Fun Times On Broadway

I love the person who decided to start pricing tickets at a lower rate for students. This affords those who cannot afford, a chance to watch some amazing theatre without going broke. I've been averaging roughly 1 show a week. (You are permitted to be jealous now). I've been within spitting distance (please take that literally) from Kristen Scott Thomas, Jeremy Piven, Elizabeth Moss, Harvey Fierstein, I could go on but that would just be boastful.

This past week I recruited a couple foreign friends from work to experience some Broadway goodness. We decided to see the matinee performance of David Mamet's 'Speed the Plow', starring Jeremy Piven, Elizabeth Moss and Raul Esparza. The student tickets we were given allowed us to have seats on the second row and one seat front row center. God bless the foreigners b/c they were not quite aware of theatre etiquette (i.e. arriving with plenty of time to find a toilet, find your seat, and read the entire Playbill before curtain). So, my classmate and I were waiting with tapping feet for my other friends to arrive. Finally my Kiwi friend comes running up 1 minute before 2 p.m. I leave a ticket at the box office for my friend Helen, who has not arrived. As we find our seats I realize the ticket I left for Helen was the one front row center! Had it not been moments before the curtain, I would have ran back to the box office to exchange hers for mine, but time did not allow. Dread was building as the curtain rose and the play began. Brilliant performances took me away for a while, but then I was nudged by my friend to let me know Helen had arrived. The poor girl had to cling to the stage as she stepped over half the row until she landed safely in her seat. The actors on stage were definitely aware of her (how could you not be when she is holding onto the stage?!).
Following the performance the cast remains on stage to talk about a charity donation thing they do every year. Jeremy Piven did the talking. He began by saying, "Thank you very much for coming out to the show, except that girl who was late. Where is she?" The other castmates come to the edge of the stage, fingers pointing at my friend who is sinking lower and lower into her seat! Mr. Piven continues, "I mean you come 45 mins. late to a show? Its only 70 minutes long for crying out loud." He was exaggerating, of course, but this continued for a couple minutes as the theatre filled with laughter. It was hilarious! I've never seen Helen's face so red, but she is a easy-going Irish gal, so if anyone could handle it, she could. SO FUNNY!

Last night, I witnessed one of my classmates perform the lead in Hairspray! She is the understudy for Tracy Turnblad. A small group of us were able to get front row seats and watched her twist and turn and sing her little heart out. It was pretty surreal seeing someone I know on a Broadway stage, like its nothing. She was fantastic. We got to go in the stage door after the performance and I actually got to stand on the stage while we were waiting for her. No bigs... just hanging out on a Broadway stage. When we left we hung out a minute to see her walk out of the stage door and see all the people waiting go nuts and ask for her autograph. What a trip!

"One Cheesesteak, American, With"

This is the appropriate way to order an authentic Philadelphia Cheesesteak with American cheese and onions. I failed to add the “with” and so I received no onions. However, my first Philly Cheesesteak was delicious! In case you haven’t grasped it by now, I went to PA for the weekend. Actually I stayed in Camden, NJ but it is 15 min. from downtown Philadelphia. My dearest friend, Blair, is with Urban Promise ministries working to start an afterschool program for kids in Copan, Honduras. He lived there last year and has seen a need for these kids to have a place to spend their free time. Such an amazingly wonderful thing and if anyone wants information about how to help get this wonderful program started, please let me know and I’ll forward you the details.

My trip to Camden was a very spontaneous decision made Thursday night. I went to Port Authority Bus Terminal Friday (10/31) after class, and bought a ticket on the Greyhound to Philadelphia. Apparently, there are several buses to take to nearby cities for as little as $1, but we’re talking buses that pick you up at some random corner in Chinatown where they barely stop, no one speaks English, live chickens are onboard… okay maybe not the chickens. I’ve heard funny stories about these buses, so I will try to take one the next time I leave town and tell you all about it, but I didn’t have time to deal with all that. Port Authority is madness! I’ve never experienced a bus terminal of this magnitude. Its just huge and there are so many different buses going to so many different places. I found the Philly (this is what the cool kids call it, so go with it) bus easy enough. The boarding reminded me of a Southwest flight cause there are no assigned seats, its just first come first serve. Once I got in line I didn’t want to leave, but as they started boarding I realized I really needed to use the restroom. What to do?! Leave the line and be left with the least appealing seat on the bus? I stayed in line and 10 minutes into the trip I had to crawl over the sleeping woman beside me (how does someone fall asleep so fast?) and try not to fall into people on my way to the restroom. I swear the driver was trying to knock me over with his swerving!

I arrived to Philly just as the World Series Championship Parade had ended. This simply means that I was the only person in Philadelphia not wearing red & white and I was the only person who was sober… at 4 in the afternoon! What a welcome! Shortly thereafter I hopped a subway to Camden and to the quite of a neighborhood. Blair and his friend Matt were house-sitting for a friend, which meant we had an entire house complete with dogs and a car, all to ourselves for the weekend! Such a blessing! I needed a break from the City. This was the most darling little house with a yard surrounded by a fence and a little swingset in the backyard. I never thought I’d miss yards. I was such a bum cause all I wanted to do that night was enjoy the comforts of a home: laying on the couch watching TV, playing with dogs, walking from one room to another simply b/c there were rooms to walk into. My life exists in one room, so that is why multiple rooms was so exciting. Sad, huh?

Anyway, Saturday we decided to utilize the car and took a road trip to Lancaster, PA (aka Amish Country). As we got closer and closer we started spotting a few Amish folks in their horse and buggy! We’d yell, “Amish! Amish! Amish! Amish!” It was fun. We stopped in a place called Intercourse, PA for some grub, but all we did was buy a Shoo-Fly Pie. Excuse me, a famous Shoo-Fly Pie. Has anyone ever heard of these? I felt like I was totally out of the loop, but no one else in our party had ever heard of Shoo-Fly Pies, so we decided they were only famous in this particular part of PA. We were in search of an authentic Amish experience, meal and buggy ride and all. We drove into Lancaster only to find it exactly like every other small town in PA. We discovered at the Visitor Center that most of the Amish community lives on the outskirts of Intercourse. Does anyone else find this ironic?! It wasn’t even the original name of the town… it was changed to Intercourse!

Anyway, we drove around to several other little stops and picked up various snacks. I couldn’t believe how cheap everything was! I bought an 8” pie for $5! In NYC that would cost $20 easily AND this was homemade. SO much better! We met some very nice Amish folks and I received little verse packets with my purchases. Lovely. We returned to Philly and got some cheesesteaks for dinner and watched Texas play Texas Tech. What a great day!

Sunday, I had to catch the noon bus back for work, but we got up early and went into to Philly to walk around the historical parts. It was beautiful, despite the chilling wind. Philly is a liveable city. I could never live in NY, but I think I could handle Philly. Anyway, we went on the most uninteresting tour of Independence Hall. The tours are free so sometimes the tour guides are less than good. Our guide was not engaging at all and the information she told us was stupid stuff like, “We don’t really know how this was exactly set-up but we think this is how it would be arranged. Of course, all the furniture in here is not from that time period, but is similar in style.” That is the first thing she told us and that is when I stopped listening. We left the tour early.

My weekend holiday from the City was so relaxing and normalizing. If I can schedule one of those every couple months, I think I can maintain my sanity! Next destination is Boston or maybe Upstate NY or maybe Vermont. “It should be lovely this time of year… all that snow.”

Brrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Pardon the constant comments on the weather... but they're probably going to keep coming! It's cold and rainy. The kind of day that you just want to curl up in some sweats, make hot chocolate and watch romantic comedies all day. Sadly, I live in a city that doesn't stop for anything!

The weather started to change yesterday while I was at work. I went to work in a long, cute skirt, a thin long sleeve and scarf, but by the time I was leaving (@1:30 a.m.) I borrowed a few more layers and had to "borrow" an umbrella from work due to the unexpected rain. However, on my way to the subway I noticed another unfortunate soul waiting under an awning of a restaurant, who I assumed hadn't anticipated rain either. I decided to go with my 'southern' instinct to be friendly to a stranger and offered to share my umbrella. As the man looked up I realized I was speaking to Matthew Broderick! Ha! He smiled and said 'No Thank You' and that he was just planning on taking a cab. He asked if I was headed to the Village (lower Manhattan for you non-New Yorkers). I laughed and said no I was heading to the subway on 6th Ave. I told him to have a good night and went on my way. Of course, I spent the rest of my trip home thinking of all the witty things I should have said and going back and forth between cursing myself for not taking advantage of a rare opportunity but then congratulating myself on being a "real" New Yorker who leaves celebrities alone. Zac and I experienced this when he visited this past weekend. We walked by Ted Danson and Julianne Moore when we were in lower Manhattan. They're just people for goodness sake!
Fun moment I wanted to share! I need to go layer myself before going to work!

Broadway

Despite my lack of internet connection, I have decided to write an entry and drag my computer across the street to the library to update my dormant blog. Its been silent too long. Apologies.

Its officially fall in New York. I think we hit that day a few weeks ago, but the weather has changed and the warmth is not coming back. The temperature might get up to 60 today, but the wind chill is somewhere closer to 45. In Texas we call this winter! I'm wearing all the clothes that I used to wear during the months of December-February and its only October! Trouble! Luckily the sun still warms me up, but I've been warned that eventually that won't even help! I will try to enjoy it and not fear the cold that darkens my future (dramatic, huh?). Leaves are changing into the most interesting colors, unlike in Texas where they just turn brown and fall to the ground. I remember the season of Fall from my younger years in Virginia and playing in piles of leaves that my dad had just raked in our yard. I just need to buy a good coat, some gloves, hats and scarves and enjoy this time of year!

I've been back in New York nearly two months. Home seems forever ago. I'll hit the highlights and if anyone cares for more details or anecdotes pertaining to one event or another, please leave a comment and I will embelish further. I cannot possibly tell all the stories, but I've had a very eventful two months!Upon arriving to my apartment, my landlady, Karen, was not in town however her daughter and friend were in the apartment. In case I failed to mention, I'm renting a room in an apartment of a woman whose adult children have moved out. Its on Roosevelt Island, which is a tiny strip of land between Manhattan & Queens. Many New Yorkers don't know it exists. Its amazing! Its like a little town, with one grocery store, a little library, pharmacy, church, diner, pizza place, Starbucks! Its safe and so lovely! My only complaint is that we don't have wireless internet in our apartment, but that is because Karen and I can't figure out how to set it up. So, the purpose of my early return to New York (classes didn't start until Sept. 19th) was to find a job. Before I even left Texas, I had a job interview set-up for marketing company to promote Broadway shows in Times Square. I interviewed for that the day after I arrived and started doing that job the following day. I was promoting a show called 'Xanadu'. It was a musical comedy (the two most glorious words in the English language) making fun of the terrible 1980's film starring Olivia Newton-John. Anyway, the job was a huge blessing in disguise. Initially I thought it would just be a job to do until I found a job in a restaurant, but it ended up supporting me enough so I could find a job I actually wanted instead of just taking anything. I interviewed with some weirdos! The job hunt could be an entire entry. Now, did I enjoy wearing a giant, pink sandwich-board sign in the middle of Times Square? Not particularly, but I had fun with it. One of my most memorable days was a Saturday I was positioned at 45th & Broadway. There was one of those sidewalk bands that play the little Peter Pan flutes. Now instead of trying to compete with them by projecting over their music, my friend (who was promoting 'Legally Blonde') and I danced to the music. People were so much more willing to take my fliers when I was dancing. We had so much fun that day and I was complimented on my dancing more than once! Ha! Another memorable day was when they held "Broadway on Broadway" in Times Square, which is the only other time besides New Years that Times Square is shut down. There was a huge stage set up at 43rd between Broadway & 7th, with barracades to hold the crazy fans back. "Broadway on Broadway" is when every Broadway musical performs in some way. Some shows had the whole cast, some had one performer. This is the kind of event that people came out for in the wee hours of the morning to get a good spot. Well due to the fact that I was handing out flyers, it was like an all-access pass. I went wherever I wanted to go. So naturally, I went to the very front. Of course, I did my job for the first part of the day, but once the performances started no one wanted to listen to me talk about my show. My fellow flyerers all agreed that on that day, we loved our jobs. It was pretty incredible! My job with 'Xanadu' allowed me to connect with some theatre folks, I got to work outside TKTS and met several wonderful friends and learn about every show on Broadway, talk to Leonardo DiCaprio and have fun making money.
It ended up working out perfectly... just as 'Xanadu' was closing I got hired at the Bourbon Street Bar & Grill where I currently work. God is good! Bourbon Street Bar & Grill is a beautiful restaurant located on W. 46th (a.k.a. Restaurant Row in Hell's Kitchen). Its owned by four Irishmen, who are lovely. I love the people I work with. Our food isn't all that memorable, but our bar is amazing. Of course it is, being owned by the Irish! Classes are going really well. Its difficult to express what they're like, but they are going well! I cannot think of anything more to write at the moment.

A Finer Night You Know You'll Never See

Can anyone tell me what Broadway musical that line is from?

Last night was a wonderful wrap up of my 6 weeks in New York! I finally walked the Brooklyn Bridge. It was perfect weather. I was on a journey to find the best pizza in New York at Grimaldi's. This pizza place was picture-perfect! Its not a big place, but extremely popular. Due to the small space, patrons must wait in a line along the street on the sidewalk. Take-out too! A very Italian looking man, who rarely smiles, stands outside and monitors the line. Every so often a muffled voice inside yells something out and the gentleman (we'll call him Tony cause it just seems right) looks at the line and asks, "two?" or "three?" or "take-out?" and those closest to the front must be ready to respond. If there is hesitation he has to repeat himself... and Tony doesn't like to repeat. You gotta be ready. It was finally my turn! I ordered a calzone cause I was told they were amazing, plus I was thinking it would be better than ordering a pizza for myself (oh, there are is a sign on the door that says, "no slices". you gotta order a whole pie...that's what they call it here, a pie). Cash only... of course! I return outside to wait for my calzone. When it comes out I realize that this is definitely not for one person. I feel better about paying $15 but good heavens!
I walked with my 10 lbs. calzone back across the Brooklyn Bridge and take the train to Bryant Park. Last opportunity to watch a movie in Bryant Park. "The Apartment" was about to start when I got over there. I finally open up my calzone to see the enormity of this thing! I laughed out loud. It was amazing! The dough was incredible. I could only eat about 1/4 of this sucker!
A little later I receive a text from some classmates that they are down at Pier 17. I pack up my mammoth calzone and head down to the Pier. Nothing like a bunch of hungry, poor actors sitting in a public area enjoying cheap drinks and reminiscing about class and funny memories. We stayed down at the pier until 2 a.m. They devoured the remaining 3/4 of my calzone and we had a grand time. The thing that made me stay so long is I knew I would most likely never see most of them again. Tragic but true.
One my ride home on the glorious G train, I had my own car! I was in a jovial mood anyway, but that just topped it off. I was singing and dancing around the car! How often does that happen?! So rare! I loved it!

New York has been amazing and I am very excited to come back for the fall! My blog may experience a hiatus during my sabbatical to Texas, so fear not faithful readers... I will return in September!

Ode to the Subway

Anyone who has ever experienced the Subway system of New York knows it can be a trifle wild. There are so many different lines to take, people move so quickly, and sometimes you end up in a completely different part of New York than you intended to go (like Queens... Dad & Adam).

On a day-to-day basis, I've come to appreciate little things about the subway and absolutely loathe others:

I love when I walk down the stairs to the station, swipe my card and the train is just rolling in. On occasion, my good fortune has continued when I have to transfer and as the doors are opening on the G train, the A or C is coming to a stop across the platform and I just step on and continue to Manhattan. This makes my trip all of 25-30 min. I can count, on one hand, the number of times this has happened to me. However, more often than not I come down the stairs for the G train and step onto an empty platform. That is the absolute worst because that means the train has just left! You can watch people, as they come down to the platform and look around realizing the train has just left. Their entire body just drops in utter defeat.

Nothing is worse than the G train. One can wait forever for the G train. Some New Yorkers nicknamed it the "ghost" train cause it never comes, especially late at night. I've waited for 45 min. for that stupid train. And you can't get mad at anyone or anything cause there is no one there. You just pace frantically back-and-forth or stare with great intensity at the opening where the train is going to come. I sometimes step to the edge of the platform and look in the opposite direction to see the seething, irritated faces of people. It makes me feel a little better to know I'm not alone in my frustration and usually it makes me laugh.

Since its summer, I love that there is air-condition on the subways but I hate when you step into one where the air has stopped working. Once you've committed to that car and the door slide shut you are immediately aware of the stifling, smelly stillness of an un-air conditioned car. You can seek out the coolness and move to another car, or you can just tough it out and pray for no delays.

Another funny bit about the subway is when you sit under the subway map in the car. Every car has one posted somewhere and if I can avoid it I will. When a person sits under the map and another person comes and hovers over them to look at the map, it always affects the behavior of the person under the map. If they are reading, listening to music, or just sitting there. Its funny to watch their different reactions to feeling crowded.

Music is a tricky thing on the subway. Generally, when I start my trip its on a quiet platform so the volume isn't too high (got to protect my inner ear). But when I get on the train, its so loud I've got to crank it up just to hear it at all. However, when we pull in for a stop I have to turn it back down again or everyone in a 10 foot radius will be enjoying my music as well! I don't understand how people just leave their iPod alone the whole time on the train. Either they can't hear it or everyone else can!

Sometimes I miss my car... yes, even that awful Sebring... but then I see the prices for gas...

one more thing...

My favorite thing and I didn't even tell you about it! There is a place across from the Eugene O'Neill Theatre called the Actor's Chapel on 49th street. I was waiting outside in the line to see "Spring Awakening" and the bells started to chime. Normal for a chapel, but they were playing a tune. It was, "There's No Business Like Show Business". Only in New York! Love it!