Cornucopia: Meaning Bountiful...A Lot Of

Thanksgiving in New York City has come and gone. My dad and brother came to visit, and we tackled a cornucopia of exciting activities. The festivities began on Wednesday and lasted all the way to Saturday. Nonstop.

First things first: I get word that the fam has arrived in North Bergen, New Jersey at around 5:00 on Wednesday, and they board a bus around 6:00, poised to arrive in the city within 15 minutes. So I scurry on over to the Port Authority Bus Terminal...only to discover that there bus is caught in ca-razy holiday traffic. So I wait (and wait (and wait)), and they finally arrive around 7:15. We quickly scarf down some pizza at Famiglia and hoof it on over to the Helen Hayes by 8:00 for a hysterical performance of The 39 Steps. It was just as funny the second time around, and provided a lovely start to the weekend ahead.

With Thursday came Thanksgiving itself! And what does Thanksgiving in NYC mean?...Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Live! In person! A large group of NYAPers headed out early (really, it was 6:30 a.m., a small price to pay), and we scoured out a prime spot on 42nd St. & 7th Ave. - the parade made a turn here, so we got to see the balloons and floats coming at us, and then do their wondrous turns. After two hours or so of waiting, the parade finally began! We could literally see it coming at us from a mile away - straight up the street from Central Park. And the parade did not disappoint: the balloons were massive and made some frightening turns over our heads/through narrow gaps, the floats were exquisite, the celebrities were...present (I either didn't really know who most of them were, or just didn't care), and the crowd was massive. The experience was thrilling.












After this, we made a trek up to Rockefeller Center (where the not-yet-lit tree stands) and then to Central Park. After accidentally riding an express train all the way up to 125th St. (we wanted 72nd), we finally made it to the park. We stumbled upon the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir, which is huge and I've strangely never seen before, as well as Strawberry Fields, which was sadly not decorated - the homeless man who usually brings the flowers and does the work took the holiday off. We then rested for a little while in preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner, which was not to happen until late at night.

Around 8:30, we finally met up with the Voigt family and headed down to SoHo for our lovely feast at Bistro Les Amis. We arrived just before 9:00 (the time of our reservation) and discovered there were no tables available...so we waited outside (and waited (and waited))...until finally, we were seated at 9:30. Luckily, the wait was well worth it. The meal consisted of bread, carrot ginger soup, salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, squash, mashed potatoes, turkey stuffed with sausage and mushrooms, and a choice of pumpkin pie or cheesecake for desert (I had a little of both...). Each and every course was delicious, delectable, and festive. Properly stuffed, we headed back and hit the sack for the night.

Friday was the day of the museum. We first headed back to Central Park to visit the Museum of Natural History. I've missed this place since my first visit more than 5 years ago. The best parts are all the animal exhibits, which display all sorts of creatures in their natural habitats. And of course, the forest, biology, space, and dinosaur exhibits are all fascinating as well. What a wonderful tour - I even learned a little something in the process. After this, we headed to another museum for a less intellectual experience. Yup, we went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It was so worth it, too. I got my picture taken with all of my favorite celebs: Tyra, Whoopi, *NSYNC, Shakira, The Spice Girls, and even Madame Tussaud herself. They look so real!










Saturday was the last day for dad and Scott in the city. So how did we kick it off? By heading to New Jersey of course! We hopped on the NJ Transit and headed to downtown Hoboken, home of Carlo's Bakery (of the show "Cake Boss"). Unfortunately, upon arriving, we discovered a huge line looping around the block - and it wasn't moving, so it was surely a good hour wait. Well, we didn't have time for that, so we just snapped some pics of the front facade and then headed out. Around the corner, though, we spotted the back alley behind the shop. And emerging from it, bearing two enormous sheet cakes for the crowd, was none other than Mauro (we didn't know his name at the time - I just looked it up). Well, he offered us the cake (I took one of each - chocolate and red velvet) and then we got a nice picture with him. These people are incredibly nice. It was so worth the trip.

After moseying around a nice park in Hoboken for a while, we re-boarded the NJ Transit heading for the World Trade Center. Except that we ended up somewhere else in Jersey and had to wait for the correct train to pick us up there. We ended up a good hour out of our way. The NJ Transit only has five trains, but it's still so confusing. Well, we finally got to lower Manhattan, saw Ground Zero, perused the memorial, and walked along the southern shoreline, catching a distant glimpse of the Statue of Liberty as the sun set. Wow, that was beautifully stated...

And for our last event, we attended a performance of the groundbreaking musical, Next to Normal. Upon entering the theatre, I was disheartened to find that the amazing Alice Ripley would not be performing in the show (let's be honest though, neither dad nor Scott cared - and her understudy was phenomenal anyway). Again, this was my second time seeing the show - and it was even better this time around. Everybody loved it - how could they not?!

So that's the amazing holiday weekend. It was great to see my dad and brother before I embark on my last month in the city (ah!). And it was also terribly convenient, because they drove in, and I was able to send a whole bunch of unnecessary things home - because I can't take it all on a plane. Now that Thanksgiving is over, bring on the winter!

If I Won the Lottery...

I would see lots of shows! And indeed, Kelly and/or I won several lotteries this week, and saw three phenomenal shows.

On Monday we attended the lottery for Next to Normal. As always, I had my doubts - it's always better to go in expecting the worst. Well, the lottery drawing began, and I fortunately did not have to wait long before my frown was turned upside down. My name was called...first. Let's repeat, shall we? First. Once more: first. Yup, I am officially a lottery master! Kelly's name was also called about eight in, but it matters not, for we only needed my two tickets. I am actually seeing N2N again with my dad and bro over Thanksgiving, but it's totally worth a second viewing. The music and lyrics are (appropriately) eclectic, and the direction and performances are all spot on. Alice Ripley (who is cah-razy in real life) plays a bi polar mother/wife to perfection - although, let's be honest, it's not really that much of a stretch for her. My fave was actually Jennifer Damiano, who played the daughter - her storyline was the most moving and she has some great material. I'm really excited to see it again...from further away. Because we were in the front row and very close.

The post-show scene was an event in and of itself. We stopped by the stage door to see the cast and get some autographs. They were all very nice, and gladly obliged to photos. Alice Ripley was, of course, absolutely crazy...and she has the most bizarre autograph I have ever seen - it involves block lettering and takes a good 15 seconds to complete. Anyway, after this, we happened to pass by the Minskoff Theatre next door, where Bernadette Peters's benefit concert was just getting out. We decided to stick it out at the stage door and see some celebs...and indeed we did. We first spotted Martin Short, and then shortly thereafter Mary Tyler Moore - I was starstruck. And then came the greatest of all - Bernadette Peters herself emerged, in all her amazing glory. She is seriously 61, and looks like she is 38 or so. My life has been changed.

The next two days were not so kind for lotteries. On Tuesday, I attempted the Ragtime lottery (again) and promptly lost. On Wednesday, I gave Hair another stab (again) and promptly lost (again). On the bright side, it was nice to have some quiet nights at home. And Wednesday's loss gave me the opportunity to return to Ice Gleem Social Wednesdays! Let's be honest, they have been falling apart without my presence. I got a three one-dollar scoops and watched a lovely episode of "Glee". Not too shabby.

On Thursday, the victory continued! I couldn't make it out of work in time, but Kelly hustled over to the In the Heights lottery. I arrived too late to put my name in, but just in time to hear her name called! So once more we won the lottery and saw a show from the front row. The show is absolutely amazing as well - the set is exquisitely detailed, the songs are rhythmic/driving/beautiful/powerful/etc., the dancing is pulsating, and the performances are sound.

The best part of the occasion though was my triumphant return to the Richard Rodgers Theatre. This is where I saw my very first Broadway show, Movin' Out, just a mere five years ago. So returning was a homecoming of sorts - full circle, you may say. I found the area where our seats for Movin' Out were, and took some nostalgic pictures. I was just a bright-eyed young child when I saw my first Broadway show, and I have now seen 27. With many more to come...











Speaking of which, on Friday I attempted the Hair lottery once more. This is the eighth time I have attempted, and the first time my name was called! Last time we saw the show, we had the last row in the boxes (behind lots of heads) and could see - um - stage right only. This time I was hoping for some better seats, and we were given...the exact same ones. So we couldn't see much more of the show than before. But it was still absolutely phenomenal. And this time I had an aisle seat, so I got my hair tousled by cast members a few times. I tousled their hair right back. And of course, we danced onstage at the end, and had a ball. After the show, Will Swenson auctioned off the pants he wore that night to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They ended up going for $600. That's right - SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. I wish I had that kind of money to throw around willy-nilly.

So yes, this week was a rousing success. We have pretty much conquered all of the lotteries - the only ones left to win are Ragtime and Rock of Ages. I have confidence that it will happen. We will succeed!