Chicago!
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Chicago in New York
More fun this week! I am so grateful for my new friend Jacqui. She and I went to the Ambassador Theater Thursday night to see “Chicago.” Yay! It was a short walk because I actually live on the same block as the Ambassador, which was built by the Shuberts in 1921.
The week before we saw “The Producers” at another theater built in that era, the James Theater - the same theater that one of my dad’s Navy buddies attended with his wife in 1958 to see “Toys in the Attic.” I emailed him back and said, “Hard to believe that was almost 50 years ago.” I wonder what tickets cost then? Today, if you pay full price, you’re spending at least $100.
First Jacqui and I had a good dinner at Charley O’s across the street. It had been snowing for hours – the big fluffy, wet kind of snowflakes – but no real accumulation. (Drat!) Our seats were down in front, two rows from the stage. We were surprised at just how close to the stage our seats were. It didn’t look that close in the seating chart! I could’ve reached over the guy in front of me and touched the front right corner of the stage. First thing I said to Jacqui was, “We’ll be looking up some skirts from here.” Sure enough - we were close enough to see the actresses’ fake eyelashes and the runs in their fishnet stockings.
She and I both wondered where the orchestra was because there was no orchestra pit. (After the curtain rose, we found out the orchestra players were right on stage.)
The show was great! The two female leads, playing Roxie (Charlotte d’Amboise) and Velma (Brenda Braxton), were total naturals – not only could they dance and sing but they were funny too. Especially Roxie. She was just plain adorable. The dancing was incredible. The women wore skimpy ensembles, and the men wore...well, let’s just say their outfits were form-fitting. Ahem.
A couple nights before that we were in the office together (a rarity because Jacqui lives in Princeton, NJ), and she spontaneously suggested we grab a cab and go to that Rice to Riches place in Soho that I’d told her about after New Year’s. It is a place (similar to a Baskin Robbins) that sells nothing but rice pudding – in every flavor imaginable! Vonceil and I had come across it one Saturday night during our 2-hour wait to get into Lombardi’s for pizza. We thought it was such a cool place because the décor resembled something from a Jetsons cartoon. Come to find out, Rice to Riches was featured in the recently released movie “Hitch.”
We stopped at a designer purse store a couple blocks from the pudding place. Jacqui is a lot like my friend Bella – very stylish. She splurged on a purse and wallet, but I restrained myself. I may be a New Yorker but I’m not quite ready to spend $145 for a purse. (And that was the sale price!)
The new Chanel purse that Jaqui carried with her that night retails for over $1,000. (Of course she didn’t pay anywhere near that much on Ebay.) I think this made it harder for her to haggle.
I suggested we save cab fare and take the subway home. I was surprised to hear that Jacqui has only been on the subway once in her lifetime. And she used to live in the city. She told me she would never ride the subway alone. I reminded her that people with Chanel purses don’t usually take the subway. It was pretty funny – I wanted to take her picture sitting across from me next to the woman with the dirty clothes and straggly hair, but she wouldn’t let me. (We both knew that that photo would’ve ended up on our team Web site at work.) :)
I admit, I did get designer glasses a couple weeks ago. That's a first! I went into Manhattan Eyeworks looking at the cheapest frames they had (as usual), but the girls working there managed to talk me into getting something stylish instead – something “New York.” So $450 later I have a new pair of prescription eyeglasses.
I’m getting there. I would be better at being a true New Yorker if I made about a million dollars more than my current salary. This week I asked my boss for a $30,000 raise, but he said I’d have to split it with him. I said, “After New York taxes, there’d be nothing left to split,” so we left it at that.
The week before we saw “The Producers” at another theater built in that era, the James Theater - the same theater that one of my dad’s Navy buddies attended with his wife in 1958 to see “Toys in the Attic.” I emailed him back and said, “Hard to believe that was almost 50 years ago.” I wonder what tickets cost then? Today, if you pay full price, you’re spending at least $100.
First Jacqui and I had a good dinner at Charley O’s across the street. It had been snowing for hours – the big fluffy, wet kind of snowflakes – but no real accumulation. (Drat!) Our seats were down in front, two rows from the stage. We were surprised at just how close to the stage our seats were. It didn’t look that close in the seating chart! I could’ve reached over the guy in front of me and touched the front right corner of the stage. First thing I said to Jacqui was, “We’ll be looking up some skirts from here.” Sure enough - we were close enough to see the actresses’ fake eyelashes and the runs in their fishnet stockings.
She and I both wondered where the orchestra was because there was no orchestra pit. (After the curtain rose, we found out the orchestra players were right on stage.)
The show was great! The two female leads, playing Roxie (Charlotte d’Amboise) and Velma (Brenda Braxton), were total naturals – not only could they dance and sing but they were funny too. Especially Roxie. She was just plain adorable. The dancing was incredible. The women wore skimpy ensembles, and the men wore...well, let’s just say their outfits were form-fitting. Ahem.
A couple nights before that we were in the office together (a rarity because Jacqui lives in Princeton, NJ), and she spontaneously suggested we grab a cab and go to that Rice to Riches place in Soho that I’d told her about after New Year’s. It is a place (similar to a Baskin Robbins) that sells nothing but rice pudding – in every flavor imaginable! Vonceil and I had come across it one Saturday night during our 2-hour wait to get into Lombardi’s for pizza. We thought it was such a cool place because the décor resembled something from a Jetsons cartoon. Come to find out, Rice to Riches was featured in the recently released movie “Hitch.”
We stopped at a designer purse store a couple blocks from the pudding place. Jacqui is a lot like my friend Bella – very stylish. She splurged on a purse and wallet, but I restrained myself. I may be a New Yorker but I’m not quite ready to spend $145 for a purse. (And that was the sale price!)
The new Chanel purse that Jaqui carried with her that night retails for over $1,000. (Of course she didn’t pay anywhere near that much on Ebay.) I think this made it harder for her to haggle.
I suggested we save cab fare and take the subway home. I was surprised to hear that Jacqui has only been on the subway once in her lifetime. And she used to live in the city. She told me she would never ride the subway alone. I reminded her that people with Chanel purses don’t usually take the subway. It was pretty funny – I wanted to take her picture sitting across from me next to the woman with the dirty clothes and straggly hair, but she wouldn’t let me. (We both knew that that photo would’ve ended up on our team Web site at work.) :)
I admit, I did get designer glasses a couple weeks ago. That's a first! I went into Manhattan Eyeworks looking at the cheapest frames they had (as usual), but the girls working there managed to talk me into getting something stylish instead – something “New York.” So $450 later I have a new pair of prescription eyeglasses.
I’m getting there. I would be better at being a true New Yorker if I made about a million dollars more than my current salary. This week I asked my boss for a $30,000 raise, but he said I’d have to split it with him. I said, “After New York taxes, there’d be nothing left to split,” so we left it at that.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
My First Broadway Musical
On Thursday afternoon I was working at the client’s site when my fellow TAM friends Jacqui and Michael called me on the cell. They were at the TKTS booth in Times Square and wanted to know what play I wanted to see. I told them that I’d wanted to see “The Producers” ever since it came to the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle. They said they’d see what they could do.
Later they called me back and said they'd gotten the show I wanted. Yay! (Good friends.) Michael and Jacqui were bored, and I was on my way out of the office anyway to go work from home, so we met up at my apartment. I asked if they wanted go get some dinner. That’s when Mike said, “Well, the show starts at 8:00pm.” I said, “Tonight?!” Duh, “Of course!”
Yup. Sure enough, when you buy discounted tickets at TKTS, it’s for shows on the same day only. I think I knew that – once.
I panicked – I was like, “I have too much work to do tonight!” But Michael, being the conscientious mentor that he is, forbade me from working and told me I was going out with them. Period. And I am SO glad I did. I needed a break from work, and the only way to do it was for someone to drag me out.
For fun, I suggested dinner at Bubba Gump. It’s a cutesy place in Times Square, designed for “Forrest Gump” flick fans. The place is extremely casual – with lots of props from the original movie showcased in the lobby. Even Jenny’s bohemian dress (that she wore in the Washington Monument pond) was there on the wall, encased in glass. We all ordered the same thing – a shrimp Po Boy and fries. It’s the most fried food I've eaten in a year! The servers/hostesses like to quiz customers with trivia from the movie – so if you're in a silly mood, it’s really a fun atmosphere.
After that we walked around to kill time. It was COLD and windy. Then we went to the St. James Theater on W. 44th and got in line to go in. We passed Sardi’s restaurant on the same block. I’ve wanted to go there ever since my sister told me about her trip there with her high school theater troupe. (Wow – that was almost 25 years ago. Hard to believe.)
Our seats at The Producers were awesome – front row of the mezzanine section. The stars are Richard Kind (from TV shows like “Spin City”) and Alan Ruck – whom I recognized the instant he walked on stage. “Ferris Beuller?” I said to Jacqui, and she nodded. He played Ferris’ sidekick. I love that guy! The female lead ("Ulla") put on this ridiculously funny Swedish accent. She was my favorite character - I think the entire audience adored her. Not only was she funny but boy could she sing. And dance. Wow.
It was a great show – very funny, great choreography and costumes, good acting, and just lots of fun and silliness! During the jail cell scene, Richard Kind managed to get in a sarcastic remark about Christo’s Gates exhibit in Central Park. For those who got the ad-lib comment he made, it was hilarious.
Now I’m hooked. I'm convinced there's no better therapy than a good Broadway show. At $54, this one was a bargain. I can’t wait to get out and spend some more time in the theater. I am so lucky to live a block off Broadway. Very lucky! And it’s really wonderful to have friends to go out with.
Later they called me back and said they'd gotten the show I wanted. Yay! (Good friends.) Michael and Jacqui were bored, and I was on my way out of the office anyway to go work from home, so we met up at my apartment. I asked if they wanted go get some dinner. That’s when Mike said, “Well, the show starts at 8:00pm.” I said, “Tonight?!” Duh, “Of course!”
Yup. Sure enough, when you buy discounted tickets at TKTS, it’s for shows on the same day only. I think I knew that – once.
I panicked – I was like, “I have too much work to do tonight!” But Michael, being the conscientious mentor that he is, forbade me from working and told me I was going out with them. Period. And I am SO glad I did. I needed a break from work, and the only way to do it was for someone to drag me out.
For fun, I suggested dinner at Bubba Gump. It’s a cutesy place in Times Square, designed for “Forrest Gump” flick fans. The place is extremely casual – with lots of props from the original movie showcased in the lobby. Even Jenny’s bohemian dress (that she wore in the Washington Monument pond) was there on the wall, encased in glass. We all ordered the same thing – a shrimp Po Boy and fries. It’s the most fried food I've eaten in a year! The servers/hostesses like to quiz customers with trivia from the movie – so if you're in a silly mood, it’s really a fun atmosphere.
After that we walked around to kill time. It was COLD and windy. Then we went to the St. James Theater on W. 44th and got in line to go in. We passed Sardi’s restaurant on the same block. I’ve wanted to go there ever since my sister told me about her trip there with her high school theater troupe. (Wow – that was almost 25 years ago. Hard to believe.)
Our seats at The Producers were awesome – front row of the mezzanine section. The stars are Richard Kind (from TV shows like “Spin City”) and Alan Ruck – whom I recognized the instant he walked on stage. “Ferris Beuller?” I said to Jacqui, and she nodded. He played Ferris’ sidekick. I love that guy! The female lead ("Ulla") put on this ridiculously funny Swedish accent. She was my favorite character - I think the entire audience adored her. Not only was she funny but boy could she sing. And dance. Wow.
It was a great show – very funny, great choreography and costumes, good acting, and just lots of fun and silliness! During the jail cell scene, Richard Kind managed to get in a sarcastic remark about Christo’s Gates exhibit in Central Park. For those who got the ad-lib comment he made, it was hilarious.
Now I’m hooked. I'm convinced there's no better therapy than a good Broadway show. At $54, this one was a bargain. I can’t wait to get out and spend some more time in the theater. I am so lucky to live a block off Broadway. Very lucky! And it’s really wonderful to have friends to go out with.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Christo's Gates
Sunday was a blustery and clear winter day - a perfect day to stroll through Central Park amidst the throngs of people and bright orange "gates." This is the first time I've seen (and touched) a Christo exhibit. I always associate the artist's name with a long line of fences on a beautiful hilly terrain. (When was that - the 70's?)
Christo has been planning this exhibit since 1979. He was turned down by the city, but eventually his persistence paid off. Today, and for several more days to come, we have The Gates in Central Park. A 23-mile path of orange gates zig-zagging through the entire park. The 16-day exhibit is expected to draw three million people and cost $21 million.
Reviews are mixed - but then again isn't Christo's work always questionable as "art"? Well, to me that trip to the park was art. What was artistic about it was the striking contrast of the bright orange patterns against a gorgeous blue sky on a wintery landscape. It just radiated happiness. Besides, anything this unique that draws this many people and smiles - heck how can it not be considered art?
The people really make this exhibit worthwhile. It was like kids in a candy store. I heard many different languages being spoken in the park that day and saw more cameras and poses than you'd see at a Japanese convention in Miami. And the smiles. There were lots and lots of smiles.
Essentially, I found this "work" to be a nice bright way to break up winter - something to remind us that spring and blossoming flowers are not too far off now.... And plus - how many more Christo exhibits will there be in my lifetime? This was a cool 'first' for me - and apparently for hundreds of thousands of other people from all over the world.
It's pretty neat living in a place that, to its inhabitants and some of the rest of the world, truly is the center of the universe.
Christo has been planning this exhibit since 1979. He was turned down by the city, but eventually his persistence paid off. Today, and for several more days to come, we have The Gates in Central Park. A 23-mile path of orange gates zig-zagging through the entire park. The 16-day exhibit is expected to draw three million people and cost $21 million.
Reviews are mixed - but then again isn't Christo's work always questionable as "art"? Well, to me that trip to the park was art. What was artistic about it was the striking contrast of the bright orange patterns against a gorgeous blue sky on a wintery landscape. It just radiated happiness. Besides, anything this unique that draws this many people and smiles - heck how can it not be considered art?
The people really make this exhibit worthwhile. It was like kids in a candy store. I heard many different languages being spoken in the park that day and saw more cameras and poses than you'd see at a Japanese convention in Miami. And the smiles. There were lots and lots of smiles.
Essentially, I found this "work" to be a nice bright way to break up winter - something to remind us that spring and blossoming flowers are not too far off now.... And plus - how many more Christo exhibits will there be in my lifetime? This was a cool 'first' for me - and apparently for hundreds of thousands of other people from all over the world.
It's pretty neat living in a place that, to its inhabitants and some of the rest of the world, truly is the center of the universe.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
More Firsts
Yesterday I had my first New York City celebrity sighting! I had breakfast at Norma's at the Park Meridian with my old friend Bella. She and I both worked at PSS in the early 90’s - only she stayed with the company long enough to reap the benefits of the stock upswing in the late 90’s and now lives in a gorgeous, tastefully decorated, million-dollar condo overlooking lake Washington in Kirkland. She drives a sporty Mercedes that she ordered in America and took delivery on in Germany. She’s one of the more successful & classy people I know.
Bella has always been fortunate in real estate and has had the “sexy” jobs at Microsoft – like MSN producer, business developer, etc. While in town this week on business, she ate at the Plaza, had a day in a spa, had drinks in the Cellar (a bar in the basement of the Bryant Park Hotel), and had several other fantastic drinking and dining experiences that she was eager to tell me about.
So, it’s always cool to see Bella and hear her stories. I hadn’t been to Norma’s before – a fairly upscale (i.e., fancy and expensive) restaurant that is renowned for serving a great breakfast. That it does. They actually have a couple of lobster frittatas on the breakfast menu with price tags of $100 and $1000. Printed underneath those is "Expense it if you dare.”
It took us forever to order – not because of poor service, but because we had a hard time deciding what to get from the fabulous menu. I finally settled on the Berry Brioche French Toast (about $18). The bread was the size of my plate, and about 4” tall – more like a French toast loaf! - but was light and airy like an angel food cake. The lady next to me turned around to gawk – she couldn’t believe the size of my meal either. It was one fantastic breakfast.
Guess who walked in not long after we sat down and sat about two tables away from us? Emmy award-winning Wendie Malick. She's the one who plays Nina Van Horn on the TV comedy "Just Shoot Me." How neat is that? I always liked her – she’s one of those rare down-to-earth actresses. She was there with two men in beards. And she looked even more beautiful in person than she does on TV. I discovered later that she is originally from Buffalo, was a model in NY, and now has a home in the Santa Monica Mountains. Anyway, seeing one of my favorite actresses up close was pretty exciting for me.
My second “first” of this past week happened last Saturday when I was waiting for the E train under Lexington Avenue after my Home Depot trip. There on the platform was a middle-aged, casually dressed man of Asian descent who was singing opera. Not just singing opera, but singing it very, very well. He stood there with his Yamaha keyboard and belted out tune after tune. He even performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
I’ve seen a lot of subway performers in my three months here, but this one outranked them all. I’ve never before seen a larger crowd gathered around on the platform watching someone play. This guy was good. People of all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors were dropping money in his bag. And you could tell he was enjoying himself. The E train is always a long wait. I’m glad it took a while for the train to come this time.
Bella has always been fortunate in real estate and has had the “sexy” jobs at Microsoft – like MSN producer, business developer, etc. While in town this week on business, she ate at the Plaza, had a day in a spa, had drinks in the Cellar (a bar in the basement of the Bryant Park Hotel), and had several other fantastic drinking and dining experiences that she was eager to tell me about.
So, it’s always cool to see Bella and hear her stories. I hadn’t been to Norma’s before – a fairly upscale (i.e., fancy and expensive) restaurant that is renowned for serving a great breakfast. That it does. They actually have a couple of lobster frittatas on the breakfast menu with price tags of $100 and $1000. Printed underneath those is "Expense it if you dare.”
It took us forever to order – not because of poor service, but because we had a hard time deciding what to get from the fabulous menu. I finally settled on the Berry Brioche French Toast (about $18). The bread was the size of my plate, and about 4” tall – more like a French toast loaf! - but was light and airy like an angel food cake. The lady next to me turned around to gawk – she couldn’t believe the size of my meal either. It was one fantastic breakfast.
Guess who walked in not long after we sat down and sat about two tables away from us? Emmy award-winning Wendie Malick. She's the one who plays Nina Van Horn on the TV comedy "Just Shoot Me." How neat is that? I always liked her – she’s one of those rare down-to-earth actresses. She was there with two men in beards. And she looked even more beautiful in person than she does on TV. I discovered later that she is originally from Buffalo, was a model in NY, and now has a home in the Santa Monica Mountains. Anyway, seeing one of my favorite actresses up close was pretty exciting for me.
My second “first” of this past week happened last Saturday when I was waiting for the E train under Lexington Avenue after my Home Depot trip. There on the platform was a middle-aged, casually dressed man of Asian descent who was singing opera. Not just singing opera, but singing it very, very well. He stood there with his Yamaha keyboard and belted out tune after tune. He even performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
I’ve seen a lot of subway performers in my three months here, but this one outranked them all. I’ve never before seen a larger crowd gathered around on the platform watching someone play. This guy was good. People of all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors were dropping money in his bag. And you could tell he was enjoying himself. The E train is always a long wait. I’m glad it took a while for the train to come this time.
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Unpacking
Let’s see…it’s been three weeks since I moved into this apartment. It’s the smallest place I’ve ever lived – and would you believe I’m still not done unpacking? That’s partly because I sold most my furniture in Bellevue, and partly because I work too much. So, I have to order furniture as I go, and then assemble it. Last weekend I bought a huge 5’-wide wardrobe from a couple downstairs – for just 50 bucks. They needed to get rid of it, and I needed the storage space. Heck, they even delivered it directly to the spot in my foyer where it now stands. Thanks to that purchase, I don’t need to rent a larger storage unit and move everything from the smaller unit to a bigger one.
The bathroom is the one room that’s “done,” but I’m making serious progress on the others.
Today I posted some pictures of the apartment when it was still empty in January. Not very thrilling. You can see the main reason I chose this place above the others I looked at: the windows. Tons of windows, lots of light! In fact, it’s as bright as my last home, which had a wall of windows facing Lake Sammamish and the Cascade mountains. My view here isn’t quite the same. Later I will post more pictures of my views – which mainly consist of old brick walls.
I especially like my place at night. You can see the lights of Broadway from the living room. I especially like New York at night. There’s something about the nighttime energy and lights that make me feel so alive.
Stay tuned for my first celebrity sighting!
The bathroom is the one room that’s “done,” but I’m making serious progress on the others.
Today I posted some pictures of the apartment when it was still empty in January. Not very thrilling. You can see the main reason I chose this place above the others I looked at: the windows. Tons of windows, lots of light! In fact, it’s as bright as my last home, which had a wall of windows facing Lake Sammamish and the Cascade mountains. My view here isn’t quite the same. Later I will post more pictures of my views – which mainly consist of old brick walls.
I especially like my place at night. You can see the lights of Broadway from the living room. I especially like New York at night. There’s something about the nighttime energy and lights that make me feel so alive.
Stay tuned for my first celebrity sighting!
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