NOTHING SAYS NEW YORK LIKE A BROADWAY MUSICAL! CURTAIN CALL AT "WAITRESS", SEPTEMBER 19, 2018.

A Wedding and A Week In The Big Apple

In September of 2018 Dorothy and I traveled to New York City for some fun in the city and a wedding out on Long Island.  Dallas Ward, son of our good friends Billy and Mindy Ward, got married to Megan Rappa on Saturday, September 22, 2018.  We flew up on Monday, September 17, 2018, and had a leisurely time sightseeing in the city before we headed out to Long Island for the wedding.  Here are some photos and comments regarding our little trip. 

 

Tuesday, September 18, 2018:  The Guggenheim, “The Destabilization of Meaning”, and A Broadway Show


We spent the morning at the Guggenheim, trying to absorb a little culture.  I don’t think it worked on me, but Dorothy seemed to really soak it up.  If I am honest about it, one of the main exhibits, called “One Hand Clapping”, left me more than a little befuddled.  Guess this small town Texas boy just isn’t cut out for modern art!  After lunch we put our heads together to come up with a list of shows we wanted to see, and I headed over to the Times Square TKTS booth to fight the crowds and rain to purchase some discount Broadway tickets.  I was able to get tickets for “Beautiful”, The Carole King Musical, which we saw that night.  

DOROTHY, WORKING HER WAY UP THE GALLERY RAMP INSIDE THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM IN NEW YORK CITY.
DOROTHY IS MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HIGH CULTURE THAN I AM!
WHILE I ENJOYED THE PICASSO EXHIBIT, THE "ONE HAND CLAPPING" EXHIBIT LEFT ME SCRATCHING MY HEAD. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO "SERVE AS A MATAPHOR FOR THE WAYS IN WHICH MEANING IS DESTABILIZED IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD". IT CERTAINLY DESTABLIZED ME!
ONE OF THE "ONE HAND CLAPPING" INSTALLATIONS. THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR LEFT ME UNMOVED, CONFUSED, AND DESTABILZED...LOL. IN OTHER WORDS, I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!
I ENJOY THE OUTSTANDING PEOPLE WATCHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH STANDING IN THE TKTS LINE IN TIMES SQUARE.
I HAD TO STAND IN LINE FOR OVER AN HOUR AND IT BEGAN TO RAIN. IT SEEMED TO MAKE THE LINE STANDING MORE INTIMATE!
AT THE END OF MY LINE STANDING, I GOT TICKETS TO "BEAUTIFUL" FOR 50% OFF...YEAH!
MY LOVELY WIFE, ABOUT TO ENTER THE SONDHEIM THEATRE TO SEE "BEAUTIFUL". SHE LIKES TO SING ALONG, TO THE CONSTERNATION OF THE LOCALS. BY THE WAY, WE ENJOYED THIS SHOW!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018:  A Visit To An AA Club, “Waitress”, and a Nice Dinner in Hell’s Kitchen


One of the things I enjoy when visiting NYC is taking early morning walks.  I also enjoy attending AA meetings in the City, and this trip was no exception.  We typically stay near Times Square where is an AA Club nearby called the 46th Street Club House, and a lot of theatre people attend meetings there.  Needless to say, it is an interesting and eclectic group of alcoholics!  They have lots of meetings throughout the day and well into the night, so I can usually fit in a meeting most days in the City.  

THE NONDESCRIPT DOOR TO THE 46TH STREET CLUB HOUSE. YOU KIND OF HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK TO FIND IT!
THE 46TH STREET CLUB HOUSE OCCUPIES WHAT USED TO BE A SMALL UPSTAIRS BAR. HERE IS THE ARTISTIC STAIR SPACE THAT GETS YOU UP TO THE MEETING ROOMS. I HAVE ATTENDED SOME REALLY INTERESTING MEETINGS HERE OVER THE YEARS!

On Wednesday, September 19th, 2018, Dorothy once again sent me out to do battle in the Times Square TKTS line.  Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

RAN INTO AN OLD FRIEND NEAR THE TIMES SQUARE TKTS BOOTH.
I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR "WAITRESS". THIS PIC IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT THE SIGN AT THE TKTS BOOTH LOOKS LIKE. LOOK IN THE LOWER LEFT OF THE PICTURE, THE RED SIGN WITH WHITE LETTERING.
DOROTHY, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE STAGE AT THE THEATRE WHERE WE SAW "WAITRESS". BEHIND HER YOU CAN SEE THE BAND THAT IS PART OF THE SHOW WARMING UP JUST PRIOR TO THE PERFORMANCE.
WE HAD A VERY NICE DINNER AFTER THE SHOW AT A RESTAURANT IN HELL'S KITCHEN. THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD PLACES TO EAT IN HELL'S KITCHEN!

Thursday, September 20, 2018:  The 9-11 Memorial, a Walk Around Little Italy and Soho, and Going To See An Orange-ite Off-Broadway…

 


Bright and early Thursday morning, September 20, 2018, we bravely navigated the subway down to the 9/11 Memorial.  We arrived in the Oculus transportation center, which is an amazing structure in its own right.  We exited the Oculus and then visited the North and South Pools, where the names of the 2,983 souls who lost their lives on 9/11 are inscribed around the perimeters of the pools.  We walked around the Plaza and the Glade, but decided not to go down into the Museum.  I was moved by the Memorial, but just wasn’t in the mood to walk down into what I perceived as the crypt-like space where the Museum is located.  Maybe someday, but not this day.   

DOROTHY, ABOUT TO BOARD A SUBWAY TRAIN TO TRAVEL DOWNTOWN TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL.
DOROTHY INSIDE THE MAGNIFICENT OCULUS TRANSPORTATION CENTER NEXT TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL.
DOROTHY, AFTER EMERGING FROM THE OCULUS. THE DISTINCTIVE "WINGS" OF THE OCULUS ARE IN THE BACKGROUND.
DOROTHY BESIDE ONE OF THE TWO 9/11 MEMORIAL POOLS, WHICH ARE PLACED ON THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH TOWERS. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE VICTIM NAMES NEXT TO HER ON THE PERIMETER OF THE POOL.

After our somber visit to the 9/11 Memorial, we started walking north on Broadway, past the Brooklyn Bridge.  After what seemed to be a long walk, we found ourselves in Little Italy.  There was a festival going on, and we took advantage of some of the food booths.  The festive atmosphere in Little Italy was a stark, and welcome, change from the atmosphere at the 9/11 Memorial.  With our spirits lifted, and our bellies full, we continued our walk and found ourselves in Soho.  Once sufficiently tired out, we found a subway access point and eventually made our way back to our hotel in the theatre district near Times Square.  

DOROTHY IN LITTLE ITALY. AS WALKED THE NARROW STREETS WHERE THE FESTIVAL WAS GOING ON, IT GOT QUITE CROWDED AND FESTIVE.
MY WIFE IS NOT ONLY CLASSY, AND HIGH MAINTENANCE, BUT...
...SHE IS ALSO VERY BRAVE! (I WOULD NEVER BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO WEAR A MAGA HAT ON THE STREETS OF NYC!!

We had already enjoyed a full day, but we still had one more activity scheduled.  Several months prior to our little trip, I had made a new friend on Facebook.  Her name is Kate Robards, a young actress/comedian from my hometown of Orange, Texas.  I had noticed on her Facebook that she was doing a one-woman show Off-Broadway in NYC on September 20, 2018 (i.e. while we would be visiting).  So I had purchased tickets, and Dorothy and I attended her show.  We both enjoyed the show, but since it contained a number of references to the town and culture that I was raised in, I found it particularly compelling and enjoyable.  I had told Kate (via Facebook Messenger) that we would be in attendance, and she graciously took the time to meet us and visit after her performance.  It was an enjoyable evening, featuring an intimate Off-Broadway performance!

THE BILL ON DISPLAY AT THE THEATRE WHERE KATE PERFORMED ON THE EVENING OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018.

Friday, September 21, 2018:  Long Island, Here We Come!


We spent all day Friday making our way from Manhattan to our hotel near the wedding venue out on Long Island.  We took a private car to John F. Kennedy International Airport where we picked up a rental car, which we drove to the far reaches of Long Island.  The wedding was going to be in Peconic, so we were staying at a hotel that was roughly located equidistant from the the wedding venue, the venue for the rehearsal dinner, and the venue for the day after brunch at the beach house of the bride’s parents in the Hampton Bays area.   Although the traffic was brutal at times, I enjoyed the scenery, as this was our first time out on Long Island.  Sorry, but I took no pictures on this day.  

Saturday & Sunday, September 22 & 23, 2018:  A Beautiful Wedding on Long Island…


The wedding of Megan and Dallas was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. that Saturday, so Dorothy and I had plenty of time to get ready and make it there.  We stopped at Braun Seafood for lunch on our way to the venue.  I have a peculiar fascination with lobster rolls, which are not available (as a general rule) in our neck of the woods in Texas.  For the record, my lobster roll was magnificent! 

THE LOBSTER SIGN DREW ME IN LIKE A STRONG MAGNET.
ME AND MY LOBSTER ROLL. YUM, YUM!
DOROTHY ENJOYED FISH TACOS AT BRAUN'S.

The Wedding Venue…

The Wedding was held at the Raphael Winery located in Peconic, Long Island, New York.   It was a beautiful day with perfect weather, and the venue was stunning!

WELCOME!
READY FOR A WEDDING!
YEP, IT WAS A REAL WINERY!
THE ROAD MAP FOR THE DAY!

The Ceremony, Reception, and Brunch…


The wedding ceremony was elegant, beautiful, and story-book perfect.  Under beautiful blue skies and high wispy clouds, Megan Rappa became Mrs. Dallas Ward.  The magical afternoon continued indoors with a reception that included all the bells and whistles– dinner, cake cutting, speeches, and dancing.  A good time was had by all!  Congratulations Megan and Dallas, we love you and wish you nothing but the best.  Thank you for including us in this wonderful weekend of wedding activities!   

WAITING FOR THE BRIDE.
MEGAN'S DAD ESCORTING HER DOWN THE AISLE.
SEALING THE DEAL WITH A KISS.
DOROTHY AND MINDY WARD, PROUD MOTHER OF THE GROOM.
BILLY WARD AND YOURS TRULY.
THREE GOOD MEN! DALLAS, ME, AND BILLY.
THE NEXT MORNING MEGAN'S PARENTS HOSTED AN INFORMAL BRUNCH AT THEIR COTTAGE IN HAMPTON BAYS.
DOROTHY AND I SNUCK AWAY FROM THE BRUNCH FOR A WALK ON THE BEACH. A FITTING WAY TO CONCLUDE OUR LITTLE TRIP!

Epilogue…

We enjoyed this little trip.  It contained just the right mixture of new sights, old friends, and mild adventure.  We returned home filled with good wishes for Megan and Dallas along with our pleasant memories of their beautiful wedding.  We are grateful for good friends and the wonderful experiences that come with those friendships!