Adventure in the rain

For a day that threatened to rain hard on our parade, we managed to turn it into quite adventure, squeezing in art, culture, and a size-able amount of tasty junk food! It involved a fair bit of shelter-taking, umbrella-balancing and rain jacket-wearing, but we really did make the most of it, though we ended a bit more damp than we began. After hopping on the NJ Transit bus that took us from the hotel right into town, we did what any other self-respecting tourist of this great city would do - we headed straight for Times Square. On such a rainy, overcast day, the lights of the billboards glowed so bright that they were blinding. We weaved around groups of people standing and staring, popping umbrellas and snapping pictures. We watched the lights flash and the sewers puff steam out of tall orange cones. We tried our luck at the tkts booth for a discounted Broadway show, only to discover that the Times Square location didn't open until 3pm. The helpful attendant directed us to the Lincoln Center location instead. After walking several blocks in the wrong direction, we still managed to snag half-priced seats for the evening's performance of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

Next came a bullet-point list of great architecture in the city: We walked past the Flatiron building during our misdirected walk, then discovered our proximity to the Empire State building upon turning a corner in Midtown. We stopped at the Time Warner building looking for the Bouchon bakery, and scoffed at Trump Tower across the street. We popped over to Shake Shack(recommended by Anthony Bourdain!) for excellent burgers, fries and shakes, smushed into a back corner of the restaurant, crowded by people who obviously got the same recommendation. And rightfully so - the double cheese burger and crispy portobello burger were soooo good, and the malted vanilla milkshake was heavenly.

Refueled and recharged, though still damp, we continued our walk past important buildings. We found Rockefeller center, with its statues and fountains, LEGO store and giant ballerina Mylar balloon. The sculpture of Altas was still holding his big Globe, out front. Across the street, St. Patrick's Cathedral provided some peace from the rain, but no quiet. In fact, I think it was the noisiest church I have ever visited! The interior still proves to be beautiful and bright, stained glass lighting up the walls with a blue and purple glow. To one side, a family celebrates a baptism - everyone was dressed to the nines, the little girls wore white dresses with bows in their hair. Tourists took snapshots
and moved on.

Our timing proved to be impeccable this trip, as we found ourselves perfectly placed to attend the free Friday evening at the Museum of Modern Art. Van Gogh, Warhol, and Pollock beckon, with their splatters and their swirls and their cans of soup. The place filled up fast, being FREE and all, and we found ourselves competing with crowds a la Mona Lisa in the Louvre, though only for the big draws. We discovered the art of architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright, and realized the beauty in his floor plans and ar-deco stained glass. We didn't stay too late, though, as Broadway called...

Knowing nothing about the show prior to buying the tickets, I have to say we picked the perfect performance to attend. The theatre had been transformed to look like an old jazz club, full of red velour curtains and sepia drawing, glowing chandeliers and lamps on glass tables. The stage was more of a loopy track, running all over the place, up into the audience, back down into the middle of the floor, between tables and back again. The performers, playing a wonderful mix of Russian elite and gypsies, interacted so seamlessly with the audience members, you almost forgot you were watching a show! There was joyful singing, violin and accordion playing, lots of "vodka" drinking, and even pierogies passed around. We even got passed a basket of shakers to join in the fun! It was wonderful and lively and sad and beautiful and then the comet came crashing down, and the audience stood up and cheered. I've never experienced anything like it, and would gladly go back again
tomorrow.

Walking back to the bus lead us back through Times Square, and since the rain had stopped, the crowds were picking up again, even though it was close to midnight. In the glow of the movie billboards and product advertisements, we ate hot dogs from a street vendor and took it all in. THIS is New York.