Trip Report December 2018

[inception]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 7:42am

I started planning for this trip in June, & was willing & able to see shows without looking for big discounts or doing lotteries etc so this post may not be of use to younger board users.
Flew in on red-eye from west coast of Canada, arriving early Saturday the 22nnd. Very very bad turbulence for most of the nearly 5 hour flight & many screaming babies but I put in earplugs & tried to zone out imagining I was just on a bunpy car ride, so I think I actually slept an hour or 2.
Did carry on only to get out of airport quickly, but then got pulled aside to have my bags searched as I went through customs at JFK. But it went fine. Took train in & was at my hotel by 8 am. Guy at front desk smirked at me when I saud I wanted to check in, until I said my reservation started the previous night & that I had called the previous afternoon to confirm. Then he was all like, "Oh yes, your room is waiting for you."
Slept a couple hours, & then off to Mean Girls. Fun show, but glad it was the first I saw as most of the criticism's you read about it on here are right. For everything I saw this trip I got mainly lower mezz tickets to save some $$, & always an aisle seat since I'm over 6 feet tall. Even if I had to get seats a few rows back, being able to stuck my legs out into the aisle was worth it.
Mean Girls disappointed vecause I an a fan Barret's & I wish she had better material, but I think the whole cast was great. The one person in the ensemble who really caught my eye was Kevin Csolak - so cute, I hope he has a long career as a dancer, but maybe for his next show something where he wears less - will there ever be a revival of Best Little Whorehouse? He's got a footballer's physique & would look great in a jockstrap.

I can't even remember what I did Saturday afternoon. I know I wandered through the Super Dry store & debated buying stuff because they had a really good sale & actually carry larger sizes in NY whereas in Vancouver all you can find are small & mediums of their stuff. I can't remember if I even ate anything.

Anyways, Sat evening went to DEH which I have wanted to see forever, but haven't been able to get to NY for a few years. I really liked Taylor Trensch, even more than when I saw Curious Incident. But I think this show disappointed me most out of all I saw this trip. I felt like it was too long, & could do with some cuts. I have read that back during the original run of Sweet Charity there were nights when Gwen Verdon would skip some numbers - the folks at DEH could use a bit of that philosophy. Yes I could hear plenty of women crying through the mom's number about the moving van, but I was just like "wrap it up already." The show is playing Seattle early next year & supposed to come to YVR in 2020 so I'll give it another chance when I'm not jet lagged.
Had been considering for months seeing Freddy Cole's late show at Birdland after DEH, but I just went back to the hotel & crashed.

[inception]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 9:23am

Sorry if there are typos, I didn't really proof read.
Sunday December 23rd:
The last show I bought tickets for was my Sunday matinee as dithered for months on what new show I wanted to see. I prefer musicals over plays & this is a season of plays with a lot if new musicals getting pans. Finally about a week before the trip I has to make a decision & randomly checked Ticketmaster for Frozen. There are 2 seats in row B of the balcony at the St James, one on either side of the theatre, right on the center aisle, marked partial view, that they don't seem to always put up for sale right away. I know 6 months ago those seats weren't available for sale but suddenly there they were & only $79.50. I checked that view from my seat site & someone has a picture there showing why they are partial view - the safety rail at the bottom of the stairwell can block sightlines from these 2 seats. I imagine that for a child these would be pretty lousy. But it was fine for me. When I showed my ticker on my phone to the queen ushering in the balcony, he instantly knew what that seat was - CHEAP! & the attitude he gave was me was nasty. There's a song in the new Mary Poppins film there that I think fits - " a cover is not the book" or whatever she says. I would rather stay cheap when I'm spending on myself, but splurge when I'm spending on someone else - none of my boys ever expect anything from me so it always a pleasure to surprise them. That usher revealed himself instantly as nothing but a gold digger. OK getting to far off topic.
I'm glad I saw Frozen. Disney puts on a good show. I really like their show programs, they are like picture story books & perfect for a child who perhaps can't read yet.
After Frozen I walked up to Central Park, & up to the Frick. Had about an hour until they closed, but they just have their permanent collection on view so it was enough time for me. Went back to hotel & changed as I was still in a suit since doing morning services at 10am before the 1pm matinee. I did stop at eat at a cafe on the upper east side before the show so wasn't in too rough shape.
Early 7pm evening performance of The Band's Visit. I wrote on another thread more thoughts, but basically enjoyed it- especially the shorter running time. Ari'el Stachel is a stud. And hot damn! Bill Army is a stud. Somebody lucky enough to be dating another cast member had his mother with him in the row in front of me. It was cute. Actually, you know, even Sasson Gaby is a stud. If anyone needs a reason to see this, all the men in the cast are easy on the eyes. Some woman sings too.
After I went down to I guess the Village? & went to see a stand-up show at Fat Black Pussycat. I needed to eat again, their bar menu was dismal but did it's job. They had beer from Deschuittes. That's probably spelt wrong. No big name comics showed up, but some of the ones on the bill were ok. If 54below had had a better offering I might have gone there instead. By 12:30 I was back at the hotel. The room next to me were some loud German kids - literally kids like 12 or 13. I don't know where tge parents were. Anyways I put in earplugs & zonked right out, but not before setting every alarm for 7am to f with them. I figured "let's see how happy they are when I make a lot if noise in the morning!"

Because yes, Monday Dec 24:

I started my day with the 1st boat to the Statue of Liberty! I've done it before, but earlier this year when a workmate planning a honeymoon in NY asked my advice on the best thing to do on a 1st trip to the city I said, "Definitely climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty." And then I thought to myself, "I should do that again" & book it ASAP.
Yesterday morning was chilly & drizzling rain but I still had fun. Seas were rough, but it was ok. I skipped Ellis Island due to time constraints.
I needed to eat & decided to just go to the 1st place in Times Square where I could get in, which turned out to be... Carmines. Yes on Xmas eve I was able to get in for lunch without reservations - they had one high top open. Honestly, I didn't even know what a big deal that was until after. I didn't realize their serving sizes were meant for a family. Anyways, food like that you can only get in NY. I ate what I could and then made my way over to the New Amsterdam.
Monday matinee xmas eve choices were few, & I was worried about my selection but Disney knows what they are doing!
Aladdin ended up being the show I had the best time at. It feels like the sort of show you would have seen in NY back in the 20's or 30's... but WOKE! Honestly there is nothing more beautiful than being in a theatre full of children who are POC who get to see others like themselves on stage. This may be the best musical in Broadway right now.

Had a nap, then went to join the posh set at the Met for Magic Flute. A truly gorgeous production that I'm so happy to have finally seen in person. Lady next to me slept through it. Well I guess that's a White Christmas Eve.

Walked in wrong direction after leaving Lincoln Centre, but was fortuitous and came across Westside diner & had another NY sized meal. At 9 is was empty, by 9:45 the place was packed. I sat at the window, & every group of tourists walking by & looking in was like "if that big fat queen is eating here the food must be good."

Walked in the right direction & found the right subway back to the Village for Chris Botti @ The Blue Note. Great show, got a great seat since I was a single even though I was at the end of the loooong like when they started seating at about 10:30. All the seniors whining about how long they had to stand in the cold. Like I said, great show, but probably he gets better audiences on nights other than xmas eve.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 10:00am

Inception, I enjoyed reading about your trip.  Why care what some queen usher thought about the amount you spent on your ticket.  I am cheap as hell and proud of it.  That is why i have been able to own what I have, visit the places I have and save what I have.  The one's who have to spend what is in their pocket before it burns a hole in it are usually the people who don't have a pot to piss in.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 2:23pm

Inception, as a fellow out-of-towner, it was fun reading about your trip. You've reminded me to make sure I eventually see Aladdin.

I'm doing a mini-trip on Thursday - Amtrak in the morning, Head Over Heels matinee, The Prom in the evening, crashing in the city, and then visiting with my grandmother and coming back the next day.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 9:03pm

I too enjoyed reading your Trip Report. Wish we had more of these kind of detailed adventures-in-writing from others who travel from outside of NYC to see the shows and enjoy the sights.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 10:12pm

I also enjoyed reading your trip report so thank you for sharing. Glad to see that you loved Aladdin and Frozen. I love Aladdin too and am seeing Frozen in February unless I win a lottery sooner.

[LLW2]

Posted: 12/25/18 at 10:35pm

Same here. I loved reading your trip report, and Aladdin wasn't even on my radar before this, but now it is.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 12/26/18 at 10:53am

You have a way with words and I loved reading this.

[mlsheehan]

Posted: 12/27/18 at 8:13pm

Thanks for the fun read.  I remember when trip reports were very common on the boards.  I always enjoyed reading them.  For a West Coaster (like me) it is always fun to get the input of folks that don’t have ready, easy access to NYC. 

I, also, enjoyed your planning questions and posts. 

Updated On: 12/27/18 at 08:13 PM

[Wick3]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 11:21am

I hope you will watch DEH again with a different cast as your experience may differ.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 7:32pm

Inception, I really enjoyed reading about your trip. I do have one question for you, though: In all your traipsing around NYC, did you bump into Janice?