Thanks But No Thanks

Maybe third time will be a charm. 

Maybe. 

I did not get into the NYC Marathon for 2025. Again. 

This year I did the lottery, which was submitted last month. And last year, I applied for the 2024 Virtual NYC marathon that gives you admission to the actual one in 2025 - and I got dinged from that as well. 

Actually, if you look at the image I got dinged twice: once for lottery or for the NY Road Runners club - of which I'm not even a member. But they threw that salt into the wounds just for fun, I suspect. 

I don't really have other options. 

I do, but they are pricey. Raise like $3500 for charity - which I'm not willing to do. I won't ask others for $$$, and I cannot see me paying $3500 to enter a race. Hell, I don't even want to pay the $330 it would have cost me (not including travel, lodging, food, swag).

I really avoided my phone and email most of yesterday as I knew it was decision day. I was afraid I wouldn't get in and equally worried that I would. It's all very confusing.

Oddly. as my hopes had been dashed in the past, I wasn't wildly optimistic about my chances. Something like 4% of the NYC runners get in via the lottery. Or maybe it is out of state runners. Either or, the number is low. And the applicant pool keeps getting larger.  Yet somewhere there was this slight thread of 'maybe', which now just seems silly. 

There are seven major marathons, and honestly, I'd be delighted to get to any one of them - though Tokyo seems low on my list.  

If I could only do one major, it would want it to be New York. I have a history and love for the city, so it is the one I care about most. The only other major for which I have applied has been Chicago. Twice.  Dinged: twice.

This leaves my Fall half or full marathon schedule wide open. Right now Philly is leading the pack, but I will hold off signing up for anything until my Spring runs are completed. 

Ok. I'm gonna go sulk now. 

Song by: Sparks

the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

I've done a number of gay things in my life - in some particular order: 

1. Seen Madonna in concert. 

2. Swung by to see a playground in NYC that was used in West Side Story. 

3. Had sex with men.  

4. Seen Patti LuPone on Broadway. TWICE. 

You can rank them as you deem appropriate, but I think #3 is really lower on the rung. #4 might really be #1. 

We were in NYC part of last week and managed to see three Broadway shows. 

THREE!

I can barely get to one and I try for that one not to be a musical, if it can be avoided. 

But this is 710's time away too, so it can't be all about me - believe it or not. Though, in the past, he has gone to plays - singing ones - without me. I think it worked well for both of us. 

As we planned our getaway, he axed if there was anything I wanted to see. I rattled off two, thinking I'd be happy with whichever he picked. He was good with either of my selections, but he bought the tickets to one and then offered a second option - another night option, and his selection - and I acquiesced. 

I'm NOT doing three entries here. I could milk it, but that just seems more torture for me than you. But we have them all in one:  Comedy. Musical. Dramedy. 

Gay. Gayer. Gayest. 

Oh, Mary

This was my choice. A comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln. Everything in advance had me loving it. Mary is played by Cole Escola, whom I've seen some video shorts, where yes, he always plays a woman. 

As you know from history (or should), MTL was cast as mad or moody or depressive or crazy or drunk. Or any combo for those. Abe, of course, was rumoured to have homosexual tendencies. All are played with fun and tongue in cheek. 

The men who played Lincoln and Booth were just great. Escola was good too, of course. For me, more of the laughs came from Abe though. 

The problem with the play? It was very good, but there is no way it could live up to the hype that has surrounded it. It was funny but never over the top hilarity (though it had close to moments) so, though a number of audience members seemed to guffaw at everything, like they tried too hard, or had never heard any jokes before. I thought it was just me to think this, but 710 brought it up independently. 

I actually didn't know it would be "on Broadway". I assumed it was an off Broadway production. I was wrong. 

Stereophonic

This was 710's doing. And I know he picked it because he thought I'd really like it, as I had been a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac

While producers of the show and reviewers (probs due to production pr) will say that is all fictionalized and is not meant to resemble Fleetwood Mac and the recording of Rumours, it's kind of a big fat lie. 

The band in the play has two romantic couples on the outs and three brits and two Americans - just Fleetwood Mac. The recording of the album is set in the same year and town where Fleetwood Mac recorded their seminal album. Scenes - and sometimes actual dialog - are taken almost exactly from a book called Making Rumours, written by a producer of that album (he's now suing the makers of the play). They even made the lead guitarist's cousin an olympian in swimming. In reality, Lindsey Buckingham's brother was a silver medalist in water polo. 

But yes, the entire play was just a coincidence. <eye roll emoji would go here>

As processes goes, it's an ok play. A bit tedious, though I think that is part of the point. The play band (and Fleetwood Mac) holed up for a year making the album doing take after take after take of each song. The play is over three hours long + intermission (ugh for me!) but it makes you feel like you've been holed up for a year too. 

When you think about 'musicals', you think about, oh, music. While there are portions of songs here, I think (?) there are only 2-3 songs actually played all the way through. There are snippets of others, as you might assume as a band tries out ideas to assemble a disk. That said, the songs are not bad (written by former Arcade Fire member, Will Butler) and well performed by the cast. They do have that late '70s feel. 

The beginning of the show it was tough to hear any dialog. I'm not sure if it was a sound guy thing or actor thing but eventually it came around. The guy who played the drummer / manager was just amazing. All the actors played their own instruments, so I would think understudies would be an issue if one ever was out ill. The guy was an excellent drummer. 

Overall, it was good, but  l  o  n  g.  

the Roommate

This was my other pick, though I didn't expect to see three shows, or even two. 

Kathy Griffin was also in town this night, but you can see her just about any year in a lot of cities. How often does one have the opportunity to see Mia Farrow (oh, and yeah yeah....LuPone) on stage?  It's like getting a McRib and Shamrock Shake at the same time. 

Part of the premise of this play was good and plausible. The other part was forced and pretty far-fetched. This is not Farrow's or LuPone's fault. This goes to the writer directly and possibly the director. There were a lot of ways it could have been played better. Farrow is fun to watch, but the character's transition from naïveté to schemer is just hard to swallow.  LuPone? Meh, she's LuPone. If you've seen her in any non-singing role, you've seen Patti LuPone. 

I'd like to say better about the Roommate, but it's tough. Lots of unfulfilled potential. Still, I was glad to be able to see Farrow. 

All said for all of these - none sucked. None were total out of the parks either. Still my husband did the impossible - getting me to see three plays in a year.  No, correction: me seeing three plays in three consecutive evenings.  Yeah - someone called us 'FUCKING FAGGOTS" on the way back to our hotel. I mean, geeze, it's Broadway. Duh. 

Song by: Genesis

Strike

Thanks. 

But no thanks. 

The email actually had a title: "Thanks for Applying."

Blobby got dinged by New York...........again. 

For those who might remember, I did not have success in the lottery for the 2024 NYC Marathon. You might also remember that I didn't have my hopes up for gaining access, like I did for the Chicago one. 

Strike Two. 

Still there are other ways to gain access. One was to run a virtual marathon this October, so one could run in the 2025 (!) NYC Marathon. 

So, you have to go through another lottery to be able to run the virtual race, so you could get a guaranteed entry (assuming you actually get accepted and actually run it) to the November 2025 mararthon. 

While during my run in Cleveland a month ago, I told myself I had no right to be even thinking of running in the New York marathon. 

Flash forward three weeks and here I was - hopeful. 

Yes, part of me hoped I wouldn't get in, so I wouldn't have to face it, but deep down, I really wanted it. And worse, I let myself believe that few people would want to run a marathon on their own.

In my head, I was already planning my route. As there'd be no hydration stations or extra rest areas, this was kind of vital, even if it was 4 months away. Where would 710 meet me for some of those provisions, etc.?   I got confident - like I had for Chicago. 

The first line of the email was short - not so sweet:  "You weren't selected."  They even fucking used a contraction as to not utilize unnecessary letters.

Then came the additional way I could get into the virtual marathon: fund raising. 

For a mere $1,310 dollars, raised and submitted 12 days prior to the virtual race, I could run - and if I finish -and would get guaranteed entry slot for 2025. 

But like Chicago, my views of hitting people up for money have not changed. It makes me very uncomfortable.  

Someone in my training group said to ask people IN the training group, who have gladly donated for these kinds of things. But as you know, I have conflicted feelings about the group and how long it took me even to be recognized. 

Adding injury to insult - on top of that $1,310, I'd have to pay a $175 registration fee for a virtual marathon.  And while I'm selecting the route, running on my own, supplying my own nutrition,  timing device and such - that $175 isn't coming to me for operational costs. It seems like a semi-money grab.I don't even think I get a t-shirt or a medal. And I'd have to buy my own banana. 

None of these costs cover the registration fee for the actual marathon either. It all adds up quickly. Then you can put travel, lodging, food, swag into that mix. 

I'm not really complaining about the cost - well, except maybe the $175. 

Since I psyched myself up for the virtual, the rejection stung. I was, and am, massively bummed. 

710 says to just write a check for the $1,310, but I'm not sure I'm willing to do that. 

No rash decisions. At least as of yet. I'd say I'd sleep on it, but that hasn't been coming easily lately. Ironically, I have to get up and run this morning.  

Song by: Todd Rundgren

Darkness

Times Square gone dark is like a dream for me.

It is the one place in Manhattan I try to avoid at all costs, which can be difficult.

Mind you, most trips there include a Broadway show, so 'avoiding' can be tricky, if not impossible. That said, I would go blocks out of my way to miss Broadway or 7th Avenue.

There were more friendly and sparser crowds at a Who concert in Cincinnati.

A friend who is visiting the Big Snapple was pissed, as he was missing the Cher Show, as it was delayed then cancelled.  So much for 'the show must go on'.  I'm guessing there is an asterisk with some disclaimers embedded somewhere down below that phrase.

He was not happy when I said a power outage to miss Cher would be considered "a win' in my book. I totally get the expense of the trip to miss that. I'm sure he'll be reimbursed for the tix, but not the rest of the trip, which he claims was the reason for going.

That in itself was disturbing to me.  There is no accounting for taste.

I will say, the streets being dark I could stand. The subway?  Ehhhhhhh.....not so much.  You can barely see all the rats in the light.

Oh, I just realized, Bob will have to walk up dark stairways to his hotel room, assuming they let them back in the building at all. And ugh - wifi is probably down. 

No. Way.



Song by: Leonard Cohen

Mockingbird

We were in New York for a few days, and the last evening - Tuesday night - we had tickets to see the new stage production of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Aaron Sorkin "written" - and manipulated by him and Harper Lee's estate. There were required changes - not that are so offensive, but you're toying with a classic.

The book had some humour built in - as the subject is heavy for its time period setting and its publication time, plus it's seen from a young girl's perspective.  The movie, while still having the perspective, I never found to be light. So I thought this adaptation was a little broad. The times the audience laughed and laughed were too numerous to count - and a little disconcerting to me.

Jeff Daniels was Atticus. Meh. While I know the play / book / movie is set in the South, his portrayal wasn't that convincing. He helped make Atticus a little sanitized. The Daniels / Sorkin thing was inevitable.  The woman who played Scout was the best in the play.

Yes. Woman.

Gem, Scout and Dill were played by - and as - grown-ups. Well, to a degree. Boo Radley is there, but barely. Bob Ewell was well done too - and by a guy I've seen on every Law & Order franchise.....and as a racist cop on BlackKklansman.

All the expounding Atticus does isn't half as powerful as the scene with "town drunk" Dolphus Raymond. To me, he is the heart and conscious of the play.....and he's in it for five minutes of a 175 minute play.

Sorkin uses two things that bothered me - and probably only me. One was using the Latin phrase "Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc".  It stood out to me, as he used it in the West Wing. While it could be in the book, I don't remember it. Ever.  And he has Bob Ewell use it too.  Bob Ewell, who is never determined if he can actually read. He also accuses Atticus of having 'Hebraic blood".   Ewell would never know the word "Hebraic"

Deviations aside, the story is still poignant especially for our current time - one that I'm sure was not an accident on Sorkin's part. Or anyone participating in this production.

One hopes that anyone who buys a ticket would also find it poignant and timely.



And speaking of social injustices:   wine at the theater. I ordered one for each 710 and myself. No posted prices. I knew it would be "pricey" but had zero idea that I'd have to delay our retirement for five years.  After wine was poured and pushed across the bar, "that will be $54" !!!!

I know I'm a cheap drunk, but I don't buy $27 bottles of wine, let alone two of them. And trust in knowing, it didn't come close to two bottles of wine!

Celebrity sighting though:  Jeff Bezos was there. If anyone noticed other than I (who then told 710), no one seemed to acknowledge or care.  However, as a subscribing family of the Washington Post and Amazon Prime - shouldn't he have bought our tickets? 

I mean - I totally get why he couldn't afford the wine.


Song by: Allison Moorer

Hudson

So while taking in the newest portion of the High Line, we were just standing watching the development of Hudson Yards.

Building upon building is being erected.  hehehe......erected.

I'm for development.......to a degree. I'm not for over development.

To the right of this picture, is a unique structure in the process of being built. It was enough not only to look at, we walked over to see it.

The shape, of course, was unique, but at the corners of the base looked to be casters. 710 engaged in conversation with another lookie-loo on what this might be. We already knew the sculpture that was in process of being completed.

710, being 710, did some investigation once he got to a computer.  And it seems very very cool.




.....and yes, it is on casters..........kind of.


If the video is correct and part of the development is to physically cover the train yard, that would be a shame. Erasing the history, the only remnants being the rails in the High Line itself, seems annoying.

How the High Line itself came to be was abandoned rail. I fear there will be no connection to that and the train yard once all is done.  ....and I like seeing the trains.

But no one asked me.



Song by: Vampire Weekend

Talkin' New York

So, we are back from "the city".

You saw that we did our Broadway adventure. And my pedicure adventure.

As with many of our long weekend trips, we had almost zero planning, as we opted to go about four days before we actually got in the car to leave.

710 had some ideas, well actually most of them, including the plays, though he didn't reveal all of them to me.

In no particular order:

We went to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian, which is housed in Andrew Carnegie's mansion. Well, former mansion, I guess. The museum is devoted to design. The tour we tried to take was painful. 20 minutes in, we were still in the first room. We ditched it.

We got there via the newly opened 2nd Avenue subway. We were geeks. We got off at every stop (there are three), so we could see the artwork. I'll post that later. After museum, we walked through Central Park......in the rain, and we didn't mind a bit.

The first day, we walked down to the High Line. Yes, we've seen it before, but the newest (and last?) section opened up since last time we were there. We got there at a good time.....before there lots of people. Afterwards, we hopped on CitiBike and road down to Battery Park. There was one thing in the whole World Trade area left to do:  the new Calatrava subway station.  The job was very well done.

It was also Fleet Week.  Yes, it sounds great.........in theory.

.....until you realize they're all 18 or 19 years old. While some think military boys are hot, I just thought that we send teenagers, who might have fewer opportunities in life, into harms way.


And not because I'm afraid of terrorists, or bad drivers, we attempted to stay away from Time's Square.....though on the way to the play we had to attempt to get that through that hell. But had we not, I would have missed the billboard some guy put up to fuck with his wife.

Oh oh oh.....we also stopped into the Time Warner Center.  No, we weren't looking to see AC360. I had to use their facilities......if you know what I mean. But there we saw their newest store.....

....oh the sweet irony.  amazon's first brick and mortar bookstore. ...and a line to get in. 

We also hit Governor's Island, which is something I've never done.  More on that later.....maybe. Or just click on the link for the drone shots. 

We did a lot of walking. I was averaging about 25k steps per day. Had it not been for CitiBike and the subway, it would have been on the order of 35k steps. 

Food is a big component to NYC.  Most of what we chose was fair....and sometimes poor choices. We did hit it out of the park with one:  Eataly.  A vast complex filled with commerce and food - fish, pasta, cheese, bread, etc.  We opted to eat at the pasta section.  

I was kind of blown away. So was 710. 

Months ago, I stopped eating red sauce with pasta. No matter what I made, or bought just wasn't working for me.  The bucatini was beyond good. There was enough that I thought I'd have to leave some behind. As it turns out, I ate it all. 710's cacio d pepa was even better.  I totally recommend this place.  They do not take reservations, but go, and hit the bar. Great wine selection. 

We also had a nice dinner with my sister and niece. I talked myself out of going to Eataly for a second night. When I mentioned that, everyone would have been on board. So crap on that. 

Unplanned trips like this are good for us. They don't work for everyone. But NYC is like Vegas - you don't need planning for much. There is always something to do.

That was our warm-up. Our big vacation is mid-summer. We are looking for cage-free options for Shep's incarceration during that time.



Oh - the title image is the temporary Jeff Koons installation at Rockefeller Center. I'm not a fan of Koons, but I quite enjoyed this.....and I don't know why.



Song by: Bob Dylan

War Paint

I'm just going on record: a gayer blog post has never been written.............at least by me.

I used to say, seeing Madonna in concert was the gayest things I've ever done. And yes, that includes having sex with men.

When in New York, we had the option for a few Broadway plays.

Not that you'd recall, but my last experience with a musical did not go well. I wasn't really jonesing to go back for more. But I can't help loving dat man of mine {see, a Broadway reference circa 1927).

So what's gayer than Sondheim and Madge?  LuPone. Ebersole. ...in a play about make-up.



Yeah.  You read that right.


War Paint is a musical (!) about Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden and their make-up companies.

Even on the way into the theater, the burly doorman warned the entering males about the small men's room and go now and not at intermission, because fights break out. Blobby couldn't hold his tongue and said:  "fights? ....at a musical?  ......about make-up?".  The burly doorman laughed.

As a book, I'm guessing War Paint could have been interesting. It was the 30s and here you have two women running - nay, heading - their own multimillion dollar companies. That was fairly unheard of. But how they navigate the times - war, television, etc - and their savvy is kind of a great premise, at least from a business perspective.

But then one adds music and lyrics.

Some review the Playbill references calls it: "an instant classic".

Is it?   IS it?

The opening number is just horrid. In theory, shouldn't that be a grab-you kind of moment? It was not.  I like LuPone, but I've never seen her in anything where she doesn't play herself - like Will & Grace or Girls. I'll give her total props for saying on record that Madonna's portrayal of Evita was a "piece of shit".  Still, Patti talking and singing with a Polish accent was distracting......at best.

Still, she has the pipes, even if I don't think she had the best musical material.

Ebersole was on a season or two of SNL, which I vaguely remember. My earliest recollection of her was playing Murphy Brown's non-existent sister in which she was great - hence my remembering her. Most gays will know her from Grey Gardens, because homos seem to be obsessed with Grey Gardens.  She might have had a better voice than LuPone, but the material wasn't much better.

Taking the doorman's advice, Blobby used the little boy's room to tinkle before the performance. 710 took out a small loan to get two glasses of wine.

....which came in sippy cups.   I kid you not. Spill-proof lid, and all.


And SO many gays. 710 turns to me at intermission and goes, "I haven't seen this many gay men since......"  and he trailed off leaving me to pick up,  ".....an HRC dinner?"

The guys next to us were nice. A woman sitting between us got up and left halfway through.  This, as an appreciator of the arts I get. If it's not good, cut your losses. The Jew in me says, "you left.......at these prices??"  My mind if a very very complicated place to be.

The story of Arden and Rubenstein is partially fictionalized - at least for this play. In real life, though they lived in the same town and were fierce competitors in the same industry, they never met. They handle that slyly at the end.

As it turns out, theater in NYC there is no longer a need to dress up. Save for a few dapper dans, 710 and I were the most dressed-up.....and we had on button downs, dress pants and dress shoes. No tie. No jacket.  But at least we didn't have on ripped jeans and Chucks.....which was the norm.

We had great seats.  Dead center, maybe 12 rows back.

I will say, I endured War Paint better than A Little Night Music, but I think that was just for the talent. Still, one musical play every seven years seems to be about my threshold. So much so, that 710 knew to cut his losses and go see Hello Dolly (with Bette Midler....and David Hyde Pierce....so that was super-duper gay) all on his own the next afternoon.

Had I gone, that would have been the gayest blog entry ever written........at least by me.



Song by: Kelly Clarkson

Museum

Well, since we talked about "the towers" yesterday, I suppose I could make it a two-fer.

Last month - was it only a month or so ago? - when we were in NYC, we took the time to go to the 9/11 Museum. We had been to the Memorial back in 2014, but the Museum was not yet open.

A month after our visit, and I am still not sure how I feel about the experience.

The museum is still new(er), so the lines are like amusement park long to get in. We got tickets electronically, which is fine for purchase, but good luck getting their wifi to connect to bring them up when needed. We were taken out that line, to another LONG line only to have someone print them out manually.

You'd think that being a museum of such a tragedy that the line workers would be.....oh, I don't know....not scowl-y, short and rude...........but they were all of those things. Getting in wasn't horribly welcoming.

I suppose I sound callous if I don't say it was sorrowful.........but it wasn't.

I get that we are desensitized to some of this. I get that 374 9/11 specials that run on cable from August 1 to September 12 every single year since 2002 has told the story 4,862 times. I've seen a number of the artifacts in one form or another over the last decade and a half. I have heard the phone calls from loved ones and flight crews.

But now I get to pay $24 to see it.......again. But close up.

Don't get me wrong, some things are just striking. Compelling, even. Some, well, there are only so many damaged emergency vehicles or parts of the antenna one wants to see. Of course, I'm speaking for myself.

I like the above tridents.

I liked the intact slurry wall. It was not all intact, so they ended up building a simulation next to it to continue the entire wall. That I didn't like.

I found the Survivor Stairs to be great. After the North Tower collapsed they remained pretty much intact allowing people to escape. Oddly the damage to them was not from the tower collapse, but from the cleaning and moving them. Crews were ready to destroy them while clearing the site. Preservationists had to fight to not have them demolished. 

It is hard to see, but each of those squares were the supports for the building. A building. I think my biggest take away was that you walked around the parameter of each of the towers and the bases of the above fountains came a few stories down, just as the towers had.

For some reason I think this was the highlight of the visit:

Spencer Finch's "Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on that September Morning"

9/11 had a crystal blue sky. Not a cloud in it - though I'm sure you're all visualizing that morning, and the film clips you saw as, or before, the planes struck.

There are 2,983 panels. One for each of the victims - including 1993.

Finch has the only commissioned artwork on site. And I think it was spectacular.


Oddly, we missed one wall - and I'm not sure how, but it had images of each and every victim. I'm sure that could have made things more sorrowful. I'm not sure if I'm glad we missed that part at all.

As it was, we were inside the museum for over two hours and moving at a good clip. And as it turns out we didn't see everything. Yet it doesn't seem like we missed out on much. One could easily spend many many more hours there - if they so desired.

I kept a look out for all the EXIT signs. The designers built in easily accessible ones for people who would be too distraught at the exhibits and had to make a hasty retreat. I saw the exits, but never saw a person who even remotely needed to use them.

I suppose I'm glad we did this, but I don't see the need to ever return. Once in a lifetime was enough.

...and I'm sure there will be 23 new specials on TV regarding the museum next August.




Song by:  Donovan

Perfect View

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we went away last weekend, through Wednesday.

I say it was beyond our control, because we planned to go away a while a go and work issues just got in the way. When they finally cleared up, we literally planned a trip within four hours - including boarding Petey, hotels, etc.

Clearly, flying was out of the question. We don't have Trump kind of money, or a private jet. But on the plus side, we don't have multiple ex-wives, have daughters we want to date or believe that vaccines give children Autism.

On a slightly earlier version of this attempt, I did reach out to Tornwordo, as he is a newly licensed travel agent. His attempts were valiant, but ultimately all for naught, as 710 and I couldn't even solidify a departure date.

As it turned out, we just used the internets late Friday night and again the next morning. And we were off Saturday afternoon.

Our destination: NYC.   Possibly our favourite place. In certain ways, save the hotel and perhaps an event ticket or two, you don't need much planning. There are plenty of things to do in Manhattan.

We took the same hotel we did last time, though we got bumped up a few floors - well, 44 floors higher than before, to be specific.

The hotel "claims" to have "park views", but if they existed at all, the 18th floor doesn't show them. Or maybe you could see a blade of grass.

62?  Well, that is a different story.

Now, that is a park view.

Immediately, I was wondering how I could live with a husband, dog and cat in 300 square feet. And to be more specific, where would we put the cat box.

The hotel room had a microwave, coffee maker, slow cooker (swear to Yahweh) and a dishwasher. I could almost live-live there. And of course, to wake up to those views.

As we were 62 stories up, with floor to ceiling windows, we were too high for me to effectively dance in front of the glass, or spy on people. No building was close enough that had anything but daytime occupants.

Still.........the views.

Look one way and it's Time's Square. 

The other way is Central Park and the Upper West Side. 

Though you can't see it in the picture, you get the George Washington Bridge.

Straight ahead was the east side. 

The tall building with the curved top is One57. Currently it is the tallest residential building on the island, that can be occupied. It is also been the 'big ticket item' for real estate deals in the NYT almost every single week for the last 15 months.

If you look in the title image you'll see a taller residential building in progress over on Park Avenue. It will almost equal the height of 1 World Trade. Actually, if you take away 1WTC's antenna, this new one is taller.

And if you look at the park image, don't get too attached to the view. There are currently TWO residential buildings going up there, that will almost totally block said view.  It's a crime.

I'm glad we took this opportunity and even paid way more than we should have for one of the nights, because we won't be getting a view like that again.



Song by: the Graces

Fountain of Sorrow

I expected it to be more solemn of an occasion. I expected silence. I expected reverence. I expected tears.

I expected something. Or at least something else.

The site has changed. Even since we visited three weeks ago.

I worked under the shadows of the twin towers. I saw the remains three weeks after they were brought down. I've seen the 9/11 Memorial and Freedom tower in various stages of construction over the last decade.

When we arrived for the finished Memorial, we were directed blocks away to obtain tickets if we wanted faster entry. Those without would wait hours. Even with, you went through a maze of ropes and lines, then metal detectors, all of this while being under scaffolding with wood planks.

In a mere few weeks, all that is now gone. People can now just walk up and into the site. No security checks. No tickets. No lines.

No doubt to coincide with opening of the Museum.

But then, we were herded like animals for slaughter. At least till you got onto the site. But while in line, people were talking, joking, laughing, taking selfies. Not me. Not us.

Coming onto a site that way, both 710 and myself later discussed that we lost something in the perspective of emotion. It just wasn't there.

I have been so interested in the design of the tower and the footprints that there wasn't much (ok, anything) anyone there could tell me that I did not already know. Not that guides were readily available for questions or direction. I actually had to use the 9/11 Memorial site app to locate Kit's panel number.

We had seen so many broadcasts and read so many articles on the design and construction, we probably knew more than any guide. Maybe that is why we felt so little. It actually took us weeks to admit that to each other.

People milled around and chatted. When 710 and I did, it was in very hushed tones.

I pointed out that people had thrown things into the pools, clogging the flow and disrupting the streams going over the edge. I was mortified. Apparently people throw coins in as well, as if it's a wishing well of some kind.

I used the time for remembrance: the stories I've seen, the tales I've read. All coming down to these two footprints. I don't know what others were thinking or felt. I wanted to care, but didn't.  Or couldn't.

I did flash back to the dozen or so times I've been to the Vietnam Memorial. It is so quiet there, you can hear a pin drop. I expected something more along those lines when it came to the 9/11 Memorial. It was not meant to be.

Perhaps it is harder in the heart of the city versus the Mall in DC, but I don't think so.

We expected to be down there a few hours (minus the wait time) but in reality we were done in less than one.

People are lazy. You entered at the south side of the South Tower and that's where people stood. Crowding. Pushing. Waiting for a view.

Walk to almost any other side, or over to the farther North Tower imprint, and you had complete freedom to walk up to the panels and to the pools.

I am glad we went, but I feel a tinge of guilt for not feeling more when being there. Maybe it was the combination of crowds and the way you entered that took away from the experience. I'm sure I'll be back. Crack of dawn or at twilight seems a good time for that.

That all said, I have always been impressed with the design of the footprints and pools. They are so aesthetically pleasing, at least to me.

I'm also a fan of the new WTC 1 building.

Song by: Jackson Browne

Burning Bridges for Fuel

You know we rarely get away, but for a long weekend, 710 and I are in New York City.

Of course, it was heartbreaking to me to drop Petey off to be boarded. He was excited to be there for a few minutes, but then was at the door waiting to go.

But we are in the city - and the first day was tons and tons of walking, but they'll all be that way, I'm sure. We went to no specific locations - just walking, which is our favourite thing to do in the city.

Taking my shoes after the long day was like opening a tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls.

We have destinations to get make over the next few days, but I'm thinking you won't hear specifics until we return.

I have to say, Chris Christie was no match for EZPass. We got over the Geo Washington Bridge in no time flat.


Song by:  Nina Persson

Empire Building

I'm tired. It's been a long week. I have nothing horribly original to post. ...and we have no heat. I'm freezing.

So this was on CNN - and making the rounds at other sites, and it's just a very cool video, if you ask me. Not all time-lapsed videos work, but it is safe to say most are somewhat emotionally invested in the raising of the new Freedom Tower - or whatever they are calling it now.

I'm still getting used to this new editor, so excuse any formatting issues - I'm not 100% sure how all this is working or looking.




 Song by: Tears for Fears

Send in the Clowns

New York City - no where else like it. Really.

I've mentioned that somewhere down the road Denton and I want to move to DC. But then I come back to NYC and my mind changes again. Manhattan is where I think I want to be. I really do love the city.

I have been here a few hundred times it seems and it always enthralls me and for different reasons than DC. I see myself as a visitor in both towns and never really a tourist. We don't tend to do the normal touristy things. I've been to the Statue of Liberty once (1981) and the Empire State Bldg once. I'm happy to just roam the streets and walk through the neighborhoods. And well, Central Park is one of my favourite places on earth. Amazing how you can be in there and not feel you're even near a city.

The trip up was interesting. Some guy across the aisle from me on the phone (before take off) continually saying, "I am fucked!. It got stranger from there, but I won't bore you.

We did do Broadway, because, what is a Saturday night in the city without a play. Yes, once must get near that horrid Times Square, but what are you gonna do?

As with most theaters, the seats and leg room are narrow and small. By the middle of the 2nd act, I was sure I had a DVT in my upper thigh and ass. It was so incredibly painful to sit there.....and not just because of the seating.

We saw Sondheim's A Little Night Music. I cannot say I was overly impressed.

This is the second Sondheim play I've seen and I had the same reaction - underwhelmed.

Yes, he can be a great lyricist but sometimes the overall story is just fair. I'm not a fan of farce for the most part anyway. I like the idea of Sondheim more than I actually like his work.

Elaine Stritch was the mother. She does better on 30 Rock when it comes to comedy. Tina Fey writes better lines or someone gives better direction. She couldn't really sing 30 years ago, and her vocal prowess has gotten no better from then to now. She clearly went to the Rex Harrison Vocal School. She speaks, but doesn't really carry a tune. Doesn't, because she cannot.

Bernadette Peters was ok. A little over the top, but you gotta play for those in the back rows.

The two male leads had almost identical voices. When they did sing together, it was really hard to know who was singing what part. And there were times when two, three or more people were singing at the same time - which seems to be a huge favourite thing of Sondheim. It's fine when it is done well (think West Side Story), but other times.....it's just too busy.

3+ hours this thing went on. Most of the music was just ok and I swear the only reason it got the revival nod was for the title of this post (which by the way, I don't own - so it's one of those rare occasions where the title did not come out of my music liberry).

We do not go to the theater often and I like to think of it more as an event. I abhor the people who must comment on everything as it's going on. "That's Elaine Stritch". "This is the big number!". Lord.

I had two or three favourite moments of the evening though. One was the lady next to Denton. Older, but not old old. As I said the seats were tight but this lady kind of went off on him about taking up the arm of the chair. As you know they are shared, but she seemed to believe that it was hers and hers alone. She would not let it drop even when he attempted, at first, to apologize. Since she wouldn't let it drop, neither did he and politely gave her a piece of his mind.

After intermission she exchanged seats with her daughter.

Two other people didn't come back after intermission too: Matthew Broderick and his beard wife Sarah Jessica Parker. They sat two or three rows ahead of us and left at half-time. I envied them. Oh, how I wish I could have gone.

He's looking older and a little bloaty. She is as horse-like as ever, but very demure looking as well. Maybe they came to see for themselves how bad Elaine Stritch was and needn't see anymore. Can't blame them.

As with any production now-a-days, there was a standing ovation, one that was not warranted. So often they are not, but people feel compelled to stand, clap and cheer just because.... It's no wonder that bad and mediocre "stars" are still in our midst.

One the way out, one very well-dressed older woman said, "well, that was worth waking up for..."
I'm not sure I agreed, but it's nice to know she gets out.

One of the nicer things happened at the end. Peters and Stritch stayed on stage to discuss the Broadway Cares organization, of which Peters sits on the board. It raises money for HIV/AIDS programs. Not only did they ask you to donate on your way out (I threw in $20), but the "stars" of the show were the ones at the doors collecting the money.

At least something impressed me Saturday night.


Song by: Judy Collins