"It's NOT Quiet Uptown" -- Hamilton Chorus


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September 15th 2016
Published: June 13th 2017
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DAY TWO

Thursday, September 15, 2016

We are pushing ourselves to the limit. I love that about us. We arose at 5:30 to dress, walk to the subway stop and ride uptown to the Live with Kelly show at ABC Studios in Lincoln Center.

Our first experience was a little off-putting. We headed down the subway stairs to find a presumably homeless man sleeping at the base of the stairs. When he saw the six of us dressed up to be in Kelly's live audience, he yelled, "It's the Golden Girls!" He called us by name … Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, Rose, etc. We tried to ignore him and headed quickly to the machine which would issue us our subway tickets. But clearly we didn't know what we were doing. The Golden Girls narrator took pity on us, serving as our subway ambassador, explaining how the system works and helping pay for our tickets. We tipped him nicely. He provided a service and we were pleased. He went back to sleep and we went on our way.

We waited in a series of endless lines, not nearly as well entertained as at the Jimmy Fallon show. We met some darling Wisconsin residents in line and chatted with other temporary friends. We arrived before 7 and were finally seated a little after 8:30.

Neal Patrick Harris was today's co-host, a personal friend of Kelly. I think that's what I like about her most. They were fun together and he made the hour zip by. The set was attractive, the lighting was good but the sound for those of us in the live audience left something to be desired. There was a huge boom between us and the host desk so most of my photos are off the television screens, with a few exceptions.

Most disappointing was the fact that Colin Firth was billed as one of today's guests, but they pre-taped the interview so all we saw was video footage of him. I guess he was live on Good Morning America.

Bill O'Reilly was live and the information on his new book “Killing the Rising Sun” was fascinating. Many of us will read it. Jacob Whitesides, an 18-year-old singer, performed “Lovesick”.

They actually were short audience members for the next taping (tomorrow's) and we were invited to repeat to see Alan Cummings and other guests. I love Alan but we decided to move on. Folks we ran across later
said the second show was far more entertaining and all three guests were live.

We left ABC and wandered into Central Park, taking in Strawberry Fields (dedicated to John Lennon, who was shot outside his home in The Dakota) – the “Imagine” tile circle and the nearby fields. We then walked to Tavern on the Green, which although closed for several years, has reopened in all its former glory. The day was sunny and 70 – perfect for al fresco dining. Lunch was superb, not outrageously priced and a joy to enjoy.

Pieter Orlandini (his grandmother DeDe Tackenberg and Patrick's father were siblings) joined us for much of the afternoon. He was in town interviewing for graduate school at NYU (he's a Broadway music piano major). Great fun to have him along.

We walked to The Plaza to take it in and considered a horse carriage ride but decided against it. We walked to Bloomingdale's and did some retail therapy. Pieter left us to go the TKTS booth in Times Square where he picked up half-price tickets for tonight's “American in Paris” showing.

We returned to the condo, put our feet up for an hour and were on our way again. No rest for the wicked.

For dinner, we selected Joe Allen's restaurant on 45th in the Theatre District at Holly Dierberg's recommendation. Theatre themed, yummy food and reasonably priced. Great rec, Holly! And seated just one table away was Nathan Lane, having some soup before heading to the theatre to play in “Front Page”. We like famous people sightings.

Our theatre tickets tonight were purchased as part of Broadway week's promotion. Almost all shows with excess inventory made their extra tickets available to the public in a 2-for-1 deal. “The Humans” won the 2016 Tony Award for best drama. It was quite good, even funny, with a great cast but a somewhat dysfunctional ending. Jane Houdyshell, who won the Tony as best featured actress, and Reed Birney, best featured actor, are still in the cast. Superb.

Next we drifted over to Times Square which is lit up lighter and brighter at 10:30 pm than at noon. The hundreds of characters, trying to attract attention and entertainment tips, were very amusing. Even the baby from the New Year's celebration.

Finally we finished the night at Ellen's Stardust Diner where wait staff delivers dessert and live music, often at the same time. We tried a variety of dishes, including my Whoopie Pie! And we sang along with the performers to tunes like “Dancing Queen” (Momma Mia), “He Lives in You” (Lion King) and “”Defying Gravity” (Wicked). Fun way to end a fun day.

Hamilton reference in headline: It's Quiet Uptown

After Alexander and Eliza Hamilton suffer two back-to back heartbreaks (the humiliation of Alexander's public admission of his affair with Maria Reynolds, and the death of their first born son Phillip in a duel at Weehawken, NJ), the Hamiltons move uptown to get away from all the distractions. The chorus sings “It's Quiet Uptown”, a haunting melody about going through the “unimaginable”.

Traveling with Siobhan and Debby is often unimaginable, but it's NEVER quiet. They bring laughter but it is often accompanied by evil. Check out the orange shirt below where I challenged each person to find the rudest gift in an NYC gift store. Siobhan won hands down with this dandy sweatshirt, but she located other close contenders as well.



Additional photos below
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16th September 2016

Looks like everyone is enjoying the trip. Are your Hamilton tickets authentic?
16th September 2016

Love the way your tying in all of the Hamilton references. Sounds like you're having a blast! You sure make the most of your time. Enjoy! Be safe.
16th September 2016

As I am reading this (6pm MT), I know you are swooning over the cutain about to rise. I know Hamilton will live up to expectations. Delighted for you ladies...
17th September 2016

Fun to follow you
17th September 2016

Im exhausted!! What a jam-packed trip but I wouldn't expect less. You're going to readA BILL O'REILLY book??? Your sister is wearing you down, isn't she?? Thanks for sharing your great fun and wit. Who's Blanche?
17th September 2016

Hamilton tickets were authentic and it was just incredible. More in my blog tomorrow. Blanche is one of the four Golden Girls that the homeless man called us by name!

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