Back from NYC

As I posted in the "Going away..." thread, I've been in NYC for the past five days.  Got in last night, have some unpacking to do.  Just wanted to post a quick confirmation on the Fantasy Baseball.  Trip report to follow, not that it's terribly interesting.  There is, however, a small Star Wars connection.

Warbler said:

no one bests the Phanatic!  NO ONE!

Trip report.

As most of you know, I lived in NYC during the 80s.    I don't miss living there, not in the least, but it's always nice to visit for a few days and take in some Broadway, opera, baseball, & museums.  It's a strange deal to go back.  New York is a a true one-of-a-kind experience and it always feels weird to walk in the footsteps of my former life.  It's simultaneously foreign & familiar. In an instant it can feel like I never left. This trip was a great one. 

With our connection to the Met, we were able to sit in a private box for two operas.  The first night was Lucia di Lammermoor.  Thanks to the incredible performance of Natalie Dessay and the always no-holds-barred production by The Met, it was the best Lucia I've ever seen, by far.  The connection, by the way, is really my wife's.  She used to work for Houston Grand Opera and still helps them out when they need it.  Because of that, we get some nice perks when we travel. The second night was Iphigénie en Tauride. That's one I can take or leave - emphasis on leave.  The set was fantastic, the singing equally so thanks to Plácido Domingo and Susan Graham, but the story doesn't interest me (Greek gods, Trojan war).

We also went to two Broadway shows.  The Star Wars connection I mentioned was Driving Miss Daisy, with James Earl Jones. We had front row balcony seats and it was quite a thrill to sit within 50 feet of one of the giants of the entertainment world.  He makes the show. He is the show. The role of Miss Daisy was supposed to be Vanessa Redgrave.  I'm not a fan, so when they announced she was ill and her standby would be performing that night, I wasn't disappointed the way many people were.  Quite the opposite as it turned out.  The standby was Maureen Anderman and she was incredible. Her and Mr. Jones backed off the film by a mile.  To me, they're the characters now.

The second show was The Addams Family. I'm a big Nathan Lane fan, but for me, the highlight was getting to see Bebe Neuwirth. I've really dug her from the first time I saw her on Cheers (Lilith). She was equally fantastic when she reprized the role on Frasier.  That voice and her physical beauty - man, what a combination.  She didn't disappoint. It rained all day and night, so to come out of the theater after seeing a dark comedy and step into a rainy Manhattan evening was just icing on the cake.  Manhattan is at its finest on a rainy evening.

Anyway, that's it.  Two operas, two shows, a trip to the Guggenheim to see some Cubism, going to local dives for meals, and lots of walking around in the rain.  It was great to be there, but it's better to be back home.

My next trip is three days at Spring Training.  More on that later. Right now I need to get caught up around here.

Warbler said:

what is that light that looks like its going straight up the building on the right of center?

It's exactly that.  It moves up the side of the building every minute or so.  It's the Westin Times Square.

That's it.

When you guys get ready to plan a trip, drop me a line and I'll answer any questions the best I can.  Have you ever been?

The Addams Family was especially nice because it was the last performance for some of the cast members.  Those are always special shows, particularly if they're comedies because the cast will inevitably work in a mention (in character) and really kick up the performance.  Nathan Lane clearly ad-libbed a few lines to break up the cast and the change of actors was mentioned off-handed in one of the scenes.

After the final curtain, the cast came out with the crew, writers, & director and they spent about 30 minutes saying their goodbyes.  Those are emotional moments for the cast and certainly a very rare experience for the audience. We had no idea that would be the case.  We purchased our tickets a few months ago and only knew because Nathan Lane mentioned it on Conan a couple of weeks ago.