New York: Day One

This is my second day back to real life. I am still playing catch-up at work, but the current craziness is so worth the experiences I had in New York City!

My journey began last Wednesday evening with a flight out of SFO.
I drive myself into San Francisco with some frequency, but it was nice to take in the scenery on a bus, even if the air conditioning was not working and the ride was somewhat bumpy.

I have not been on a plane since all of the increased security measures were put into place – yes, it has been that long - so I was a bit nervous about all my luggage passing inspection. Thankfully, I made it through with absolutely no problem, knitting needles and all! (Thank you to everyone for your helpful hints and suggestions; it would seem that bamboo knitting needles are perfectly acceptable on domestic flights.)

I arrived at JFK around 5:15 a.m. and was dropped off by bus in Manhattan way too early for check-in. The hotel was gracious enough to stash my luggage for a few hours, which was a huge relief!

So, after dropping all that excess baggage, I got a second wind. It was a lovely morning. The streets were not crowded, and the temperature was perfect for walking.

I started out heading towards Rockefeller Center.

And kept going.

I wandered around until I ended up at the Library and sat down for a bit.

After a few close calls with the pigeons, I walked around the corner to Bryant Park.

I have it on good authority that this place used to be rather sketchy and to be avoided at all costs, but that is hard to believe looking at it today!

At that point, my phone battery was going to die, and my body needed some rest.
Back at the hotel, I sat in the mezzanine level, charged my phone, and waited for my room. I ended up on the 9th floor - not very impressive, but definitely high enough for me. And having been up for over 24 hours, all I was really interested in was a place to sleep!

After a quick nap, I needed to decide what I was going to do with my Thursday evening - no sense wasting it, right?

I had a few suggestions for must-see theatre from a friend that spends quite a bit of time in New York, and the show that really had my interest was Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. I ran into a Bay Area theatre director from my childhood at the theatre - what a small world, right?!

The show was AMAZING! I know Audra (we are, of course, on a first name basis now! - ha!) has had quite a bit of movie and television success as of late, but she is truly spectacular in a live setting. And if you hang out long enough, the stars have to leave the building.

So I had the opportunity to spend a few moments with her!

The walk back to the hotel was a bit of a blur. It had been a really long day. But so very enjoyable!

Some landmarks were even starting to look familiar . . . although no matter how long I stare at that strange topiary thing, it still looks like an eyesore to me. Oh well, I will just have to blot the image out with visions of Ms. McDonald in white, Charles James couture, and lots of gorgeous fabric!