Broadway Babes (cont.)

Piles of pumpkins at Union Square Greenmarket

Day 3

Shawn wanted to sleep in this morning, so I grabbed a light breakfast at Herb 'N Kitchen, downstairs at the hotel. I got an egg, bacon, and cheese breakfast sandwich on a croissant and a cup of strong coffee. Definitely overpriced, but delicious and convenient. 

Once we'd fully awoken and gotten dressed, we took an uber to the Union Square Greenmarket, which is open on Saturday mornings. It was wonderful! Fresh flowers, piles of colorful produce, a big selection of bright pumpkins, apple cider donuts! We strolled through the market, people-watched, and took it all in. (Exploring here really made me wish I had a full kitchen back at the hotel! I wanted to buy groceries and cook with them! They had so many delicious-looking ingredients and products!)

Strand Books will enthrall you.

Then, we walked a scant block south and stopped by Strand Books. This sprawling, four-story bookstore
is the stuff of every reader's dreams! Tons of stacks to get lost in; an amazing selection of popular, quirky, and positively esoteric books; tons of reader-friendly merchandise (book bags, book marks, pencils/pens, apparel, etc.); and a metric ton of personality. I could have moved in! 

We probably spent a couple of hours here, shopping, reading, enjoying the scent and weight and presence of thousands of books. Fantastic. 

Then, we walked a few blocks to Washington Square Park. I'd explored this area before, on a Christmas trip to the city, but I was excited to experience it again on a warmer day. It was lovely! The park was full of people, performers, food vendors, and activity. Musicians were playing, and a man dressed as the arch was painted completely white and standing completely still. On some nearby tables, old men were playing chess, and students were eating lunch as they sat on green benches. We got a cool drink at a cart and enjoyed the atmosphere for a while.

 

A beautiful fall morning at Washington Square Park

Then, it was time for lunch! Shawn had wanted to try Lombardi's Pizza, dubbed the first real pizzeria in New York city, and it wasn't far. We walked that way, stopping in a shop here and there. We arrived at Lombardi's at just the right time and were almost immediately seated. We ordered two Cokes and a Buddy's "Cake Boss" Pizza - a delicious concoction of prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, Romano cheese, and basil on a thin-crust red pie. It was so, so good! One pie is about the right size for two people to split, so the portion size was perfect. We sat at our outdoor table, munched our pies, watched all the passers-by, and kept up a running commentary on the traffic at the intersection. 

The lovely altar at Grace Church

We decided to walk back from this area to our hotel, as the distance was only a few miles, and we found all sorts of adventure! First, we noticed that Grace Episcopal Church was open for visitors, so we nosed in for a couple of minutes to appreciate their beautiful stained glass and architecture. We also browsed in several vintage and second-hand shops. 

By this time, we'd made it back to the Union Square Park area, and we figured we could use a spot of dessert. Luckily, Max Brenner New York has a shop there, so we went right in! We were seated immediately, got some water to wet our whistles, and chose to split the crystal churros fondue. It was the perfect size, and so delicious! Diners get a small basket of churros and three different dipping sauces (chocolate, caramel, and raspberries) with this order. We thoroughly enjoyed the sweet treat, and we made great friends with our waiter, who was planning a road trip through the American South. (We traded lots of traveling tips with one another!) 

As we continued strolling north, we found ourselves walking right by the Empire State Building. Shawn mentioned that she'd never been to the top. (Hubs and I had done so, but not since 2009.) So, I pitched an idea - We could walk the scant half block down to the entry point. If there was a huge line, we could bag it. But if not, we could take our chances for some gorgeous city views. Shawn agreed, and the rest is history. 

The gods were smiling on us. There was literally no line. None. We bought tickets at the kiosk, went through security, and made our way through the small exhibits that tell you about the history of the building, its role in so much of the city's popular culture, etc. Then, we took the elevator up to the 86th floor observatory. 

Two goofballs at the top of the Empire State Building!

Again, it was remarkably uncrowded. There was plenty of room to maneuver and take great photos, and we walked all around the perimeter of the deck, taking in views. The weather was glorious, and you could see the whole city spread out before you. 

Since we'd gotten the premium tickets, we were able to take the elevator up again to the 102nd floor, which is a much smaller, enclosed space. We spent a while up there before returning to the open-air deck, where the wind was terrific. Building employees took wacky photos for us, and we took them of other tourists so they could all be in their shots together. Just a great, impromptu experience!

Expansive views from the top of the Empire State Building

(A note: We had varying experiences with crowds during this trip, as the pandemic is still clearly impacting travel patterns. During our layover in the Charlotte airport on the way up, that airport was the busiest I have ever seen it. It was packed. JFK, however, was positively lonely, perhaps because international travel is still struggling, and many of those international flights run through JFK. As we moved around NYC, we certainly saw people, but I got the feeling that most of them were either locals or regional travelers, as many of the big sites - like the Empire State Building - were pretty crowd-free.)

"Did you finish your novel for book club?" 

As we continued to make our way north, we also stopped at the New York Public Library to commune with the lions. We went inside, but I'm very sad to say that they are no longer allowing visitors in the beautiful, soaring Reading Room. Only those doing research or studying are allowed inside, and they have two employees posted at the door to keep you out unless you're there to work. It's very unfortunate, as this beautiful room is one of my favorite public spaces in the city. 

Our last stop as we headed back to the hotel was St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is shiny and gorgeous after recent restoration efforts. There's no scaffolding on the structure right now, inside or out, and the building is a wonder. We spent some time admiring the stained glass, the soaring ceiling, and the gleaming altar area. 

After that, it was a quick walk back to the hotel, where we took a load off before the evening's entertainment - another Broadway show! For our second production, Shawn had chosen to see Moulin Rouge, which, only weeks before, had won a boatload of Tony Awards. We hoofed it to the theatre and took our seats. 

First of all, this show is all about spectacle, which is one of the reasons why it was wise to see it in its home theatre. (I can't imagine that it would travel easily, considering some of the large set pieces and the 30+ cast members.) The inside of the theatre has been completely transformed, with huge set pieces in the coves, red velvet and twinkling lights on all of the walls, a multi-tiered false proscenium, and general technical wizardry throughout. Amazing design - sets, costumes, lights. It's a feast for the eyes. 

Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!

Once the curtain went up, it was music, rhinestones, actresses being flown in from the ceiling, fireworks, confetti and a general sensory bonanza from start to finish. I thought that Act 1 was a bit slower, with Act 2 picking up the pace and serving as the powerhouse of the show, but we enjoyed the whole experience.

After the show, we walked back to the hotel and practically collapsed into bed! A long, wonderful, action-packed day!

Beautiful Bethesda Terrace

Day 4

After packing our bags and cleaning up a bit, we enjoyed bagels, lox, fruit, and big cups of strong coffee for breakfast in the hotel's downstairs buffet. Then, we checked our bags with the front desk (as our flight out didn't leave until 5:30 p.m.) to see what trouble we could get into on our last half day in town.

I'd originally thought we might catch a cab to The Cloisters on this morning, but after such a whirlwind few days, I wanted something a bit easier. So instead, we decided to walk Central Park South, as we had a fine fall morning of weather to soak up. We entered the park near the Plaza Hotel, then curved east and up towards the Literary Walk. We loved stopping to read all of the plaques on the benches, as they are like little stories of those who have enjoyed the park. 

We spent some time sunning at Bethesda Terrace, then cut across to the Hans Christian Andersen and Alice in Wonderland statues. Afterwards, we popped out onto 5th Avenue to slowly make our way back down to the hotel. We stopped in a few shops to browse along the way. 

Then, we picked up our bags and caught a car to the airport! We had a bite to eat in JFK before our first flight, and then took two smooth, uneventful flights back home. 

We loved, loved, loved our trip, and I was so glad that we were able to welcome Broadway back! A big shout-out to the theatre professionals who shared some time with us on this adventure. We love you!

The Alice in Wonderland statue is made for curious little hands and feet.