Turning 50 my way
Thanks to my flist for all the birthday wishes! I was all set to sulk about being a half century old, but finally decided to get over myself and have some fun. So I booked a train to Penn Station and an 8th row orchestra seat to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." I stayed over, then went to the Discovery Center where there's an exhibit of HP costumes and props. It totally blew my budget, but it was a blast, and I want to do it all again! Sometime before I mark the next 50.
I arrived at Penn Station a couple of hours before the hotel's check-in time, so I walked over to he Fashion Institute of Technology and checked out the gallery exhibits. There was a collection of sportswear through the years. The displays were grouped by sport. It was nifty to see the juxtaposition of old and new, like bathing dresses side by side with spandex bikinis. Some of the old ice skating outfits looked like evening wear. Gorgeous work!
It was a beautiful day, so I walked up 7th Ave. to Times Square to get to the hotel. (18 blocks,
fatorangecat. How many miles is that, I wonder? Not as much as 3.5 though.) The hotel room was horrible, but it was a (relatively) cheap place to crash.
The show was absolutely fabulous! I think I would have been impressed by Mr. Radcliffe even if I wasn't already a fan. He's a great comic actor, and it was pure joy to watch him and John Laroquette breaking each other up. While they were waiting for the audience to stop laughing so they could go on, they were doing all these little bits of stage business that just got everybody laughing harder. They didn't *quite* break character, but you could see they were cracking up.
Dan has a good singing voice, but his dancing blew me away. He was keeping right up with the pros in the chorus line, and there were some pretty athletic moves. Check it out! The rest of the cast, the whole production really, was wonderful. Bud Frump (Chris Hanke) and Hedy LaRue (Tammy Blanchard) were especially good.
I hung out at the stage door after the show and watched Dan and John sign autographs. I couldn't get close and watched from a stoop across the street. Dan is so short, it was hard to see him at all. John, however, was easy to spot! Afterwards they went back inside. A little later, John came back out and started signing again. A lot of people had left by then, so I went over, but he quit right before he got to me. :( He was very sweet, signing so many and posing for pics. I was holding out for an autograph - should have just taken a pic. Oh well!
I went for a late dinner to the Westway Diner (birthplace of the Seinfeld show, btw). A friend and I found it by accident my first time there, and I keep going back. You can get everything from breakfast to filet mignon at reasonable prices.
The next morning, I went over to the Harry Potter Exhibition. As you enter, a few of the kids can volunteer to be sorted. Really cute! The audio tour is narrated by the production staffers. So as you're looking at Lucius' robes, you're hearing the costume designer talk about her concept. Costumer that I am, I was especially taken with the robes. Lochhart's, Slughorn's and McGonnagal's were stunning. Bellatrix's Half Blood Prince dress wasn't "pretty", but it was really well done and perfect for her character.
There were hundreds of props and set pieces, too. The full scale models of Buckbeak and the Horntail's head were there, also the house elves. I won't list them all LOL, but the whole exhibit was really well done.
I had to control myself in the gift shop. I convinced myself that $60 for a time turner was taking the birthday indulgences too far (like the whole trip wasn't doing that aleady LOL)
My feet had started to blister by then, so it was a cab for me to catch the train home.
I arrived at Penn Station a couple of hours before the hotel's check-in time, so I walked over to he Fashion Institute of Technology and checked out the gallery exhibits. There was a collection of sportswear through the years. The displays were grouped by sport. It was nifty to see the juxtaposition of old and new, like bathing dresses side by side with spandex bikinis. Some of the old ice skating outfits looked like evening wear. Gorgeous work!
It was a beautiful day, so I walked up 7th Ave. to Times Square to get to the hotel. (18 blocks,
fatorangecat. How many miles is that, I wonder? Not as much as 3.5 though.) The hotel room was horrible, but it was a (relatively) cheap place to crash.The show was absolutely fabulous! I think I would have been impressed by Mr. Radcliffe even if I wasn't already a fan. He's a great comic actor, and it was pure joy to watch him and John Laroquette breaking each other up. While they were waiting for the audience to stop laughing so they could go on, they were doing all these little bits of stage business that just got everybody laughing harder. They didn't *quite* break character, but you could see they were cracking up.
Dan has a good singing voice, but his dancing blew me away. He was keeping right up with the pros in the chorus line, and there were some pretty athletic moves. Check it out! The rest of the cast, the whole production really, was wonderful. Bud Frump (Chris Hanke) and Hedy LaRue (Tammy Blanchard) were especially good.
I hung out at the stage door after the show and watched Dan and John sign autographs. I couldn't get close and watched from a stoop across the street. Dan is so short, it was hard to see him at all. John, however, was easy to spot! Afterwards they went back inside. A little later, John came back out and started signing again. A lot of people had left by then, so I went over, but he quit right before he got to me. :( He was very sweet, signing so many and posing for pics. I was holding out for an autograph - should have just taken a pic. Oh well!
I went for a late dinner to the Westway Diner (birthplace of the Seinfeld show, btw). A friend and I found it by accident my first time there, and I keep going back. You can get everything from breakfast to filet mignon at reasonable prices.
The next morning, I went over to the Harry Potter Exhibition. As you enter, a few of the kids can volunteer to be sorted. Really cute! The audio tour is narrated by the production staffers. So as you're looking at Lucius' robes, you're hearing the costume designer talk about her concept. Costumer that I am, I was especially taken with the robes. Lochhart's, Slughorn's and McGonnagal's were stunning. Bellatrix's Half Blood Prince dress wasn't "pretty", but it was really well done and perfect for her character.
There were hundreds of props and set pieces, too. The full scale models of Buckbeak and the Horntail's head were there, also the house elves. I won't list them all LOL, but the whole exhibit was really well done.
I had to control myself in the gift shop. I convinced myself that $60 for a time turner was taking the birthday indulgences too far (like the whole trip wasn't doing that aleady LOL)
My feet had started to blister by then, so it was a cab for me to catch the train home.