The City Joe and the Country Joe: N-E-W * Y-O-R-K

N        New Talent

We were in New York today  to give our son Brian a taste of the audition process for a  Broadway show.  He had found an open audition for Godspell on line and it would be a learning experience for him.   We decided to have a getaway and came up one day early.  At 11:30 last night, Brian went to sign a sign up sheet at the site of the auditions, and no one was waiting in line.   By the time we awoke at 7:00 this morning, there were hundreds of young talented people lined around the city blocks waiting for their chance at a role.  To make a long story short, Brian finally got through the front door to do his singing at around 4:00 in the afternoon.  The temperature was in the low 90’s and the sun was scorching.  It was quite a wait to sing 8 measures of an audition song, but he was happy.

E      Elevator

The elevator at the hotel had some symbols for keeping the door open or keeping it closed.  I am a man of words, not symbols.  If it had said ‘OPEN DOOR’ or ‘CLOSE DOOR’,  I wouldn’t have nearly injured that poor lady last night.

W          Without Really Trying

We were privileged to see ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette.  It was a fabulous show.  Shortly after dinner  we decided to see if any theaters had tickets left.  We walked into the theater where ‘How to Succeed’ was playing and proceeded to the box office.  We looked at the seats and prices.  $52.00 per ticket would get us a nosebleed ticket in the upper mezzanine.  We decided to go for it.  I asked the attendant for those tickets and he said they have been sold out for months.  Then I asked about rush tickets and he said they are available in the morning and go fast, so there were none left.  “We do have some seats available for $132.00 each, Sir.”  We said “No thanks,” and began to turn around.  He yelled, “Wait a minute.  I have a coupon here that will give you a good discount on seats.  You’ll be in the sixth row center.  The total cost will be $97.00 per ticket.”  I was a happy customer!  The musical was magnificent and I could see and hear the whole thing perfectly!   I was ten feet away from  John Laroquette, who was a television favorite of mine on Night Court in the 1980’s, and Daniel Radcliffe, who astonished the crowd with his agility and his capability as a singer.

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Y          Yikes

The hotel we are staying in cost three times what we paid for a room in Indiana, Pennsylvania.  Granted, there are lots of people willing to hold the elevator door for you and check your room key for entrance into the hotel, and cater to your every need.  I guess I’m a Comfort Inn sort of guy, though, where there’s free Internet access, and a free continental breakfast.  Would I want to pay $10.00 for four hours of email and Facebook.  I think not!  I was sure it would have been included in the cost. We did find a place for breakfast that didn’t break the bank.  I’m frugal, uh… cheap, so it wasn’t quite as good a feeling as getting a free meal, but the meal was delicious.  The $288.00 per night room with $40.00 in fees and taxes did have its perks:  I got a free pen with the logo of the hotel on it.

O       Oops!

Brian left the hotel to go to the audition line, which began forming across the street from the hotel.  I left the hotel about a half hour later to find him.  I found him far back in the line, but not at the end.  He had found his place, and would remain there until 10:00, when the auditions would begin.  I took in the surroundings:  all the hotels, restaurants and theaters.  Then I noticed that we were standing in front of a Subway Sandwich Shop, and next to it was an adult book store.   This Christian Dad was with his Christian son in front of an adult book store!  I was relieved when Brian told me that he wanted to stand in line on his own and that his Mom and I could go do something.  Jackie wanted to check out the front of the audition line and I decided to explore a little.  I saw a DVD shop with bargain prices posted on the front windows.  I meandered my way to this one to see if they had any of my favorites because I love good movies and classic TV shows, but this too was an adult book, DVD, and other things store.   I’m so old.  I just turned around and went back to find Jackie and move on to the next activity.

R        Return to Normal (to the tune of the Green Acres theme…Weird Al Yankovic, thank you for the inspiration!)

Sub-urbia is the place to be,

Lawn mowing is life for me,

Dark back roads winding through the wood,

Horses and buggies and pastures that don’t smell  good.

New York is where I had to go,

Son tries out for a brand new show,

I can’t believe the mob I see,

Dumpsters and taxis and neon too bright for me.

A doe!

A Show!

Rose thorn!

Car horn!

Got to adjourn,

Can’t wait to return

To cows and fields of corn!

K       Keep things in perspective

This was my first visit to New York City, save a trip as a sixth grader to Ellis Island.  I’d been to the harbor to board cruise ships, but I’d never been to Times Square or Broadway before.  I am not a city person.  The mammoth buildings hid any open skyline and made me claustrophobic .  The crowds moved swiftly and in all directions, sort of like they do on the boardwalk.  The cars and taxis raced to beat each other through the traffic lights, and the sound of horns invaded the airwaves.   Would there be more to remember about this excursion than the expensive restaurants, hotels, and parking garages?  Would I ever recover from the audio and visual overload?  The answer is Yes!  To make the time pass more quickly while Brian was waiting in line for his audition, Jackie and I boarded the New York Subway and visited the site of the 2001 World Trade Center Tragedy.  It is now a construction site with plans for new businesses and a new Memorial Center.  I thought of that fateful day in 2001 where this city fell victim to evil, and then about loss of life and living in fear.   Then I thought of the crowds on every street and in every building and realized that this city has recovered from the worst possible situation.  Then I thought of the weekend in 2006 during which all ten ladies in my immediate family went on an adventure in New York City, including my wife and daughter; my nieces; Aunt Rose; my three sisters, including Janet, who we lost in 2009; and of course, my Mom, who left us just last week.  They all relished celebrating life that weekend because my Dad had passed away a few months before and Janet had successful surgery to treat her pancreatic cancer, and Mom was successfully battling lymphoma.  Suddenly, my perspective on this visit changed.  It became a celebration of life for me.   I was blessed to be there with my wife and son, and I would indeed return for a SHORT sight-seeing visit when time and circumstances permit.  I like New York.................