Saturday, April 25, 2015

Quick Return - April in NYC - Good Morning America

If you are a fan of the show the staff makes it very easy to visit and see each of the various hosts.... you can count on an outside visit and frequently they pause to take photos with folks who are standing in the right spots..... they are very friendly.....
Weather - Ginger Zee 

Lara Spencer 


George Stephanopoulos

Amy Roebach

Robin Roberts

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Quick Return - April in NYC - Public Library/Bryant Park


Not far from the hotel and on the way to the theater..... very convenient.... the iconic lions outside the New York City Public Library.....
Amazing Building
There are tour guides or you can take an audio tour of the building... well worth the time.... the Rose Reading room is by far the most spectacular room to visit so I hope the renovations will be finished soon.....


Rose Reading Room - Closed for Renovations

Directly behind the library is Bryant Park.... highlights include the Carousel, lovely plantings for whatever the season and plenty of seating....




Quick Return - April in NYC - Kinky Boots


Bargain seats in the mezzanine.... (around $55 from Broadway Box.com) and it was WONDERFUL.... uplifting story.. great staging.... talented performers..... we thoroughly enjoyed the performance......


When we arrived there was a LARGE school group of high school students seated near us.... we were worried.... a little about the content and a lot about the behavior...... the content had a terrific message...."Be accepting of everyone" and the slightly off color jokes were at a minimum.... plus their behavior was impeccable.... they applauded appropriately and seemed to enjoy it as much as we did....

Quick Return - April in NYC - The Morgan Library


Despite being a quick visit to NYC my longtime friend, Celeste suggested that we meet at the Morgan Library just a few blocks from Grand Central Terminal on Madison Avenue..... it was wonderful...... there's an audio tour of the original library that provides background information.... only wish we had longer ... both to visit and to tour....







Quick Return - April in NYC - Citifield - The Mets


On my "list" of things to do in life was to see my former student, Michael Cuddyer, play professional baseball..... he had been drafted by Minnesota right out of high school and then played for the Colorado Rockies next.... my efforts to see him in Spring Training in Florida had never quite worked out..... so this year, when he was traded to the Mets I knew it could happen..... While in NJ for the night prior to my trip in to NYC we watched the game and were upset to watch Michael be hit by a pitch and leave the game... then another player from Chesapeake,  David Wright, tore his Achilles tendon and was out of the game!


We were early to the ballpark (subway from midtown) and toured the "Hall of Fame"... quite well done with lots of memorabilia and historical information......
As we rode up the escalator to enter the field both my sister and I were pleased to see Michael's baseball card photo in "Today's Lineup" right on the wall in front of us....



As we entered the field area right on the jumbotron was a story about Michael, his association with David, and  his talent for card tricks ...... great way to pass the time while waiting for the game to begin....As a freshman in high school he garnered some extra credit in algebra class for explaining the mathematics behind a card "trick" I had done in class.....
Pre Game Hug.... Wonderful! 

Time to Stretch 

Signing Autographs Before the Game 

David Wright 

View from Our Seats
By comparison to the Yankees Game that my husband and I attended I would say the tickets are more reasonably priced and the food is more varied....
The Mets won.... and they are still on the longest winning streak since 2011.... hope it continues!

Quick Return - April in NYC - The Botanical Garden (Bronx)



After a LONG subway ride from midtown and a short walk through some non-descript parts of the Bronx.... I found it was well worth the effort.... (Did notice that Metro North leaves right from Grand Central and costs on $4.25 for seniors and stops RIGHT across the street from the entrane) The orchid show only had a few days left and it was the perfect spot to catch up with my former student, Meredith..... We strolled, had a snack and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit....