NY: DAY ONE

Because I was traveling to NY on my own, and because my flight was leaving at such a gosh-awful hour, I ended up checking into a Microtel near the airport the night before.  I should have been able to sleep in until 3:30 that way, but instead I was jolted back awake at 12:30 or 1:00 by the sound of my phone ringing.  It was American Airlines, calling to say they had canceled my first flight the next day!  The good news was that they had already booked me on another one, just 20 minutes later.  The bad news was that it left me with only 30 minutes to catch my connecting flight in Dallas -- less by the time we deplaned.  Between that and our fiasco with a cancelled flight coming home from France, I have come to the conclusion that, from now on, our vacations should be planned around where all we can go without having to change planes and make connections.  I have had it with sprinting from one end of a terminal to the other!

Our first meal in NY, calzone.

I made it.  I survived.  I even managed to find my hubby at La Guardia, though we landed at different terminals.  Eventually, we were able to answer "Are we having fun yet?" with "Yes!"  I laughed when I told John how teensy-tiny my room had been, at the Microtel the night before.  Boy, was I surprised when we checked into our snazzy little boutique hotel, with the gorgeous lobby and sushi restaurant downstairs, only to discover that our room was pretty much the same size as at the Microtel!  Still, you couldn't beat the location on W. 50th St., just about a half block off of Broadway.  As we were unpacking our bags, we suddenly heard some singing and cheering coming from outside, so we peeked out the window.  Turns out we were just catty-corner from the theatre where Mamma Mia is playing, and to celebrate their 10th anniversary on Broadway, they had the whole cast out there on the plaza, performing a medley of tunes from the show!

We went out exploring once we were unpacked, and hadn't gone more than a few blocks before a film crew flagged us down and asked if they could interview us for the Wendy Williams Show.  They wanted to ask our opinion on Lindsay Lohan's predicament, but it was kind of funny, because, though they didn't try to change one's opinion, they did sort of feed you things to say, to make it more interesting.  For instance, after John finished what he had to say, they suggested he close with "She's one hot mess!"  Not sure when or if it will ever be aired.

They had us dancing in the street!.

Before we knew it, it was time to rush back and clean up, then head down to Lincoln Center.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe across the street, then went to see one of the most amazing feats of stagecraft and puppetry ever.  War Horse!  We were so pumped up after the show, we needed some time to unwind.  So, we stopped in at this little Irish Pub next to our hotel, which happened to have a narrow table which was open to the street (ideal weather, too) -- the perfect place to be when the Mamma Mia cast came out and gave an encore performance, complete with fireworks this time!

I figured we'd already had the best day of our vacation, and the others would be a bit anticlimactic in comparison.  I was wrong.