Our Arrival

After all of the planning, we are here in the City. It was very hectic going down to the wire, but I think we got everything done before we left. I made one big mistake after I sent out the Travelogue email. I tried to list in my personal travel journal all of the places we could pick from to go, the recommended restaurants and the Broadway shows to see. After about an hour, I quickly closed all of the travel materials that Lauren had sent us and my personal travel journal because frankly it was overwhelming. New York City is just a big place and there is way too much to pick from to even start a list. But at least we had a starting point and it did get the excitement flowing. Friday was a day to get about 90% of the clothes into suit cases. Saturday was the time to finish all the last minute chores and zip up the suit cases. We were ready to go.

Sunday morning and the day to go to New York was upon us. We awoke very early for our 7:00 flight, which was in the air by 7:07. The planned 5 hour flight was in the air less than 4 hours, if you can believe that and we were actually sitting in our livery vehicle on the way to Manhattan even before our expected landing time. We arrived at our new apartment and shortly thereafter, Lauren arrived with the key.

We were so looking forward to seeing her as well as the product of her work as she selected the apartment and arranged the rental for us. Well, we were not disappointed in either case. Lauren looks great. Clearly she is now a New Yorker. She knows the city, the vibe and is very comfortable here. We went up to the apartment on the 9th floor and Felice and I both were blown away. First of all, it is bigger than our first house in Los Angeles. Second, it is bright and cheery, well appointed and couldn't be better situated. Besides a large bedroom and closet, the living room is big and the dining room seats 6. The kitchen is good size and we have a terrace from which you can see Central Park. Better yet, there is a subway stop within steps of the apartment. So from the time we leave our apartment, go down in the elevator and walk to the subway, it is less than 5 minutes.

The three of us caught up on Sunday night, went out to scout the neighborhood for a grocery store to buy some basic food and then went out to Italian food for dinner. We walked Lauren to a subway stop and we walked back to the apartment, all the while learning our new surroundings. Monday brought a walk in Central Park, which is just beyond the subway stop, and then more exploring. We found at least 5 grocery stores within 2 or 3 blocks of the apartment. It was at this point Felice said that she was comfortable. Lauren came by on Monday and we went to a vegan restaurant, also within a short distance.  We walked Lauren back to a subway station and then we walked to the apartment. We walked about 4 miles that day.

Tuesday was our first foray into public transportation. We figured out the bus system all by ourselves, with a little help from the online schedules and took a bus across Central Park to 5th Avenue, where we walked to the Guggenheim Museum. Besides the regular exhibit which was filled with Picasso's, Van Gogh's, Kandinsky's, etc. there was a metal exhibit of John Chamberlain that was very unique. From there it was walking to a different bus, taking it across the Park and then taking a subway to the apartment. After a quick lunch and some work for both of us, we took a subway to the Theater district where we went to pick up our tickets for The Book of Mormon.(Even though we took 2 buses and 3 subways, we still walked over 5 miles.) Then a meal at Vinyl, a fun, rock themed restaurant and on to the theater.

The Book of Mormon won 9 Tony's last year and has more hype than any show that I can remember other than The Producers and Wicked. While our expectations were high, it was hard to believe that it would live up to the hype. I can only tell you that when we got into the theater, the excitement was palpable. Our seats were great and the show, in a word, "excellent." The songs were fun and the acting expressive. Having not been one that watched South Park, I had no idea what to expect, but suffice it to say that the writers' general reputation of being willing to tackle any issue with humor, and crude humor at that, was lived up to. It was very funny and yes, worthy of all of the hype. The opportunity to see a hot musical early in its run is very exciting and memorable. I am not sure that any other show that we might see while here in New York will live up to what we saw in The Book of Mormon, but it will be exciting to see the multiple shows that Lauren's company produces because we know of all of the love and hard work that she and her fellow employees have put into the shows.

Even though we have been in New York a little more than 2 days, it seems like we have seen and done a lot. But then again, I look at that list and realize that there is so much more to come.