Category: Travel

Got up New Year’s Day and went to the Baglery at 30th and 3rd. The Times had had an article on Tuesday about best old-style bagels in town, and this was one of the three places mentioned. There was a long line, but most were doing take-out and I got a table inside. It was good, but really not all that much better than the fare at Einstein Brothers.

Wandered over to Lincoln Center to see if there were any return tickets for Henry IV. There were only about six other people in line at the time (1:45), so since I had my book, I decided to wait. I ended up getting a ticket in the balcony. While waiting for them to open the auditorium, I kept thinking the girl at the souvenir counter looked familiar. I went up to her and we played the ‘where do we know each other from’ game for about ten minutes, then figured out I met her, Abby Seible, when I was subbing at St. Martin’s this summer, right before she moved up to NYC.

The play itself was spectacular. All the performances were strong, but Kevin Kline as Falstaff especially stood out. The set had all these pieces that slid in and out and worked very well. At one point a bunch of hay was dropped from the ceiling before a scene in a stable, and the smell wafting through the theater really helped set it…just glad they didn’t go for more realism. 😉

After the show I had a voicemail from M?ire O’Brien, asking if I’d like to go see a dress rehearsal at the Met the next day. You can guess my answer. I talked with Eb, and he asked if I could stay for the funeral on Saturday, so I called Continental and got my flight changed from Friday evening to Sunday morning. I had dinner at Peter’s Diner on 3rd at 52nd, I think. Gyros platter was good, but just three strips of meat? I’ll stick to Bibas, thanks.

I arrived at Newark at noon on New Year’s Eve. Eb Keshavarz was there to pick me up in his day-old Acura TL…a very nice car indeed, Bluetooth phone aware (will route calls through the car’s audio system!), and navigation package (whose breathy female voice his girlfriend Costanza can’t stand 😉 ). We went to the hospital where his father was in CCU and visited with him for a while, then had a late lunch at a chicken place in Spanish Harlem. He dropped me off at Columbus Circle, but it was such a nice day I decided to walk through Central Park to get to Eb’s place on 67th and 1st. I dropped off my stuff, read for a bit, then, counter to my nature, decided to get to the theater early.

That decision was, in a word, fortuitous.
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Had been trying to find a cheap fare to London or Vegas for New Years, but had given up hope. Then tried for a cheap fare to NYC, and also despaired. But while IMing with Patrick Durham this afternoon, he found a decent price on Priceline (which I hadn’t checked because of the whole not-knowing-your-flight-time-until-after-you’ve-bought-your-ticket thing, but apparently they do ‘real’ ticketing now, too) on American. On a lark, I checked out Continental, and not only did they have a direct flight, it was cheaper! I immediately snagged it, and then got a ticket for The Producers for tomorrow evening. I’ll be back Friday night. If you’re in NYC any of this time, gimme a shout…I’ll have my cell phone, of course.

So, kudos to Patrick!!!

And shame on you if you don’t know my middlemost name.