Hidden away in the concret jungle of Manhattan, to the west, lies the High Line Park. Converted from old train tracks, the High Line runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.
I’m not sure what the plants are called, but they evoked in me a sense of wild and free. In a city where plants are practically non-existant it’s like an oasis, tucked away, waiting to be discovered.
There were many places for sitting and reading, or even relaxing during a lunch break. We a passed a very small lawn where quite a number of people were having picnics and sitting on blankets. There was also a contemporary dance exhibit going on when we were passing through. There are quite a few events going on weekly at The High Line, it seems a great place for family fun.
Rising before the sun, my friend and I headed into the New York City to stand in line at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre’s box office to get rush tickets. We were aiming for 8 a.m. but got there around 7:45 to find a 15 people queue – I asked the first in line, they were there since 6 a.m.). I stayed until 9:30 and then left for work; 30 minutes later I got a text saying we got the tickets! yay! =)
If you want to try rush tickets, check the website for details. The show was definitely worth getting up before the sun!
The set was very simple, just a few coloured rises that moved on and off stage when necessary, the backdrops, office furniture and box designed to look like a lift. Very simple, but very well done.
Scene from Coffee Break (image via broadway.com)
The costumes were mostly business suits and dresses. I absolutely LOVED the colours, I would wear some of those styles to work! For some reason the costumes reminded me of Annie (the movie, I haven’t seen the Broadway show).
The story follows a young and ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch (Daniel Radcliffe), a window washer at the beginning of the story, and his climb up the corporate ladder.
As J. Pierrepont Finch climbs the corporate ladder, a secretary Rosemary Pilkington, played by Rose Hemingway, has set her eyes on making him her husband. Meanwhile Biggley’s nephew, Bud Frump, played by Christopher J. Hanke, is trying to blackmail his uncle into giving him a higher position.
Daniel Radcliffe did a great job! It took me until Act 2 to remember that he English and was using an American accent, he blended in so well! Also, I was pleasantly surprised by his singing and dancing skills. I can see Daniel going a very long way with his acting career. John Larroquette who played J.B. Biggley, the head of World Wide Wickets, was one of my favourites in the show. His character was quite hilarious and probably the one that provided the most laughs for me. I also loved Christopher Hanke, he did a great job in portraying Bud Frump and adding more laughs to the show.
I listened to the songs before the show (on Spotify) and didn’t think I would get the soundtrack , but, after seeing the show, I think I’m going to getting it! Some of my favourite songs were Coffee Break (hilarious and great choreography), Paris Original (such a funny song!) and Brotherhood of Man – I think Daniel’s dancing skills shone through on this one, see video below from the Tony Awards.
.
Great show, wonderful production. I had a fabulous time!
Po·dunk : a small, unimportant and isolated town. [MW]
When you walk in, you might wonder whether you’re walking into someone’s living room or a tea room; there are teapots everywhere, mismatched furniture and bookcases filled with books. However, Podunk is a tea room that offers a variety of dishes, from scones to sandwiches to deserts, as well as many kinds of teas.
Sitting on a lawn chair, surrounded by teapots and books make for great bookish conversations.
Last year I visited the Guggenhiem Museum which is known for it’s spiral shape and was also the most expensive Museum. It was crowded! We took about 30 minutes to get into the museum itself and spent another hour or two browsing the collection. Afterwards I ran into my Aunts and mom … what are the odds?
While waiting in line to enter Cooper-Hewitt we bumped into one of my aunts! I suppose the odds aren’t that slim.
The Cooper-Hewitt had two large exhibits. The second floor held the Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay exhibit. There were a lot of patterns and prints done by Sonia Delaunay that was made into fabric and the fascinating thing was its similarity to the prints in today’s fashion.
The first floor of the Cooper-Hewitt held the Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels exhibit and this was a hit, mostly amongst the ladies. I love jewelry as much as the next woman, but I found a lot of the pieces too grandiose – which, I suppose, was the point. I did enjoy the butterflies though and the jewel-encrusted dancers.
The Museum of the City of New York had a Joel Grey/A New York Life exhibit on the second floor. In this exhibit I realised that Academy and Golden Globe awards aren’t large, even though they seem large on the television; that sometimes pictures of rusty chain links on a pink, flaky wall can look extremely artistic. Also, that I should have married a wealthy man in the 1800s if I wanted to have a fancy drawing room, complete with picture table and decorative fireplace.
The first floor contained a dollhouse which was exquisitely decorated. Which I wanted to take home. Which in turn reminded me of this – Grace White also has an Etsy shop, which I plan on browsing often. I think this was my favourite thing of the night!
The first floor also contained the The American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis exhibit, which is wonderful to view. It’s fun to imagine society in colonial times.
We must have walked at least three miles, so we ended the night with Shake Shack burgers and fries (yummy). Now I’ve visited four museums in the Museum Mile, just 6 more to go.
I went with my bookish friend, A, to Cha-An last week for dinner. They are located on the second floor and as of last week they only take cash.
They are rather small, and have a tea room in which they do 30 minutes Japanese Tea Ceremonies. Inside it’s very nice; the decor is very earthy and peaceful.
I decided to do the Afternoon Tea Set ($18) which came with two bagel sandwiches, scones with preserves and cream, an assortment of sweets and tea of your choice. The bagels were on the small side but were soft and yummy. I loved the salmon that came with the sandwich. I chose the genmaicha tea, which had a very earthy taste due to the rice that sits soaking in the tea. I loved it! I forgot the tea that A had, but I remembered that it was a fruity one and she liked it as well.
The bagels came in a little basket, but I was too hungry to remember to take a photo of it. I did remember to take a photo of the dessert though. It came with a green tea macaroon which was yummy. The scones were crunchy on the outside — due to some sugar-like crystals — but was soft on the inside.
The mochi dessert was A’s choice; all three were chocolate mochi and it was delicious!
The portions were small but filling, which was good. Usually tea services are so large that it’s difficult to finish it all; however, I was able to finish everything without issue. I’d definitely go here again; their lunch menu looks delicious.
Eat. Read. Blog 