March 4 - Farewell to the Big Apple

Well, it's finally arrived - our last day in New York! - and what better way to end than another shopping spree at Macys!
Philippa very kindly offered to drive us to JFK - very conveniently we leave from the same terminal - Qantas use British Airways terminal - very easy checkin - no queue at all! - I arrived with one cabin bag (5kg) and leave with one heavy bag (24kg)! - all Neil's fault of course :)
Not much to say about the trip home.
That's all folks - Max signing off until next time :)

March 3 - West Side Story

A glorious winter's day - not a cloud in the sky - temperature a balmy 16 degrees (Fahrenheit that is!)- perfect for going up the Empire State - sign at the bottom says 'view exceptional' - the usual queues at security and we seem to walk miles to the elevator - s'pse it keeps people in work. We only go up to the 86th floor ($20.00) as it costs an extra $15.00 to the 102nd - the view certainly is exceptional - you can see for hundreds of miles in all directions - but boy is it cold - the coldest we've been - painfully cold! - but well worth the suffering :)

Of course, we need more retail therapy to warm up - Macys again - Phillipa gave me a large recycle bag this morning so naturally it had to be filled up!

Short walk to Broadway as we have a dinner appointment with Ken Bloom and friends - Ken is probably the authority on Broadway - again I have been in email touch with him for years - we join his circle of friends who meet at Langan's Irish Pub every Tuesday evening - they include Peter Filichia who writes a diary on theatermania.com, Ron Spivak, a Broadway actor and Brian Drutman (Mr. Decca Broadway!) - a fascinating hour's conversation and we could relate our Broadway experiences as well.

Just round the corner to the Palace Theatre for West Side Story - in previews - due to open in mid-March - directed by Arthur Laurents with the original Jerome Robbins choreography reproduced! - fabulous orchestra - pit plus both side boxes - great percussion. We have great seats in front Mezzanine - $125 each! Quite traditional production but moves well - only major change is parts are bilingual - the Sharks mainly speak Spanish - and I Feel Pretty and A Boy Like That are sung in Spanish - the former works brilliantly but not sure about A Boy - you need to understand the lyrics - its only at the end they revert to English - Maria is wonderful - unknown Argentinian who's only 19 - quite charming - Matt Cavenaugh is oh so gorgeous but it is a very light tenor and I can't see him lasting the distance - rest of the cast is excellent and the dancing is fantastic - all in all a great climax to our Broadway experience.

March 2 - Winter Wonderland

Yep - it sure did snow! - this is 12th st in the morning! - temperature around 19 F - but with thermals on - not too bad - must be getting used to it - all schools are closed but subway still running - very slowly - into Manhattan and join the throngs at the MOMA - more culture - it is stunning building - wonderful collection of 20th C. paintings and sculpture - stand out for me - a Kandinsky triptych, and the Jackson Pollocks.















A short walk up 6th Avenue to Central Park - a walk in a winter wonderland! - just lacking the sleigh bells - a magical experience - there have been so many on the trip!





























Enough of the cold - back to the warmth - hot tomato soup at Whole Foods - then on to Macys - more retail therapy - Neil thinks he's created a shopping monster - so far I've bought 7 shirts, 3 pairs of trou, two jumpers, one three-quarter length coat, seven pairs of socks and one tie! - and a large suitcase! - Neil is leaving his therapy till his return to New York from London.

March 1 - Snow and Coward

Awoke this morning to our first day of snow - a light fall over night - joined the morning ritual of walking the dogs in Prospect Park - seems half of Brooklyn does the same - amazing sight! - reminded me of a Brueghel winter painting.

A breakfast at home - blueberry and banana pancakes - yum! - then into Manhattan for a unique New York experience - pastrami on rye at Katz's Deli on the lower East Side.















Again - cutting it fine - just make it to the Shubert for the afternoon matinee of Blithe Spirit - new production in previews starring the one and only Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati, as well as Rupert Everett as Charles and Christine Ebersole as Elvira - quite a cast - but boy does it need some work - it was only the second preview but Happiness was in much better shape after one preview - I'm sure Angela was ad-libbing for most of the show! - she was also very hard to hear at times - they all need to learn their lines before it opens or the critics will have a ball!















Back to Brooklyn for a family dinner - wonderful food, wine and conversation - looks like we're in for a treat tomorrow - promise of six inches of snow - seems strange with all the shocking news of bushfires back home.

February 28 - Happiness

A relaxing day in Brooklyn with the family - then a rush into Manhattan to the Lincoln Center for Happiness - a new musical - at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre - arrive with minutes to spare. Been looking forward to this as its credentials are fantastic - direction by Susan Stroman, book by John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Assassins, Road Show), music and lyrics by Michael Korie and Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens), cast including Joanna Gleason, Hunter Foster, Ken Page...verdict..a hit!..a magical evening!...its about a group of New Yorkers trapped in a subway car - or so they think...stunning production, great score!

February 25 - 27 - Philadelphia

Amtrak from Penn Station to Philadelphia - only an hour and half away - can't say a very scenic trip - mainly through industrial New Jersey. Walk to the Latham - first impressions of Philadelphia - quite beautiful, lots of old buildings - check in and spend rest of day sightseeing - very easy to get around - lots of streets have tree names - Walnut, Chestnut, Locust (yes it is a a tree!), Spruce, Pine - we're staying in the nice part of town - excellent meal at small French bistro, the Caribou Cafe - not cheap but good food and ambience - visit one of the local venues which I won't go into on the blog :)















Philadelphia City Hall

Next day we have tickets to the Cezanne and Beyond Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - a pleasant walk from the hotel through town and up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway - a stunning boulevard very much in European style - see where the Barnes will be relocated - it is the first day of the exhibition - not very crowded - superbly-curated - the Cezannes are combined with artists who have been influenced by Cezanne including the American Marsden Hartley (a new name to me) and a wonderful Canadian photographer, Jeff Wall - a very educational couple of hours - walk back to town - find Macys and of course have to go in - wow! - it is in the famous Wanamaker Building and we hear Bach organ music when we enter - here is the reason....















Pipe Organ inside Macys

Of course we had to do some shopping - lots of bargains (until you convert!) - another pleasant meal at the Caribou and no after dinner

Friday - the visit to the Barnes Foundation - one of the highlights of the trip - a short train ride from Center City to Merion then pleasant walk through extremely wealthy district to the gallery - short explanation - the Barnes is the greatest private collection of Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso,etc. in the world - estimated at US$6 billion! - and is truly unique - the walls are lined with great paintings all carefully hung in precise combinations by Dr. Barnes - it takes your breath away! - so glad I got to see the Barnes before it is relocated to the Parkway - it won't be the same in a modern building.















Back to New York in the afternoon - arrive Penn Station about 5.45 - straight up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Steve Ross' lecture-concert on Lerner and Loewe - rather a strange evening - Steve was his usual suave self but he had three singers who performed in a completely different style - said hello afterwards but not much chance to talk - hope we can catch up again before we go - boy! it's been quite a day!

February 24 - Trovatore at the Met

Tonight - a little more culture - and first visit to the Metropolitan Opera - new production of Il Trovatore - crits have been good - "this is the Trovatore the Met has been waiting for" - good cast - Marcello Alvarez (Manrico), Dmitri Hvorotovsky (Di Luna), Sondra Radvanovsky (Leonora) and Dolora Zajick (Azucena) - seats at back of orchestra ($82.00) - good view of stage but sound muffled especially the orchestra - huge set on revolve - quite traditional - great singing but not much acting (except Zajick) - a Trovatore without passion! - the duel between Manrico and di Luna was laughable! - but the building is spectacular.