They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway...

---

---

Wandering through the Big Apple
Liz Toms I dig New York City.

I feel like it's such a different city than any other, but for reasons I can't really put my finger on. Maybe I'll have to spend more time here to really know why I feel that way. My best guess right now is probably because of the sheer size of it. Everywhere you go, there is something. Tall buildings, people, shops, trash, street vendor here, street vendor there, landmark here, landmark there, apartments, delis, newspaper stands, hot dog stands, peanut stands, ethnic food stands, squares, gardens... all over and over again. I would imagine that you could spend a week here, doing nothing but tourist things in Manhattan alone, and still have so much more to see and do. Then you have the the other boroughs to explore as well. It just blows my mind.

That being said, I'll take you through my day. We didn't wake up early. I had set an alarm for 8:30, but thanks to the fact that I was in major sleep debt (when aren't I) I faintly remember mumbling something to Rob in the next bed over as I turned off the alarm. Next thing I know, my hand is being slapped and it's 10:15. Great. We showered and got uptown as fast as we could in order to scout out the ticket situation. We were there by 11:30, found the place that sold the half-price, day-of Broadway tickets, and after some discussion, we settled on the 3 PM matinee of Les Misérables for the half price cost of $60. Not bad. I had never been to a Broadway production before (anywhere), so I was pretty excited (although I initially didn't show it due to hunger). Rob has been to a good number of shows, both in New York and in other cities. That kind of surprised me, but I guess even your best friend can surprise you at times. In the same breath, I think he was also a little stunned to learn that this would be my introduction to Broadway.

Before the show started, we had some time to kill. The first up on the list of things to do was to get something to eat. We settled on a deli (again) after looking at a few menus and abandoning them either due to lack of appetizing food, or the price. I know New York is expensive, but I didn't feel like paying a whole lot on food that didn't sound too good... especially after just shelling out $60 for a show ticket. After a good brunch, we walked back over to Radio City so we could get a look at the updated sign. The Hall wasn't as noticeable in the daylight hours as it was at night. The neon really adds so much to the atmosphere. I do love the art-deco styling of the whole place though. More on that later though.

There wasn't much we could do at Radio City, so I suggested we go up to see the Chelsea Hotel. This is really one of the only places I had my heart set on going. The place is pure inspiration. You think about all the people who have stayed there, all the great writers, thinkers, musicians, other sorts of artists/actors, etc.... and it just blows your mind. We walked there from Times Square, a good distance of 30 blocks or so (we were at 50th Street when we started; the Hotel is at 23rd Street). Luckily, again, the blocks aren't that big. It was still al long walk, though completely worth it. The walk there was in itself also a great part of the day. We mainly walked down 6th Avenue before cutting over the 7th Avenue. We got to go past Herald Square and Greeley Sqaure on our way there, and other charming little shops and streets. When we started getting close to 23rd Street, I started to get excited. I just really wanted to see this hotel. It's become a sort of obsession of mine lately. I don't even know why exactly---it's not like anyone famous lives there now (to my knowledge), I don't even know if anything was actually written or recorded or achieved there (besides a few deaths), I wasn't staying there. It's just knowing that this place was a hotbed of culture makes it stand out to me in the same way that the Village stands out to most people at a center of innovation and bohemian ways, especially in the 60s. Speaking of Greenwich Village, I'm sort of sorry I didn't get to visit there this time around. As much time as we had to kill, we didn't want to rush from one place to the next and on to the next. Another time. And I'll spend a whole day there. Maybe stay at the Chelsea Hotel too. 😉

We took pictures of Chelsea and its sunflower iron terraces--me sitting on a fence, Rob standing in front of a window displaying guitars--and then walked back to Times Square via 8th Avenue. On our way back, we ran into Penn Station and Madison Square Garden out of the blue. It was quite convenient. It was right then that I realized three things: 1) how close everything is in New York 2) the city feels so big, and so small at the same time 3) how and why the city is as famous as it is. I mean, it is a large city... but go a few blocks and you'll see countless landmarks, landmarks you don't necessarily have to be on a tour or have read a book about to have heard of. As we were taking photos of MSG, we look up and see the Empire State Building (another tourist thing to see next time). Thinking about that really impressed me. Everybody knows New York, at least on the surface. What I want to know is what really goes on.

See, my perfect trip/vacation/excursion/travel experience doesn't always revolve around landmarks and buildings and history. That's all fine, and I think needs to be appreciated for as much of a hassle being a tourist can be on so many levels... but I want to get a feel of what it's really like to live in a place. It's about the people, what they do, where they go, how they think, and so forth. It may not be as glamorous as a planned trip visiting site after site would be, but it'd be so much more real, I think. Maybe after a few more trips here to cover the basics I'll finally be able to achieve that. I also need to make some friends who live here. Or maybe I'll just live here...

I think if I did live here, I'd see a lot of Broadway shows. We got back to Times Square area at 2:40 and went to the theater where Les Miz was playing. Before I talk about that, let me remark about Broadway itself. Before I even step foot in NYC, much less on B'way, I thought Broadway was this: a place, one building, that was rather large and quite exquisite. I thought a production ran for a time, and then moved on with or without its cast to another city and another production started. I thought people dressed to the nines and went to the shiny place in fancy cars at night. I was wrong. Broadway isn't so concrete. There are so many shows going on at once, several times a day, and lasting different courses of time... Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, Chicago, Phantom, Legally Blonde, etc. etc. They're in all sorts of theaters, some big, some large, some grand, some grand in a smaller way. People go there in all sorts of garb; we went in our day clothes. No matter what my preconception was, or how much of a difference there was in it and reality, it can't change the fact that I absolutely loved it. Despite being what I'd like to consider fairly cultured (at least in literature), I really didn't know what the musical was about. I knew it was French, I knew it was during the Revolution. I won't bore you with the plot outline here (you can wikipedia it if you care so much and like me up until a few hours ago, oblivious to the story), but I can say that it was marvelous. The people were so talented, the whole thing was intriguing. I did get a little antsy to the end, but not as much as I expected, and next time I'll stretch my legs at intermission. The end of the show was riveting; it almost brought me to tears. I kept thinking about Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman where she cries at the end of the opera... it was like that response because it was so beautiful. Broadway gets my approval.

By time we got out, it was time to get a quick bite to eat before heading to Radio City for Dave and Tim. We ate at yet another deli, and I had my first grilled cheese sandwhich in what must be half a decade. It was okay. Watching the workers behind the counter made me wonder how these people actually made enough money to live in the area. I'm sure they don't live in Manhattan, but it amazes me how some people get by. I have a lot of respect for them... I spend way too much money for my own good I think.

We found ourselves inside Radio City Music Hall, admiring it from every angle, a little after 7 PM. You walk in, and you're in awe. The art deco, the excitement in the air, the coolness of it all... walking into that foyer was like being sent back in time to the 50s. The pictures I took didn't do it justice. We walked upstairs to our mezzanine seats (first row, yay!) and I can say without doubt I was not prepared for the view from inside the actual theater. It was amazing. I couldn't believe I was seeing a show at Radio City Music Hall. The stage was quite messy with instrument trunks and other things like that as well as items I assume belong to the Hall, but the setup had a lot of charm to it because of the mess. It almost felt antique, like a restoration shop you walk into and find some vintage piece of hardware for your home. It was all very fitting. The curtains were perfectly framed in between the stage and the ceiling, which was perfectly lighted with accent lights and paneled all the way up to the top mezzanine level. I didn't get a view of the different balconies; I can only imagine the view from the stage was incredible, although mine was more than satisfying. I could say the same about the show. Dave and Tim came out and put on an awesome set, complete with a rare second encore that opened with Rob's favorite song and closed with mine. How fitting, some would say it was perfect. The crowd wasn't that bad either.

We left with the usual after show buzz, but quickly found ourselves with the same dilemma: what to do next. We started walking back to Times Square, again. Who knew we'd be there so much. I feel like had I known Radio City was so close to Times Square, I would have suggested we do something different last night, but oh well. It was still a magnificent trip. We decided to just go back to the hotel since we have a long day going back to our respective homes tomorrow.

The night wasn't without more entertainment though. The subway home was the best subway ride I've ever been on. We got on the 2 heading south and sat across this sleeping man with two women on both sides of him. The sleeping man kept nodding forward, and then to one side of him where he'd be pushed straight up by one woman. He'd be straight in his seat for a while, occasionally nodding forward, but then would fall to the other side of him. When he fell to his right though, the woman would push back hard and proclaim to "keep to yourself!" I started to giggle. The man didn't really wake up, but did keep to himself... for about fifteen seconds. He nodded back to the left, was pushed back straight, and then nodded off to the right where he was shoved back straight with another "keep to yourself!". This went on for a few more times, each time with an increase in how much I was giggling. Rob told me each time to quit laughing; I think he was afraid the people across from us would get mad and kill us. I might have been able to stop if this man sitting next to us hadn't started to laugh as well. Hearing him laugh made me laugh more, and before we knew it, both women were laughing with us as well. Even Rob cracked a smile. All the while, the sleeping man kept swinging like a pendulum back and forth, being pushed by the women. The man to the right of us announced he was sorry, but he was from California and it was "all so funny to him." (Just to give you a mental visual (aka I don't say this to be judgemental), but the man was clearly gay, and had all the stereotypical gay mannerisms when he talked). One of the women assured him this type of thing happens all the time, and he proclaimed how much he loves how diverse New York is. I started talking to him after hearing he was from Cali. Turns out he was from Orange County, and decided to spend a year in New York at hair styling school in order to fulfill his dream to become a black celebrity hair stylist. We talked for a bit more about Orange County and Chicago, and of course New York. Our Wall Street stop came up too quickly, so I bid adieu and good luck to the surrounding people and Rob and I went off the subway, looking back one more time to see the sleeping man fall on the shoulder of the woman to his right.

I really love talking to strangers, you get to see so much through them. I know it bothers Rob a bit, and others as well, but talking to strangers to me is like free travel. You can learn about someone so much by just talking to them for five minutes if you really listen, and feed off their experiences by listening to where they come from, where they're going, or where they've been. And at the same time, it's amazing how small the world gets the more and more people you talk to.

We got back to our hotel and pretty much just vegged on our beds. It may have been sort of anticlimatic, but I don't think we expected the time we had to be so packed that it would be too much. I got a good introduction to New York. I made a new friend (though I never got his name). I got to see an amazing show on Broadway, and an amazing concert at RCMH. Basically, I got my tongue wet for my next trip to New York. Don't be surprised if it's sometime in 2007. Tomorrow we're going to try to hit some of Brooklyn, even if that only means driving through there in lieu of the Holland Tunnel. Our main concern is traffic, and is so hard to gauge. My flight tomorrow is at 2:20 from Baltimore, so we plan on leaving here around 8:30. We'll see if that happens. Until next time...

---

Photos

Times Square in daylight hours
Still quite bright in a way

Greeley Square
Really a triangle

Empire State Building
Next time I'll actually visit this

Lobby at Radio City Music Hall
This is what we saw when we first walked in... wow