My trip started in the middle of the day on a Thursday (which, apparently, is a great time to fly because the flight had some extra space). I had a seat over the wing that was NOT an exit row. You have to pay extra for those now. Somehow I always end up getting placed one row behind or in front of them so I get to glare at the people with extra foot space. It was actually kind of nice to be trapped on a plane with my mom and my sister since our schedules don’t coincide often enough for us to spend hours together in a row like that. We landed in New York just before dinner and headed to one of my mom’s favorite Italian restaurants in Manhattan: Daniela’s.

Most of the time, our family weekend trips are busy, busy, busy with a lot of time spent in the TCKTS line for half-price Broadway shows. I’m not sure why, but this trip seemed a lot more relaxed. Maybe it was because I knew that even though my family would only be staying until Monday, I had ten whole days to enjoy the sights of the city. And to make the trip even better, the weather while we were there was cool and gorgeous!

One thing this trip definitely did was convince me I need to move to Manhattan. Specifically, I need to move into this townhouse on 10th Street near St Marks Church. And, coincidentally enough, it’s for sale! Yaaay! Anyone want to pool some money and buy it with me?

Friday night we went to see a now Tony-winning play called Peter and the Starcatcher. It’s based on the books by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson but not having read them I can’t tell how closely the play follows the original story. Honestly, though, it doesn’t matter. This show is GENIUS on so many levels. The actors were incredible (OMG BLACK STACHE!) and the script was brilliantly hilarious. I’m hoping they make a DVD with the original cast because I will buy it. Like, right now. If you make it to NYC before the cast changes, SEE THIS PLAY! So worth it, even if you have to pay full price for tickets, which after all their Tony nominations and wins, is very possible.

Another amazing thing about Manhattan? You never know who you’ll run into! We were walking down 6th Ave when we’re suddenly stopped by a man with a name badge and a walkie talkie. Apparently the sidewalk was closed for the filming of a movie called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty directed by and starring Ben Stiller and premiering in 2013! And so we crossed the street to watch for a moment (until more people with name badges and walkie talkies moved us along) and there he was! So I made use of my zoom and took a picture. 😀

Saturday morning we walked out of our hotel (which was right on 6th Ave) to find fifteen blocks of the road shut down for a street fair! White tented booths lined both sides of the Avenue and offered so many things. Food, clothes, jewelry, bed sheets, magnets (seriously, there was an entire booth with handcrafted magnets), recycled metal art, paintings, and general knick knacks. I managed to escape without spending more than $5 for which I am very proud of myself. Neither of my sisters were quite as lucky.

The unexpected beauty of NYC is one of the reasons I love it so much. If you keep your eyes open for it, there is art and little alcoves of nature tucked away everywhere. The garden pictured here is behind St Marks church on 10th. There are murals and sculptures in the subway stations and most of the buildings are works of art too. I can understand that a lot of people wouldn’t like New York because of the noise, the congestion, the close quarters, but I seriously question the sanity of people who have visited and don’t have a single good thing to say. Were their eyes even open when they walked through the streets? It’s hard to believe.  

Because it’s not just the streets, it’s the people, too. The talent you find just on the street corners is more than awe inspiring. It’s inspirational. At least, I find it inspirational. And for someone as naturally reclusive as I am, the sense of community and camaraderie I get when I’m in Manhattan is magnetic.

One of the last things we did before my family departed was see a play called End of the Rainbow. Starring Tracie Bennett, this play is about the comeback tour Judy Garland did just before her death. Powerful and tragic, it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion and knowing you can’t do a thing to stop what’s coming. Before seeing it, someone described it as visceral. After seeing it, I agreed.

More to come! BEA, more shows on Broadway, and a couple of picture only posts because I have more than I know what to do with! 😀