NYC Birthday

Hi!

Anita & I just got back from a long weekend in the Big Apple. We found great airfare and decent hotel rates, so off we went.

We got in Friday afternoon and took the bus & subway from LaGuardia. Don't think we'll bother with that again, though it was an interesting experience and we were very glad we packed light for the weekend. People were very polite, even when they were fighting, which is definitely what I experienced in my NY life. The bus driver was funny and was able to keep people pretty calm in a very crowded and diverse bus.

We checked in to the Best Western President on 48th & Broadway & walked around some before seeing "Forbidden Broadway". We had reservations at the "Bull & Bear" after the show, so we didn't want to eat much. Grabbed the best hot dogs ever from a street vendor (yes, I know this is not a sound decision, but we were hungry and it was my birthday weekend, so I got all the comfort food I could eat).

We enjoyed "Forbidden Broadway". The cast of 4 were very talented as they lampooned current & past Broadway musicals. I especially enjoyed "Young Frankenstein" (and the tune "Putting up with Shit" sung to the tune of "Putting on the Ritz"), "The Little Mermaid" who just wanted to dance but now has no feet, and all the impersonations the cast did quite well.

We had a very nice dinner at what is reportedly Rachel Maddow's favorite restaurant. We stopped by Rockefeller Center looking for Rachel, but didn't see her at 30 Rock or at her favorite restaurant. Very sad. Service wasn't great, but the waiter made up for it by giving us a free drink. We left the restaurant very happy.

Saturday morning we bundled up and tried to figure out what shows to see. After asking some TKTS workers, we were able to buy "Rush" seats for evening performance of "Pal Joey". That means we got $90 tickets for $25. I love NY. We then went back to TKTS to get matinee tickets. I was torn between "Speed the Plow" and "The Fantastiks". I was leaning toward "StP" and even went to their box office to see if they had Rush seats (only for students) while Anita waited in line. When I returned to the line, that's when the NY everyone else knows reared its ugly head. Since we got such great advice earlier from a TKTS worker, I asked another one if she'd seen either of the shows we were considering. She recommended a 3rd show, "Perfect Crime", which we bought.

After securing the day's theater tickets, we hustled down to Madison Square Garden. No, not to watch the Rodeo, which was in town, but to find the one White Castle restaurant in mid-town Manhattan. We froze our tootsies off walking from the subway to the restaurant, but enjoyed those warm, square burgers. We were running a bit behind (and were still cold), so we grabbed a cab back to 49th St & the play.

I'm very sorry to report on "Perfect Crime", but much like "Jethro Throws a Triathlon", the public must be warned. This show has been running for 21 years. It is the longest running ripoff in the theater (not just NY). Evidently, most people fall for this awful show at least once. Be warned. There are NO redeeming qualities to this play.

When we arrived, the usher told us we didn't want the seats we had. He said he'd "hook us up". He escorted us to the middle of the 2nd row. I'm now certain this was so we would feel awkward in walking out. I regret to say that we didn't walk out. Anita did ask at intermission if I wanted to leave. Foolishly, I still wanted to know how it turned out. Dumbass. I got punked on my birthday. The lead, who has been in the role for 21 years, was horrible. The play was stupid, inane, pedantic. The set was pedestrian. There was no direction.

The best part of the entire experience was talking to the other people in the audience at intermission. One fool had mentioned prior to the start that he'd seen the show once before, 20 years ago. All he remembered was that he liked it. We cross-examined him at intermission (We included folks from other rows joining the conversation) and he was pretty apologetic to his companion and even to the rest of us!

After "Perfect Crime" and filing the police report for theft of our time & money, we walked around a bit in the light snow. The Macy's windows were already covered up, so Anita has yet to see the Macy's Christmas windows, but we had a good time just seeing Broadway & surrounding area. When we went past Rockefeller Center Friday night, the Christmas tree was still up, but was not lit - I'm pretty sure the tree was taken down while we ate dinner, because it was gone on Saturday.

We had dinner at Ray's Pizza, which did not hold the special edge it has in the past. Maldini's pizza on the corner of Forest Hill & Belt Blvd, just south of the Boulevard Bridge serves great NY style pizza. Since we have this 1-2 times per month, Ray's just isn't a unique treat for us anymore.

"Pal Joey" was OK. Pretty unremarkable. I believe the lead was sick and off his game, since he'd gotten some outstanding reviews. He was fine. Stockard Channing & Martha Plimpton stole the show for me. They both were in great voice and I enjoyed their comedic timing & songs greatly. Unfortunately, they weren't on stage nearly enough. It was a great show for $25. I'd have been disappointed had we paid more.

After the show, we were walking to Broadway and went past the stage door. There's Stockard, about to sign autographs. We whipped out our Playbills & she signed. I told her that I'd seen her in "They're Playing Our Song". I didn't mention that it was 20 years ago. I told her she hadn't lost a step and she giggled like the schoolgirl I was last time I saw her. That was a lot of fun.

We walked around some more and I ate a Carvel Ice Cream cone. Note to self: don't eat ice cream outside when it's snowing. Brrrr. But I enjoyed eating all the things I remember from childhood, though I didn't get any NY bakery cookies this trip.

We came home Sunday afternoon without incident. We have decided that since we got ripped off with "Perfect Crime", we will come back to NYC in the next month or two. Prices are cheap & tickets are available right now, so we should strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it's like falling off a horse - I feel I've been mugged by this show, so I need to get right back into Broadway to overcome my fear!

All in all, it was a lovely trip.