My NYC Trip
Okay...so, as promised, I am going to write a little entry about my trip to NYC. I would have done it sooner, but I am sick as a dog...thanks to the fact that I have the flu.
Now, where to start ?
Our flight there was good...I was a little nervous, because the last time I flew, the change in altitudes screwed with my sinuses and I had a severe cold for, like, a week after I came back. Take off was fine, but landing was a different story. My ears started hurting severely...I mean, I'd never been in that much pain in my life...it was really bad. But after we landed it got better, probably thanks to the advil my mom gave me and the sinus medication.
We got to our hotel around midnight-ish. The drive from LaGuardia to it was pretty interesting. We passed the New York Public Library, Times Square, and other cool places. The hotel was called the Milford Plaza, and it wasn't too bad for the price we paid (hotels in NYC around Christmas are expensivo...especially the ones located near Times Square). At first I didn't like it because it was kinda dirty and too small...but I adjusted once I realized how amazing the location was. We were located off of 8th Avenue between 45th and 44th streets. And the Majestic Theater, the Broadhurst Theater (where I saw Phantom and Les Miserables) were literally right around the corner from the hotel. Awesomeness.
So our first day there I was running on 4 hours of sleep. Yay. We took the Subway to Little Italy (because I insisted I wanted a real Italian experience) and ate at a place called La Casa Bella. I had the Chicken Marsala (my favorite Italian dish) and it was amazing. We met up with my uncle and his family and with Ted and Aurora, some old friends of my Dad's parents. We had a good time eating together, but I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, because my Mom promised me I could see a show that night if I could get tickets to one.
So we headed back uptown and went straight to the Lunt-Fontanne and Richard Rodgers Theaters, where Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan were playing, because I couldn't decide between the two which one I wanted to see more. We were going for Tarzan until the guy who sold the tickets (who was really rude to me and my mother...what a freaking jerk) conveniently forgot to tell us the entire policy on student rush tickets. What an idiot. So we went over the Lunt-Fontanne and got Beauty and the Beast tickets, and that was that.
So that night we caught the 6:30 performance of Beauty and the Beast (my sister and I) for $40 a piece. It was a pretty good deal, I thought, considering our seats were good and the show was AMAZING. OMG, that show was just...there are no words. Donny Osmond was supposed to be performing the role of Gaston, but we had an understudy. He was good, though. And the best part was...John Tartaglia (from the original cast of Avenue Q) was our Lumiere...and I got to meet him and get his autograph after the show!!! He was super sweet and a really nice guy (I'm always worried about getting autographs after a show, because I don't know if they're gonna be nice actors or snobby ones) but he was really nice and even chatted with us for a few minutes.
The next day we decided to hit the shopping scene. We went up to 5th Avenue and did the whole Macy's thing. We ate at the Macy's restaurant inside the store, looked around a little bit, took photos of the store windows (which were really cool) and also walked all around the area. We took a little detour on the way home towards the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. Bryant Park was really nice, and in my opinion, had a nicer and better skating rink than Rockefeller Center. And of course, being the nerd I am, I insisted we get photos of the NYPL, remembering The Day After Tomorrow and Ghostbusters.
Then we went back to the Hotel and I got ready to go see Les Mis (I'll post a separate note of my reviews for each play) with my Dad. I was really nervous, because these were $115 tickets and I didn't know if my Dad would like it or even understand it (my Dad's not into Musical Theater...that's my Mom's thing) since it is 100% singing. I thought I was going to have to explain it to him. But since the actors enunciated really really well, I think that helped. Anyway, he liked it. Which is good, since I was really worried my $115 would go to waste. I took my Dad because he'd never seen it, whereas my Mom had seen it twice. Now I've seen it four times, and it's still my second favorite musical. After Les Mis we went to Rockefeller Center, and my sister wanted to go ice skating. However, since we didn't get there till 11:40 and they closed at midnight, she didn't get to go. It was nice, and we got to see the Fox News building as well as Radio City Music Hall. However, it was not lit up, so that was a real bugger.
The next day was Tuesday, and so we decided to go back downtown and visit Ground Zero. My Dad had been trying to talk us out of going, but my mom, my sister, and I insisted. Since my sister was born on September 11th, we wanted her to see it if she wanted to, which she did, so my mom was pretty firm on the fact that we were going, regardless. It was a really sad and bittersweet experience. I tried so very hard not to cry as I was bombarded with flashbacks of that day...finding out, seeing it on the news, hearing the estimated death tolls, feeling my stomach drop as I saw the second tower collapse. The photos were absolutely horrific, and that most haunting ones was a photo of a young girl covered in debris with blood on her face and this vacant, misplaced look in her eyes. But what was really cool was that we were there the day they put up the Freedom Tower pillar. So there were news trucks there and stuff. It was pretty neat. We then went back uptown towards 60th street, where we had intended to eat at Serendipity. However, it was a two hour wait, so we had to leave. I was upset, because I was really looking forward to eating there. Oh well, next trip. I did get to go inside, and it was really neat. We went to Bloomingdale's and the Apple Store and saw a portion of Central Park (which was across the street). I got an iPod there...one of the pink Nano's...as my Christmas present, which I totally wasn't expecting, since the trip was supposed to be my Christmas present as well as my graduation present.
Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Phantom, my last and favorite musical. I was so thoroughly depressed at this point, because I knew that tomorrow we were leaving. I wanted to cry and scream. I didn't want to go home. I consoled myself with a promise that I will return as soon as I can, and as often as I can. This trip made me realize that Orlando is not my heart's home. I love my friends and family, but I will never be truly happy here. It's not enough for me. I belong in a big city like London or New York. Hopefully I will make it there someday. My feelings can be summed up by a line in the song "Home" from Beauty and the Beast.
"I was told everyday in my childhood, even when we grow old...
Home will be where the heart is. Never were words so true.
My heart's far, far away. Home is too."
I'm not saying that I hate Orlando. It's a nice place to grow up. It's even a nice place to live. But I know now that I will never be completely fulfilled or happy until I have lived elsewhere, at least for a few years.
Phantom was amazing, of course. More to come on that later. Afterwards we went to Junior's, this amazing restaurant right next to the Marriott Marquis near the Shubert Alley. The food was incredible, as was the dessert. I will definitely go back there someday. Nice people, too.
The next day we got up and got ready to go the airport. We were flying out of JFK and we had to leave at 8:30. I went to the window and stared out at the city for a good 5 minutes. I started crying and was very sad. My trip, which I'd worked so hard to achieve, was over. Utterly over. I did not have a good experience at the airport, and the flight home was dismal at best. I was leaving the city I'd fallen in love with. We got back to Orlando and I immediately started feeling sick, plus my ears didn't pop till 10:00 that night, despite the fact that we landed at 2:45. Weird. The same thing happened when we came back from London.
But I'm home now, and despite having the flu, I feel a little better. And I'm already planning as to when I can return!
Now, where to start ?
Our flight there was good...I was a little nervous, because the last time I flew, the change in altitudes screwed with my sinuses and I had a severe cold for, like, a week after I came back. Take off was fine, but landing was a different story. My ears started hurting severely...I mean, I'd never been in that much pain in my life...it was really bad. But after we landed it got better, probably thanks to the advil my mom gave me and the sinus medication.
We got to our hotel around midnight-ish. The drive from LaGuardia to it was pretty interesting. We passed the New York Public Library, Times Square, and other cool places. The hotel was called the Milford Plaza, and it wasn't too bad for the price we paid (hotels in NYC around Christmas are expensivo...especially the ones located near Times Square). At first I didn't like it because it was kinda dirty and too small...but I adjusted once I realized how amazing the location was. We were located off of 8th Avenue between 45th and 44th streets. And the Majestic Theater, the Broadhurst Theater (where I saw Phantom and Les Miserables) were literally right around the corner from the hotel. Awesomeness.
So our first day there I was running on 4 hours of sleep. Yay. We took the Subway to Little Italy (because I insisted I wanted a real Italian experience) and ate at a place called La Casa Bella. I had the Chicken Marsala (my favorite Italian dish) and it was amazing. We met up with my uncle and his family and with Ted and Aurora, some old friends of my Dad's parents. We had a good time eating together, but I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, because my Mom promised me I could see a show that night if I could get tickets to one.
So we headed back uptown and went straight to the Lunt-Fontanne and Richard Rodgers Theaters, where Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan were playing, because I couldn't decide between the two which one I wanted to see more. We were going for Tarzan until the guy who sold the tickets (who was really rude to me and my mother...what a freaking jerk) conveniently forgot to tell us the entire policy on student rush tickets. What an idiot. So we went over the Lunt-Fontanne and got Beauty and the Beast tickets, and that was that.
So that night we caught the 6:30 performance of Beauty and the Beast (my sister and I) for $40 a piece. It was a pretty good deal, I thought, considering our seats were good and the show was AMAZING. OMG, that show was just...there are no words. Donny Osmond was supposed to be performing the role of Gaston, but we had an understudy. He was good, though. And the best part was...John Tartaglia (from the original cast of Avenue Q) was our Lumiere...and I got to meet him and get his autograph after the show!!! He was super sweet and a really nice guy (I'm always worried about getting autographs after a show, because I don't know if they're gonna be nice actors or snobby ones) but he was really nice and even chatted with us for a few minutes.
The next day we decided to hit the shopping scene. We went up to 5th Avenue and did the whole Macy's thing. We ate at the Macy's restaurant inside the store, looked around a little bit, took photos of the store windows (which were really cool) and also walked all around the area. We took a little detour on the way home towards the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. Bryant Park was really nice, and in my opinion, had a nicer and better skating rink than Rockefeller Center. And of course, being the nerd I am, I insisted we get photos of the NYPL, remembering The Day After Tomorrow and Ghostbusters.
Then we went back to the Hotel and I got ready to go see Les Mis (I'll post a separate note of my reviews for each play) with my Dad. I was really nervous, because these were $115 tickets and I didn't know if my Dad would like it or even understand it (my Dad's not into Musical Theater...that's my Mom's thing) since it is 100% singing. I thought I was going to have to explain it to him. But since the actors enunciated really really well, I think that helped. Anyway, he liked it. Which is good, since I was really worried my $115 would go to waste. I took my Dad because he'd never seen it, whereas my Mom had seen it twice. Now I've seen it four times, and it's still my second favorite musical. After Les Mis we went to Rockefeller Center, and my sister wanted to go ice skating. However, since we didn't get there till 11:40 and they closed at midnight, she didn't get to go. It was nice, and we got to see the Fox News building as well as Radio City Music Hall. However, it was not lit up, so that was a real bugger.
The next day was Tuesday, and so we decided to go back downtown and visit Ground Zero. My Dad had been trying to talk us out of going, but my mom, my sister, and I insisted. Since my sister was born on September 11th, we wanted her to see it if she wanted to, which she did, so my mom was pretty firm on the fact that we were going, regardless. It was a really sad and bittersweet experience. I tried so very hard not to cry as I was bombarded with flashbacks of that day...finding out, seeing it on the news, hearing the estimated death tolls, feeling my stomach drop as I saw the second tower collapse. The photos were absolutely horrific, and that most haunting ones was a photo of a young girl covered in debris with blood on her face and this vacant, misplaced look in her eyes. But what was really cool was that we were there the day they put up the Freedom Tower pillar. So there were news trucks there and stuff. It was pretty neat. We then went back uptown towards 60th street, where we had intended to eat at Serendipity. However, it was a two hour wait, so we had to leave. I was upset, because I was really looking forward to eating there. Oh well, next trip. I did get to go inside, and it was really neat. We went to Bloomingdale's and the Apple Store and saw a portion of Central Park (which was across the street). I got an iPod there...one of the pink Nano's...as my Christmas present, which I totally wasn't expecting, since the trip was supposed to be my Christmas present as well as my graduation present.
Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Phantom, my last and favorite musical. I was so thoroughly depressed at this point, because I knew that tomorrow we were leaving. I wanted to cry and scream. I didn't want to go home. I consoled myself with a promise that I will return as soon as I can, and as often as I can. This trip made me realize that Orlando is not my heart's home. I love my friends and family, but I will never be truly happy here. It's not enough for me. I belong in a big city like London or New York. Hopefully I will make it there someday. My feelings can be summed up by a line in the song "Home" from Beauty and the Beast.
"I was told everyday in my childhood, even when we grow old...
Home will be where the heart is. Never were words so true.
My heart's far, far away. Home is too."
I'm not saying that I hate Orlando. It's a nice place to grow up. It's even a nice place to live. But I know now that I will never be completely fulfilled or happy until I have lived elsewhere, at least for a few years.
Phantom was amazing, of course. More to come on that later. Afterwards we went to Junior's, this amazing restaurant right next to the Marriott Marquis near the Shubert Alley. The food was incredible, as was the dessert. I will definitely go back there someday. Nice people, too.
The next day we got up and got ready to go the airport. We were flying out of JFK and we had to leave at 8:30. I went to the window and stared out at the city for a good 5 minutes. I started crying and was very sad. My trip, which I'd worked so hard to achieve, was over. Utterly over. I did not have a good experience at the airport, and the flight home was dismal at best. I was leaving the city I'd fallen in love with. We got back to Orlando and I immediately started feeling sick, plus my ears didn't pop till 10:00 that night, despite the fact that we landed at 2:45. Weird. The same thing happened when we came back from London.
But I'm home now, and despite having the flu, I feel a little better. And I'm already planning as to when I can return!