The plot is fairly predictable…spiced up with cross-dressing actors who can really do a high kick!
Our last full day in New York City and we had one more Broadway Show. We were tired and so we took the morning easy and and then had the bellman hail a cab to Amy’s Bread in Hells Kitchen on 9th Street. This is where Cousin Carrie works and also where you can get an amazing chicken salad sandwich and a pastry. We also had our first opportunity to do a bit of shopping in the neighborhood. It was the first time I had spent so much time in New York City without the challenge of lugging shopping bags home. I was packing lots of great memories though.
We arrived at the theater in plenty of time to get our tickets from Today’s Tix and get in the lengthening line. Mom really wanted to see Kinky Boots because the music was by Cyndi Lauper and she had seen “numbers” done on television and like it. Apparently lots of groups of women who were in the City for a girls weekend or day had the same idea. The line moved quickly and we had great seats. Today Tix was able to buy them for less than originally quoted so we received a voucher towards our next purchase. It is only good for 60 days, so I passed it on to Carrie.
We were excited to see Kinky Boots at the Sunday matinee.
Mom’s review:Of all the shows we saw (all fantastic), this one was what I would expect from a Broadway show: singing, dancing and big production numbers. All extremely well done. Lola was a delight–funny and sympathetically played.
We really enjoyed the enthusiastic performance and I am once again impressed with how open-minded my 80 year old mom is. She did not bat an eye at the unconventional plot details.
Even though our next stop at Ray and Jim’s was about three quarters of a mile, we caught a cab and went to my friends’ for a great conversation and Thai delivery.
We ended the evening with a Lyft to the hotel. Both Mom and I were completely satisfied with our theater experience and our time together in New York. We were also tired and the bed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Chelsea felt marvelous.
The next day we just had to get up, walk a half block to get an egg McMuffin and be back to meet Lincoln Limousine for our ride to Newark airport. God willing we will do it again in a few years only we will stay in the Theater District and save money on cabs.
Seeing 4 plays in 3 days requires that you see a matinee and an evening performance on Saturday. Beautiful was always in the top 3 shows Mom wanted to see. It is the Carole King life story. We both had great memories of her music. The reviews were also very positive. First we ate at L’Amico, a new restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel that we found through Open Table. Then we cabbed it to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Chilina Kennedy wows audience as Carole King. (official photo)Pick up your tickets 30 minutes before the show from a Today Tix representative. The app has many great features. Check it out.
We bought our tickets through Today Tix. We were not sure how it worked. My email said to look for the person in the Today Tix red shirt to the left of the box office 30 minutes before the performance. It all worked just as the emails said it would. Our person was there with our tickets. We signed for them and voila! We had terrific seats every time at a reduced price. The concept is similar to the Bargain Ticket hut on Times Square, except that you purchase through an app on your phone or iPad and you can shop up to a week ahead. We got all of our tickets, except Hamilton, through Today Tix. Not all shows are available because they are helping the theaters sell unsold tickets and ensure theaters are full.
All I knew about Beautiful was that it was the story of Carole King’s life accompanied by the music she wrote or co-wrote. It was delightful. The performances were superb. As Mom says: Music I can relate to…beautifully sung and a lovely plot well told.
During the closing song I started crying and could not stop. Suddenly I had a vivid memory of all the happy hours I spent with my best friend Harriet in her living room listening to Carole King’s Tapestry album over and over again. Good times then and now.
We got out of the theater at about 11:00 p.m. and Mom’s knees were about to give way. There were crowds from several other shows already on the street trying to hail a cab. We saw the bike rickshaw and it seemed like a no-brainer.
I was excited because I love bicycle transportation of all shapes and sizes.
Mom and I climbed in and waved goodbye to cousin Carrie who was headed in the opposite direction and taking the subway.
Our pedaler had a few false starts to find a way through the jam of cars in the parking lots and street and soon we were racing through the streets of New York from the theater district west 47th Street to Chelsea on west 28th Street.
It was thrilling. New York City looked beautiful.
Our driver was originally from the Ukraine and very fit. He was charging by the minute and he did not dawdle. He took every advantage to keep moving.
It was $120 for 20 minutes. This makes it as expensive per minute as the helicopter ride we took in New Zealand, and almost as exhilarating.
Here is Mom’s impression:
A bus on one side and a cab on the other. Then were careened in front of the cab and my adrenaline was on high!! 20 min of heart stopping zigging and jagging in traffic was all this old heart could stand but I’m so glad for the experience ONCE.
After a late night on Saturday, I was not up bright and early. I pushed off about 11:30 a.m. on a 80 degree day. It was a little humid with a slight breeze along the Hudson River.
My goal was the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Google Maps gave me a very direct route that would take 1 hour 16 minutes on a 12 mile route up 8th Avenue and along the west side of Central Park. My friend recommended using the Hudson River Parkway instead. So I pedaled North along the river until the far end of Riverside Park at 125th Street. The greenway was packed with cyclists, roller bladers, walkers with and without strollers. The cyclists ride like New Yorkers drive; that is, they abide by the rules of the road occasionally. It kept me on my toes and my thumb on Black Beauty’s bell.
Take a bite of the big apple on your bike.
I stopped along the way and bought a Aquafina and Diet Pepsi from a vending machine and enjoyed the view.
There are only a few opportunities to cross the westside highway to get back into Manhattan. I crossed under the highway at 125th Street and found myself in Harlem.
As to safety in NYC, it was broad daylight and I never felt truly unsafe. Riding in a very urban environment is a challenge for me as I ride mostly in Davis, California and environs. This is like training for a mountain ride at sea level on the flat. I was worried about getting lost because I was using my phone and Google Maps app and in the sunshine it was a challenge to read.
I read the book BikeNYC for advice and I was most worried about getting “doored”. There is also a lot of different paving and a plethora of manhole covers and other kinds of metal covers on the street.
My original plan was to borrow my friend’s lock, but this went awry because he does not ever leave his bike away from home. So I knew that wherever I went I’d need to fold my bike and push it rather than leave it locked.
My Brompton bike attracts attention and at one point two guys in a tricked out Mercedes followed me slowly. It crossed my mind that someone might steal my bike out from under me, so I practiced defensive riding. I spotted a guy taking photos ahead on the sidewalk. I stopped by him, got off and walked in a new direction on the sidewalk for a block. It was enough to shake them.
Harlem is not scary
Let’s face it, New York City is a far cry from the scary legends I heard when I was growing up. The real challenge was finding my way across the Macombs Dam Bridge.
By the time I crossed the bridge and entered the Bronx I had been riding Black Beauty for almost 2 hours with only short breaks. I was wearing jeans, not bike shorts, so it is official: my Brooks bike seat is fantastically comfortable.
The other good news: New York is almost as flat as Sacramento, California. I was feeling pretty good and more mentally tired from watching for car doors opening and trying to find my way along. My daughter rode across the USA with Bike and Build and I remembered how they navigated and realized why it was a great way to stay on course. They just typed out the directions on a small piece of paper and taped it to their handle bars. My route would look something like:
Turn right on Hudson River Greenway, ride 9 miles.
Turn right on 125th Street.
Turn left on St. Nicholas Street…
and so on. Good lesson for the next ride.
The new Yankee Stadium at game time.
Crossing the bridge was far from intuitive, so I asked the policewoman who was directing traffic how to cross on a bicycle and she did not know. A lot of people bicycle in New York but I guess it still is a novelty to some.
I was rewarded with a great view of Yankee Stadium once I crossed the bridge. A game had just started and people were still pouring into the stadium. I love visiting ballparks and I was tempted to stop and try to buy a ticket. As a Giants fan and secondarily as a Red Sox fan I felt slightly guilty. Plus I have been trying to get to the New York Botanical Garden for years. I checked Google maps and pedaled on.
Riding along the Grand Concourse in the Bronx
Again, the reputation of the Bronx is much worse than current reality. My main beef was with all of the drivers who viewed the beautiful bike lane as “reserved parking” and twice I had to brake hard as a cab darted in just in front of me to drop off a fare.
I was getting closer to the Garden and my mental focus was wearing down. Google Maps had me ride to Bedford Park Boulevard and enter the NY Botanical Garden from the Bedford Park Gate.
The New York Botanical Garden website encourages you to ride your bike and provides some guidance on how to arrive. It does say that you can not ride your bike in the grounds; however, I thought if I folded up my bike I could push it around like a stroller. I should have probably folded it up before approaching the ticket booth. The staff would not let me take my bike in and suggested I leave it in the parking garage a half block away.
Close to Botanical Garden train stop and parking garage
I rode to the parking garage and discovered that instead of bike lockers there is just a classic s-shape bike rack. I was close to tears now as I was so close to the Garden but could not get inside.
I saw an official looking man driving a golf cart and I asked him if there was any other bike parking. My lucky day: it was Mark, the head of NYBG security. He listened as I told him my tale of woe and he came to my rescue. He asked me to fold up my bike and put it on his cart. He whisked me over to the Moshulu Gate and locked my bike in his security hut and assured me that the nearby security guard would help me retrieve it when I was ready to leave. What a stand up guy! My day went from catastrophe to brilliant. With some parting advice from him on the best things to see, I started my garden adventure.
Pointer: Bring a bike lock! And there is a more visible bike rack at the Moshulu Gate right by the security guard station.
I rode the train to Grand Central Station and cabbed it to my friend’s house to make it back in time for dinner plans. My Black Beauty is easy to take on train, and folded she fits easily in the cab’s trunk.
It felt great to reach my goal of riding from Chelsea to the NYBG, although I wish I started earlier so I had most of the day at the Garden. And the next day when I went to the Bicycle Habitat shop in Chelsea the staff person said that the way I rode was probably 20 miles!
I love Chelsea. Mainly because I love my friend Ray and he lives in and adores Chelsea and his laugh and loves are infectious.
Chelsea Market interioOn our way to the Chelsea Market one Saturday morning, Ray spied something new: the recently opened High Line Hotel on 10th Avenue.
I have stayed in different hotels when Ray has family staying in his home already. I like the Gem Hotel but it does not always have rooms availalble. I was thrilled to discover a new (albeit more expensive alternative) in a former Seminary building. You have to love a hotel that offers bikes for loan and a view (for now) of The High Line garden walkway.
It is also just a block or so from the Chelsea Market and surrounded by great restaurants. And every morning you could roll out of bed, hit the exquisite looking coffee bar in the lobby and take a relaxing walk along the High Line.
The High Line is a wonderful reinvention of the elevated railroad. It is listed in “New York’s 50 best places to find Peace and Quiet.” Not so much on a Saturday.
At times it was packed with people making it a great place to people watch. The art along the way is thought provoking. And there is an elevator if you have a stroller or need to avoid several flights of stairs. (Although the elevator on 23rd St. was out of order on the day we were there.) The views of Chelsea also give you a different perspective on living in this part of the City.
Colin Powell and his “proof” of WMD
We ate later that night at The Park named for its interior that feels like an exterior. The food was adequate and the atmosphere was perfect for our group of 8. Our reservation was for 9:30, so by the time we finished our roast chicken, salmon, octopus salad, turkey burgers, gnocchi and lamb sausage pizza the pop music was pumping and there was a line to get into the dance club and bar. We retired to “Club Ray” where conversation was easier and the drinks are free.
Chelsea is also a great access point for the Hudson River Greenway, which runs the length of Manhattan on the westside. If you need bike support, I recommend Bicycle Habitat (228 7th Avenue).
In anticipation of the day when my blog design will be complete and I will officially crack a bottle of champagne on my MacBook and launch Adventures of American Julie, I have been banking blogs of my summer adventures. However, these first few posts will be “live from New York City.” New York City is a great place to start: I have a dear friend to visit in Chelsea, several specific sites I want to see, some shopping to do, and my new Brompton foldable bike to try.
I took advantage of a screaming Southwest airfare sale this summer and so I am flying to Newark, New Jersey. I catch the “easy train ride” into Penn Station, arriving just after midnight on Friday night.
Already Serendipity has blessed me with an encounter in my home airport. I saw a former colleague and friend who flew in from San Diego for a fishing weekend with old friends. We had a good, brief catch up and headed on our separate directions. I just love travel.
americanjulie.com 