The last day of any trip, especially when it involves saying goodbye, is a sad day. This afternoon, we all head back home to California, New Mexico and Indiana. It was fun watching the faces of some people when they asked where we were visiting from and we listed all of these different places.
As usual, we had a packed day yesterday.
On repeated vacations to the same locale, one starts to know places to revisit. The Brooklyn Diner on 57th Street is one of our places. We had a great breakfast and a leisurely start to the day. While eating, we decided to see a fourth show rather than the hit-or-miss of seeing a Daily Show taping with Trevor Noah. But, what to see
Since we had already been to three musicals, we thought it might be nice to see a traditional play. Our three choices boiled down to Hillary and Clinton, Drunk Shakespeare, and The Play that Goes Wrong (it is good enough to see more than once). Rather than pay full-price, we thought we would try Today’s Tix in Times Square.
Before heading to Times Square, we wanted to enjoy another adventure. None of us (I believe), had ever gone a carriage ride through Central Park. In trying to book online, it said we had to be there at least 30-minutes ahead of time. As it was already 11:30, and the schedule saying 12:00 for the next one, we decided to take a chance and walked down to the Park instead.
When we arrived a young man from Turkey started hawking the ride to us. After discovering the ride cost is set by the City, we hopped in his carriage, and off we went. It was very nice that he had a couple of lap blankets to help keep the chill away. He was very polite in asking if we wanted information along the way or not. I appreciated that since sometimes a quiet ride is nice without someone trying to carry on an unwanted conversation (think taxi’s). We said we’d like information, which he provided off and on throughout our ride.
After hopping off at the end, we headed to Times Square for tickets. While waiting in line, helpful travel tip coming, we were told there were two lines for tickets. One side for musicals (a very long line), and a side for plays (a much shorter line). Of course, we were in the wrong line. Lucky for us, no one was in the play line meaning we were now first!
Tickets in hand, we headed back to the hotel to just veg. One of us took a nap while the rest of us sat in the lounge and snacked, read, and dozed off here and there (at least I did anyway).
We decided to just eat the hotel happy hour food for dinner before heading off to see Hillary and Clinton, starring Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow. It was in pre-view, which means a very limited set and changes might be made before the true opening. Metcalf and Lithgow were great in their roles. All of us, except me, enjoyed the play. It wasn’t the acting for me, which was fantastic, it was the story. The whole thing felt like a long stretch of whining about a character who felt entitled to the nomination because it was her time and she was the most qualified. Mind you this was the 2008 election against Obama, not the most recent against the current administration.
Our evening ended with a stop for dessert at the Buttercup Bake Shop. They are mainly known for their banana pudding, and they didn’t disappoint. I also bought and tried my first macaroon. Tasty, but more gooey than I had expected.
Then off to bed knowing Friday morning held packing, a nice lunch, then a trip to the airport to get back to the normal routine of our lives.
Until next year, signing off about the annual New York trek. Thanks for reading and the likes I received!
Watch soon to see what the next post might entail.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 