almost broadway

Last night Ron and I went to see "Book of Mormon." We have wanted to see it for a long time. Having heard so much about it for so long...that it had won several Tony awards...that it was so funny and irreverent...sounded like our kind of show.

We liked it fine. It was funny and irreverent, The music was pretty good. The cast (for the most part) was excellent and really committed to their roles. Maybe we would have liked it better if we had seen it in New York - there's just something about seeing a show on Broadway. At the end of the day, it won't go down as one of our favorites. It was a nice evening out, though!

Today I am grateful...

... that Jenn made it home safely last night...

...that's it's not as cold in New York today...

...and that I live in such a beautiful state with lovely, temperate weather.

Rock of Ages

It's been over a month since I had sat in a movie theater and I really wanted to have a normal movie Saturday. I really WANTED to like this movie. Oh, why did I pick this movie?

You know how I love Broadway musicals and this movie is based on a musical that is still playing in New York. So, you could say that I was trying to kill two birds with one stone! (That is an AWFUL saying, by the way, and I think I will never use it again!).

The premise of the movie is that it is set in the late 80's. It's about the rock and roll songs, big hair and the big dreams of some people coming to Hollywood to make it in the big city.

It's just silly. First of all, I do enjoy rock music but very few of the songs they used for the musical were iconic. With the songs used, it was hard to believe that the musicians were truly passionate about their careers.

The cast...
Julianne Hough played Sherrie - she did not embarrass herself. She is a talent - she is beautiful, can act and dance although her voice is more suited to country music.
Diego Boneta played Drew - the good looking love interest for Sherrie - eh.
Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamati, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston and Malin Ackerman were all in this movie as well and I was embarrassed for the lot of them.
Tom Cruise surprised me, though. He's not a great singer, but he was able to pull off the songs he was asked to sing - the embarrassing part for him was his wardrobe - it was awful watching him act like a rock star. He's not my favorite guy, anyway.

So why did I spend so much time telling you not to go see this movie? It's the only one I've seen lately and I want to be very sure that you don't waste your time and money. I promise to choose more wisely next time, really. I promise.

Day 4 in NYC - Harry Potter Can Dance!

Another full day in the Big Apple! We took our time getting out the door today...we were not looking forward to another day in the cold and rain. Ron and I have really started to get the hang of the subway system so we decided to head down to see Mandi at work. Her office is in the CBS building in the Gramercy area of Manhattan. Since we are still in search for the perfect New York pizza, we went to Little Italy to Lombardi's to test it. It was quite delicious!

Make sure to get extra sauce!

After pizza, we rode the train back to Columbus Circle having to transfer trains. Mandi has only been here since late September but seems to have gotten the hang on the subway system. I must say, she appears to have adjusted to NYC pretty seamlessly. Anyway, we joined the crush of people to see the big balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as they were the inflated. It's almost as big as deal as the parade itself. Streets are closed and NYPD direct traffic - it was a crush of humanity.

Sonic the Hedgehog

As the balloons are blown up, they remain tethered close to the ground and some are moored with netting. The crowd was pretty orderly and in good spirits. Since we saw the the balloons being blown up, we decided to skip going to the actual parade. (I am actually writing this while watching the parade on TV - it's only 37 degrees out there!)  

Snoopy coming to life

After going to see the balloons, it was time to get back on the train and head down to the theater district. We ate at the Shake Shack (good burgers and shakes but not as good as Five Guys). Then it was off to the Al Hirschfield Theater to see Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. You know what? Harry Potter can really SING and DANCE! Truly! 

After the show, we waited outside to maybe get an autograph or a photo, but there was a throng of young girls waiting at the stage door as well. There was no chance that we were going to get anywhere near him. However, we waited and were rewarded...we got to see Joan and Melissa Rivers as they left the theater and got into their chauffered black SUV - they came to see the show as well. The moment of truth arrived  - the stage door opened and Daniel came out, waved and was escorted right to his waiting car. No photos, no autographs, nothing. The little girls were quite disappointed, but in Daniel's defense, that was his second show of the day AND he had to go home and rest because he had to get up and perform at the parade. I forgive him.

Joan and Melissa Rivers

Today we will meet up with everyone and have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in the East Village. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 3 in NYC - RAIN!!!

I'll bet you didn't know that every time we go on vacation I have some kind of a mishap. The good news is that I've only fallen down and dropped my camera once during this trip so far! Better yet, my camera is still functioning and I didn't twist my ankle or break any bones. Yes, I hurt my pride, scraped and bruised my elbow, but it didn't slow me down...too much...

After he picked me up off the ground, Ron and I went to Rockefeller Center to see the progress on the Christmas tree there. Here is a photo of the the tree.

the scaffolding allows the workers to decorate the tree safely...great idea!

After that, we walked from 50th St. all the way up to 80th on the eastern edge of Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was coolish and sprinkling rain but it was worth it. Here are just a few things we saw...

by Pablo Picasso

also by Picasso

Chagall

jewelry as art!

Jackson Pollock

There were so many more beautiful works of art that I wasn't able to photograph. It was overwhelming! We just didn't have enough time there in the Museum. I think a person could spend a week in there to truly enjoy what the Met has to offer.

The worst part of going there was that as we left, it was raining. Not a downpour or a driving rain, just steady. We couldn't catch a cab to save our lives...we had no umbrella...but on we walked! All the way back down to 49th St. where we met up with Rob & Rita, jb & Causten for dinner. The twinkies were on their own tonight. We ate at Del Frisco's - great steak place! Delicious dinner.

After dinner, Ron and I took jb to see Godspell. This is a very special show for us because jb & I were in a local production of Godspell in 1985. Yes, I was pregnant with her at the time! As a true lover of musical theater, jb has known the music from this show for years but had never seen it live. It was absolutely wonderful! 

After the show, we trudged to the subway and took the train back to our hotel - got back there soaking wet. When we walked into the hotel lobby, we saw about 50 red umbrellas with the hotel logo on them hanging there waiting to be used. Where were they when we were heading out this morning?! Humpf!

Tomorrow, jb and Mandi get off from work early, we are to see the balloons being blown up for the parade, see Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and maybe do a little souvenir shopping. Any requests?

Our 1st full day in NYC

On the High Line

Before we hit the ground running for our second full day in the big city, I just wanted to give a brief accounting of what we have done since we landed at LaGuardia.

First of all, our flight landed 30 minutes early. We must have had a good tailwind! I have to say that after all the flying we have done this year, LaGuardia wins the award for getting our luggage to baggage claim the fastest. Pleasant surprise!

Next was a "brisk" cab ride to our hotel - the cab driver only almost ran over someone crossing the street twice! Yes, I wore my seatbelt, but Beckie sat there grinning from ear to ear. Ron didn't seem to notice anything wrong as he was taking in the scenery and chatting with the cabbie!

We met Mandi, jb and Causten at our hotel and set off to have dinner. Coppola's Italian Restaurant gave us a nice place to chat and one by one go around the table and fill each other in on what's been going on in our lives since we were last all together. It is so good to be able to just sit and look at their faces!

Since we weren't ready for bed, we decided to see a movie (review when I get back home). At this point the 3 hour time difference was definitely to our advantage. We went to see Breaking Dawn Part 1. That certainly gave us more to talk about! After the movie, the kids headed off to their apartment with Beckie in tow. Ron and I are staying at a hotel on 76th and Broadway called On The Avenue. Some sleep was in order. We went to bed at 3 am EST.

After some much needed sleep, we got ourselves together and headed out to enjoy the city. It was a beautiful day - sunny and a bit cool - a perfect NY day. Ron and decided to walk down Broadway to the theater district so that we could see what shows we might be able to see. We also stopped in to a few souvenir shops and the biggest Disney Store I've ever seen.

The kids met up with us and we went to a great pizza joint called John's Pizzeria. Delicious! More great conversation with the family. jb then suggested a walk on the High Line. We walked through Hell's Kitchen and went to a flea market on our way there. The High Line is a walkway and park built on an old freight line. An interesting view of the West Side of Manhattan. At the end of our walk we ducked into the Chelsea Market for lattes and baked goodies.

Empire State Building as seen from the High Line

Next it was time to hop on the train back to the Imperial Theater to see Billy Elliot - The Musical. We all enjoyed the show - but I LOVED IT! Very talented kids in it.will add this to the list of reviews I will post when we get back to the West Coast.

It had been a long day - so it was back to the subway to catch a train back to the hotel. I wish I had been wearing a pedometer to record how many miles we walked! I have to say that my Skechers Shape Ups are doing a great job - my feet didn't hurt after all that walking! Still haven't seen jb and Causten's apartment, but maybe we will do that today. Our plans today include more sightseeing and going to the 9/11 Memorial. Mandi and jb are both working today, so we will meet up with them later.

I should get up and get dressed now. Time to get Day 2 underway!