Somebody force me to care
Somebody let me come through
I'll always be there as frightened as you
To help us survive
Being alive
"Being Alive" from Company
I have spent the last week remembering how to be alive with two dear friends. In late 2019 I found out that Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster were going to star on Broadway in the revival of The Music Man. This made me excited for several reasons: the cast, the possibility of a trip to NYC and a play that I was cast in when I was in high school that soldified my love of being in musicals and not just watching them.
I put it out there to see if anyone wanted to come with me and Cara and Mel were immediately game to book right then. That is one of the things I love about these ladies - if they want to do something they are enthusiastically interested and ready to go! We booked the tickets and then...the pandemic.
We thought the tickets were gone when Broadway went dark (which was ok) but miraculously 2 years later it was back on! We decided to risk it and trust that it would be ok to go on the trip we planned. None of us had really done anything since the start of the pandemic so this was the big test.
I was running at 1000 rpms at work so Cara and Mel set to work planning the accommodation and what was required of us to now travel in the time of covid. We wanted to live it up and we were all up for an adventure. Mel set to work booking fancy reservations. We tried not to get too excited cause all 3 of us still had to pass our covid tests so none of us really felt the trip was real.
The day before we all passed our covid tests and this was actually going to happen. We flew out on Mother's Day (I'll say it before and I will say it again the best gift I can give my kids is a mother who takes care of herself) AND Mel's birthday. There was lots to celebrate.
We had smooth sailing getting to NYC and we felt that was a good omen for our trip. Cara and I met up at La Guardia and checked in and set to work getting the room ready for Mel's birthday. We went out for delicious tacos at Los Tacos No 1, rum drinks and jazz at the Rum House and then back to the room for 3 different chocolate cakes from Magnolia bakery.
Monday we went to Chelsea Market on the High Line and there was a botanical garden show by Victoria Secret. They were handing out pink roses and peonies. We went to the meat packing district and Cara packed her meat sandwich in her mouth. The most flamboyant woman I've seen in AGES came up to our table and complimented all of us especially Mel, our big booty princess who was required to do a spin. She was delightful. That night we went to Drunk Shakespeare, an off-Broadway show where one actor is chosen to drink many shots and then they perform a Shakespearean tragedy. I haven't laughed that hard in so long. It was incredible. It ended with a completely naked actor running in and doing a somersault. Everyone had a great time.
Tuesday we had made plans to see Hadestown. Cara had seen it workshopped in Edmonton so was keen to see it again and I had always wanted to see it and the ticket prices were good. Prior to the show we had waffles in the park, visited the NYC library, wandered around Mahanttan and stumbled on a little microbrewery (Mel might have a sixth sense for those) and had a lovely afternoon. For dinner Mel had heard about this fantastic burger place that really wasn't on any map. To find it we had to go into this random hotel and ask for directions go through a dark hallway and suddenly there was a PACKED burger joint where we picked up some killer cheeseburgers and fries. We went to Central Park to eat them. It was a very "New York" moment. Hadestown was all we could have hoped for and more despite 3 of the major roles being played by understudies. Hermes and Persephone were especially spectacular. The story and the music were incredible.
Mel had done a great job of pre-booking some incredible food spots and one was brunch at Balthazar's. We ate outside and planted ourselves in our chairs (the youngest there by quite a bit) with absolutely nowhere else to be. We had eggs Benedict and Mel's request of the pastry panier. We also had literal bowls of coffee. We laughed ourselves silly and had a beautiful NYC brunch. We then wandered around the museum of natural history - lying under the big blue whale, checking out the dinosaur exhibits and seeing the animal displays. It might be one of the biggest museums I've ever been to and we knew we wouldn't get through it all but we had a wonderful afternoon exploring. That evening, after delicious ramen and taking our PhD to the PhD rooftop terrace for an early cocktail, was our main event. We had been waiting for the Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster for two years and they didn't disappoint. I already loved the show from when I was in it in high school but to watch professionals do the show you love was an extra special treat. Especially when they seemed like they were having an absolute BLAST doing it. Watching people do what they LOVE to do - is there really anything better? Hugh Jackman was born to play that role. Sutton Foster was a dream. The young actors did an incredible job and were clearly mentored by these two acting showstoppers. It was a total delight. You think something you wait so long for can't possible measure up to expectation but sometimes, when the stars align, it can.
After the show Mel and Cara took me to this line up and I had no idea how we got there and it was Ellen's Stardust Theatre. The wait staff sing show tunes - could there be a more perfect place on Broadway? I think I actually swooned at the guy who sang "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and that set ended with them singing "One Day More" - so many of my favourites it was an awesome end to an incredible night. Thank goodness for Cara and Mel knowing all the best spots!
On Thursday we decided to go to Brooklyn. We took the subway out to wander around a new borough and had a great time exploring the streets there. We finally got the bagels Mel had been looking for and they did not disappoint. We had time for a quick rooftop drink (our new favourite activity) overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge which was our next stop. We had planned out the day to give us time to walk across the iconic bridge and it was a beautiful afternoon (so beautiful we did not notice our sunburns!). We got across in time for our big Mel-inspired reservation - the Michelin star restaurant Estela. It was incredible. I could barely pay attention to what our waiter was saying because he had the most beautiful baritone voice (I confessed this to him immediately which made him laugh very warmly). He brought us amazing food and wine and we lived up our Michelin star experience. Early in the evening Cara said "Wow the woman behind you is so beautiful she looks like Mandy Moore" and I turned around and then turned back and said "That's because that is Mandy Moore Cara - be cool" We tried really hard not to stare and let her enjoy her evening - I think we mostly succeeded. After dinner, Mel and Cara whisked us away to another incredible late night spot I had never heard of. We went to Marie's Crisis which is everything I ever hoped for - a piano bar where everyone sings showtunes together? Yes please!!! We sang our hearts out and it filled my heart up to overflowing. Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Les Mis, so many incredible tunes and incredible singers - I loved it. It was perfect.
Friday was our last full day in NYC and we spent it FULLY experiencing Central Park. I had wanted to go because I had never been to Central Park before but Cara and Mel do nothing halfway so the plan was to walk it end to end (the info booth lady said that most people don't do that but we are not most people!). Before heading to Central Park Mel and Cara indulged me going back to FAO Schwartz to try out the piano from the movie "Big" - that was lots of fun. We saw all of the touristy parts of Central Park at the south end and then made our way through the brambly middle. This was particularly hilarious as we watched a large man with a small dog try to get a picture of an azalea bush we had a beautiful view of but he felt the need to climb into the fenced off area and on to a branch that clearly did not support his weight in order to get a picture he could have easily gotten from the other side. We watched all of this from a very nearby bench and had to hold in hysterics which we were failing at miserably. We walked through the middle part of the park and the castle I didn't even know it had and then up to the northern end that looks more like the Catskills and out the top by Harlem. This got us close to our last Mel-booked dinner spot Contento. Harlem seems like a place I'd like to spend more time in. It's got a really neat vibe. We were a bit early for dinner so we went to the East Harlem brewing company for beers after a hot day of walking. It was the perfect refresh before dinner. When we got to Contento they had our table set up on the porch and it was an AMAZING dinner with delicious wine. If you are going to New York you should definitely make the trip here - it's an up and coming hot spot and I would love to go again. It was the perfect last night in NYC.
I can't thank Cara and Mel enough for this trip. I have been working so much and they did all the heavy lifting organizing where we were going to eat and what we were going to do and created memories I will cherish forever. I am so lucky to have both of these incredible women in my life. They remind me to live my life while I'm in it and that there is more to me than work and parenting. They are incredible confidantes and playmates and I hope I get many more CaraMel Morris trips in my future (I know that sometimes Keith will insist that he gets to go instead of me and that's ok too cause he has just as much fun with them). What a beautiful and memorable trip to the beautiful NYC.
