Ian's advanced drama class does a trip to NYC each year. I don't need to be told that twice to know I want to go and be a chaperone. Ian wasn't initially happy with me being on the trip with him, but he eventually came to accept my presence. He even said when the weekend was over, that it turned out ok to have me along because "I didn't get all up in his business".
The itinerary for the trip was pretty awesome. Part of the 48 hours is spent going to two Broadway shows and doing a workshop with one of the actors from a show. As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the studio and met with the musical director and a member from the cast of "Come From Away". The kids learned a musical number "Welcome to the Rock", along with the dance that accompanies it. The chaperones had the option to stick around and watch or go get coffee, wander around and be back in an hour. Are you kidding me??!! Of course, I am going to stay and watch. I LIVE for this stuff!!
I tried very hard to be on the down low and not be obvious about taking photos/video. However, once the kids started rehearsing, I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I took a chair, put it in the corner of the studio and stood on it to record. Talk about putting myself out there! There was no going back now and hiding!
After the dance number, the kids got to do a 30-minute question and answer period with Julie and the musical director.
We made our way to Brooklyn and visited Smorgasburg, the largest open-air food market. I was in charge of Ian and his two friends, both named Ryan! This was interesting having to keep track of 3 teenage boys among a thousand people and these boys all wanted to go in different directions. I survived and we had a great time! It was such a beautiful day!!
After having lunch, we had free time to walk around Times Square. Then it was time to go to Ellen's Stardust Diner for dinner. Love this place! And having a group reservation is the best way to go.
"King Kong" was the show we saw Saturday night. The funniest part of the trip was when we were getting our tickets for the show as we were walking into the theatre. Ian had big plans to sit next to his best buds. He wanted me to be as far away from him as possible. Ian is quickly shuffling the tickets around, taking the ticket from one person and handing it to another person. He had very little time to accomplish what he wanted to do. Upon entering the theatre, the kids went straight to their seats and the adults went to the bathroom. When I made my way to my seat, I looked at the empty seat next to Ian and realized he messed up big-time! Ian inadvertently had me sitting right next to him! The expression on his face as he is realizing what he had done, is priceless. He asked if anyone around us would switch seats with me. Ha! Not only would no one switch seats, but we all couldn't stop laughing! King Kong had great special effects. The way the creators had King Kong have facial expressions were so cool and most impressive. But the storyline and music was very weak.
On Sunday, we did a guided tour of the 9/11 Memorial. Even though I had been before, I learned quite a bit about the September 11th attacks that I didn't know. Again, another beautiful day to be outside and walking around. We had some extra time and took a walk down to Trinity Church and saw where Alexander Hamilton is buried. So cool!
Lunch was at Carmine's and soooo yummy! They do gluten free pasta perfectly. After lunch, we made our way to see "Come From Away". The play tied in nicely with the 9/11 Memorial tour and it really hit home how wonderful this town of Gander, New Foundland was to the 38 planes of people who had no choice to but to land in their town. Their population doubled! Without a doubt, we all loved "Come From Away" and was moved to tears. After the show was over, we went to the stage door and hung out waiting for the actors to come out. We got to see Julie and tell her how great she did.
Chaperoning this field trip was the best! I am so happy I didn't think twice and not sign up to go. I am pretty sure I had more fun than all those kids put together!
Spring break is that wonderful time of the school year when you are very ready for a break and just want to bust out of town and do something. Do something fun, do something very different than going to school, and do something that will make you happy to have a few days off and can face the rest of the school year with a renewed sense of energy.
This Spring Break we went to NYC as a family. Ian, Samantha, and I love NYC. Jeff had vacation time he needed to use or lose, and while he doesn't love NYC, he does love us and together we designed a few days that would appeal to everyone.
WEDNESDAY:
Took the train into the city early in the morning. We went to a restaurant for lunch called "The Melt" and it specialized in all kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches. They even had gluten free bread and I was able to order like a normal person. ;) So cheesy yummy!
The M&M store is where we ended up next. Oy! This place is nuts and is 3 floors of everything M&M candy, merchandise and whatever else they can think of to sell you.
"The Prom": All four of us went to the matinee show. We weren't entirely sure what to expect as this show is brand new and I knew only one other person who had seen it. And that person was my friend Adam who has seen everything. Really. He averages 255 shows a year. He's seen "Hamilton" with the original cast 8 times!! He saw their 5th ever show when it was first off-Broadway. Yes, he's seen it all. Adam said we would like it. He was right, Team Toppall enjoyed the show very much. It's hilarious and the music is awesome. We downloaded the soundtrack right away and have been singing along ever since. "The Prom" got nominated for 7 Tony's and we got to see 3 of the nominated leads in action. That's always a very cool thing.
We had a bit of downtime after seeing "The Prom" and went back to the hotel to chill.
Dinner was at our favorite Italian restaurant, Trattoria Trecolori. We discovered this place a few years ago and it's our number 1 choice for going to dinner when seeing a Broadway show. By New York standards, it's reasonably priced, awesome food and the service is excellent. It's a sure-fire winner. As long as you have a reservation, you will get in and out as fast as needed. And the place is ALWAYS packed.
After dinner, we split up and Jeff/Sam went to see "Wicked" and Ian/me went to see "Be More Chill". We wanted Sam to see a show we know she would love. And what girl does not love Wicked? Jeff hadn't seen it before and was happy to take her. Both of them enjoyed the show and it was a solid choice. I had heard about this new show called "Be More Chill", again from my friend Adam. Ian and I had been listening to the soundtrack since November and couldn't wait to see the show. It wasn't appropriate for anyone under the age of 12, but in reality "The Prom" was edgier and more of an education than "Be More Chill" will ever be. Ian and I liked the show very much, but we agree we liked "The Prom" even more.
Ian and I's show started an hour later than Jeff/Sam's. So what else is there to do but go get a slice of cheesecake from Juniors. Yum!
THURSDAY:
Jeff was able to meet a friend from college for breakfast, while the kids and I slept in for an extra hour.
10:00am: We had tickets to National Geographic Encounter. This place was a re-creation of what it was like to be in the Pacific Ocean. It was cool and educational and so well done. This was a great way to spend a couple of hours in the morning.
Lunch became somewhat of a mess. The Mexican restaurant I had scoped out earlier was not at all a place we'd want to go to. We ended up eating at a food court in Grand Central Station. It was the best option at the time. We were all tired of walking, hungry, and starting to melt down. Every restaurant we passed by the time we got to this food court, for some reason or another, each one of us vetoed. It wasn't a pretty sight by the time we finally descended on this food court, but it did the trick. We got our 2nd wind and was ready to tackle our next destination.
AKC, Museum of the Dog was next up. They had just moved this museum from St. Louis to a new location in NY. Every one of us loves dogs and was up the adventure to check out the museum. However, it was so disappointing. Beyond disappointing. One of the cool things we had read about was that the museum had a machine that will match what breed of dog comes closest to what you look like. However, every time we did it, it came up with a different match. The rest of the museum was not much better than that. I think there is the potential to do a lot with this idea of having a dog museum, but it certainly fell short.
At this point in our day, the kids and I were up for continuing on and Jeff was ready to head back to the hotel and rest. We walked to Dylan's Candy Bar and was pleased once again with our day in the city. This place is a feast for the eyes and taste buds. With a bounce in our step and bags of candy in our hands, we walked back towards the hotel. However, on the way, we stopped at the M&M store AGAIN and bought Sam a t-shirt she had seen and wanted. We had told the kids they could each get one t-shirt and Sam had seen this one the day before, but we thought it was a good idea for her to wait a day and see if she still really wanted it. While we were there, Ian picked out a t-shirt he wanted too. We made it back to the hotel and had about an hour before our itinerary picked up speed again.
This evening we split up and I had Samantha with me and Jeff had Ian with him. Jeff and Ian have a bucket list of visiting various baseball stadiums and the Yankees were high on their list. They went to an evening game and saw the Yankees play the Padres. It was fantastic spring weather and they very much enjoyed watching the game. And as a bonus, they took the subway to and from Yankees Stadium.
Samantha and I had a very different idea of how to spend the evening. Most of it was spent standing in line at Ellen's Stardust Diner. It took us 1 hr, 50 minutes to make our way indoors. I was determined that we'd spend just as much time inside as we did waiting outside to get in. Samantha and I love Ellen's Stardust Diner, but Jeff does not, so it was the best way to visit without subjecting Jeff to it.
FRIDAY:
We started the day at NBC for the NBC Studios Tour. We were all delighted at how great this tour was. We saw the sets of Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Show, and Seth Meyers, plus got an understanding of how the editing works with visuals, sound, and cameras. The tour ended with our group doing a pseudo talk show with all of us participating in the production. Sam was the guest, Ian and I were in the band, and Jeff was part of the studio audience. So much fun!
After the studio tour, we walked to Serendipity for lunch and their awesome desserts. At this point, it was time to grab our luggage at the hotel and make our way to Penn Station. Of course, we had to make one more stop at the M&M store. Ian decided he'd rather have a t-shirt from the NBC store than the shirt he got at the M&M store. So, we went back to return the shirt we got from the day before. Yes, so that makes 3 trips to the M&M store in 3 days. And let me tell you, this store was a zoo at each and every visit. You'd think no one saw M&M's before.
The train ride was uneventful (which is the way it should be) and we made it back home by 7:30pm in the evening.
We had 3 very long, fun-filled days. We walked everywhere and didn't take one cab around town. We averaged 20,000 steps a day and accomplished all we set out to do. Another trip to NYC in the books.
OUR NBC STUDIOS TOUR VIDEO:
Jeff and Ian at Yankees Stadium
The Prom
Be More Chill
Wicked
National Geographic Encounter
Sam and I waiting in line at Ellen's Stardust Diner
That time we were sitting in the 2nd tier of Radio City Music Hall, 5 minutes after the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Show started and a full(!!) beer spilled all over Susanne's daughter from the tier above us. The 3rd tier did not extend all the way over our seats below and the beer spilling down was a direct hit. Next thing you know, the 11 of us are moved to the 2nd and 3rd row in the orchestra. It was pretty crazy and surreal.
That time we did all the Christmas decorated window displays and ended up at the Rockefeller Center tree just as the sun had set and everything lit up. As soon as we got there the light show (complete with music) began. Even if we tried to time it for that to happen we wouldn't have been as successful as we were by randomly showing up. Wow!
That time we stood in front of the Bloomingdales window and they managed to take a picture of you while you are standing there and have your head float around the display. So cool!
That time we got the kids awake at 5:15am so we could be at our friend's house by 6:15am to begin our road trip to The Big Apple. We kept the kids going until well past 10:00pm, complete with a 5 1/2 mile walk around the city checking out the store window displays. I'm happy to report no child melted down from exhaustion!
That time each child asked us 10 times each what we were walking to (check out the store windows) and why over and over again during the 1.4 mile walk to officially start the tour at Bloomingdales. They finally got the gist of it once we saw how amazing the windows displays looked and stopped asking.
That time we went inside the Bloomingdales to use their bathroom and upon exiting the store, we decide to take the kids to see Santa on the 7th floor. Santa had no line and allowed us to take pictures for free. I bet this Santa never had 8 Jewish kids all on his lap at once before.
That time Susanne was following the car I was driving and for some unknown reason got in the other lane next to me and didn't realize we were exiting off the beltway. In a move I still can't believe I witnessed, Susanne's car managed to cross 3 lanes of traffic (while probably doing about 65mph) and made the exit just in the nick of time. It actually looked like her car was traveling sideways.
That time we found out the hard way that the parking garage the hotel uses charges a full day's rate ($60) even if you are only 1.5 hours into the next day. The cost to park quickly doubled from what we were expecting it to be. They do not pro-rate.
That time we took the kids to see the Broadway musical "School of Rock" and we all loved it. All of us!
That time we walked one block in the wrong direction leaving Bloomingdales and ended up at Dylan's Candy Bar. I guess we just had to go inside and let the kids pick out some candy.
That time we made a stop at Dunkin Donuts to use their bathroom and the kids asked if they could get a donut while we were there. At 10:00am, Dunkin Donuts (somewhere in NJ) was completely out of donuts. How is that even possible??
That time 3 awesome moms and their kids came together for 2 days and went to NYC just 4 days before Christmas. We accomplished everything we wanted to see and do. We stuck together and made the most of every minute.
That time we left with 8 kids and came back with the same 8 kids.
That rare time Samantha gave me a giant hug and said thank you for an amazing trip. It takes a lot for her to show and express appreciation. It's ok though, Ian more than makes up for it. It was just nice to hear Sam say it too.
That time we took the kids to New York City at Christmas time for the first time and showed them how magical the city looks decorated for the holidays.
That time we were all fearless and victorious.
Bloomingdale's...Sam's head above, Ian's head below.
Santa!
Rockefeller Center tree
Perfect timing for the light show with music
Right before the beer spilled on Susanne's daughter
Take Jeff and me and put us on a train super early on a Saturday morning headed to New York City. See three (yes, 3!!!) shows, have lunch with a seriously cool lady who just happens to be a writer for General Hospital (No way! Way!!), find an awesome NY deli for breakfast that offers gluten-free bagels, all while walking everywhere! Not to mention we managed to fit drinks in with a friend from high school, dinner with Jeff's uncle, and made it to Juniors for the yummiest slice of cheesecake. End the weekend with a train back to D.C. departing Penn Station at 9:00pm Sunday evening, being in NYC for every possible minute we can before having to resume our regular lives on Monday morning.
I love NY! I realize it will never be practical to live there, but it sure is nice to visit. I love the energy, I love the people, I love the skyscrapers, I love the skyline. I love it all!
How wonderful Jeff and I could make this weekend a reality while the kids were at camp.
On the train!
As heard in the "Hamilton" soundtrack, "It's the greatest city in the world."
Jeff and I have been to New York just frequently enough over the past several years that we seem to end up at the same exact restaurants completely by coincidence. It's not until we are inside and seated at the same table that we realize we've been there before, and sometimes twice before. Out of the tens of thousands of restaurants we could eat at, we've managed to randomly pick the same Chinese restaurant, Italian restaurant and diner. It's pretty funny when it happened again this past visit to New York. We've agreed to give up trying to find anything new and just keep visiting what seems to be our favorite places. Hey, if it works, why mess with it?
Nora Ephron sums up my feelings perfectly: "I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance."
I am not sure what has happened to me, but I get very emotional now over the littlest things. Maybe the pregnancies messed with my hormones and they never recovered, maybe I just find myself being moved by something really touching. I don't know. I've just accepted it and gotten on with my life. I'm not really surprised much anymore when my eyes start to water.
Lately it's been happening when I witness a truly fantastic performance. Something so awesome that the talent is just oozing from the performer and its hanging in the air around me. This is even more so the case when its a live production. Seeing "Kinky Boots" for the first time in London last year...that performance by Simon at the end of the show was nothing short of spectacular. I couldn't help but tear up listening to him belt out that huge number. It was a show-stopper!
Watching the movie "Hidden Figures" is another example, only this wasn't live but viewed in the movie theatre. Both times I saw the movie, I was moved to tears by the story (especially because it was true!) and of course the acting. What an amazing movie. I loved every single minute and I was sad when the movie ended. I could still be sitting there watching these women, wanting more.
The last time I got emotional over something fantastic was going to see "Chicago" at the Kennedy Center. Ian and I went to a Saturday matinee earlier in the month. I had seen the show years ago when it was at the National Theatre. But it was Brandy's phenomenal performance that moved me to tears this time around. I had no idea she was that talented. Wow. This girl IS Roxy Hart! Actually the whole production was top-notch. Everyone did a stellar job.
Of course, just sitting in the theatre in these amazing seats (6 rows from the stage, dead center in the middle of the row!) waiting for the show to begin had me tearing up. Getting to experience this with Ian after all the times we listened to the soundtrack in the car, knowing how much he was going to enjoy the show and fully appreciate seeing a production live like I do made me get emotional. I love my kids so much and getting to do things like this is what life is all about. These are the moments I hope he looks back on and realizes how special it was for us to be there. Oh no, here I go again, tissue anyone?
