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| New York Journal Thursday May 22nd
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We arrived in the city and gathered our bags to head for the hostel. We couldn't check in until after 2pm but we could store the bags at the hostel free of charge.
It was a total change up in the city because Nicki could find her way around and I was lost. I was walking in circles unable to get my bearings. We decided this was because I couldn't see the sun or any landmarks and she could look at subway maps and see paths to remember or translate.
We took a cab and dropped the bags off at the Central Park Hostel http://www.centralparkhostel.com/ and went to walk in Central Park, of course. See pics at my picasa site. The cab ride from port authority to Northwest corner of Central Park was about $12.00 and 14.00 with tip. The cabs in NYC have credit card machines in the back seat and TVs with local news, Zagat's (the list of best and worst local food), and a little map that shows you where you are as you travel. This is important because the cab drivers don't neccesarily know where you are going; New York is a big city. On that first trip we didn't really know where the hostel was on the street and we had the cabbie let us out at the bottom of the hill where 103rd meets Central Park. This resulted in us having to lug our two huge suitcases, bag of crap we didn't need and both our purses up the block. Once we were there we trudged up inordinately huge steps to the front lobby of the hostel. We had to wait a while for luggage storage but HBO was on in the lobby and there were comfortable chairs.
We walked back down the block to the park and took a stroll from the entrance at 103rd to somwhere around 116th where we exited and walked back on the street outside the park.
Inside the park was like being at home. Green grass, trees, ponds but the pond water is clear not muddy. You can see right through it to the bottom of the bed. Waterfall and everything smelling clean and fresh. There was a class of kids with minnow nets running wild in the field and along a path by the water. We sat on a bench for a moment and they passed by all arms and legs and sweaters in the wind. Two stragglers pulled plants from the ground and pressed them in a book and ran to catch up with the group.
A lady sat beside the water on a bench made of tree branches and talked on the phone. It was not at all like being in the city. It was like being right here at home until I turned the corner on the path and looked back at Nicki. Rising above her was the city. It was amazing.
The people in the park looked familiar, nothing out of the ordinary. But when we passed them along the path they were speaking every language I could imagine and more.
We wandered back to the hostel in time to check in and carried our stuff up the three floors to our room. We had a key to a women's restroom on our floor with two showers and one toilet stall. Everything was clean and we fell into bed for a nap before rushing RENT.
After a slight setback when Nicki found she couldn't lock her lappy up we headed out for the Nederlander. We were standing at the subway entrance a block from the hostel getting our bearings and deciding what pass to buy when a couple approached us and asked if we spoke English in non-American English. We said yes and they offered us their subway pass cards good through Saturday. We accepted and thanked them profusely. Our first three days of riding would be free!
We met countless other kind people on our trip and New York proved to be a totally different experience than I had ever had before. I visited in November of 1989 and the summer of 1991 and found a totally different city this time around. I had underestimated the importance of the Trade Center Buildings. The entire city was diminished as I came into town. The skyline seemed common and a certain magic was missing from the view. I would have never guessed that two buildings above the rest could make such a huge difference.
In the past this city felt cold and unwelcoming but this time it was friendly, the people were helpful and we witnessed an unending stream of acts of kindness.
It felt amazing and we blossomed and lived and felt and all the corny things used to desribe feeling alive. ;)
We got on the subway and navigated to the port authority where we had gotten off the bus. Unfortunately we had failed to write the address of the Nederlander down and neither of us remembered which street it was. We wandered and stared at the city lights and people until we saw a cute girl ushering her parents through the fray. I approached and asked her if she knew where the Nederlander was and she said that she thought it was down this way and she had lived near there once. We took her directions and she although walking in front of us came back and directed us all the way to the theatre constantly checking on us and updating her directions as we got closer.
We got to the theatre with time to spare and chatted with some people out front about a line for the lottery. A older man was trying to sell newspapers and claimed to have seen RENT 59 times. At 5:30 the staff came to a table and we wrote our name on 3x5 cards and went for a slice.
We found a walk in pizza place around the corner and had a warmed slice and two cans of soda. Feeling much revived we returned to the theatre for the lottery drawing.
I'm not sure how but the next thing I knew Nicki had made friends with Greg a tall attractive man from Boston. We were organizing how we would all get tickets into the show. Greg had his partner with him Donald but he had a party to attend and wouldn't be at the show.
Nicki's name was called third so we had tickets front row center for my second show in a row. (once in Ames Iowa and now here.) Donald's name was called two names later, and mine a few after that. I said that I had tickets and they could call another name which drew cheers from the people who didn't have tickets yet. They draw 34 tickets worth of names and that's it.
We were elated! It was easy peasy and we were in! Donald had to get to his party and Greg asked us to come out for drinks with him. He was very familiar with NYC and was telling stories as we followed him 5-7 blocks back to the Marriot Times Square where he and Donald were staying.
The hotel was a full city block and I have never seen anything like it. There were different restaurants etc on the different levels. The elevators were in a circle and they were also all circle shaped glass tubes. When you entered the elevator area you went to a keypad and entered the room number or area you wanted to go to. The keypad then assigned you an elevator to go and wait by. This would take you to your floor. We went up to the lounge on the 3-4th floor and had drinks and appetizers. Greg paid for everything but Nicki said that the drinks were $15 bucks apiece and the appetizers more.
Greg had to go to his room for a jacket so we followed him up and checked out his $500.00 a night Times Square view from the 31st floor. It was amazing. See picasa for picture.
We walked back to the Nederlander via the Red Lobster bar where Greg bought another round of drinks for him and Nicki. It was nice and there was a giant red lobster out front so it made a good landmark. ;)
When we got back to the theatre there was a line around the block so we got in the Q something we would do countless times over the rest of our trip.
The show was amazing and if we'd been any closer we would have been on the stage. After the show we went outside to wait for autographs.
We got Mark and Roger who was adorable. We got Mimi as she came out of the hotel next door and Maureen while she was still inside the theatre. which was a good thing becuase the girls of RENT do NOT like to sign autographs. Maureen actually ran away from the theatre and glanced back to make sure she wasn't being followed. I got my picture with a backup player and then when we went on Sunday he was playing Mark. After we decided that Angel was not coming out we went back to Red lobster to look for Greg. We had expected him by the stage door since he was the one who told us to be there but he was no where to be found after the show.
Donald and Greg were at the Red Lobster bar but it was closing. We told them thank you and wished them well before heading out to find something to eat. We ended up at the Hard Rock because almost everything else was closed. They had Jim Morrison's leather pants and a handwritten poem. Nicki liked the Beatle's suits and airline bags from their first arrival in America. We had our pictures with our favorite stuff and got a table near the bar. It was crowded and loud and there was a music video on screens all over the room. The band was shiny new toy and the waiter slid into the empty seat across from me and told us that a great solo was coming and to listen. We waited and he whispered here it comes. There was a female solo and it pretty much kicked ass. We nodded in approval and he asked us what we wanted. The whole Hard Rock Experience was great. The service and food was all good. I went to use the restroom and check out the paraphenelia in the hallways. When I returned our waiter and Nick were both sitting bent over pieces of paper at our table silently scribbling. I sat down un-noticed. Soon the waiter finished a drawing, signed it and slid it to Nicki. He got up saying there you go and dashed off toward the kitchen.
We watched videos and ate our dinners then gathered our things, snapped a few more pictures and headed back out into Times Square.
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Posted by jenja71 on 2008-05-29 00:23:51 | Rating: | Views: 28
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awesome blog babe! i feel bad for this community that they wont get to read your blogs for long. we have to find somewhere that ppl can read the blogs w/o having to sign in :)
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Posted by sapphicnickel
on 2008-05-29 00:36:50
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jenja71
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