I wrote this yesterday (Saturday), but fell asleep before posting.
Last night, I made sure to Facetime with Hubs and The Girl Before she went to bed. He asked me, “Are you just hanging out in your room for the rest of the night?” Um, yea-ah! I’m hanging out in a hotel room, alone, with no laundry hanging over my head, no kitchen to clean up, no one to put to bed or debate TV options with me. THIS is what a solo vacay is about!
This morning, I slept until my body said it was time to wake up. What a lovely feeling! I pre-ordered breakfast room service (‘cause that’s how I roll), and it showed up right on time. I went for the vacay standard… over easy eggs, toast, seasoned potatoes, and of course, bacon. For the first time in my life I took a bite of bacon that did not taste good. I ate most of the eggs and potatoes, but skipped the toast. Yeah, it was wasteful. Tomorrow, I’ll go out for breakfast.
I farted around a bit at the hotel, then showered and headed to the Meat Packing District to meet my friend Jodi and her daughter for lunch. I do so love taking the subway. I had used the Transit app to map my route, which included a transfer. But, way below ground, I accidentally reset the app and couldn’t get a signal without going back up to the top. Luckily, I vaguely recalled what was on the screen, and I made the right choice for my next train.
I ended up getting there a little early, and Jodi was running a bit late due to her train being rerouted. So, I wandered into Warby Parker (just around the corner) and tried on some shades that I may purchase with my prescription at a later date.
It just so happened that the restaurant where we were going to eat, Bubby’s, is right at the start of the High Line.
After lunch (BTW, I had a chicken burger – it was delish! Jodi had a burger and Olivia had pancakes – because brunch is a thing), we went up and started walking the High Line.
About ⅔ of the way through, shortly after playing a bongo and getting a balloon, Olivia was done (after all, she’s not yet quite 5). I bid her and Jodi adieu and continued walking. All the way to the end.
As it turns out, the High Line ends at the Javits Convention Center, and people, it’s Comic Con. I saw a few different Doctors, Harley Quinns, Jokers, Pokémon(s?), and Harry Potters. Not to mention all the characters I couldn’t identify. My original plan was to take the subway back, but somehow, I ended up walking almost all the way back. I did take the subway for the last two stops of my trek. I think I ended up walking for at least 4 hours. In a constant drizzle of rain.
With a ticket to Kinky Boots at 8 tonight, I knew I needed fortification. I was a bit discouraged when the first Starbucks closest to my hotel was closed already. But, have no fear. This is Manhattan, where there’s a Starbucks every couple of blocks. I loaded up with caffeine, chilled out in the hotel room for a bit, then walked a block to grab a smoked turkey and cheddar panini from Fresh & Co for dinner. Then, I got ready to head out for my first Broadway show. I can’t believe I hadn’t done this on previous trips, but there you go.
It was still raining, and I didn’t know if I had the foot power left to walk 20 minutes to the theater, so I decided to grab a cab. I found my new superpower – getting a cab on a rainy Saturday night in Manhattan. The only problem was that traffic was so bad, I actually could have walked faster. Once we were about halfway there, I gave up on the wheels, and set out on foot. I walked through Times Square and to the theater district, turned a corner, and finally, the Al Hirschfeld Theater was in sight. But, like in a horrible dream, I swear it kept getting farther away. I had barely a minute to spare, and thankfully, they were holding for the house, so I didn’t miss anything. Except my wallet. Bless whomever picked it up (I think I left it at the box office counter), found me, and got it back to me before I even knew it was gone. And, everything was in it, including the cash.
Once I got over the sick feeling of what could have been, the show started. The beginning was a little slow and a bit boring, frankly. And then, Lola came on stage. I couldn’t stop smiling. Alan Mingo Jr. was amazeballs! I could have done without the Texan Trump supporters next to me, narrating for each other, but all in all, I had a great time. It was a fabulous show with a wonderful message of love and acceptance.
On my way back to the hotel, I passed The Rock and thought – just for a moment – that I was missing Lin-Manuel Miranda in there. But, I got over it, made it back to the hotel, and to my room with time to spare to take off my makeup before the BEST opening “monologue” in the history of SNL. Lin’s revision of “My Shot” was perfect. Though, I suppose if you don’t know Hamilton, it wouldn’t have made the same impression.
So, Weekend Update is about to start, so I’m going to go watch and massage my feet with my Foot Rubz ball, which is much needed after walking a total of about 5 miles today. Oy!