Of course, our 7:05 a.m. flight out of Louisville was freakin' CANCELLED due to weather (apparently if there's weather in Abu Dhabi it affects flight patterns in the US, plus we've had clear skies for weeks in The Ville). So we were put on the "next available flight" which, of course, left at noon AND had a stupid layover in Charlotte. So we went ahead and checked our luggage and then our photographer and Bill & I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast (mmmm....country breakfast). We then went back and sat there for three hours (lame, but we DID see a bunch of male strippers exiting our plane before we boarded. Which MIGHT explain the smell of baby oil, pleather and hair gel) and we finally boarded. We left, and sat on the runway in Louisville for about 20 minutes. Had to RUN RUN RUN RUN (*stops to take asthma inhaler*) from the E concourse to the D concourse in Charlotte and managed to run onto the plane as it was boarded.
Then we sat at the gate for an hour and a half. I kid you not. Effing AIR TRAFFIC. We were supposed to get to LaGuardia at 9:15 a.m. Instead, we got there at 5 p.m. I missed my 1 p.m. interview, so we went right to the meeting, luggage at all.
Finally, we got to the hotel at about 8:30 p.m. We stayed at the Hotel on Rivington: (www.hotelonrivington.com). It was AWESOME. We had a corner room, floor to ceiling windows. AND, the shower is glass. I mean, ALL GLASS. I showered in the dark. It was so freaky.
Our room. You can see our photographer, Rick, on the balcony. His room had a FIVE FOOT bath tub.
The view from our bed. I thought Bill might cry.
We had to go to Brooklyn for another interview on Thursday, then just shopped in SoHo until it was time to go see WICKED. We ate at the Hakata Grill in Midtown (sushi, sashimi and sake!! YUMMMM!!) for dinner before the show, and I met my cousin, Michelle, and her boyfriend, Riker, there. For reference, Bill & I EACH ordered the $32 theater menu (I don't know what we were thinking either. Shut up.) and it included EACH: miso soup, choice of ahi tuna poke or citrus soy salmon tartar, choice of Shrimp Shui Mai or Pork Gyoza, choice of an entree (I got the sashimi and Bill had the sushi -- all together it was 29 pieces of fish/sushi!!!) and green tea ice cream each. Perfect! Michelle and Riker took home about half of it -- it was simply too much goodness.
Wicked was AMAZING. We were in row E seats 103-104 which were center orchestra. I loved it (but not as much as RENT [an aside here: if I were one of those Make-A-Wish kids, my "wish" would be to perform in a musical. Hell, I'd be happy in the chorus]) and Bill thought it was the best of the ones he's seen.
Friday, we ate breakfast at the Clinton Street Baking Co. (www.clintonstreetbaking.com). and went to Times Square so I could go to Steve & Barry's to snag some of Sarah Jessica Parker's new Bitten line. Then we walked down to Bryant Park because there was a bakery nearby I saw Jennifer Garner or some other star come out of in a magazine once.
Cupcakes I brought home for my parents and BooBerry from CRUMBS.
Bryant Park. WTF do these people DO all day?
I love the city, but here are some points I noticed on THIS particular trip:
* The people here are INFINITELY COOL at all times of the day. Walking their dogs in the AM. Partying with friends until 2 a.m. Who knew a fuschia skirt and a kelly green shirt with red Converse Chucks and a black pageboy cap could look so FREAKING good together? Coolness oozes from every crack on the sidewalk. It permeates the air. I hate them and love them at the same time. I envy their ease from afar.
* Even the KIDS are cool. I saw this kid walking down the street with his mother and he had on a blue and pink striped polo shirt with the collar turned up, light blue cord shorts perfectly frayed at the ends and a 'fro of curly hair, and even HE was cooler than I am. And he was THREE.
* No one cooks. Everyone eats out. But no one is FAT. How's THAT possible? Perhaps because they walk everywhere? Or there's so much pressure to be thin and beautiful and aloof and cool?
* I hate Times Square. It's too freaking crowded. There's nowhere to move. You can't breathe. The heaviness of the people and the buildings presses down on you until you want to scream. Or maybe I'm just jaded after multiple trips to the city.
* Sake is good. Very good. Yum. Sake.
* I saw only ONE PAIR OF CROCS the entire time we were in the city. One pair. And that guy was obviously from Kansas or somewhere. I'm glad I opted NOT to wear any of the eight pair I own even though my dogs were killing me.
I'm sure I'll post more Nowhere thoughts on our trip. For now, I'm just too damned tired.
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