i love new york in june...

So I was in New York a few weeks ago - the first time I've been back since that ill-fated trip I took a few years ago in November (okay, I guess the trip itself was fine. It's what happened after the trip that was ill-fated. I don't hold New York responsible for that flaming psychotic bitch I used to work for, even though I worried obsessively the entire time that something bad was going to happen, and I was right, as it happens. What a time for me to be right, huh?).

Well, quite.  I sometimes think that I've de-bittered from that experience just a little bit, but I guess not.  Anyway - THIS trip to New York was wonderful. Here's a little summary (pictures to come!)

Day 1 - I arrive! Awesomeness ensues! And then - a show!
woke up disgustingly early to get a 7:00 am flight. You know the worst part? I am not able to have coffee due to some gastric problems I have. My doctor said "you could try decaf" but WHY WOULD I DO THAT? I'm drinking it for the caffeine, silly man! Arrrgh. So I had breakfast and some orange juice and spent the flight reading celebrity magazines and also the SKY MALL catalogue. Some of that stuff is SO ridiculous, I swear.

Anyway. Land, get bag without any problems. Cab it to the UWS, only slightly thrown by the car with the Illinois plate that was ahead of us on the road. I was like, but wait!?! Didn't I leave? Was all this just a dream?  Got to the hotel (it's a sweet little gem and I'm not telling you the name of it, because I am keeping it all to myself!) on broadway and 70-somethingeth, dumped the bag, did a brief but complete bed(bug) check, and hit the town for some lunch and, naturally, some caffeine.

Stopped at the Shake Shack. Had a plain hot dog, fries, and an extremely large coke. Took a walk - did I mention the weather was gorgeous?  In the 70s and low 80s the whole time. Stunning, it was. Then I did some shopping. You know, like you do. Ended up in Times Square and I swear, it was like Navy Pier times a million zillion. People everywhere, most of them tourists, the Naked Cowboy, assorted people dressed up as assorted Disney characters... I was bored, so I went and high-fived Grover. You know, like you do.  Went back to the hotel, showered, changed and headed out to dinner. Did that great thing you can do in New York, just wandered the street until I came upon a suitable looking restaurant. Had a salmon burger. I didn't even know they could make salmon into a burger. Delicious.

Headed out to Show #1 (but of course!) - Anything Goes.  I know, I know. It's been around for a while (but closing this weekend - glad I had the chance to see it!) and the delightful an extremely talented Sutton Foster is no longer in the show. But I wanted to see it. Nothing else was really calling to me when I was making my plans, and I booked this one first. Well, okay, second. I'll give you a guess as to what I booked first.

And it was a wonderful show. Stephanie J. Block was good as Reno Sweeney (I'll give you a guess as to who I wished I was seeing... but I would have needed a time machine for that) and Joel Grey was hilarious. Also in the cast was Robert Petkoff who had recently graced the stage at CST as Buddy in the exceptional production of Follies. (I have such wonderful happy memories of that show and being in the same building as that great cast, I was happy to be able to cheer him on in a really awesome comic performance). The whole cast danced their collective faces off, it was so much fun to watch. I had never actually listened to the whole cast album, or known anything about the plot, which if you think too hard about it... well, never mind. It doesn't matter, because it just makes you feel good. It was delightful. It was delicious. It was delovely.