Our plan was to meet Cousin Carrie at the Den restaurant at the Hyatt on Herald Square. We were going to enjoy dinner and then walk to the play. Mom and I walked from our hotel to the lobby bar at the Hyatt. We were enjoying a drink when Jordan, the restaurant manager came down to greet us and offer us a choice of the lobby level restaurant or the rooftop. He asked what we were doing in New York and we explained Mom’s birthday adventure. Then Carrie arrived and agreed that the roof sounded like fun. As Jordan escorted us up to our table, he offered a complimentary bottle of Prosecco to celebrate Mom’s birthday! Woop! Woop!
The view was amazing. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. The variety of small plates and large plates allowed everyone to get just what they wanted. Mom especially loved her prawn and avocado salad. The atmosphere on the roof was celebratory. When we asked the party next to us to help us take pictures they happily said yes. And one funny guy photo bombed the last few shots. We laughed together and then set off for the theater.
Here’s where my planning broke down. I had now asked my Mom to walk several miles already today. I needed her to walk one more mile in about 40 minutes. She needed to stop and fortunately there are red tables and chairs in the middle of Times Square. We got to the theater just in time. And we already had our tickets. Mom’s knees were wobbly but we got to our seats on the main floor in the last row.
Mom’s response to Hamilton:
It was no small feat (for Hamilton) to live up to the hype for this show. But it did and more! I was told I would not like it because it was modern music. I didn’t like it; I LOVED IT!! It is a history lesson in rap and understandable at all times. The author/lead actor who played Alexander Hamilton was GREAT, although it is impossible to think a road show version could be done without him. Aaron Burr was also so well done that one almost felt sorry for him.
Hamilton is the hot ticket on Broadway and for good reason. It was fantastic. Carrie, Mom and me represent three different generations and we all thoroughly enjoyed this musical. The play is based on Ron Chernow’s book Alexander Hamilton. I had started to read it the week before we left for NYC, but the book is a doorstop and I had barely dented Hamilton’s life story. It helped to know a little more about his life, and it was good to be open to learning as the play unfolded.
The cast is amazing. I am so glad we spent the money for the tickets. We bought them from the theater, so no mark up. Still $168 per person is a big night out and, in this case, completely worth it.
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