Day 4: "You Alone Can Make My Song Take Flight"
Today was a fairytale.
It was quite literally the perfect day.
I saw my first ever Broadway show and I have to congratulate myself on the choice. While any show would have been impressive, The Phantom of the Opera could not have been more perfect.
But first, today was a special day and I had come prepared. I did my makeup really nicely and put on the dress that I had brought and then remembered it's hot and sticky here and decided to change since I was sweating in Monica's bathroom and wasn't planning on coming back for a long time once I left for the day.
So I put on my backup fancy clothes, which included jeans, and set out. I felt weird saying goodbye to Monica and Alex through a closed door so I just didn't. I hope that wasn't weirder.
I got to Times Square and went in search of the theatre and found it right away. I was about an hour and a half early so I went around the corner and ducked into a few crappy souvenir shops. I plan on buying some corny mementos like a NY magnet and a shot glass so I wanted to compare prices. Across the street from the theatre, however, is a Broadway store with all kinds of Broadway musical and play paraphernalia and the most gorgeous picture frame I've ever seen. And by gorgeous I mean $25 worth and totally touristy. It has a blend of New York around the edges in a sort of brown hue; it's fantastic and all I could think was how good the picture of me standing in front of the Manhattan skyline would look in it. Maybe.
I didn't buy anything, but went into a Starbucks to get some coffee before getting in line for the show. Outside the store there was a lady asking for money with a comb in her hair. She said to me as I passed her, "I love that shirt girl! Even though I'm panhandling I really like that!" I have panhandling lady approval on today's outfit. Later, while I was reading the New York Times (really interesting article on a judge and his perspective of sexual offenders and mandatory minimums if you can find it btw) when I saw a group of cops and one gave this lady change. It was an honest act of kindness. I was impressed. People aren't nice to other people or people who are in need and they should be.
My parents have no memory of this, but since I remember everything (and it's my blog) we're going with my account of this story. When I was, probably, 7 I was given a copy of the original version of The Phantom of the Opera with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, and Steve Barton. It was the first musical, I remember, that I was exposed to and I loved it and it was taken from me. Apparently it was "scary" or something like that.
However, and my parents remember this part, the show came through Phoenix and two tickets were bought, neither of which were for me, and a few weeks after my parents went on this hush hush night out did I learn they went to The Phantom without me. Furious. For years.
Until this afternoon actually.
It has been 17 years since I first heard it and wanted to see this musical and I finally saw it. Not only did I see it, but I saw it in New York City. On Broadway. At the Majestic Theatre. With really great Broadway actors, set and costume designers, and a fantastic orchestra.
This is my New York.
I started to cry when I first got into the theatre--it is so beautiful. But I actually realized where I was. I know who I am and what I want from life, but in my wildest fantasies I quit school and move to New York to be an actress on Broadway. This is the closest to the real thing I've ever been and I can't put into words how amazing it is.
I spent the money on Orchestra seats because I'd heard from those who've been (Mom and Dad) that it's one where you need to sit on the floor so I did. The seats were amazing. I was right in the front in the center of the auditorium. I could see everything perfectly. I usually pay $15 to sit in the nosebleeds at Gammage but this is a proper theatre and I was right in the front. I still can't believe it. It was so worth the money, I never doubted it would be, but I feel like I would pay it all again.
The show itself was so magical. I know the songs, I know the lines, I know the story. But it was like watching it for the first time. Jeremy Stolle played the Phantom--he was amazing! I felt like instead of buying souvenirs, I just wanted to give him all the money I had with me when it was finished. Honestly, the way he sang "All I Ask of You (Reprise)" was breathtaking. Kimilee Bryant played Christine, and I am always impressed with the range of that character and the voice of the actress. She was really really great. Ryan Silverman was Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and he did not disappoint. I was a little nervous because Raoul is my favorite character from any musical, aside from Link Larkin from Hairspray I can't think of another male lead I love more than Raoul. And more now than ever.
I cried pretty much through the entire thing; the chandelier at the beginning, the boat during "The Phantom of the Opera", the staircase during "Masquerade", the face in the mirror, my word it was so incredible! I honestly cannot put into words how I felt. The way I feel when I'm watching live theatre was magnified about a million times and I know it's something I will never forget for the rest of my life. I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to see it, and literally, one more thing checked off the list of things I want to do in my life.
But it had to end as all good things do. It was 2 and a half hours which was perfect timing because I wanted to be down on Museum Mile to get to the Guggenheim for "Pay What You Wish" Saturday nights! So I took a different train than the one that I am used to--the 6. This was the train that forced me to walk FOREVER on Thursday so I was less than thrilled to see it was the only train on that side of Central Park that stopped anywhere near the museum. But the closest station to where I was, to where I could hop on was...
...Grand Central Terminal!!! It is HUGE!!! I wandered around a bit inside because 1) I had to pee and 2) I don't need two reasons when it's Grand Central Terminal. It was truly incredible to see. You can't see any trains but you see all the stations; there are so many different ones running through there. It's intense. They had a lot of great food and shopping, and trains in case you want to travel but it was like a mall, and I only saw one area of it.
But I got on the right train and it went in the right direction and I got off a few blocks from the museum. By the time I got there it was 6:05 and the deal had started at 5:45 but the line wasn't nearly as impossibly long as it had been at the MoMA so I got behind a lady wearing spider earrings and got in relatively quickly.
I overheard one lady saying it was wrong to come to these nights and expect to get in for $1 because museums need our help. No they don't. They have these nights so people like me will show up. They want whatever extra money they can get out of me, but they want to share the art and I wouldn't have gone if I had to pay full ticket price simple as that. So I paid $5 and spent 2 hours in the Guggenheim Museum. A few of the annex's were closed but I saw everything else.
You've seen pictures of the building, how it wraps around in a wide circle. The inside is exactly the same. You walk up the ramps in a circle and then on all the levels there's a part that breaks away from the circle to showcase a few rooms filled with whatever is on display. The theme right now is called "Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance." There are others but this is the main one.
I really liked it actually. There was no use of cameras allowed past the first floor so I wasn't able to take pictures of any pieces I liked or the names of the artists so I could put it here. But, there was one piece that was a collection of photographs that were related. It was clear they were not from the same place, for example one set of pictures would be about the subject of public nudity. There was a picture of a tribe of people sitting on a mountain near some water in various stages of undress and nakedness while another photo would show a man in the middle of the street being escorted by a few policemen, one of whom is shielding his downtown bonanza with his hat. That sort of idea. Different place and space and time but the same concept, same subject and how we are linked and different. It was very nicely put together.
I saw more Picasso; I LOVE "Woman with Yellow Hair," it's such a beautiful piece. I spent a lot of time looking at Monet--I love his use of color. I can't believe I saw real Monet. In person! But my favorite was a piece by Edouard Manet called "Before the Mirror." The picture is very private. The woman has her back to the audience and is looking at herself in the mirror, a time of reflection and introspection for myself at least and I thought it was gorgeous.
Part of the Haunted collection was a wall that had seven pictures of seven different kids who had attended a Jewish school of some sort in the 1930s. The artist was unsure of their experience with the Holocaust. Their pictures are now blurred and put under seven lights atop seven boxes and that is how they remain. Whether they are alive or dead. This is what photography is to me. It's a way to trap life as it happens. Like in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde:
"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" (Chapter 2).
We have so many pictures of people who are not with us, who are dead, who do not look the same. But they are frozen in time, in that moment. It's a big responsibility when you think about it. We take pictures to inform the future of who we are now. I loved this exhibit.
My favorite piece in the entire museum was by Cindy Sherman. "Untitled #167" explores a very dark and grotesque situation in which a nose and pair of lips emerge from the dirt at the scene of a crime. It's a horrible subject but an amazing one at the same time. That's what I love about artists. They find the most unique set of surroundings and create something, explain something, become something using it. It's amazing.
I walked all the way to the top just to say I did it, but for some reason I started to freak out; probably because it was so high up and had to walk back down, but I'd been given the 10 minute warning anyway so it's not like I ran away. It was quite an experience, but I'm glad I went.
Earlier in the day I had been thinking it would be nice to walk the long way along Central Park and get an ice cream before heading back to Queen's but when I got outside it was actually cold so ice cream was out. Taking the long way didn't seem to be as much fun so I thought I might see a movie. I know, I know, I'm on vacation I can see a movie anywhere. But I didn't feel like going to the apartment, I was still riding The Phantom high. So I walked back to the train and got on knowing there is an AMC and a Regal Theater right across the street from each other in Times Square.
However, it was about 9 p.m. when I got there. I only wanted to see Iron Man 2. I (almost) refuse to see another movie until I've seen Iron Man 2. It wouldn't be over until after midnight and I don't know if it's safe to take the train so late. It's not been a problem so far, but just because it's safe during the day doesn't mean it's still safe at night. So I abandoned that plan after some thought and decided instead to walk to...
...Magnolia Bakery and try some of the city's best cupcakes. I got 2, a Coconut and a Chocolate on Chocolate, and a carton of milk because you can't eat cupcakes without milk.
They're really good cupcakes. The coconut one was vanilla cupcake with meringue frosting and coconut flakes on top. I love coconut and I knew immediately this was the one I was getting, but I thought 2 is a nice even number and who am I kidding I just wanted another one. The Chocolate on Chocolate one was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting on top. It was delicious! If I worked there I would have my face in the buttercream bowl and a straw in the batter bowl. I'd weigh 800 pounds easy!
I also got the "Pretty purse for pretty lady" thing a few times and one lady asked me if I needed to buy any Tiffany's jewelery." The only people who buy Tiffany's don't need to, they just feel like it. But no I do not want to purchase fake Tiffany's out of your pocket. I'm new, not that new.
Today was a fairytale. It was perfect! It was everything I wanted New York to be when I thought about coming here back in high school, all through college, and in January when I started planning this trip. Today was a dream realized.
Tomorrow's Goal: I still haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards yes but I want to go to a church in Harlem and hear some good Gospel music. I'm going to take the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island. It's free and it goes right by the Statue of Liberty which I haven't been very close to yet. While I'm down that way I'm going to walk over to the site of the World Trade Center and cry. Then I want to go to Chinatown and eat something and shop--I'm buying a knockoff. It's illegal but I cannot wait!!!
Some of my favorite pictures:
Majestic Theatre Sign
Raoul and Christine. "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you."
Getting this picture took forever! Someone and their mom were always jumping in front.
The Phantom of the Opera!
Inside the Majestic. The chandelier! And the middle part was lowered to hang over the audience during "All I Ask of You" and that's where the Phantom was hiding and sang the Reprise. It was brilliant!
Guggenheim Museum from the inside. Ground floor up the ceiling.
Cindy Sherman's Untitled #167.
Edouard Manet's "Before the Mirror." Gorgeous!
Magnolia Bakery. Just like in the movies.
So cute!
On the left is the Coconut and on the right is the Chocolate on Chocolate. Delish.
It was quite literally the perfect day.
I saw my first ever Broadway show and I have to congratulate myself on the choice. While any show would have been impressive, The Phantom of the Opera could not have been more perfect.
But first, today was a special day and I had come prepared. I did my makeup really nicely and put on the dress that I had brought and then remembered it's hot and sticky here and decided to change since I was sweating in Monica's bathroom and wasn't planning on coming back for a long time once I left for the day.
So I put on my backup fancy clothes, which included jeans, and set out. I felt weird saying goodbye to Monica and Alex through a closed door so I just didn't. I hope that wasn't weirder.
I got to Times Square and went in search of the theatre and found it right away. I was about an hour and a half early so I went around the corner and ducked into a few crappy souvenir shops. I plan on buying some corny mementos like a NY magnet and a shot glass so I wanted to compare prices. Across the street from the theatre, however, is a Broadway store with all kinds of Broadway musical and play paraphernalia and the most gorgeous picture frame I've ever seen. And by gorgeous I mean $25 worth and totally touristy. It has a blend of New York around the edges in a sort of brown hue; it's fantastic and all I could think was how good the picture of me standing in front of the Manhattan skyline would look in it. Maybe.
I didn't buy anything, but went into a Starbucks to get some coffee before getting in line for the show. Outside the store there was a lady asking for money with a comb in her hair. She said to me as I passed her, "I love that shirt girl! Even though I'm panhandling I really like that!" I have panhandling lady approval on today's outfit. Later, while I was reading the New York Times (really interesting article on a judge and his perspective of sexual offenders and mandatory minimums if you can find it btw) when I saw a group of cops and one gave this lady change. It was an honest act of kindness. I was impressed. People aren't nice to other people or people who are in need and they should be.
My parents have no memory of this, but since I remember everything (and it's my blog) we're going with my account of this story. When I was, probably, 7 I was given a copy of the original version of The Phantom of the Opera with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, and Steve Barton. It was the first musical, I remember, that I was exposed to and I loved it and it was taken from me. Apparently it was "scary" or something like that.
However, and my parents remember this part, the show came through Phoenix and two tickets were bought, neither of which were for me, and a few weeks after my parents went on this hush hush night out did I learn they went to The Phantom without me. Furious. For years.
Until this afternoon actually.
It has been 17 years since I first heard it and wanted to see this musical and I finally saw it. Not only did I see it, but I saw it in New York City. On Broadway. At the Majestic Theatre. With really great Broadway actors, set and costume designers, and a fantastic orchestra.
This is my New York.
I started to cry when I first got into the theatre--it is so beautiful. But I actually realized where I was. I know who I am and what I want from life, but in my wildest fantasies I quit school and move to New York to be an actress on Broadway. This is the closest to the real thing I've ever been and I can't put into words how amazing it is.
I spent the money on Orchestra seats because I'd heard from those who've been (Mom and Dad) that it's one where you need to sit on the floor so I did. The seats were amazing. I was right in the front in the center of the auditorium. I could see everything perfectly. I usually pay $15 to sit in the nosebleeds at Gammage but this is a proper theatre and I was right in the front. I still can't believe it. It was so worth the money, I never doubted it would be, but I feel like I would pay it all again.
The show itself was so magical. I know the songs, I know the lines, I know the story. But it was like watching it for the first time. Jeremy Stolle played the Phantom--he was amazing! I felt like instead of buying souvenirs, I just wanted to give him all the money I had with me when it was finished. Honestly, the way he sang "All I Ask of You (Reprise)" was breathtaking. Kimilee Bryant played Christine, and I am always impressed with the range of that character and the voice of the actress. She was really really great. Ryan Silverman was Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and he did not disappoint. I was a little nervous because Raoul is my favorite character from any musical, aside from Link Larkin from Hairspray I can't think of another male lead I love more than Raoul. And more now than ever.
I cried pretty much through the entire thing; the chandelier at the beginning, the boat during "The Phantom of the Opera", the staircase during "Masquerade", the face in the mirror, my word it was so incredible! I honestly cannot put into words how I felt. The way I feel when I'm watching live theatre was magnified about a million times and I know it's something I will never forget for the rest of my life. I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to see it, and literally, one more thing checked off the list of things I want to do in my life.
But it had to end as all good things do. It was 2 and a half hours which was perfect timing because I wanted to be down on Museum Mile to get to the Guggenheim for "Pay What You Wish" Saturday nights! So I took a different train than the one that I am used to--the 6. This was the train that forced me to walk FOREVER on Thursday so I was less than thrilled to see it was the only train on that side of Central Park that stopped anywhere near the museum. But the closest station to where I was, to where I could hop on was...
...Grand Central Terminal!!! It is HUGE!!! I wandered around a bit inside because 1) I had to pee and 2) I don't need two reasons when it's Grand Central Terminal. It was truly incredible to see. You can't see any trains but you see all the stations; there are so many different ones running through there. It's intense. They had a lot of great food and shopping, and trains in case you want to travel but it was like a mall, and I only saw one area of it.
But I got on the right train and it went in the right direction and I got off a few blocks from the museum. By the time I got there it was 6:05 and the deal had started at 5:45 but the line wasn't nearly as impossibly long as it had been at the MoMA so I got behind a lady wearing spider earrings and got in relatively quickly.
I overheard one lady saying it was wrong to come to these nights and expect to get in for $1 because museums need our help. No they don't. They have these nights so people like me will show up. They want whatever extra money they can get out of me, but they want to share the art and I wouldn't have gone if I had to pay full ticket price simple as that. So I paid $5 and spent 2 hours in the Guggenheim Museum. A few of the annex's were closed but I saw everything else.
You've seen pictures of the building, how it wraps around in a wide circle. The inside is exactly the same. You walk up the ramps in a circle and then on all the levels there's a part that breaks away from the circle to showcase a few rooms filled with whatever is on display. The theme right now is called "Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance." There are others but this is the main one.
I really liked it actually. There was no use of cameras allowed past the first floor so I wasn't able to take pictures of any pieces I liked or the names of the artists so I could put it here. But, there was one piece that was a collection of photographs that were related. It was clear they were not from the same place, for example one set of pictures would be about the subject of public nudity. There was a picture of a tribe of people sitting on a mountain near some water in various stages of undress and nakedness while another photo would show a man in the middle of the street being escorted by a few policemen, one of whom is shielding his downtown bonanza with his hat. That sort of idea. Different place and space and time but the same concept, same subject and how we are linked and different. It was very nicely put together.
I saw more Picasso; I LOVE "Woman with Yellow Hair," it's such a beautiful piece. I spent a lot of time looking at Monet--I love his use of color. I can't believe I saw real Monet. In person! But my favorite was a piece by Edouard Manet called "Before the Mirror." The picture is very private. The woman has her back to the audience and is looking at herself in the mirror, a time of reflection and introspection for myself at least and I thought it was gorgeous.
Part of the Haunted collection was a wall that had seven pictures of seven different kids who had attended a Jewish school of some sort in the 1930s. The artist was unsure of their experience with the Holocaust. Their pictures are now blurred and put under seven lights atop seven boxes and that is how they remain. Whether they are alive or dead. This is what photography is to me. It's a way to trap life as it happens. Like in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde:
"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" (Chapter 2).
We have so many pictures of people who are not with us, who are dead, who do not look the same. But they are frozen in time, in that moment. It's a big responsibility when you think about it. We take pictures to inform the future of who we are now. I loved this exhibit.
My favorite piece in the entire museum was by Cindy Sherman. "Untitled #167" explores a very dark and grotesque situation in which a nose and pair of lips emerge from the dirt at the scene of a crime. It's a horrible subject but an amazing one at the same time. That's what I love about artists. They find the most unique set of surroundings and create something, explain something, become something using it. It's amazing.
I walked all the way to the top just to say I did it, but for some reason I started to freak out; probably because it was so high up and had to walk back down, but I'd been given the 10 minute warning anyway so it's not like I ran away. It was quite an experience, but I'm glad I went.
Earlier in the day I had been thinking it would be nice to walk the long way along Central Park and get an ice cream before heading back to Queen's but when I got outside it was actually cold so ice cream was out. Taking the long way didn't seem to be as much fun so I thought I might see a movie. I know, I know, I'm on vacation I can see a movie anywhere. But I didn't feel like going to the apartment, I was still riding The Phantom high. So I walked back to the train and got on knowing there is an AMC and a Regal Theater right across the street from each other in Times Square.
However, it was about 9 p.m. when I got there. I only wanted to see Iron Man 2. I (almost) refuse to see another movie until I've seen Iron Man 2. It wouldn't be over until after midnight and I don't know if it's safe to take the train so late. It's not been a problem so far, but just because it's safe during the day doesn't mean it's still safe at night. So I abandoned that plan after some thought and decided instead to walk to...
...Magnolia Bakery and try some of the city's best cupcakes. I got 2, a Coconut and a Chocolate on Chocolate, and a carton of milk because you can't eat cupcakes without milk.
They're really good cupcakes. The coconut one was vanilla cupcake with meringue frosting and coconut flakes on top. I love coconut and I knew immediately this was the one I was getting, but I thought 2 is a nice even number and who am I kidding I just wanted another one. The Chocolate on Chocolate one was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting on top. It was delicious! If I worked there I would have my face in the buttercream bowl and a straw in the batter bowl. I'd weigh 800 pounds easy!
I also got the "Pretty purse for pretty lady" thing a few times and one lady asked me if I needed to buy any Tiffany's jewelery." The only people who buy Tiffany's don't need to, they just feel like it. But no I do not want to purchase fake Tiffany's out of your pocket. I'm new, not that new.
Today was a fairytale. It was perfect! It was everything I wanted New York to be when I thought about coming here back in high school, all through college, and in January when I started planning this trip. Today was a dream realized.
Tomorrow's Goal: I still haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards yes but I want to go to a church in Harlem and hear some good Gospel music. I'm going to take the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island. It's free and it goes right by the Statue of Liberty which I haven't been very close to yet. While I'm down that way I'm going to walk over to the site of the World Trade Center and cry. Then I want to go to Chinatown and eat something and shop--I'm buying a knockoff. It's illegal but I cannot wait!!!
Some of my favorite pictures:
Majestic Theatre Sign
Raoul and Christine. "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you."
Getting this picture took forever! Someone and their mom were always jumping in front.
The Phantom of the Opera!
Inside the Majestic. The chandelier! And the middle part was lowered to hang over the audience during "All I Ask of You" and that's where the Phantom was hiding and sang the Reprise. It was brilliant!
Guggenheim Museum from the inside. Ground floor up the ceiling.
Cindy Sherman's Untitled #167.
Edouard Manet's "Before the Mirror." Gorgeous!
Magnolia Bakery. Just like in the movies.
So cute!
On the left is the Coconut and on the right is the Chocolate on Chocolate. Delish.
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