This trip to Nashville is shorter than most trips that I take for work. Only one full day. My original flight was scheduled at 8:50 AM. When I checked in there was a later flight so I took it, mainly because the flight is on a Barbie Dream Jet. These "regional jets" are pretty small and cramped. I can't even stand up in one. Thankfully, the flight is only 1.5 hours. Made it to Nashville (BNA) with no problem. The airport is small compared to airports that I usually fly into. Mostly small regional jets. As I deplaned and headed to the baggage claim I was impressed by how empty the airport was. I realize it was Sunday and that may have had something to do with it. I guess I'm used to Houston where even on Sunday it is busy. Went and grabbed my rental car and headed towards my hotel.
This hotel is so big that it is a hinderance. It is really like 4 hotels around a convention center. I have a 15 minute walk to my convention area it's just to big to be feasible. That being said, the rooms are very well appointed. The mattresses are hotel mattresses, obviously, but they aren't too bad, especially for the two nights I'll be here. While I recognize the benefits of a hotel like this I also have a fundamental disagreement with it. People who stay here don't leave the hotel it's all here. Nine places to eat, shopping, a Godiva Chocolate store and three atrium gardens with waterfalls, boats and a tropical conservatory. I should not have rented a car because we wont' leave the hotel.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
A really big show
Before we left Houston we planned on seeing at least one, maybe two shows. We ended up seeing five. Five shows in 4 days. What’s even more interesting is each show was of a different varietal of theater. Theatre is like alcohol. It can be the singular common factor between different types of theatre. Like beer, wine, and liquor, theatre can be fermented from many fruits. On this trip we saw an opera, a musical, a dramatic thriller, a comedy, and an off Broadway musical. I liked some more than others and for the sake of memory I would like to record my impressions of each below:
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
A really big show
Before we left Houston we planned on seeing at least one, maybe two shows. We ended up seeing five. Five shows in 4 days. What’s even more interesting is each show was of a different varietal of theater. Theatre is like alcohol. It can be the singular common factor between different types of theatre. Like beer, wine, and liquor, theatre can be fermented from many fruits. On this trip we saw an opera, a musical, a dramatic thriller, a comedy, and an off Broadway musical. I liked some more than others and for the sake of memory I would like to record my impressions of each below:
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
On getting around in "The City"
When you talk to New Yorkers they often refer to New York, and more specifically Manhattan as, “the city.” The title offers interesting insight into how people who live in New York City view this little island.
Location is a huge part of any conversation. “Where are you staying?” In the city. “Oh, where?” It has always seemed to me to be more of a sort of How Well Do You Know New York quiz. If you just respond, “51st and Lexington” you should expect to hear back, “oh, uptown.” One of the first things you may know about anyone you have a conversation with is what borough they stay in. It always strikes me as odd until I consider that moving around in this place is not anything at all like Houston. Much more thought is required. Should I walk, take a cab, train or a bus?
Walking across Manhattan East to West is not bad; most people can easily do it. North to South, that’s a different story. Jeremy and I have walked home almost every night from wherever we were; it’s a nice way to end the evening.
Taking a cab is the most expensive form of getting around. It can be the quickest depending on where you are going. If traffic is bad, walking can be fastest.
The subway is a very complex, yet efficient way of getting places. The subway is split up in to several lines: the red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and brown. Each line has several trains, which are differentiated either by a number or a letter. The letters/numbers are not repeated across lines, so you would not have a C train on the blue line and the yellow line. The C train is blue. If you take a look at this map (http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm) you’ll see that each of the trains on each colored line makes most stops. This is called “local”. A local train makes all the stops. There are also express trains but those generally don’t go express until they get out of Manhattan so you usually do not have to worry. You do need to know which train to take on lines such as the orange. Just south of central park it splits three ways. I have only had to take trains out of Manhattan once and I had a friend as a guide. Since we stayed in Manhattan we did not have to plan much. This is one place where having an iPhone proved invaluable. I downloaded the iTrans Application that tells you what trains and where to transfer to get from one station to another. This takes most of the guesswork out of the subway system and made it very easy for us to use.
Whenever I come here I realize that in Houston we get into this paradigm of automatically including our car in any travel plans. When I’m in New York I find myself putting a lot more cognitive effort into deciding how I should go from point a to b. When you put that into the context of the culture here it’s easy to realize why location is such a topic of discussion. Just by telling someone where you live/stay he or she can gain insight into the parts of your daily life that include commuting and traveling.
After using getting around this city for 5 days I am looking forward to being back in Houston where I just hop in my car and drive where I want to go. Waiting on trains, watching to make sure unscrupulous cabdrivers don’t go the long way.
Location is a huge part of any conversation. “Where are you staying?” In the city. “Oh, where?” It has always seemed to me to be more of a sort of How Well Do You Know New York quiz. If you just respond, “51st and Lexington” you should expect to hear back, “oh, uptown.” One of the first things you may know about anyone you have a conversation with is what borough they stay in. It always strikes me as odd until I consider that moving around in this place is not anything at all like Houston. Much more thought is required. Should I walk, take a cab, train or a bus?
Walking across Manhattan East to West is not bad; most people can easily do it. North to South, that’s a different story. Jeremy and I have walked home almost every night from wherever we were; it’s a nice way to end the evening.
Taking a cab is the most expensive form of getting around. It can be the quickest depending on where you are going. If traffic is bad, walking can be fastest.
The subway is a very complex, yet efficient way of getting places. The subway is split up in to several lines: the red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and brown. Each line has several trains, which are differentiated either by a number or a letter. The letters/numbers are not repeated across lines, so you would not have a C train on the blue line and the yellow line. The C train is blue. If you take a look at this map (http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm) you’ll see that each of the trains on each colored line makes most stops. This is called “local”. A local train makes all the stops. There are also express trains but those generally don’t go express until they get out of Manhattan so you usually do not have to worry. You do need to know which train to take on lines such as the orange. Just south of central park it splits three ways. I have only had to take trains out of Manhattan once and I had a friend as a guide. Since we stayed in Manhattan we did not have to plan much. This is one place where having an iPhone proved invaluable. I downloaded the iTrans Application that tells you what trains and where to transfer to get from one station to another. This takes most of the guesswork out of the subway system and made it very easy for us to use.
Whenever I come here I realize that in Houston we get into this paradigm of automatically including our car in any travel plans. When I’m in New York I find myself putting a lot more cognitive effort into deciding how I should go from point a to b. When you put that into the context of the culture here it’s easy to realize why location is such a topic of discussion. Just by telling someone where you live/stay he or she can gain insight into the parts of your daily life that include commuting and traveling.
After using getting around this city for 5 days I am looking forward to being back in Houston where I just hop in my car and drive where I want to go. Waiting on trains, watching to make sure unscrupulous cabdrivers don’t go the long way.
Friday, October 24, 2008
ORD to EWR and into Manhattan
We rode into Chicago early and the gate for our next flight was right next to our arrival gate. So we grabbed some lunch while waiting for or New York flight. We had an uneventful flight, grabbed our luggage and decided to try Alex's idea of taking the bus from Newark to Grand Central. Same price as the train. Well it took twice as long. OH well..live and learn. We arrived at our hotel via subway, checked in and got to our room, threw on some nice clothes and headed over to Lincoln Center to try and get Rush tickets to La Traviatta. We just missed the rush tickets but decided to buy rear orchestra seats.
Opera at the Met is amazing. This show was amazing. Amazing sets, amazing voices, amazing acting, just fun. It's also nice to go to a place where people still dress up for theater. I have to admit, I really enjoyed throwing on my suit, scarf and black wool coat. It was so cold I needed it and we just don't get to dress that way here much.
At the intermission before Act II Jeremy told me he felt like it was too early in his life to be sitting at the Met watching an Opera. I do not think I have ever felt that way. What I find more and more is that I enjoy experiences more than material things. Walking through Times Square, being on the subway, Central Park. I don't mistake my enjoyment for wanting to live here, but it's the experience that creates rich, lasting memories. It's the experiences that you can share with someone else that create those memories that strengthen the bonds of any relationship, friend, family or loved one. Because no matter how I explain or tell about what I did on this trip, only the people that are here with me can really understand.
Opera at the Met is amazing. This show was amazing. Amazing sets, amazing voices, amazing acting, just fun. It's also nice to go to a place where people still dress up for theater. I have to admit, I really enjoyed throwing on my suit, scarf and black wool coat. It was so cold I needed it and we just don't get to dress that way here much.
At the intermission before Act II Jeremy told me he felt like it was too early in his life to be sitting at the Met watching an Opera. I do not think I have ever felt that way. What I find more and more is that I enjoy experiences more than material things. Walking through Times Square, being on the subway, Central Park. I don't mistake my enjoyment for wanting to live here, but it's the experience that creates rich, lasting memories. It's the experiences that you can share with someone else that create those memories that strengthen the bonds of any relationship, friend, family or loved one. Because no matter how I explain or tell about what I did on this trip, only the people that are here with me can really understand.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
En Route IAH to ORD 9:45 AM
Well we’ve just been sequenced which is pretty consistent with my other trips to ORD. Sequencing occurs because of the heavy traffic at most major airports. In order to keep planes from entering holding patterns that can last up to an hour airports and airlines realized it was cheaper to slow down on the way. It saves gas and it keeps the passengers from getting antsy as the plane flies over the same real estate for an hour. I’ve never flown to Chicago and not been sequenced. You can tell when it happens because the plane starts to slow down. We’ll be landing in Chicago in less than an hour and we have about 30 minutes to get to our next gate. I was hoping to get lunch but that probably is not going to happen. Then it’s another 2 hour flight to Newark, New Jersey and a 20 minute train ride to Manhattan. The flight so far has been uneventful and quiet. The plane is old, it smells moldy but it has laptop power, which CO does not.
We were up at 5AM, left the house at 6AM and were at our gate by 6:50AM a full hour before our flight was scheduled to leave. There were two flights departing from our gate area, ours to ORD (O’Hare in Chicago) and the other to MIA (Miami International Construction Zone and Drug Bazzarre as Dave Barry calls it). Those of us bound for Chicago had on our long sleeves with coats over our arms knowing we’d need them in a few hours, the folks headed to Miami were clad in t-shirts and shorts. We pushed back on time and got in line for the runway. I can remember back when planes didn’t have to wait in line, they just taxied and took off. The last time I flew on a “whisper jet” as these MD80’s are called, was on my way to Seattle, we took one from Dallas. The MD – Super 80 “Whisper Jet” name is a throw back to the days when airlines named their fleet types. Such names as “Astroliner” “Sky train” “Golden Jet” and others The MD80 was called “Whisper Jet” because th engines are mounted in the rear of the plane making the cabin much quieter for the front ¾’s of the cabin. However, because the engineers are mounted on the fuseleage instead of under the wing, the back part of the cabin is VERY noisy. The restrooms particularly. These planes are old. I really don’t miss the in-flight entertainment; I rarely watch it.
We were up at 5AM, left the house at 6AM and were at our gate by 6:50AM a full hour before our flight was scheduled to leave. There were two flights departing from our gate area, ours to ORD (O’Hare in Chicago) and the other to MIA (Miami International Construction Zone and Drug Bazzarre as Dave Barry calls it). Those of us bound for Chicago had on our long sleeves with coats over our arms knowing we’d need them in a few hours, the folks headed to Miami were clad in t-shirts and shorts. We pushed back on time and got in line for the runway. I can remember back when planes didn’t have to wait in line, they just taxied and took off. The last time I flew on a “whisper jet” as these MD80’s are called, was on my way to Seattle, we took one from Dallas. The MD – Super 80 “Whisper Jet” name is a throw back to the days when airlines named their fleet types. Such names as “Astroliner” “Sky train” “Golden Jet” and others The MD80 was called “Whisper Jet” because th engines are mounted in the rear of the plane making the cabin much quieter for the front ¾’s of the cabin. However, because the engineers are mounted on the fuseleage instead of under the wing, the back part of the cabin is VERY noisy. The restrooms particularly. These planes are old. I really don’t miss the in-flight entertainment; I rarely watch it.
New York, New York
In our second trip this moth Jeremy and I are heading up to New York for a long weekend, flying out today (Thursday 10/23) and coming back on Monday, (10/27). This trip came about a we were talking to some friends back in August about some shows we all were wanting to see that just may not ever come to Houston so, New York it was. This trip is part of Jeremy's birthday gift to me and I could not be more excited. This is my second trip to New York this year and the Jeremy's first since he was a little kid. We have a lot of things planned so it seems like it will be a packed few days. Unlike the Grand Canyon, I've been to New York a few times so I sort-of know my way around or at least how to get a taxi. Like the Grand Canyon I believe New York is a place that you just have to go to yourself to experience it. It is a unique experience from any other big city. I know that big cities are not attractive to everyone, and believe me, by the time Monday rolls around I will be ready to get back to Houston where I can just hop in my car and drive myself, but New York is more than a big city, it's the cultural center for a lot of things that I enjoy. Fine arts, television, and some urban land marks to name a few.
On this trip we want to do the following:
Attend an opera at the Met: La Traviata (this is tonight so we'll see what time we get in)
Go to Time's Square (Jeremy has never been and I told him it's heaven for people who think TV's are cool)
Tour the NBC Studios at 30 Rock
See the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park
See a dramatic play that won't ever come to Houston
See a musical, or two, we'll decide Friday morning
Go to the Chapel of Apple (the 5th Ave Apple store which is an all glass cube with an all glass elevator and staircase.)
Walk walk walk walk walk
We do have lots of stuff planned and plenty of stuff on the tentative burner to keep us busy.
We are flying into New York by way of Chicago this time. Tickets on Continental were $150.00/per person than on American Airlines so rather than fly direct we're doing it the old fashioned way. I have not flown on American since the days I was off to the West Indies a few times a year. Let me say this, I dislike American Airlines. Their planes are old (the plane we'll be flying on today is not even manufactured anymore), they do not serve meals (not that the one's on CO are that good) and they are historically an airline which has lots of delays. So I'm fully expecting to have my baggage lost. That being said, last night as I was packing I got a call from them to inform me that our flight from Houston to Chicago had been pushed back an hour so instead of leaving at 7:00 AM we were leaving at 8:18 AM. Well that was nice. They actually called us to tell us. So we'll see, maybe I'll change my opinion. I will say this, I need to stop being stupid about flight times. I keep picking these crack of dawn flights and it just makes for a slow start to a trip when you're sleepy the entire first day.
I'll be posting more during our trip and will have pictures to share as well. Right now it's time to head to the airport.
On this trip we want to do the following:
Attend an opera at the Met: La Traviata (this is tonight so we'll see what time we get in)
Go to Time's Square (Jeremy has never been and I told him it's heaven for people who think TV's are cool)
Tour the NBC Studios at 30 Rock
See the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park
See a dramatic play that won't ever come to Houston
See a musical, or two, we'll decide Friday morning
Go to the Chapel of Apple (the 5th Ave Apple store which is an all glass cube with an all glass elevator and staircase.)
Walk walk walk walk walk
We do have lots of stuff planned and plenty of stuff on the tentative burner to keep us busy.
We are flying into New York by way of Chicago this time. Tickets on Continental were $150.00/per person than on American Airlines so rather than fly direct we're doing it the old fashioned way. I have not flown on American since the days I was off to the West Indies a few times a year. Let me say this, I dislike American Airlines. Their planes are old (the plane we'll be flying on today is not even manufactured anymore), they do not serve meals (not that the one's on CO are that good) and they are historically an airline which has lots of delays. So I'm fully expecting to have my baggage lost. That being said, last night as I was packing I got a call from them to inform me that our flight from Houston to Chicago had been pushed back an hour so instead of leaving at 7:00 AM we were leaving at 8:18 AM. Well that was nice. They actually called us to tell us. So we'll see, maybe I'll change my opinion. I will say this, I need to stop being stupid about flight times. I keep picking these crack of dawn flights and it just makes for a slow start to a trip when you're sleepy the entire first day.
I'll be posting more during our trip and will have pictures to share as well. Right now it's time to head to the airport.
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