What a Difference Two Months Make

When I first arrived in NYC on January 28 I had a preconceived vision of what image I should portray to be a true New Yorker.  I remember the first weekend that I was by myself and meeting a friend for lunch I was so careful to dress in what I thought to be the "New York " way.  I got up and showered and did my hair and makeup very carefully.  I made sure to wear dark colors and try to be as sophisticated as possible. I did not want to look like a hick from the Midwest who just did not get the New York style thing.  Well I'm over it.  Last Saturday I had the best day walking around and shopping with my hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing my bright pink workout jacket, navy pants and my walking shoes. I walked up Fifth Avenue and looked at all of the exclusive shops as I had in the past weeks and realized that no one really notices, or cares for that matter, what the hell I am wearing. This made me feel quite satisfied that I had, in fact, become as much of a true New Yorker as one could become in two months.

I also enjoyed one of the wonderful advantages of living in this great city on Sunday as I woke up early and went to the tkts (reduced price same day ticket booth) in Times Square.  It was certainly a Bucket List item for me during my stay and the experience did not disappoint.  Tkts opens on Sunday at 11 am for matinee performances so I arrived at 10:15 thinking I was beating the crowd.  Bad idea.  I arrived, in the rain, to a line that wrapped around several times.  It felt a bit like Disney World but I was very impressed by the organization and efficiency of the entire operation.  People were very cordial and the forty-five minutes passed very quickly with everyone discussing what shows they wanted to see.  As soon as the booth officially opened I was amazed to see how rapidly the line moved.  We were told by a very entertaining group of workers during our wait to be prepared with several choices when we got to the front of the line since we might not be able to get tickets to to the show we wanted most to see.  I was pleased to be able to purchase a tenth row orchestra ticket to "Sister Act", my first choice, for half of the regular ticket price.  The Sunday before I had seen "The Book of Mormon" with my sister and paid a somewhat obscene amount for the ticket so I was very proud of my accomplishment.

The show was wonderful and ended a very enjoyable weekend. On my walk back to my apartment I still possessed the feeling of awe that I was actually living in New York City and felt so lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy four Broadway shows over the past two months.

I know this picture has no relation to this post but Jack has not given up on the Orangemen even though they have been eliminated from March Madness.