NEW YORK - DAY 5 - LAST DAY!

Boo hoo.. my last day in New York ! Today I venutured out on my own to do some clothing shopping. I wanted to go to a NY store called Lane Bryant. This store to my delight was not far from my Hotel, on 5th Ave at 34th street, Right across from the Empire State Building. After some shopping I met up with Kathy at South Central Park road and 5th Ave. Right at the Apple Store and across from the famous Park Plaza Hotel. We went on a bus and made our way over across town to 2nd street, to take a trip on a Gondola ! yuup. and Gondola in NY ! this would take us across the river to Roosevelt Island. it was very cool !

http://www.roosevelt-island.ny.us/index.htm

high up above the river the view was amazing. Once arriving at the Island we took a bus to the ( that cost 25 cents) to the most northern tip on the island.. very cool. took some pics, and then made out way back to the gondola. The Island does have inhabitants.. with a few large apparment building, and more being built. A somewhat secluded area, with one bank, one school, one grocery store and 1 hospital.
Making our way back to the Main land, Manhattan, we then had to go back to my Hotel as it was time to leave. We did pass Carnigie Hall by doing this... wow.. this was an amazing week.. I still love New York.. and Kathy was a great friend by taking so much time to show me around... ** smiles ! **

NEW YORK - DAY 4 - MUSEUM DAY

Kathy and I had breakfast together, and then worked out in the Gym.. there got that done! .. now off to see some more culture. We decided to go to the Whitney Museum. We took the Bus, uptown through Central park, but before continuing on to the museum, we made a quick pit stop at where the memorial for John Lennon was in the park. Very near to where he lived, off Central park, also known as' Strawberry Fields.

We took some pics.. of course, and continued on to the museum. The Whitney museum is a modern museum, but I did enjoy the 5th floor of the collection which included paintings by deKonning, Karl Apple and Andy Warhol. The rest of the museum was a little to ' Wacky' for me.. but Kathy liked it. After the museum, we bought , we thought would be a cheap sandwich at the local grocer on the corner, ( an $8 egg sandwich) and ate it at the park. Kathy then had to go, as she had to perform G & S - Pirates, so I continued walking up 5th Ave to 72, and found the Frick museum. I had heard all about it from Ineke, and was looking forward to seeing it. I was indeed very special. A small museum, with an outstanding collection ... all my favorites, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Rubens etc... http://www.frickmuseum.org/

after the museum, I hopped back onto the bus, to take me back downtown. I got off at 42nd street, only to discover this really great brass band performing live right outside the Subway entrance on 42nd street.. I took a youtube video of them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gUbm17cA90

they played really well.. I supported them by purchasing their CD . I started walking back down to my hotel. I made a left onto 44 street, and thought , I should find a neat place to have dinner.. and there it was ! right in front of me.. the famed ' Sardis'

http://www.sardis.com/

I had a wonderful steak dinner.. the restaurant was expensive, but well worth it.. and now I can say I ate at Sardis !

another great day in New York !

NEW YORK - DAY 3- Spring Awakening

After a good work out at the Hotel Gym, today, I ventured out to see Kathy perform a live concert in a Office lobby of a big office building right in the middle of the Wall Street area. I took the subway, the number 2 train down to Wall street, and found my way to 80 Pine street where Kathy, and a double reed ensemble were performing a lunch time concert. The lobby was a bustling with Lunch times crowds, rushing out to grab a quick lunch. As Kathy and this group of 2 oboes, 2 english horns and 2 bassoons played everything from Handel to Oh Danny Boy. Most enjoyed the nice, different setting it created. But like life in New York, most where really to busy to even notice that they were playing. Ya do what ya need to do, to play in this city !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-oBV98kaoI

After the hour lunch time concert, Kathy and I made our way to Wall street, and saw the New York Stock Exchange building. It is really heavily fortified now since 9-11... no more inside tours for tourist, just guarded by heavily armed guards, and lots of police cars, with huge metal boulder like blocks in the middle of the street.. so no cars can even get close to the building.. it's pedestrian only. A huge change from the last time I saw this building, when I visited Kathy in 2000, when the WTC was still there and intact!

We looked around for a nice place to have lunch, found this cool Middle East restaurant and had delicious Lamb Shawarma for lunch. We then went into the subway system, to make our way back to my hotel, uptown. We relaxed a bit, then slowly got ready to go to our next adventure. " Spring Awakening"... the Broadway Show, I bought tickets online a couple of weeks ago.

The Theatre was very small, not even a public lobby, we had to line up outside and wait for the Theatre doors to open, to which opened straight to the inside of the theatre.. there we saw a really neat set up.. not stage curtain, and chairs for public to also sit on the stage ! We had an aisle seat, 10 rows from the front, PERFECT!.. the Show was amazing.. !!! the most creative, artistic show I have ever seen. And the music was fantastic. The small band was also on the stage.. very different !! The story about teenagers discovering SEX!.. taking place in 1891 in Germany... (at the end of this journal, I will add the story line, straight from the Spring Awaking Web site). Kathy and I loved it ! I bought the CD..

It is coming to Toronto next year, and I recommend that everyone see it.. you will be amazed !! After the show, Kathy and I walked down to the Mariott hotel, and had a drink at the 8th floor lounge that over looks Times Square, I have been here many times in the past, and remains one of my favorite look out points. Kathy came back with me to my hotel, as my livingroom of my suite, has a pull out bed in the couch, so she decided to slept over, as so she would be able to work out with me in the morning, and enjoy some hotel comp breakfast with me as well... a great day.. once again. !! http://www.springawakening.com/home.php

Full Story Description

SPRING AWAKENING takes its inspiration from one of literature’s most controversial masterpieces – a work so daring in its depiction of teenage self-discovery, it was banned from the stage and not performed in its complete form in English for nearly 100 years.

It’s Germany, 1891. A world where the grown-ups hold all the cards. The beautiful young Wendla explores the mysteries of her body, and wonders aloud where babies come from, till Mama tells her to shut it, and put on a proper dress.

Elsewhere, the brilliant and fearless young Melchior interrupts a mind-numbing Latin drill to defend his buddy Moritz – a boy so traumatized by puberty he can’t concentrate on anything. Not that the Headmaster cares. He strikes them both and tells them to turn in their lesson.

One afternoon – in a private place in the woods – Melchior and Wendla meet by accident, and soon find within themselves a desire unlike anything they’ve ever felt.

As they fumble their way into one another’s arms, Moritz flounders and soon fails out of school. When even his one adult friend, Melchior’s mother, ignores his plea for help, he is left so distraught he can’t hear the promise of life offered by his outcast friend Ilse.

Naturally, the Headmasters waste no time in pinning the “crime” of Moritz’s suicide on Melchior and expel him. And soon Mama learns her little Wendla is pregnant. Now the young lovers must struggle against all odds to build a world together for their child.

NEW YORK - DAY 2, MARCH 11, 2008

My exciting experiences continue in the Big Apple. Today 3 big things happened ! first my room !... there was an issue about the fact that my hotel room did not have an internet connection, even though I paid extra for it. So after many calls to the front desk and Management, I was finally told they can't fix it, and are willing to exchange my room for another. So after a big sigh, of inconvenience havening to pack up my whole room, repacking my suitcase, I made my way back down to the front desk of the hotel, and marched right up to the Manager. I told the manager that I was not pleased. I had paid a lot of money for the extras in my room, and so far have been sadly disappointed in the hotel service so far.

The manager, a very nice, charming man, apologized profusely and then announced that they were upgrading me from a single room to the corner suite... ' smile'... I was very happy with that.. so up I went with new key card in hand, by this time Kathy had arrived from her place, so the two of us went up... ' what to my wondrous eyes to appear?... a 2 room suite did I receive, oh my dear!'... wow.. a living room with couch, tv , fridge, and then a separate bedroom with large bathroom... yah !! jackpot!... Now this is what I call 'liv'in in New York!'... so after settling into my new room.. Kathy and I venured out.. first on the list of things to do was to walk down 2 blocks to the corner of 46 and Broadway, to jump up and down and stick out our tongues at the ' Fridays' live Times Square Webcam.. ! there many friends and family saw us live on the internet... amazing.. so cool...
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/index.php?cam=fridays

After that we jumped into a cab and went uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After a quick NY hotdog, we made a bee line to the 16th- 18th century European Art section, got my MAJOR fix of Rembrant, Van Dijk, Frans Hals and Rubens. From there we went to the 19th & 20th century European Art section, and there I too then got a Major, MAJOR !!! that litterly brought me to TEARS, room after room of Van Gogh, Cezzanne, Monet, Pissarro, Gougain, Piccaso and Tolouse Latrek. Wow... very emotion day so far for me ! what a place.. NY'ers are so.. soooo lucky to have this collection at there fingertips to enjoy anytime they like.. and for pennies too.. as the entrance fee to the museum is ' pay what you can' .. as Kathy and I paid $3 entrance fee... sigh!...
http://www.metmuseum.org/

After this we hopped into a cab once again, and made our way over the ' West side' of New York, there we walked around, and then stopped and had a nice lunch/dinner at a local Diner/Deli. After lunch, we got on to a NY bus, and made our way back downtown , direction Hotel. Kathy jumped off the bus, at her more convenient stop, as she had a rehearsal to go to, she was playing ' Pirates'... operette stuff..

I continued on with the bus.. then out the window I saw.. hey.. The Letterman Show !.. I jumped off the bus, walked up to the Ed Sullivan Theatre, and saw this line in front.. so I just joined in on the line. A Letterman Show person walked up to me, and said do you have a ticket?.. I said , why of course I do... so I looked in my wallet, and through all my coat pockets.. teared up a bit, and said.. geez.. I lost it.. that's so terrible ! oh my , I came all the way from Toronto !... the Letterman person said, wait here, and if all these people get in, and there's still an empty seat we'll get you in ! ( jackpot!) .. so to make a long story short.. yuup... I got in ! coool.... I'm I'm seeing Dave Letterman LIVE
!! and the guests to my joy for today's show, where Martha Stewart and Snoopp Dog ! ... So the taping started at 4:30pm exactly... and the whole show.. after many laughs, ( mostly about the NY Governor Splitzer) and some great LIVE music from Snoop Dogg, the show was exactly 1 hour. He really tapes the whole thing, doesn't do ANY ' Do over's' ... alot of the show really is improv!

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/

Dave is a genius ! ... after the show.. we were filled out of the building.. entering the famous side street.. and there is also where the Letterman Band exit's asl well as Snoop Dogg and band.. to which I got some pics.. as my camera battery just died, could have gotten more.. but that was it... WOW... so off to the CBS store at the corner for some gifts' for family.. and then I walked the rest of the way down Broadway to my hotel, which was about 10 blocks.. not to bad... so back to my hotel, ( my nice new ' Suite' ) to charge my camera battery, and to relax a bit.. it was now about 7:30pm..

At about 10:00pm I ventured out again, just to see Times Square at night... spectacular as usual!... did some more shopping.. and of course my jaw was dropping at the overwhelming sights and sounds of all that happens in this amazing world city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5zL_v3TyU

So now it's the next day.. Wednesday.. Here I sit, in the hotel Club breakfast room writing this.. just spoke to Kathy on the phone.. told her the whole story about Letterman , as she didn't know about this yet... a gentle- man leans over to me, that's sitting behind the computer screen beside me.. and says... and you can also add to your blog.. as I'm sorry I just overheard your conversation about Letterman.. " that you can write, that you are sitting beside the ' Famous... Comedy Legend - Gallagher ! ' ... I 'm the guy that does the Smashing Watermelons from the top of the Ed Sullivan Theatre !!! http://www.gallaghersmash.com/
ha.. ha.. ha...as I laugh !! wow.. this town just doesn't stop with the daily surprises !!
I love New York !

NEW YORK DAY 1- GOING TO THE OPERA!

New York City is such an exciting place!... so much to see and do and experience ! After arriving at my hotel, which to my delight is only 1 block from Times Square! talk about being right in the middle of the world ! Kathy came and met me at the hotel, we chatted a bit in the Hotel club room, and then went off to the Hotel Gym to work out. After our work out, we changed and decided to make a go of trying to get ticket to the Met.

We hopped into a cab, and drove up to the Met. We walked straight to the Box office at the Met, and I jokingly said to the Box office empoyee, " I"m sure you have 2 tickets for me!"... ( thinking of course he doesn't, its Opening night of Tristan with Ben Heppner and Deborah Voigt and according the the Met website, the tickets have been sold out for months now!! ) and the guy at the Box office said, sure.. what price ticket would you like?... stunned.. I looked at Kathy, and I said... the $80 tickets please.. and there we had them! 2 tickets to see Tristan and Isolde at the Met!!! ya hoo... amazing ! so exciting... so off to the opera we went ( in our jeans !!! ) what a first day in New York... Kathy knows the new English Horn player in the Met orchestra, and after the performance, we said hi to him.. he played beautifully... the Met Orchestra, is one the finest Opera Orchestra's I have ever heard in my entire life ! and all conducted by James Levine

If this was day one.. I can hardly wait till what New York brings to me tomorrow !

MY NEW YORK DIARY

I will be posting my daily experiances and adventures in New York, here on my blog starting tomorrow, March 10th, 2008








(* photocredit - Trey Ratcliff)