Perfect Day in NYC

Saturday, May 6 was one of those days when the stars aligned and it was a perfect day in New York City.

It was the first sunny day in ages with temperatures in the 70s. I was on my own for the day as Don was in Omaha, Nebraska for the Berkshire-Hathaway stockholders meeting and Ashley was still in Italy. A friend posted she was going into New York to see a play by a friend. I had been thinking about going into New York, but hadn't decided on what to do with myself. Noemi's post was the impetus I needed to go into the City.

We parked at Princeton Junction Train Station. Noemi guided me through what I needed in order to pay by App -- fortunately it is an app I have used in other cities so I didn't need to download yet another app. Then I used the New Jersey Transit App to buy a train ticket. How do people without smart phones function since so much can only be done via apps?

I was early so I took a quick stroll through the West Windsor Farmers Market. The have a great set up. I really should go back some week when I can take the produce home. Included in the vendors is someone who can sharpen knives. A good thing to remember.

Noemi and I took the train together. It was nice riding with a friend. We were able to catch up on the hour and fifteen minute ride into Manhattan.

Once in New York, we took the 2 subway down to the Church Street Station. It was only two stops away, but it was an express skipping a lot of stops. I later realized this saved us nearly an hour of walking.

We made it to the Siggy Space at the Flea Theater at 20 Thomas Street nearly an hour before the show. I left Noemi to catch up with her friends while I went in search of a sandwich. I picked up a turkey and avocado sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Shop. It reminded me of the sandwiches we bought with Ashley in Florence.

It was the perfect weather for sitting outside and enjoying the sandwich.

Inside the theater I was given the world's tiniest playbill. I applaud their approach to being ecologically sound, but two weeks later I have not looked up the website. If they have advertisers, I don't know about them. I don't know the names of the performers. On the other hand, it was a lot cheaper for them to produce this.

The show is called El Balcalao: The Catfish Man by Desi Moreno-Penson. It is loosely based on Euripides' The Bacchae, and takes place in the small town of Thebes, Florida. As a workshop reading, it was a step up from a staged reading, but, as Noemi said, "the only difference between this an a full production is money." It was well-cast from the cantankerous older generation to the Yoruban demigod. 

From the theater Noemi and I walked around the World Trade Center part of town. We were drawn to the cemetery at Trinity Church -- a place I have only seen from outside the wrought iron fence. This time we went inside, where we saw the graves of Alexander Hamilton, Eliza Hamilton, Anjelica Schuyler Church, Robert Fulton (inventor of the steamboat), Hercules Mulligan (made famous in Hamilton), small children, and one grave identified as empty with the name Charlotte on it.

Alexander and Eliza Hamiton.
She lived 50 years longer than he did..

Robert Fulton

Hercules Mulligan

Angelica Schuyler Church

Trinity Church Cemetery

An empty grave?
No one knows (read the sign).

Italian pizza

Spinach Gnocchi

Noemi and I both had shows to see that evening. We went to Eatalia for dinner. It reminded me of the Central Market in Florence, but much with more prepared food and less fresh produce. We sat in a restaurant and shared spinach gnocchi and pizza made with a gluten free crust. It is a treat when the person you are dining with wants the exact same food so we can share!

This is where we parted. Noemi's show started at 7:30. Mine was at 8 on Broadway. I did detour to the gelato stand for a chocolate gelato. Thought of Ashley enjoy her last weekend in the real Florence.  

My plan was to eat the gelato and catch a subway back up to 42nd Street. As I passed a station, though, there was an electronic sign saying the trains were on a 30 minute delay -- and my show was in an hour. Rather than risk it, I hoofed it to the theater minutes before Kimberly Akimbo started.

 Smiling I made it to my seat in the dead center of my row in the balcony with moments to spare. The show was great. The audience was really into it. I really enjoyed how the sets just squeezed into the spaces on stage. Victoria Clark, a 57-year old actress played a 16-year with a rapid aging disease. Her bio said when she was 16-years old she played an 81-year-old in a high school production. Helps to have a sense of humor.

I high tailed it to the train and caught the earlier of two trains. It was packed! Learned during the ride that the earlier train was cancelled. I met someone from Lawrenceville who knows many of the same people I know so we got to chatting. Then talked to a woman working with a client who might benefit from The Bridge Academy, so I told her about the open house coming up. Finished the train ride talking to an older man from Philadelphia. It was fun being able to have random conversations with strangers again. As I feel frustrated fighting through the crowded streets, I just keep reminding myself it is much better than when the streets were empty due to COVID. 

The train turned out to be an express, which means it took just over an hour. The ticket takers didn't come through until around New Brunswick -- making me think I should not have activated my ticket and kept it for a future trip. Them coming through made me glad I did the right thing.

Home to an house without humans, but with two hungry kitty cats.