NYC-101

Rule # 54 – Never stop learning

 

Welcome to the New Year! I haven’t been on because I’ve been collecting data, like a good researcher should do. I like first person research, like when you get off the tush and go get the info from your experiences. Granted, what I write about is my opinion of the experience. And that is how it should be.

My big thing is traveling. I enjoy getting out of Dodge and seeing what the world has to offer. I’ve been overseas, to Ireland and Japan. I’ve roamed the lower 48 of the US. Yet I still haven’t seen a lot of what is nearby in the DC/Baltimore Metro area.

Now, I’m going to assume you enjoy traveling around too. Don’t look here for money-saving travel tips. Some places are not worth doing on the cheap and I’m not that type of traveler. I look for places where I can soak up the local flavor, and learn to blend in with everyone else. I like to live like a local when I travel… talk to people, not just be a tourist.

Now how about you? And how do you get started?

Are you the type of traveler who needs a focus for your trip? Or are you one who takes off and lets the destination show you what it has to offer? Honestly, I can do both, but for some destinations, I prefer to have a focus. Take New York City, for example. There is so much to do in that town that you need multiple visits – or you need to move there (if you could afford it).

                In 2014, my New York City trip was short and focused on historical things. I saw Ellis Island for the first time. I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time since I was a teen ager. I went to the 911 Memorial and Museum (tough place to visit but worth it). This year, it was time for serious fun. It was time to do the crazy touristy things. And it was time to plan.

                The main reason for planning – Broadway shows. If you want to see a particular show, you need advance tickets and sometimes you need to wait a long time. “Hamilton” is one of those shows right now that is sold out until June. If you don’t care what you see, there is a ticket booth in Times Square where you can get discounted tickets for that evening’s performances. The problem – you don’t know what will be available on any given day. It’s a real crapshoot.  Another way to get discounts is to queue up at 5:30 when the box offices open for the evening at the show of your choice. You get put into a lottery to get any unsold seats for that evening. It requires you to stand in line (sometimes the weather can be an issue) and it doesn’t guarantee that you will get a seat to see the show. You may be walking away disappointed.

                I took the more expensive route – I went online at Broadway.com and purchased seats for the days the shows I wanted. So, when I left for New York, I had tickets for five shows in my pocket. I spent a week there and needed to schedule down time (Many of us don’t do that when we travel. We think we have to see it all the first time there). I needed to schedule walking time. Many visitors to New York don’t realize how congested the streets are. Sometimes it’s faster to walk to your destination. It’s easier too. Yes, the sidewalks are crowded (if you don’t like crowds, don’t go to New York). But taking a cab at certain times of the day can take just as long as walking. The subway system is good, as are the bus routes. But you have to learn where to get which subway, where it goes, what busses it connects to… that part alone is an education in NYC101. I only got part way through that course last year heading to Battery Park.

                So this year, I was hoofing it around NYC (got the Fitbit buzz each day). And I saw some fantastic sites. But I want to concentrate on the shows. Yes, I was there near Christmas and, yes, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular was one of the shows. However, should your next trip to the Big Apple involve some live theater, I can recommend four shows you should not miss… as in, pay what you can afford and be sure to see these shows.

                The first show I saw was “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”. This particular Saturday evening our program said the leads would be played by the understudy actors. Seems the main lead actors were in Washington DC honoring Carole King at the Kennedy Center. So they send in the “second string” and you couldn’t tell, they were that fantastic! The story covers Carole King’s life from her first song sale, through her relationship with collaborator/husband Gerry Goffin, to her solo singing/writing career. What a trip down memory lane! It wasn’t necessary to grow up in the 60’s and 70’s to know her music. Her songs have been covered by the best in the music industry. This show was a 5-out-of-5 stars.

                “The Lion King” is also a must-do. The costumes make you forget there are people inside them. The puppetry of some of the savannah animals is masterful. And the story – so vividly told in animation on film – translates with the same tension and beauty on the stage. Another 5 star production. And lucky for all of us, this show goes on tour every few years.

                In the middle of all the musicals, I saw a comedy play. Put “Sylvia” on in your gotta-see-it list of plays. Matthew Broderick plays the straight man for a comedic wife, a park buddy/counselor/sorority sister (all played by Robert Stella, who steals each scene he’s in), and a wonderful golden lab dog (Annaleigh Ashford). Any dog lover would relate to the issues brought out in this play. Ms. Ashford allows us to get into the mind of man’s best friend with her many conversations with Broderick. It was a classy and smooth production in a classic 1912 theater venue. Another five stars goes to “Sylvia”. Unfortunately, this show closes on January 3. But I understand the play is done in local theater and touring companies all over.

                I wondered how the week of shows would end. So far, everything I saw got better and better. The best, it seems, was yet to come. A bit of untold American history came to life – and light – in “Allegiance”. Yes, it is billed as a musical. But I would classify it as a story with elements told with music.

                The story of “Allegiance” is a personal one to its star, George Takai (Trekkies know him as Mr. Sulu). His family was pulled from their homes after Pearl Harbor and sent to an internment camp in Arkansas. This play is based on the experiences of American citizens interned on their home soil, one of the overlooked portions of the World War II history. The story focuses on one family, the Kimuras, and their life in California before Pearl Harbor in 1941, through the life and political strife of Heart Mountain Relocation Camp in Wyoming during World War II, to events of the present day. The characters have no choice in the camps, but look for opportunities to fight their way out of the camps by serving in the 442^nd Division of all Japanese American troops. Many were heroes in the Italian campaigns. Many returned home to find families divided politically because of the camp situations. As with any returning veteran, the land they came home to was not the land they left. They were not the same people.

                I need more stars for “Allegiance”. Five isn’t enough. The show was so powerful and so well done, it left me in tears – real tears. It was not a comfortable show to watch at times. That in itself makes it worth seeing. If you see no other show this year, see “Allegiance”.

                There are so many more plays to see in New York. I just may need a long weekend to catch a few more shows. I also need to plan time to see the Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, get lost in Central Park, take a buggy ride through the park, do more live studio audience things, tour the baseball stadiums…

Looks like 2016 will be a busy year. Yeah! Bring it on

Video - YouTube "Eddie Murphy Merry New Year", (from Trading Places, 1983) retrieved 5Jan16; 12:44 am