NYC-The Big Apple

As most of you know, I went to New York City last week with my mom. We had a blast!!! My aunt Caren met up with us for five out of the six shows we saw on Broadway. So here goes the travel log....with pictures!!!! I know you are jumping up and down with excitement aren't you?!

OK. We got into the city early Wednesday morning after about five hours of sleep. I felt like I was coming home! My mom and I saw Legally Blonde the Musical for the matinee. It was super cute! Just like the movie only with a lot of singing and dancing.

I met up with my friend Jenny who lives in NYC for dinner. We had a fabulous time catching up with each other since it had been a year since we had been together. Here's a picture of me and Jenny.

Jenny and I, along with my mom and Caren, went to the musical Wicked that night. This was the 11th time I have seen Wicked. To say I'm a little obsessed would be an understatement! I truly think that Wicked is the BEST musical of ALL time!! These actors did not let me down. I absolutely LOVED it!! Since I am the obsessive fan, I stood by the stage door and got autographs and pictures with the actors after the show was over. The actress that played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the East, (Stephanie J. Block) is amazing!! This was the fourth time I have seen her perform. AMAZING!!!

Stephanie J Block and Me

OK. Thursday morning, ok afternoon by the time we got up and ready for the day, was spent in the Manhattan Temple doing an endowment session. I love that temple! It is the fourth time I've been there and the people that work there think I live in the area! How funny! There's nothing like riding the subway to get to the temple. It's amazing how quiet it is in there, especially compared with the noise outside. LOVELY!

Thursday night, my mom, Caren, and I saw the musical Jersey Boys. It is the story about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I knew a few of the songs like "Cherie Baby" and "Oh What a Night". It was a great musical! We had a lot of fun! Although there were quite a few "older" people who were totally in love with it and were crying through it. Interesting. Like a good theater goer, I stood by the stage door again after the show to get autographs and tell the actors what a great job they did. There were only me, my mom, Caren, and a young lady from Canada that stood at the stage door. Sure it was raining but who cares?? The theater goers should still take the opportunity to tell the actors what a great job they did!! Plus those guys were hot!

Friday morning was spent wandering around Grand Central Station. That was a lot of fun and I had never been there before. It was like a miniature New York City in the train station. They had the coolest marketplace in the middle of the station. You could buy everything, including cheese for $20 per pound! We bought some delicious cream filled cupcakes from a company called The Little Pie Company. DELICIOUS!!

I met up with my good friend Kimberly Rehfuss for dinner before going to the theater. She entertained us all with the colorful tales from her life. We caught up on the past year along with passing on any Radio City gossip we knew (which wasn't much!).

Friday night, the three musketeers saw Young Frankenstein. It was HILARIOUS!!! I loved it! (It was a good thing I had previously seen the movie because I would have not know what was going on!) Megan Mullaly from the TV show Will & Grace was in the show. Along with one of my favorite Broadway stars Sutton Foster. Once again, the stage door. We saw Sutton which I was happy about. We waited around for over a half an hour for Megan Mullaly to come out. We finally got tired of waiting and walked back to the hotel. Her loss!

Saturday was a fabulous day of theater. Before the theater, the three musketeers went to a street fair just off of Broadway. It was so much fun and I spent way too much money! Oh well, I was on vacation! Street fairs in NYC are so much fun. Sure every fourth booth is the same but who cares??

Saturday matinee we saw the musical Curtains. I LOVED Curtains!! It has to be my 2nd favorite show we saw. (Wicked is 1st of course!) Curtains has it all-mystery, comedy, romance, etc. You name it, you would have gotten it! So very good!

We ate lunch/dinner at this great BBQ place called Virgil's. Virgil's has the best banana pudding EVER! Complete with Nilla Wafers! They have great BBQ chicken wings too. I'm still digging the BBQ out of my fingernails!

Saturday night, we saw the musical A Chorus Line. It just reminded me why I love acting and why I jeopardize my job every year to do it. It was great!

Sunday afternoon before I flew home, I spent a few hours with my friend Brad Galey. Brad is an amazing actor who I had the privilege of working with for 2 years in Nashville in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Brad is so awesome! He has caught my fall many times and dressed me! He gets to be in New York's production of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He's a lucky guy! Here's a picture of us at the deli we had lunch at.

They are two good looking people if I do say so myself!

Anyway, are you ready for the exam? Here it is:

1. Where did I stay in NYC?

What? I didn't tell you to take notes while you read and that there was an exam at the end? Oops, my bad!

Just kidding! I hope you enjoyed reading my annual adventure in NYC. I had a fabulous time with friends, family, and theater. Now off to my next adventure....