Broadway Babes

New York City from The Edge

When the pandemic forced the closure of Broadway's storied theaters, I was sad. So, so sad. Even if I'm not *at* Broadway, just knowing that it's there makes me happy. Knowing that audiences are coming in, and the curtain is going up, and the dancers are doing their high kicks - it just makes me glad to know that's happening, somewhere in the world. 

And then . . . it wasn't. Everything was just closed up. Dark. It hurt my heart to even think about it. 

Art on the High Line

So, as we began to hear that Broadway was opening back up this fall, I knew I wanted to be there for it. On one of our evening walks, my friend Shawn and I were talking about it, and she felt the same way. A few bookings later (Airfare! Hotel! Show tickets!), we were all set. 

Day 1

We flew up on a Thursday, caught a cab from JFK to the Hilton Midtown Manhattan (which - no lie - had just re-opened for business a week or two before we checked in), and got ready for adventure! (This hotel was a great home base for our trip. Excellently located, shiny and new from the renovation, with dining options on property. Recommended.)

We started by strolling the High Line down to Hudson Yards. I'd explored the High Line several years prior, and I was excited to check out how it had changed since then. I'm happy to report that it's just as beautiful now! I love all the public art on display, and you'd be surprised how quickly you can cover ground on foot in NYC when you aren't waiting to cross traffic at each street light! 

From the High Line, we spied something new - Little Island, which just opened in May 2021. This magical green space, which features tons of interactive and public art, hovers over the water of the Hudson River, and it is an absolute delight. It's multi-leveled, so there are plenty of vantage points from which to appreciate the water and the skyline on the opposite shore. 

Sunset from Little Island

There are tons of places to sit, and the park also features a piano (which looked like anyone could play it), vendors selling food and drinks, and lovely little cafe tables when you can enjoy your comestibles. It's an inventive, enchanting place to spend an hour or two, and I highly recommend it.

After enjoying the park, we made our way to the nearby Fig and Olive, where we had a dinner reservation. I started with a delicious Autumn Cider cocktail, then moved on to the wonderful mafaldine, which featured wild mushrooms, asparagus, peas, creamy sauce, and crunchy hazelnuts. Culinary happiness. 

Two women on The Edge!

It's worth noting that NYC is requiring Covid vaccinations OR a negative Covid test to dine at restaurants, enjoy theatre productions, or really visit any indoor venue. I applaud them for their commitment. I used their NYC Covid Safe app to keep my documentation handy, and it was a painless process to meet this requirement.

After dinner, we still weren't quite ready to hit the hay. We walked the High Line north a bit towards The Edge. The sun had set, and we were ready for some glittering city views. We bought tickets at a kiosk (We included a glass of champagne for each of us.), and in we went! After a quick intro and security check, we shot up 100 stories in the elevator to ooohh and ahhhh over the lights of the Big Apple. 

We loved the outdoor observation deck, where the full moon shone down on us while we picked out the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and other landmarks. A section of the floor up here is see-through, and it made my legs tingle a bit to stand there and look aaaallll they way down to the street, 100 stories below! 

We picked up our champagne at the indoor bar, strolled and sipped. It was a beautiful night for it!

On our way out, we stopped by The Vessel, which is just outside. Though this arresting piece of interactive art/architecture is currently closed for safety reasons (and that's such a shame), it's still a beautiful sight to behold, all lit up at night. 

We walked back to our hotel, cutting neatly through Times Square to appreciate the bright lights, and then sank gratefully into bed back at our hotel. 

The Vessel

Day 2

We slept in a bit on Friday, opting for a late breakfast at Cafe Sabarsky when it opened at 9 a.m. I'd heard marvelous things about this place (particularly about their pastries, and you know how I love sweets!), so we decided to check it out. 

We fell in love. Our waiter, Hannan, was an absolute angel. We chose to share the big breakfast (tea, juice, ham and eggs, and a bread basket) and then two pastries - the apple strudel and some kind of fantastic creamy sponge cake with berries on top.

The apple strudel OF MY DREAMS

My friends. It. Was. DIVINE. The service. The food. The atmosphere. (You feel like you are in some
historic Viennese cafe.) This perfect little gem is affiliated with the Neue Galerie, a museum of Austrian and German art. Museum members get preference for booking cafe reservations, and I'm starting to think they are trying to keep this place a secret from the rest of us. I'm doing my part for my fellow Americans by telling you, so don't let all of my research be in vain! (Heh.)

After our breakfast settled a bit, we explored the north part of Central Park. During most of my visits, I've spent time in Central Park South, which is where most of the landmarks (and tourists) are. The north part of the park is a bit wilder, and there are a lot fewer people. We strolled around the Jacquline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, which offers beautiful views, and we also looped the tennis courts (where tons of New Yorkers were practicing their serves and volleys). 

After a bit of walking, we popped back out of the park on the east side and poked our noses into the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design for a quick look. Admission is free, and we spent about 30 minutes here, admiring some of the clothing and sculptural pieces and browsing the gift shop. 

It was a gorgeous day around the Central Park reservoir!

Next, it was on to the Guggenheim Museum, where we had timed, pre-paid tickets. This museum has been on my list for years, but I'd never gotten to it. The structure itself is one of the main attractions, a swirling seashell reaching towards a domed skylight, and it is a wonder. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the topmost parts of the building feature live plants and little seating areas where visitors can rest and reflect. 

Guggenheim interior

All around the swirl, we found colorful Kandinskys, both big and small. I loved some of the larger, slightly impressionistic ones like Blue Mountain and Landscape with Rain, but some of the very abstract ones (like Several Circles and Composition 8) held my interest for a long time. They had a temporary exhibit by a Lebanese-American artist on the lower floors, and the permanent collection here also includes Picasso, van Gogh, and many other masters. We stopped for a drink and a light snack in the cafe, and then headed back to the hotel for a break before dinner. 

On the advice of a friend, we'd made a dinner reservation that night at Becco, on restaurant row. For a flat fee, diners enjoy an appetizer or salad, then get to eat what they like of the three pastas of the day. On our night, the pastas were a clam linguine, a marinara, and an earthy mushroom ravioli. I tried a little bit of all of them, then got a larger serving of the ravioli, which was my favorite! This was a great, convenient stop, and they know what they're doing here - both when it comes to pasta and when it comes to getting you to your curtain on time. 

After dinner, we walked to our first Broadway show of the trip - Come from Away! I'd chosen this show because I was looking for a story that made me feel good about humanity. This one was just the ticket! 

The cast of 15 or so actors (who all play multiple roles) deftly tell the true story of thousands of travelers who were stranded in Newfoundland in the days following the September 11 attacks. Tiny towns in the area put forth Herculean efforts to house, feed, and clothe these weary, frantic strangers until they could return home. It's such an uplifting piece, and I got misty several times - both from the story and from the electric experience of being back in a theatre again, with a group of professionals who love what they do and an audience of theatergoers who love them for doing it well. Cathartic. 

After the show, we walked back to the hotel and slept like the dead!

More to come . . . 

It was so, so good to be back! I've missed you, Broadway!