As I said earlier, Alison and I had not seen each other for 35 years, and a lot has happened between then and now, and in many ways time has been harder on Alison than it has been on me. Alison, princess, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, married to her childhood sweetheart, with son Jonathan, an advertisement for motherhood (even for me, who, as we all know, doesn't like children very much). But about 10 years ago, Alison was involved in a car accident. Her spine was compressed, with all the pain and other misery that entails, and she is very much incapacitated. She is still lively and beautiful in spirit, though it was certainly enough for me to be grateful for my health and mobility.
We spent a few days catching up, and then I joined Hank in the Econolodge in New Jersey on Thursday afternoon (or should I say, evening; he too had travel woes - equipment malfunction rather than weather - but arrived safe and sound if tired.
Friday, I left Hank in the hotel to catch up with time changes and the wear and tear of travel, and I headed in to Manhattan. God, it is wonderful to be in a part of the world where there actually is public transportation, quick, easy and inexpensive! I had no particular agenda - there are no matinees on Friday afternoon, so theater wasn't on - and so I headed down to the South Street Seaport (say that five times fast, even without drinking!)..
It was a lovely, sunny fall day, and I happily wandered about for hours, stopping for a piece of wonderful New York pizza, and even going to the Museum, where I had never been before.
...and then took the subway back uptown. A word about the subway. For those of you who remember the bad old days, well, it ain't like that any more. The subways are clean, fast and efficient, and a joy to use. The only negative change; noone is reading a newspaper anymore. In the old days, it was all newspapers of different types, all folded with the "subway fold", and all cause for conversation. Now, like everywhere else, it is all mobile phone and I-pods. That was not unexpected, but a little sad nonetheless.
Well, on to mid-town, and to another more positive change. Bryant Park, behind the library, used to be the hangout for the bums and winos. Look waht they have done to it now.....
....and on to Fith Avenue, and the library itself (some things actually don't change)
(and no, I am sorry, one cannot take a picture of only one of the lions!)
...and, of course, Saks Fifth Avenue (that hasn't changed, although my relationship to it has. When I was living in New York, with almost no money, I spent what little I had there. Now, I wouldn't dream of it!)
...and Rockefeller Center...
....and just aimlessly wandering the streets of midtown doing the "old home week" thing ( I used to work at the Empire State Building; alas, no photo).
The, back to Port Authority, and the bus back to New Jersey. Hank went to the Springsteen concert on Friday night; I had decided to take a pass, and took the opportunity to catch up on my emotions (between my reunion with Alison, which was difficult, and my reuntion with New York, emotions were running high) and to rest my feet. Redds, a nearby restaurant provided a convenient happy hour and really good bar food, as well as a shuttle to the Meadowlands for Hank, so the logistics worked. He went off to sing himself hoarse; I went to the Econolodge to watch some television and so to bed.
The logistics on Saturday morning worked quite well also, considering that they were pretty convoluted. We changed hotels (to the Affinia, right across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan), dropped our luggage there (it was, of course, way to early to check in), and went seeking theater tickets. Ah, Times Square.....
(Only in Times Square are the subway signs in neon lights....)
...where we got two-for-one tickets for our first choice, Newsies
What a great show! I love musicals anyway, but this was fabulous. Apparently it was a movie once (Hank seems to be the only person on the face of the planet who saw it, or even heard of it), but it was a flop. Disney remade it into a Broadway show, and viola, Tony Award shower down on one and all. And the lead, well, what a set of pipes on him! He just graduated from Carnegie Mellon's theater program , first show on Broadway, and getting standing ovations! Enough to bring tears to your eyes! Anyway, his name is Corey Cott! Remember that name; he is going places!
Did I mention that it was a matinee? Now for the rest of the logistics. He headed back to the hotel, checked into our room, took the briefest of rests, and took the train back to the Meadowlands in New Jersey for the excuse for the whole trip, the Springsteen concert.
And, it was one for the record books. The Meadowlands is an outdoor stadium. Rain had been threatened (Hank, ever the prudent trust officer, had bought us rain slickers just in case), and when we arrived, lo and behold, they hearded all the standing room general admissions into the ramps of the stadium (even those with seats were not allowed into them) for a two hour wait until the thunder and rain, and, more the point, the lightening had passed. By this time, I had lost Hank, to noone's surprise, and happily made friends with those close to me in the line up (including a woman who had gone to my high school, Philadelphia High School for Girls) around the same time I was there. Only Bruce Springsteen fans would wait so good naturedly, possibly because (1) it was noone's fault; and (2) we knew we would get a hell of concert when it finally started.
It did start, two hours late, and yes, it was a hell of a concert, including every song with rain in its title, and, of course, "Waiting on a Sunny Day", and at midnight, Bruce looked up and said, "Well, I guess I have just asked 55,000 people to my birthday party, whereupon the place erupted with the singing of Happy Birthday. (Of course, everyone knew it was his birthday, the audience was littered with "Happy Birthday, Bruce" signs). The concert lasted for three and a half hours, followed by his family coming on stage for another round of "happy birthday", a huge cake in the shape of a guitar, and even fireworks!
Of course, by this time, having been on my feet for six hours, I thought I would never walk again, and still had to wend my way back to the train (which, of course, had been kept running way past the 12:40 stop time, and a standing room only ride back to Manhattan). And now you see the benefit of having a hotel across the street from the train station.
I finally hit the bed aroud 3:30 A.M. - Hank arrived shortly thereafter - and we were exhausted but happy. As noted, one for the record books.
Which brings us to Sunday. Hank and I had hoped to see the 9/11 memorial, as well as a matinee and an evening theater performance. Well, what can I tell you, we are not as young as we once were. We didn't make it to the memorial (have to save something for next time), but did go to see Spiderman: Turn off the Dark for our matinee. Most of you have no doubt read about this show - it was fraught with trouble at the beginning, including a death due to flying on the set), but it had to be seen. For one thing, it cost over a million dollars to renovate the theater for this show - it is not ever ever ever going to come to, oh, say, Vancouver. And Julie Taymore, the Director (also did The Lion King, and, for the opera lovers in the house, The Magic Flute) is brilliant. The staging, the choreography, the costumes, the singing, all fabulous (watch for Reeve Carney, Spiderman, elsewhere - he too is going places). So, a good choice.
At this point, Hank and I split up, he heading for dinner and Mary Poppins, and I, ever the serious one (for one play, at least), went off Broadway for An Enemy of the People,. I was meant to be an Ibsen fan (my father was born the day that Ibsen died, and always said that if he were to have a daughter, he would name her Nora, after the heroine of The Doll's House), and, surprisingly, I am. Also a wonderful production, although certainly not as flashy as our other choices).
Hank and I met up again at the hotel, and, after critiqueing our choices, dropped off into blissful sleep.
Hand left on Monday morning, and, I am happy to report, had an uneventful trip home. I headed back to New Jersey, to spend one more night with Alison before leaving the next day. For my last dinner, we headed for Harold's Deli, where excess was very much in evidence.
Do you see the size of that matzoh ball? (You will be happy to hear that the bowl fed three of us!)
How about the sandwich?
(that fed three of us, with enough left over for at least six more sandwiches taken home)
And the condiments.....
Dessert anyone?
(and no, we did not order dessert, but someone else did, and I had to get a picture)
And, speaking of pictures, here we are, talking with our hands, laughing, eating and generally having a good time...
Alison, as she now is, still smiling, still beautiful...
Bev, her care giver for a number of years....
And yours truly, while she could still move....
And on Tuesday morning, I bid Alison and New York, a fond farewell. Alison got me to the Newark Airport with time to spare, and although it is a long trip home (especially as I flew to Seattle - cheaper than flying to Vancouver don't you know - and so had to drive from there to Vancouver), it was as it should be - uneventful.
And so, on to the next adventures..... Are you still with me?
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