Bridges and Broadway

It seems fitting that, in a country that seems to be becoming more narrow-minded, its most diverse city should present us with so many opportunities to embrace and celebrate acceptance, in all forms. It all began very abruptly, with us being thrust into the middle of a throng of commuters at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, eyes fixed to giant screens overhead, taking in all the action of the latest game of the Fifa World Cup. Powerhouse Brazil, with all their moves and fancy footwork, was being halted by Costa Rica, and in the 74th minute of play, the score was 0-0. The people watching, however, were not taking sides, shouting equally for both sides' yellow cards and penalties. It's wonderful how watching a little of the "beautiful game" can transform anyone into a citizen of the world. Oh, and when Brazil DID manage to score, not once but TWICE in the last 10 minutes of gameplay, the entire crowd erupted in cheers of joy.

We continued with a stroll through the streets of Chinatown, by way of a walking tour I had picked up off the Internet. We weaved our way through lush green parks and narrow laneways, bright with colourful billboards of the shops below. We learned much of the dark pasts of these building and streets, brothels and opium dens, now transformed into a neighborhood fit for families to raise their children. We see this in the games of Mahjong between old men in the park, and the playground of daycares full of laughter.

We also snacked our way through Chinatown. Morning lead us into a bakery for sweet melon pan buns, and cold jasmine green tea. We followed the line of people into Fried Dumplings, the cheapest and most tasty snack you can find, but scoffed at the preserved olives and candied baby clams in Aji Ichiban candy store. We pre-emptively bought cheap umbrellas, as it seemed likely that our sunshine-y weekend was now offering rain, and picked out good fortunes at the Mahatyana Buddhist Temple. Hopefully our luck would change.

Here, we opted to cross into Brooklyn by way of the Manhattan Bridge, intent on returning into town by way of the Brooklyn Bridge. Turns out, though less crowded and preferred by tourists, the Manhattan Bridge is migraine-inducing, with a constant stream of clickety-clackety subway trains going by every 7 minutes or so. Guess it makes sense now. Regardless, we made it to Brooklyn, and checked another borrough off our list. We took a tour to the local TKTS counter, snagging much-sought after tickets to the evening's performance of Kinky Boots(Mario's suggestion) then headed to the waterfront for a Shake Shack picnic on the pier, with awesome views of the Hudson River and NY Skyline. And the burgers were just as delicious as last time, thank goodness. Wandering through the park, we examined a photography exhibit called "the Fence", and tapped into our inner child, taking a ride on Jane's Carousel, surrounded by children and brides alike.

Crossing back into the city on the Brooklyn Bridge was another experience all together, best described as an exercise in patience. Everyone is here, crowded the lanes, blocking the roadway to take pictures, darting out in front of bicycles who ding their bells, and shout at the people. Groups cluster together, never yielding to oncoming traffic. The bridge itself is really the start of the show, and no wonder so many want to gaze upon it. Gorgeous brown brick pillars, miles and miles of cable criss-crossing over head, supporting the suspended decking. Beautiful in its simplicity.

What followed was a very long walk to Times Square, but it allowed us the time to enjoy the city, and its preparations for the imminent Pride March on Sunday. Shop windows filled with nothing but colourful displays and rainbow flags, messages of support and encouragement. It continued through Little Italy, strengthened in Greenwich Village and the Garment District petered out ever so slightly when we transitioned into the downtown area. We paused in Union Square, where the people-watching was particularly good, watching couples reuniting after the work day, friends gathering for the upcoming Friday night's events.

Finally, we made it to Broadway, and all its twinkling lights and flashy billboards, to the Al Hirschfeld theatre, for the evening's performance of Kinky Boots. Like a bow atop a perfectly wrapped present, Kinky Boots was the ultimate way to top off a day of diversity and acceptance, telling a similar story of different people coming together to save the day, and having a fabulous drag fashion show at the same time. Plus all those 2-foot-tall red heels boots! Amazing! We laughed, we yelled, we stood and clapped - it was a very exciting, joyful, and yet deep and thoughtful show. It was perfect.


In a final New York moment, we stopped for 2 giant slices of super-flat, foldable pizza to take-away, enjoying a midnight snack back in our hotel room before bed. Until tomorrow -