Showing posts with label Hadestown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hadestown. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Kid-Free in New York City: Day 2 is When Dreams Come True!

We woke up to SNOW!!!!!!!

It was the perfect magical winter morning in New York City. I think the schoolkids even had a snow day? Happily, all the museums and other assorted tourist destinations stayed open, so after a breakfast of cold pizza, my partner and I bundled into our typical February midwestern outdoor gear and headed out into the magic.

Here in the elevator is when I finally got tipped off enough to Google our hotel and figure out that we were sleeping in a Republican stronghold:


I'm trying to visualize what a Republican women's Galentine Dinner even looks like, but to be honest I don't really know what a regular Galentine Dinner looks like, either, sooo...

Republican stronghold or not, our hotel was SO conveniently located! Just a couple of blocks walking through the snow, and here we are at the MOMA:


I'm not really an art aficionado, shame on me, so I mostly wanted to look at the famous stuff:



I was SUPER excited to see my pal Frida, though!




And words cannot describe my excitement when I saw THIS crowd:


What are they looking at, you ask? Why, none other than my old nemesis, Mr. Starry Night!

This 2,000-piece Starry Night puzzle and I have been locked in battle since early December.




It's an absolutely terrible puzzle, a miserable experience all around, ridiculously hard AND with pieces so poorly cut that they will fit in places they aren't supposed to be, and I tell it all the time that Vincent Van Gogh would be ashamed of how unpleasant it's being to me.

Fortunately, its real-life counterpart is delightful:


Also, I think the real-life Starry Night is actually smaller than my puzzle at home? Weird. 

I wish I had a 2,000-piece puzzle of THIS Van Gogh painting! I'm obsessed with it. It randomly feels like an illustration of some kind of Lovecraftian abomination--I keep seeing that curly beard as squid tentacles, and I don't know why, but I love it. 


Fortunately, my partner has a proper appreciation of art, although I absolutely saw him get chided by a docent for standing too close to one of the paintings. He says he was looking at the artist's brushstrokes, and I believe him, because unlike me he does not have intrusive thoughts that encourage him to maybe just lick the painting a little bit.


But don't worry--I didn't even lick the Mondrian, even though it's such a pretty red!


Nobody could lick the Monet, because they had a barrier up. It's so big, though, that how would you even decide where to put your tongue?


Warhol is surprisingly unlickable, even though he's literally painting food. It think it's probably because most of these soups sound disgusting. 


Pollack, on the other hand, is VERY lickable:


My self-control really won out, because not only did I not lick the art, but I also did not buy a hundred books in the gift shop. Instead, I sneakily and guiltily took photos of the ones I want so I could request them from the library when I got home. That big biography is actually already on hold for me!


After I'd seen all the stereotypical must-sees, my partner dragged me off to experience the proper modern art:


The giant stacked cubes didn't do anything for me, but fine, I DID love the giant hanging stuffed animal sculptures. My old Grumpy Bear is definitely there in that blue sphere:


After most of the day at the art museum, we'd built up sufficient good culture credit so we could, with clear consciences, then go do what is possibly the cheeziest, corniest, hokiest thing you can possibly do in New York City:


If you don't go to Ellen's Stardust Diner to eat overpriced food, drink overpriced (but healthily strong!) cocktails, and watch the waitstaff sing Broadway karaoke, then are you even a New York City tourist?!?


WE are PROPER New York City tourists!!!




The kids would have HAAAAATED it. There's a non-zero chance the college kid would have cried, because she's done that when less embarrassing things have happened in restaurants. The teenager would have never willingly left the house with me ever again. I had an absolutely astounding amount of fun.

Since we're already being corny, might as well take another swing through Times Square!


Okay, actually THIS might be the corniest thing we did in New York City, but when we were there last, every time we walked through Times Square, I swear there was an actual line out the door and around the block consisting of tourists waiting to get into the M&M store. This time, there was no line and we had a little time to kill, so in we went to wander:


And yes, I WAS tempted by the Pride merch. They might even have gotten me if they'd said that they were donating any part of their proceeds to any LGBTQIA+ organizations, because that sweater with the rainbow neckline is randomly very cute?

Saved by corporate greed!

I finally could not stand the suspense anymore, and we walked over to stand in line underneath the most glorious marquee in New York City:


I was so excited that I was about to cycle right around into a panic attack, but thankfully the line started moving and before I could freak out further, somehow I'd found myself in the third row center of the Walter Kerr Theater, holding an honest-to-god playbill and looking at the honest-to-god Hadestown set:

I sent this photo to the kids with the caption "!!!!", and got a serious of supportive exclamation points and keyboard smashes back. Daughters are the greatest gift a person could have.


Y'all, I was so excited at where I was that I did not even notice that every single other person in the audience was also in a flurry of excitement not because it was also their first time at Hadestown and they'd been waiting something like five years for this but actually because apparently LIN-MANUEL FREAKING MIRANDA was sitting two rows directly behind me? And generously doing selfies and autographs with people? And I did not even notice, and if I had noticed, I don't think I would have even cared. If it was Andre DeShields, probably... Eva Noblezada, definitely. 

Anyway, our seats were SO GOOD! We were a little too close to see the elevator set piece (come to think of it, two rows directly behind me was probably the perfect seat...), but the loss was worth it to have the hanging lights swinging over my head. I could see every expression on everyone's faces, and when the main characters knelt at center stage, I was essentially eye level with them. 

I've been a fan of musical theatre since I was 13 or 14 ("Phantom of the Opera" was my gateway original cast recording, and then I found "Hair," and then there was the year that I listened to "Evita" on loop...), but this was my first actual live Broadway show. I've watched so many pirated recordings of Hadestown on YouTube that I was actually surprised at how different, better, and more powerful it was to see it live. I mean, I obviously knew that it was going to be better and more special, but I figured I'd seen it multiple times on screen already, so the better and special parts would just be the experience of being there, like seeing my favorite band playing live after having only listened to their music on Spotify for years. But it was SO different, and SO much more special. Live theatre is this Whole Other Thing that is built between you and the actors and musicians brand-new every single time, this whole other ephemeral thing that you experience just the once, every single time. I'm a little glad that I don't live close to New York City and so can't dilute my memory by watching Hadestown every week, like I would absolutely want to. Even if I didn't get tired of it and instead became the Hadestown version of a Disney Adult, it surely wouldn't stay as magical in my memory as it is now. 

Best. Christmas present. EVER.

After the show, I still completely failed to notice the apparently revived Lin-Manuel Miranda fervor as everyone else but me who hadn't already seen him suddenly saw him, and instead my partner and I busted out of the theater (well, I did take a small detour, because a few minutes later my partner looked at me and was all, "Where did you get that Hadestown souvenir cup?!?" I said, "Someone just left it on the aisle floor so I picked it up!" I drank wine out of it last night while watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and it made me very happy), took a hard right just like the YouTube videos I'd watched told me to, and ended up here, hanging out in front of the stage door:



Here's where I FINALLY heard all the Lin-Manuel Miranda scuttlebutt, as everyone else was gossiping about it and showing each other their cellphone selfies. I've never met a celebrity out in the wild--do they mind having people come up to them and ask for photos and autographs when they're someplace like the theater? Like, I know they get paid an absolute ton of money, but they're not being paid right then, so is it rude to make them work when they're not getting paid, or do we just count all the ton of money that they ARE being paid as part of their compensation for having to take photos with tourists on their downtime? I have no idea, but I AM 99% certain that if Lin-Manuel Miranda had happened to have been seated next to me, he would never have experienced someone awkwardly ignoring him as hard as I would have, on account of I have no capacity for interacting with any strange human, much less a famous one. Just... shudder. 

Anyway, here's me not giving a flip that I didn't see Lin-Manuel Miranda with my own eyes!


So, my first stage door experience wasn't a bust, because the vibe was very good, I got all the Lin-Manuel Miranda hot goss that I'd been oblivious to while it was happening, and Sojourner Brown graciously came out and signed my playbill and gazed upon me with all her talent and beauty:


None of the other actors came out, though, because while we were all standing outside, freezing and gossiping about Lin-Manuel Miranda, the man himself was inside, comfy and warm and schmoozing up all of our actors!


Ah, well. Back to the Republican stronghold, then, for shawarma-- 


--and bed. 

Tomorrow, I meet Winnie-the-Pooh! Shall I ask for his autograph and a selfie?

P.S. Want to follow along with my craft projects, books I'm reading, road trips to weird old cemeteries, looming mid-life crisis, and other various adventures on the daily? Find me on my Craft Knife Facebook page!

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Monday, February 5, 2024

To Do in New York City: The Trip Without Teenagers


Because after all, I DID tell Patience and Fortitude that I would come back to see them again!

Later this winter, my partner and I are taking our second whirlwind trip to New York City, this time without the teenagers. We're going to see if we can take another run at my all-time favorite Broadway musical that I've never seen live, the musical that we traveled all the way to New York City once already to see but it was cancelled because of COVID so I still haven't seen it: HADESTOWN!

Could I possibly be more excited than I am right now? Nope!

One excited fact of the many that I could spout: Ani DiFranco, who sang the role of Persephone in the 2010 Hadestown concept album, is joining the cast to reprise that role! I'm going to try to figure out how to stage door afterwards to get her autograph (and yes, I have literally looked up YouTube videos of the Hadestown stage door so I can learn the social script...).

Other than Hadestown, Matt and I will have approximately 2.5 days in New York City to sightsee. I cannot even triage what I want to try to fit into 2.5 days--my Google Map of stuff that I want to do in New York City has 80+ pins!

Here, though, are some of my current favorite ideas, mostly in case I get there, freak out with excitement, and can't remember what I wanted to do most:

Museum of Illusions

As the museum on my list that my partner is most excited about, we're definitely going here! He's a graphic designer, and graphic designers apparently get VERY worked up about visual illusions...

I actually feel a little guilty that we're going here without the teenagers, because they would LOVE it, but in this Year of Our Lord 2024 I'm trying to convince myself that I cannot not do something just so I can save it to do with people who do not, or shortly will not, even live with me full-time. SOB!

Chelsea Market



Because if you don't go to a food hall, have you even been to the city? This has apparently been my rallying cry of the past year, since I've somehow managed to find an indoor market in every city I've visited since the day we dropped my kid off at college and decided to check out North Market on our way to watch to the Blue Jackets play.

Chelsea Market is a very short walk from the Museum of Illusions, so we'll head there afterwards for lunch and window-shopping.

The High Line


Will it be too cold to walk the High Line after Chelsea Market? Maybe! It definitely felt too cold last time we were in New York City, also in the winter, so we didn't do it. 

New York Rangers Game



Guess who's going to be screaming her head off from the nosebleed seats in Madison Square Garden?!?

I am almost as excited about this as I am about Hadestown!

Big Gay Ice Cream



I think there's supposed to be a location of this local ice cream chain actually in Madison Square Garden, because what more thematically-appropriate food for an ice hockey game than ice cream?

Museum of Modern Art



Unless the second day that we're in NYC is insanely beautiful and we decide to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge instead, I think we're going to hang out in the MOMA. Y'all know how I feel about Vincent Van Gogh so I really want to see "Starry Night," and I'm also excited to see their Dali and Wyeth works.

Ellen's Stardust Diner



The kids are going to be thrilled that they weren't invited when I tell them about this place, because I can tell you right now that Ellen's Stardust Diner is Not. Their. Vibe. Tbh, it may not turn out to be quite my vibe either, ahem, but nevertheless I really, really, really want to experience it at least once!

Hadestown



Watching this show is the whole reason for our trip and I can. Not. WAIT!!!

The Rum House



Bars intimidate me because I never feel like I can crack the social script, but my partner and I DO like to try new cocktails, and this one is very close to Walter Kerr Theatre, so it would be a nice place to unwind afterwards and talk over every second of the show.

New York Public Library



We'll have to leave for the airport halfway through our last day in New York City, but I think we'll have the perfect amount of time to FINALLY go inside the New York Public Library to meet Winnie-the-Pooh! 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

I most want to see the Temple of Dendur and the Greek statues. This isn't at the top of my list for this upcoming trip, but it will quickly move higher up my list if the weather is gross!

Ess-a-Bagel



It's one of a billion bagel shops in NYC, and one of a hundred within easy walking distance of our hotel, so maybe we won't hit this *exact* one, but we're definitely going to stuff ourselves with bagels the whole time we're there... so maybe we will!

My college kid still talks about the bagels she ate in New York City and wants us to try to mail her one? 

Intrepid Museum



They have a space shuttle!

Doughnut Plant

Doughnut Plant was almost the first thing that we did during our first trip to NYC because it's in Grand Central Station, where we were currently lost. We could not for the life of us figure out how to buy 7-Day Metrocards so we decided to take a breather and eat a doughnut.

Sufficiently sugar-fueled by my Brooklyn Blackout, I finally realized that the ticket machine I kept unsuccessfully trying to buy subway tickets for was a TRAIN-ONLY ticket machine. Finding the subway ticket machine was a whole other thing, but it wouldn't have been possible without my Brooklyn Blackout! If we end up anywhere near Grand Central Station on this trip, I'm eager to try another one.

Morgan Library

It's always fun to see how the fancy people lived, but mostly I want to see what my future library should look like.

The Greene Space

This spot is the NYC NPR venue for performances and live radio shows. I would be STOKED to attend a taping of an NPR program, especially. 

Dominique Ansel Bakery

I am already going to be well-fed with all the bagels and pizza and doughnuts I plan be continually eating... but I also want to try a cronut!

American Folk Art Museum

I'm pretty excited to see a free museum on a topic that I'm very interested in! 

The Skyscraper Museum

I'm not sure what-all is in this museum, but all they had to tell me is that it's free, lol! If we do anything else in Lower Manhattan, stopping in here would be worth it just to have 30 minutes when we're not spending money. 

Stonewall National Monument

This is another place that I ran out of time to take the teenagers on our previous trip to NYC, so I'd feel a little sad seeing it without them--but also, I really want to see it!

The Tenement Museum

I also wish I could take my teenager to this museum, which would give her such good insight into her AP US History class. 

Empire State Building

I kind of want to go just for the Percy Jackson vibes, but it's bonkers spendy and anyway, my partner is afraid of heights... We'll at least find a good viewpoint one night to check out the tower lights!

Ghostbusters Headquarters

My partner and I would both be beyond excited about this if you could do more than just look at it from the outside... but if we find ourselves in the neighborhood, we are 100% going to walk over, look at it from the outside, and take a million photos of each other pretending to be real ghostbusters!

Trinity Church

We walked right past Trinity Church on our previous trip to NYC, but it had a ton of scaffolding and assorted construction around it so we didn't go over, thinking that the cemetery (and Eliza and Alexander Hamilton's graves!!!) would be blocked. I've since learned that we probably could have seen them around the construction, dang it.

Museum of Broadway

The reviews that I keep seeing about this newer museum waver between "it's so cool" and "it's a tourist trap," so I don't really know what to think. It doesn't look like they have a ton of artifacts from most of my favorite productions, though, so I think it's probably skippable at least for this trip?

Okay, y'all: THIS is the mess I'm trying to narrow down into a 2.5-day itinerary! Please let me know if you've got awesome tips or must-do activities, or if you can recommend/warn me away from any of these spots.

Except for Ellen's Stardust Diner, that is. I already know they sing there, and I promise that I want to go anyway!

P.S. Want to follow along with my craft projects, books I'm reading, road trips to weird old cemeteries, handmade homeschool high school studies, and other various adventures on the daily? Find me on my Craft Knife Facebook page!

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