NYC!!!!

New York City. If you know me at all you will know that I love New York. I always have, I love it for the musicals for the romantic movies that take place there (who doesn't want to meet someone at the top of the Empire State building?) and for just everything that goes on there. For the first 23 years of my life though I had to allow myself to fall in love with this city by looking at pictures, watching movies and listening to music having to do with this greatest of cities. The opportunity never presented itself to allow me to go the city that I ached for, yes literally ached for, the last few year especially if I saw a scene of the city I would get this pain in my heart, that was where I was suppose to be and I had never even been there. Have you ever felt that one place was part of you? Even though I had never once set foot there I knew that was MY city.

There is another obessision of mine that goes along with this story, Angela Lansbury. Another obessesion that is probably of no shock to any of you reading this. When I was very little my grandmother only had one children's movie, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. While most people my age know her first as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, by the time that movie came out I knew the voice as the lady from Murder She Wrote and Bedknobs. I remember being about six and staying at my other grandmothers house and telling her that my show was on, she was a bit shocked that my show was Murder She Wrote. Growing up I learned more about her acting than just those two things, I wanted so badly to see her live, but being as she hadn't been in a musical or on broadway at all since 1979 I thought my chance was lost. When she came back in 2005 and 2008 for a couple of straight plays I was so excited that maybe I would have the opportunity to see her then, it didn't happen. Two things that I loved but thought I would never actually have, I knew that dreams like that didn't often come true so all I could was dream.

Enter the weekend of March 12-14 2010. This is the weekend I knew that God loved me a whole heck of alot. As Mercy Volunteers we were suppose to have a retreat that weekend near Atlantic City, NJ, right on the ocean it was going to be lovely. However, two weeks before we were suppose to go we found out that due to a new job the person who was suppose to be facilitating the retreat could no longer do it and no one else could either. The communities of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore who were scheduled for this retreat were very disappointed. Since we were upset we decided to have a retreat anyway. Lucky for us there were only two people in the New York community who lived in a place with 6 bedrooms, and they graciously decided to host us for the weekend. That was great! Problem though, I'm suppose to be living simply I only make $100 a month I can't afford to see a show even if we can work it into the schedule, well March 11th was my birthday and due to some very generous family members I had enough money to go!. But wait what show should I see? Well it just so happens that Sondheim's A Little Night Music was being revived and who was staring in it, Catherine Zeta-Jones and ANGELA LANSBURY! Well that settled it I was quite obviously suppose to go to this show.

We left the morning of the 12th and drove the four hours to NYC as we got closer to the city my eyes got bigger and bigger, I was seeing the buildings, the places I had read about and longed for my whole life, granted it was from a distance but I could see them! My community members were all laughing at how excited I was. I was even excited when pulling into the neighborhood in Queens that the New York community lived in there was an elevated train just down there street that you could here rattling when the train came. The girls who were hosting us got us all settled in and then took us into the city while we waited for Philadelphia to come. We hopped on the New York subway, which really does smell like urine by the way, and took it into Manhattan. We came up from the subway stop and there it was!!!! Central Park was right there and the Plaza Hotel was across the street. We walked a block and we were at FAO Schwartz the world famous toy store. We went in the place was massive just like I had always been told. That store made we wish I was seven years old and really rich. We walked down 5th ave. The fashion avenue, and walked past Trump Tower, De Beers, Tiffany and Co. Places I'll never be able to actually afford but it's nice to know that they're there for real. We went into St. Patrick's Cathedral which was gorgeous and gigantic, personally I think everything in New York is huge. After our detour there we walked some more and saw Rockefeller Center, and the ice skating rink, we walked past Radio City Music Hall, I was on cloud nine at this point. We then found the theater that my show was at and I went and bought my ticket. And then we left turned the corner and we were in Times Square!!!!! It was a rainy day, and I probably would have been miserable if I wasn't so excited. There were posters everywhere! There were people everywhere! I joked that during the time we were in Times Square the entire population of Iowa probably passed us. It was shiny and sparkly and wonderful. I just needed to go to one more place, the corner of Broadway and 42nd St. My corner. I couldn't believe I was standing on the corner that had been song about by so many different people and in different musicals or rather the streets I suppose they weren't singing about the specific corner. We then walked to Bryant park where New York fashion week takes place, I saw the Empire State Building. We went into the New York Public Library, we went into Grand Central Station again all these places I had read about but doubted I would every actually see. And we did all of this in about three hours. We then got back on the subway and headed back to Queens as I kept checking every five seconds that I still had my ticket.

The next day we spent the majority of the day in reflection and doing retreat like things. While I tried to patiently wait for 8 when the show was to start. Well around five or so I started to get a bit antsy, realizing that I was going to see Angela Lansbury in the flesh. So at 6:45 I hopped on the subway with some wonderful people who were going to escort me since I was going to the show by myself. I got there with plenty of time, and settled myself into my freaking fantastic seat and waited for the show to start. The lights dimmed the music started, that wonderful, wonderful Sondheim music, and the actors came out I was beside myself I think I stopped breathing and no one was there who I could turn to and say isn't this great can you believe it and then She came out. When her character was rolled on stage there was applause, I mean it's the great Angela Lansbury there better be applause. She quickly showed that even though her charecter is in a wheelchair and she herself is 84 years old that she was still on top of her game. She performed with life and joy and even if you had no idea who she was you would know she was a legend. I will admit when she came on stage I started to cry a little bit, it happens sometimes when I get overwhelmed and I was nothing if not overwhelmed at that moment. I mean she's been one of my favorite actresses since I can remember and has 5 Tony's under her belt, she's just pretty much awesome. Now although I won't put her on the same level as Angela Lansbury just yet, I was amazed at Catherine Zeta-Jones. I usually hate it when they bring in big name stars with no basis in Theater onto Broadway because that brings in the money but she was amazing. When she sang Send in the Clowns the theater was silent, I mean dead silent. I will never doubt her again. After the show was over I camped myself outside of the stage door, even though it was pouring down rain. Unfortunatly Angela did not come out that way, I can't blame her though she's 84 years old and it was pouring like I said earlier. So even though I did not get her autograph I can still tell my children someday I got to see the legendary Angela Lansbury perform in the role that got her her 6th Tony (here's hoping).

The next morning we left and as I saw the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty in the distance I made up my mind. That is where I'm suppose to be, and so many things in life fail if you put all these expectations up for them, but that weekend nothing failed. It was like I always knew it would be. I know it's a long post but I have to close with a little song, there are many songs about New York but right now I'm feeling NYC from the musical Annie, It really describes the way I love that city.

What is it about you
You're big
You're loud
You're tough NYC
I go years without you
Then I
Can't get
Enough
Enough of the cab drivers answering back
In the language far from pure
Enough of frankfurters answering back
Brother, you know you're in NYC
Too busy
Too crazy
Too hot
Too cold
Too late
I'm sold
Again
On NYC

NYC

The shadows at sundown
The roofs
That scrape
The sky

NYC

The rich and the rundown
The parade
Goes by

Oh NYC

You make 'em all postcards

You crowd
You cramp
You're still
The champ
Amen For NYC (NYC)
The shimmer of Times Square

The pulse

The beat
The drive! (NYC)

The city's bright
As a penny arcade
It blinks, it tilts, it rings
To think that I've lived here all of my life
And never seen these things

Oh, NYC
The whole world keeps coming

By bus
By train
You can't
Explain
Their yen
For

NYC
Just got here this morning
Three bucks
Two bags
One me
NYC
I give you fair warning
Up there
In lights
I'll be
Go ask the Gershwins or Kaufman and Hart
The place they love the best
Though California pays big for their art
Their fan mail comes addressed to NYC
Tomorrow a penthouse
That's way up high
Tonight
The "Y"
Why not
It's NYC

NYC
You're standing room only
You crowd
You cramp
You're still
The champ
Amen For NY
NYC