10/7/15 Wednesday

Another sing along - "New York, New York, it's a wonderful town. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down..."

We spent the morning on the boat then took off on the subway to Times Sq, having decided to try an see a musical that Mary Ellen Carew had recommended, "Something's Rotten." Managed to blow our weeks budget but got, resonably priced tickets for the matinee. Cool! I've not been to a Broadway show in, what? 6-10 years? The St. James theater is among the oldest but so fine with its heavily raked seating and opera boxes and multifaceted chandiliers. Decent seats. Light and very clever show but to get all the jokes it is best to have a pretty good hold on the various musicals in the past 3 decades.

Lo and behold, though, we discovered that John Cariani is one of the major leads. Met John in Maine. Freeport Players has produce one of his plays, Portland Stage has done several. I helped guide him around Bates when he was there to do a lecture. Delightful, lovely man. Texted him to reintroduce myself and let him know we were in the audience. He texted back to say come backstage. We did. We chatted for a bit and got a small tour. Sweet! Lovely man and out of the park singer/actor.

Nancy & David on the Broadway stage

Sharing the same stage w/John Cariani in Something Rotten

Had an expensive, not so great, glass of wine at a recommended restaurant then headed "home" on the subway. Stopped at Zabar's for dinner and breakfast food then to the boat.

It's interesting and delightful, a bit curious, to be in NYC where I lived for 10 years (69-79). Some aspects are so familiar and comfortable while parts of the reality are so new and different. I'm totally enjoying being here. Loved running into, sort of, John, and now have messages from a couple of friends to contact them to try to get together. Feeling not so much like a country bumpkin. Of course, remembering how to ride the subway helps. Walking around, though, noticing all the odd shops and the hugh diversity of people and how they respond or don't, how they negotiate the crowds, the noise, the crowded, fast world. Reminds me of what I LOVED about living here...and what caused me to leave. Fullness. Opportunity. Curiosity. Yeah, opportunity.

And tonight we were out, in NYC, after dark. Oh my. Saw a man and his very elderly dog out walking. We'd seen the same pair this afternoon when we left the Basin. The dog with its displaced hips was gamboling into the park, joyfully.