring and pulled it back, sand and all, to reveal a hard floor, raking the excess. I thought that was way cool.

We did a little shopping, purchasing those hats the first day. Grandma bought a small purse and Darcy picked up some trinkets for the boyfriend. We didn't do much walking like last time because Grandma's foot was bothering her but we did enough to enjoy the colder weather. I always enjoy cold weather because I know I'm leaving it soon. Darcy whined about the weather a lot and Madison made fun of all of us. That little Floridian has more Indiana blood in her than the other one.

Our last show was a play on Monday. The Perfect Crime is the longest running play on Broadway. We hooked up with Darcy's friend Tim who is studying at NYU and who did not go home for Spring Break. He came to the hotel and hung out with us, had dinner with us, and went with us to the show. We had front row seats in this small, quaint and cozy theater. We were close enough to touch the actors. It was surreal. The play, however, was an odd one. It was a who-dun-it, but it could have used a little editing from yours truly. In the end, there is a two-page "cheat sheet" to answer questions. I mean, if you have to have a "cheat sheet" I'd say there is something wrong. The lead actress has been playing the part since it began in 1987. She has only missed four performances and that was to attend her siblings' weddings. Thirty years! How crazy is that? She's in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

I was so fascinated by her that I kept my eyes on her most of the time. She was worth studying. Well, and I also liked looking at Robert Newman. While I never watched the Guiding Light, I certainly knew who he was since he was part of a famous soap couple. He has aged well and is quite a good looking gentleman. It was an odd play, but entertaining, if not a bit confusing. It just needs some tweaking, but hey, after thirty years it's still going so maybe I'm nuts.

It snowed our last day. Nothing that stuck due to 40-degree temperatures, but it was beautiful as it came down. Grandma opted to stay at the hotel while we went to the Museum of Natural History, my suggestion to stay out of the frozen mix weather. I enjoyed it although three hours was not enough time to see even one floor. We hit Central Park for hot dogs and some photo opportunities and then made our way back to grab Grandma and head to the airport. 

Tom can now mark off DONE on one of his resolutions for the year. It was great to be with family traveling. We're blessed to have Grandma join us and to spend time with the girls. Next time Madison gets to pick the shows. She wants that documented. Now it is.

Review of the Wyndham Midtown 45 - Nothing has changed here from my last review except for the hounding that occurred to get me to the presentation. Somewhere that has to change. When people opt out of that they shouldn't be harassed. Every time I came downstairs I was approached by the manager. It did not make me happy. Elvis, however, was still working and he is a delight. As are the rest of the staff. Except for the sales manager or whatever he is called. He was just irritating.