Wishing Upon A Star

I woke up at 4.17 to pouring rain. I mean downpour, cat and dogs, bucket type of rain. I hadn’t intended to get up quite that early, but the rain woke me, and I’d set the alarm for 4.30 anyways. Didn’t seem to be much point in staying in bed.

I was at the school where I was supposed to pick up the bus by 5.40, and the bus showed at about 5.55. It was still pouring. I hadn’t planned to take an umbrella with me, but all choice was eliminated.

The bus was very comfortable, and there were about fifty or so people taking the trip. Three women about my age ended up sitting near me, and they were quite friendly and fun to talk to. They’d never been to NYC before so I could give them a couple of tips as to where to go and what different sites were as we passed by them. I also steered a couple from England to the Gray Line tour that Dee and I had taken this summer. They’d never been to the city before and wanted to see as much as they could, I thought that was a great way to do it.

It rained almost all the way to New Haven, but you could see the clear sky behind the line of clouds so it looked as if the umbrella could stay on the bus. I slept for about an hour our so during the ride. I didn’t sleep soundly, but it was enough to give me an extra burst of energy.

We made good time and got to the city at about 9.30. You had the option of staying on the bus for a twenty-minute orientation tour, or getting out at Radio City.

It’s a no-brainer to figure out what I did.

I zipped the eight blocks up and two over to get to Times Square to find out what was available at the TKTS booth. I’d seen all the musicals listed. From there I dashed across the street to the Times Square visitor center to see what they had for two-fers. A two-fer is a coupon that you take directly to the box office to buy a half price ticket. The advantage to a two-fer is that you can pick your seat, whereas at TKTS you have to take what they give you. (Two-fer means "two for the price of one".) The only thing they had that I hadn’t seen was "Kat and the Kings", which the guy at the booth recommended. So I figured what the heck?

That meant zipping back to 48th Street to get to that box office.

I had my ticket in hand by ten fifteen. How’s that for efficient?

Next was a quest for coffee and a muffin. I was starving as I hadn’t eaten before I left, and didn’t bring anything to eat on the bus. I hate bus bathrooms and didn’t want to risk having to use one.

I stopped at a deli across from NBC studios and revived myself. Then it was a quest to find the Swatch watch of the Empire State Building and the collage type prints I bought at the Museum of Modern Art back in August.

The Great Swatch Search was quite a trek. I walked up to 5th Ave, then back down as far a 40th, all with no success. I then walked back up and finally spotted on in the window of a jewelry shop. The wanted a hundred bucks for it. I moved on, as they were shouting, "But it’s a collectors item". Yeah right.

So I kept walking. I stopped at Rockefeller Center and took some funky pictures with my new I-Zone camera. Some came out great, others are hard to make out the images. In that the pictures are the size of a postage stamp, it’s not much of a surprise to discover that some images just won’t work. They were already ice skating at the rink there. Seems too early for that to me.

I kept walking up 5th Ave until I got to 53rd Street, where the Museum of Modern Art is located. The guy with my collages was still there, so I got four more, and he gave me a deal on them. One mission was completed.

There were lots and lots of street vendors seeing interesting things. I got two bead bracelets, one Tiger’s eye, and one a blue floral. The Tiger’s eye is supposed to be for creativity, and the blue for luck. What the heck? I need all the help I can get!

I also got a pair of celery green chenille gloves for three dollars and five cotton knit sweaters for ten dollars. Yes that’s right. The sweaters were two dollars each. Buying them was a bit of a crapshoot, as they were all in plastic bags, so you couldn’t be sure of the sizes. The medium I’d intended for my mother, may fit my seven year old niece. I think they mean medium if you are a Pygmy. I got four for myself and none of them are the same size, despite the claim on the labels. But I figure for two bucks I can wear them to clean and craft and not care if they get wrecked. This apartment is always cold, so the sweaters will all be put to good use.

I really abandoned my original plan for the day, and decided to shop at Trump Tower. I found the Swatch there for fifty bucks. A normal price. It was mine.

Second must-do of the day accomplished.

There was a great Christmas shop at Trump Tower, and I got some pretty ornaments. Two for my mother, and a Yorkshire Terrier ornament for Cathy. I got a couple for myself as well. I enjoyed poking in and out of the other stores and galleries where I couldn’t afford to get a single thing .

I then walked a couple more blocks to FAO Schwartz. I love going in there to be a kid again. It was packed with people, but some of the stuffed animals and toys were too cute to not stop and play with. I resisted the temptation to buy.

By the time I finished poking in and out of stores along the way, it was time to head to the theater. That was another hike, from 58th back to 48th.

The show was wonderful! It was a story set in South Africa, and was about the history of a doo-wop group. The music was all original, but had some familiar tunes interwoven into them. The show was pure energy, and you couldn’t resist clapping along. It was infectious. The voices were great, and I loved all the four-part harmony. The only complaint would be that sometimes the accents were hard to figure out, so some of the dialogue was missed. Other than that, it was a blast to watch.

I was sitting amidst clapping challenged individuals. They couldn’t keep the beat, no matter what. The performers were clapping the rhythm, I was clapping the rhythm, and these people were either clapping the off beat, so sort of stutter clapping. It was one of those things that really amazed me to watch. Remedial clapping classes were needed here.

I could highly recommend this show to anyone who is looking for something fun to see when they go to NYC. It makes you leave the theatre humming. I’m glad I took the advice of the guy in the information booth.

After the show I walked to Times Square in search of something to eat. I decided to stop at the Celebrity Deli for a burger and fries. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on food, and just wanted something to hold me for the evening. I was afraid to go the Pastrami route, as it often murders my system. That old fear of bus bathrooms rears its ugly head again.

I had some time to kill after dinner, so I went to the Virgin Megastore to see if I could find a tape of "Ragtime" for Dee. She wanted me to find one for her, but I think I’ll tell her that they didn’t have any and will save it to give to her for Christmas. I hope that she doesn’t then go out and try to find one somewhere else.

I slowly made my way back to Radio City where we were to get back on the bus. It was a slow walk not due to fatigue, but due to the fact that the package I was carrying was so heavy! I had to stop to shift hands frequently because the bag handles were cutting off the circulation in my fingers!

We left the city by 7, and got back home at about 10.30. they showed "First Wives Club" during the ride home, so that helped to pass the time.

It was a beautiful day and I had a great time.

I wonder what deeper meaning can be found in the fact that I can have a swell time in a huge city when I’m all by myself? Am I odd?

Doesn’t matter. I’ll be doing it again in December!

Riddle Answer: A bank robbery.

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