broadway show – LongLegsBigCity

Frozen on Broadway

April 24, 2020 2 Comments

Do you want a build a snowman??? Since it’s supposedly snowing some places in the north in late April, I figured it was the perfect time to talk about going to see Frozen on Broadway back in February. Ya know, back when we could do things like go to plays, sit next to people, hear people sing from a stage and not on zoom in their own living rooms. SIGH.

Anyway, as you may remember from my 2020 goals, I wanted to go and see three Broadway shows this year. I had already seen Mean Girls (twice!), and thankfully, I won the Frozen lottery before Broadway went dark. I knew that Frozen was on my to-see list, and I wanted to be prepared. Unbelievably, I had never seen the movie (GASP!). For some of you out there currently quarantined with your small children, this probably seems physically impossible, but it’s true. Thankfully, my no-long-emoji-fiance loves Frozen and bought a 3-year pre-subscription to Disney+ so he could watch it on repeat. Ok, that’s a lie, he got Disney+ solely for the Mandalorian and Marvel movies, but still. Lucky for me, I had Frozen at my frost-bitten fingertips.

At the beginning of January, I invited my best friend to my house so we could binge Disney movies and I could braid her hair. Many hairstyles were done that day, but better yet, I was initiated into the Frozen cult and now I cannot LET IT GO. (Get it?)

Once I saw the movie, I was ready to see the Broadway show STAT, but I had to wait until I won the lottery. Ballin’ on a budget! My very first blog post talked about tips for (cheaply) living in New York including free stuff and discounted stuff, the only way to live. Broadway lottery is a big tip.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long to see the show – I won the lottery on February 28^th for the next night. I asked my best friend if she wanted to be my +1; it only seemed right since she was there with me when I saw the movie for the first time. She had already seen the show, but supposedly they had recently changed some of the music, so she had mentioned wanting to see it again. Sure enough, she said yes to being my +1 and we started to plan for the next day!

I LEAPED down to Times Square on February 29^th to pick up the tickets. (Get it? I’ll stop with the puns now.) You may remember, the hard part about lottery Broadway tickets is that the “winning tickets” are sometimes crappy seats, and sometimes not together. I went to the theater two hours before showtime and got the tickets. They said Orchestra Row A, and I couldn’t believe it. Were we in the FRONT row?? They also said “Partial View,” which I’d hoped didn’t mean allll the way to the side.

But first, we went to dinner at Carmine’s, a New York City classic. It is great for huge family gatherings since the portions are MASSIVE and there are usually many leftovers. For the first time in forever, (pun again… I can’t stop!) I went there with only one person and we knew we couldn’t have any leftovers. We ordered one dish between us, and trust me, it was more than enough. The plate was larger than our heads combined.

Chicken Marsala over Fettucini. Enough for an army of 2.

We rolled out of there and hustled to the theater, which was thankfully next door because ironically, it was FREEZING. The usher led us down the aisle, allll the way down the aisle, to the front row, DIRECTLY behind the conductor! That must have been why it was “partial view” but it was so awesome to watch him conduct the whole show. He was not in the way at all, and I mostly forgot about him except for the times I was specifically watching him.

The show was FANTASTIC. I expected the production value to be high (I mean come on… we are talking about Disney money here), but it even surpassed my expectations. Olaf the snowman was hilarious, and the Let it Go scene made me audibly gasp! I loved all of the outfits and sparkles, and DUH the braids. I could NOT get over all of the hairstyles. Fun fact, my emoticon on Disney+ is Elsa, and it has been since before I even saw the movie. She had a braid, I couldn’t resist. How could I possibly not like a show about winter and cold (my fav season), with plenty of sing-along-able music (love), and braids (DUH). It was amazing.

I highly recommend seeing Frozen when Broadway is open and we are able to see shows and gather in groups again. I may even be slightly biased since this show and dinner at a restaurant were some of the last things I did in New York. I miss my city so much, and I can’t wait for things to get better so we can resume a bit of normalcy. In the meantime, if you have a Broadway itch that must be scratched, Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming some of his biggest musicals online for limited times. Each show goes live on YouTube on Friday at 2 pm ET and usually remains viewable for 48 hours afterward. It’s not quite Elsa and Anna, but it’s still pretty awesome.

My main tip for when you see Frozen: expect to find confetti “snow” in your hair and clothes for WEEKS after. I had to shake out my clothing at the door of my apartment, and I looked like I had large dandruff flakes in my hair as well. #worthit

Big City Living

Mean Girls on Broadway

January 29, 2020 2 Comments

On Wednesdays we wear pink. And we also go see Mean Girls on Broadway. Let me tell you it was SO FETCH. It was probably my favorite day of the year so far. And that’s only because October 3^rd hasn’t happened yet.

For those of you who are lost, you should really brush up on your Mean Girls movie quotes. From here on out, I promise to tell you about my experience and not just quote the movie. My experience was AWESOME. Really. You guys know I set annual goals for myself, and the best way to make your goals a reality is by telling people so you stay accountable. In this case, I told all of my friends that I wanted to see 3 Broadway shows so they would invite me with them. TADAA my plan worked! Well, sort of.

My good friend has a way better memory than me (or is better at setting alarms on her phone), so she remembers to enter the lottery online to win tickets to Broadway shows almost every week. She even enters for shows she has already been to. Two weeks ago, she won tickets to see Mean Girls on Tuesday. Unfortunately, she asked me if I wanted to see it, and also asked her coworker, and we both said yes. I told her it was fine and I could go another day. Little did I know, another day would be THE NEXT DAY. And better yet, it was WEDNESDAY!

The way the Broadway Lottery works, for the non-New-Yorkers among us, is that you enter online, and then you find out the day before if you won. The tickets aren’t free, but they are drastically reduced. In this case, they were $47.50 each. The main drawback is, you never know where the seats will be, or if they will be together. Also, the person who wins the tickets needs to be present with their ID to pick them up. My friend, even though she won the lottery, said I could pick someone else to go with since she had already seen it. I picked my sister, and she was thrilled to join me even though she hadn’t even seen the movie. (She doesn’t even go here!!) My friend went to the theater to pick up the tickets and be my sister’s and my official Mean Girls photographer, and then left to go home. What a good friend, amirite??? She’s no Regina George. Plus, we got lucky. The seats were together and they were orchestra row R.

Even though my sister hadn’t seen the movie, she had me, Mean Girls trivia extraordinaire, to coach her through the experience. I explained how OBVIOUSLY we needed to wear pink. I took out all of the pink in my dresser (literally, I laid my shirts out on my bed and sent pics to my sister) and asked her which I should wear so we could match. True to her word, my sister showed up in a bright pink dress and a light pink, sparkly scarf in her hair. We both had packed snacks, like professional show-goers. In my sister’s bag – chocolate covered raisins (in a Ziplock bag so they didn’t make noise, duh), and a bottle of water. In my bag – cut up pieces of apple, lifesaver gummies, and chocolate mint bark thins. We were ready for show time.

It was SO GOOD. Like… one of my favorite shows in the past few years, and I have seen a LOT! And better yet, my sister loved it and she didn’t even know the story beforehand! She said it reminded her a lot of real high school dynamics (she works in a school), and she especially liked Damien, both the character and the actor, who she recognized from when he played one of the elders in Book of Mormon.

It was a fun experience for me to see a familiar story acted out in real life, and I loved the addition of the musical numbers. I had a bit of trouble understanding the words when Regina sang, and when I said that at intermission to my sister, she said the same thing. Actually, she may have said it first and then I said, “omg me too.”

But by far, the funniest part of the show was Aaron Samuels, the main character’s love interest. I am pretty sure that they didn’t cast him thinking he would be the funniest part, but… let me explain. On any given day, it doesn’t really matter if you can sing. And most of the time, you can’t even tell if someone isn’t a fantastic vocalist. But when you’re on the stage of a Broadway production, surrounded by amazing vocalists, it should be a prerequisite. And if you CAN’T sing? Let’s just say, people notice.

Poor Aaron Samuels, though, or I should say, poor Cameron Dallas… he was TERRIBLE. I mean really really bad. In the first Act, he only sang a few lines. And at intermission I said to my sister, “what is going on with him? Is he sick? Is he really bad? Did you hear that?” So, we did some research in the Playbill. Usually, the playbill is filled with paragraphs of stage credits for each leading person. Shows in high school, shows on Broadway, traveling productions in the US and abroad… this guy? He has 20 million Instagram followers. And zero stage credits. We had a serious a-ha moment. He was cast because he is an influencer!! It made so much sense. There were screaming girls in the audience, all in attendance to see their favorite YouTube sensation. No matter at all that he couldn’t carry a tune to save his life and there are thousands of starving actors in NYC dying for their big break. Honestly, it pissed me off. But also, it cracked me up.

In Act 2, he sang a lot more. There was even a scene that was supposed to be a quiet scene in a bedroom, but it was difficult not to gawk at how bad of a singer he was. The entire theater was tittering and talking, and at first I thought people were making fun of him, but NOPE. It was his teeny bopper fans fawning over him! When the show ended, they jumped out of their seats to give him a standing ovation and rushed the stage door to try and grab selfies with him. Meanwhile, I googled him to figure out what his talents were that got him 20 million followers. They were definitely not singing or dancing. (Spoiler alert: they don’t exist. But he did struggle with addiction and started a charity about that.)

UPDATE! I saw it again! I was saving this blog to make sure I posted it on a Wednesday, and in the interim, I actually saw the show AGAIN! After attending the show, my sweet emoji-bf who was out of town told me he was so jealous. To my surprise, he said he had always wanted to see it. I knew he loved the movie but I didn’t think he would be interested in the showtunes version, but I was wrong. 6 days later, my friend won lottery tickets AGAIN and of course I said yes!! And I attended the show with him and he loved it.

Overall, the show was a GREAT time and I would recommend it 100%. Take yourself, take your boyfriend, or take your kids, especially if you don’t want to be a regular mom, you want to be a COOL mom!

Big City Living

⭐Hamilton⭐

March 18, 2019 1 Comment

Saturday night I went to see Hamilton. If you’ve been living under a rock and you haven’t heard of it, it’s a musical on Broadway. According to Wikipedia, “in 2016, Hamilton received a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical, and was also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.” So yeah, it’s sort of a big deal. And since it’s such a big deal it’s semi-impossible to get tickets. For example, on Ticketmaster right now, the cheapest seat is $448. Per person.

To be honest, there are some serious Hamilton-heads out there who know every single lyric and even go to themed-spin classes with the songs. I am not one of them. Or I wasn’t. In fact, I didn’t even know any of the music before this weekend. Except the one song performed on the Tony’s. I always knew I wouldn’t have the money to go to see it on Broadway so I figured, why bother trying to know the songs?

My best friend was in town over the weekend from Seattle because her boyfriend bought tickets to Hamilton on presale OVER A YEAR AGO. He flew from Seattle to see it! He had 4 tickets, and at the last minute, one of the people going to the show canceled. I told him I would advertise the ticket on my Facebook so he wouldn’t lose the money. My brother, the protagonist of this whole story, LOVES Hamilton. He has seen it on tour, but never in NYC. He saw my Facebook status and texted me asking why I wasn’t going. He said “do you know the music? Is money the only thing holding you back?” He knows my student loan situation. I was about to text him back when I heard phone “CHA-CHING!” and I saw that he Venmo-ed me the money for the ticket!! I texted him back my extreme gratitude and deleted my Facebook post advertising it to anyone else – I WAS GOING!

I called my brother, so he could tell me his favorite songs, and I got to listening! I had 24 hours to learn a VERY LONG soundtrack. Literally, there are 46 songs. I listened to the songs all day Saturday and by the evening, I had a better idea of what would go on. The play was LONG. But it didn’t seem like it! The lyrics are fast, since most of the songs are rapped, and my brother had warned me I would probably not understand all of the lyrics. However, maybe it’s the decades of listening to rap, but I understood a lot of it! The music is super catchy and I’ve been listening to it ever since.

Mandatory pre-show marquee pic!
Playbill pic.
THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS!
In our seats waiting for an amazing show!
Besties on Broadway.

The coolest part of the story, if this isn’t cool enough already, is that my best friend’s boyfriend and his brother, went to school with the musical director, Kurt Crowley. They’re from Helena, Montana, and not too many people are from there, so they kept in touch. Kurt stayed after the show and let us onto the stage to talk with us about the show, and to take photos. There were actors from the show all around us on stage signing Playbills, but since I didn’t know the cast well, I didn’t ask for any signatures. We did get some awesome pics, though! And it’s an amazing experience to be on a Broadway stage, looking out at the theater; it’s not as big as you’d think! We took some more photos, and then left. We hadn’t realized that more than 3 hours had passed! A testament to a great show is that there can be nearly three hours of FAST speaking, and it seems quick.

Full cast post-show, asking for donations for something (I wasn’t paying attention when they started asking for more money)

I feel the need to end this post with some serious cliché’s – it was such an incredible experience to be IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED IN THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD! I recommend it to anyone who has the money, or a SUPER SWEET BROTHER with the funds. THANK YOU AGAIN, BABY BRO!

The guys & Kurt Crowley.
Selfies on Stage.
THE STAGE WHERE IT HAPPENED!

Big City Living

Lottery Winners! The Lion King on Broadway

January 17, 2019 1 Comment

I had the most “New York” experience yesterday. I had plans to go to the gym after work and have dinner with a friend. Then in the morning, my friend texted me to say she won lottery tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. For $30! Easy decision. I texted my friend from the gym and told her I had to cancel because… duh. I apologized profusely and told her I’d probably be pissed if I were her but… COME ON! No choice here.

A little background: My friend enters the lottery for shows all the time. I’m talking, multiple times per week. And she has won a few times, too! However, she usually wins on Mondays and Thursdays, which is when I teach Spin classes and I can’t get a sub at the last minute. Also, she has never won for The Lion King (supposedly it’s a tough one to win) and I have been wanting to see it for DECADES. Literally it’s been on Broadway for more than 20 years. I quickly replied “YES!!” to her text and Venmo-ed her $30.

I knew that security would probably check our bags, so I left my gym bag at work and just brought my wallet, keys, phone and book for the subway. It took me 27 minutes door to door from my office. So New York! I also stopped at McDonalds on the way because the show started at 7 and I knew I’d be starving by the end. I got 2 chicken selects for $2 and ate them while I waited in the box office line. Very classy with my McDonalds on the Broadway line. Luckily, I was not alone. The people behind me were also lottery winners and they were scarfing down a street meat hot dog and slice of pizza. I also smuggled pretzels and tootsie rolls in my coat pocket in a non-noisy Ziploc bag.

My friend was running late and I was worried they wouldn’t let me pick up the tickets because they were very explicit in the email confirmation about needing photo ID. My friend who has done this a lot told me to try because sometimes they don’t care. They didn’t care! I just showed them the email on my phone and they handed over the tickets.

Yayy!! I arrived early.
Waiting in line and eating Chicken Selects.
They gave me the tickets. REJOICE!

We got to our seats 1 minute before the show started, and unfortunately the tickets were for the VERY last row. Literally no one was behind us. My experienced friend said that every other lottery she’d won were Orchestra seats, not Mezzanine and she apologized. However, the seats were smack-dab in the middle. Also, it became apparent we actually were lucky to be up above. First of all, The Lion King has two pits of drums in the upper levels, within the front pillars on either side of the stage. It was very cool to be able to see straight into the pits, and watch them do the percussion, which has been described as “the heartbeat of the show.” Also, there were a lot of musical numbers with choreography and formations that were awesome to see from above, sort of like how the Rockettes are better to watch from the sky (Thanks Macy’s Parade for teaching me this). Also, at the beginning of both acts, there were birds and actors that came out from all of the doors, even in the mezzanine!

The show was amazing, everything I expected and more. I loved how the actors were one with their costumes. Like how the zebras not only made the zebra props move like animals, but they also moved their own legs like zebras. Or what I expect zebras would move like. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one IRL. And those giraffes… on two sets of stilts?? Color me impressed. Young Simba didn’t have the best voice in the world, but he is probably 10 years old, so that in and of itself is impressive. And Rafiki? WOAH. I went to look her up after the show because I was curious about the accuracy of the language in the show, and sure enough, it’s very accurate. Tshidi Manye, who has been playing Rafiki for more than 20 YEARS is from South Africa and is featured on the original movie soundtrack. Also, throughout the show, she speaks five of the 11 official language of South Africa (English, Zulu, Sotho and Xhosa). Wtf. That is awesome.

It was such a fun experience, even from the back row. Sometimes I complain about the hot subways, or terrible service on the subways, or hot weather, or bed bugs, or sirens, but sometimes, New York is AMAZING. Who else except New Yorkers gets to decide that instead of Spin class, they are going to attend The Lion King on Broadway for $30? No one. It was a good New York day.

Curtain Time! Obligatory Playbill pic.
End of show 🙂 Not TOO far away even from the back row!
Special thanks to my friend for being lucky!

Big City Living

Waitress the Musical

February 1, 2018 7 Comments

Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime, Not only did I see two of my all-time favorite performers in a musical on Broadway, I also had a personal backstage tour of the theater and sets, and a private Q&A with the an exec. for the Nederlander Organization, which owns 9 of the most iconic venues in New York City, including the Gershwin, currently playing Wicked, AND the Richard Rodgers Theatre, currently playing Hamilton.

Hamilton, Shmamilton, though, amirite?? JK, I know I’m not right. But I was most excited last night to go to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see WAITRESS, currently starring Jason Mraz and SARA BAREILLES. I don’t know how many of you have been sleeping on these amazing voices, but I will tell you, go listen to them NOW. I linked up there to their Spotify pages.

I’ve been a huge fan for AGES. When I was 20 years old, my oldest friend took me to Jason Mraz’s concert. I remember it like yesterday, when Jason Mraz had played an absolutely incredible show, but he hadn’t played one of his largest hits at the time, The Remedy. Then, as an encore, he came on and played an incredibly unique, extended acoustic version. It was mind-boggling. And Sara Bareilles… where do I begin with my love for her!? She began her musical career in a capella, and I have followed her career for years. Her voice is unreal. Also, I was addicted to The Singoff when she was a celebrity judge. Then my best friend from high school surprised me with tickets to Sara’s show at the Theater at MSG a few years ago, and I became an even bigger fan, if that’s possible. She has the clearest, most amazing voice, and it’s even better live than recorded.

Just over 8 months ago, for my sister’s and my birthdays, my mom promised to take us to a Broadway show of our choice. But when my mom had hip replacement surgery, our plans were temporarily delayed. Then 2 months ago, my friend (the one who took me to see Sara Bareilles), alerted me that Sara Bareilles herself was coming back to star in Waitress, a musical she wrote the music to. AND the tickets were going on Amex Presale THAT DAY. I knew in my bones that this HAD TO BE THE SHOW.

I quickly started a group chat with my mom and sister, and we somehow miraculously decided on a date. None of us got much work done that morning. Unfortunately, there were only two weeks when Jason and Sara (yes, we are on a first-name-basis) were going to perform together. And we couldn’t find a date in that window. But then, miracle of miracles, Jason Mraz decided to extend his run an extra two weeks and we got to see them both!

The Backstage Tour

I have a very close family friend aka family aka my sister’s godmother who lives in New York. When she heard we were going to see Waitress, she asked to come along and happened to mention having a Broadway connection. She asked if we would be interested in a backstage tour before the show. WHAT?!! DUH.

We arrived at the theater two hours before show time and met our new best friend, let’s call him Mike. He showed us inside and explained the most pressing question I had read about all over the internet: How do they get a “freshly-baked-pie” smell piped into the corridor when you enter the theater? ANSWER: THEY BAKE A PIE. EVERY NIGHT. Also, obviously we asked about who eats it (the staff) and where they keep them (in a freezer next to the jerry-rigged convection oven/cabinet). Mike then took us into the theater and onto the stage. He explained how Waitress was a very prop-heavy show, and sure enough we saw hundreds of props and innumerable pies, which we later saw and recognized in the show!

Convection Oven and super yummy-smelling pie.

The moving orchestra stage. See it on the tracks in the ground?

Mike explained how each individual show brings everything with them, from lighting, to rigs, and even the FLOOR! Each show’s floor and tracking is made specific to the dimensions of a theater, and needs to be completely replaced if they change theaters, which also explains why theater changes are so rare. He explained how Hamilton has basically taken the Richard Rodgers Theater off the market for years, which is good for profits, but gives them one less venue to offer other shows. Then, he walked us underneath the stage, which is the only way to get from stage right to stage left and vice versa. He showed us the wardrobe, seamstress, and washing machines, which had a flood recently, leaving Sara Bareilles with a sopping wet dress for the performance. After the tour, Mike brought us into the auditorium and answered our questions for almost an hour. I learned how all ushers are in a union, and how to become one (be in a family of ushers, work well with people). I also learned horror stories and trends of specific shows’ demographics (A Night in Paris tends to have a problem with incontinence, and Sponge Bob is filled with millennials, and the theater always smells like weed by the end). He also answered questions about how they kick shows out of theaters if they aren’t doing well, and what happens to actors when a bigger name decides to stay on longer, like in our case with Jason Mraz (the other guy still gets paid, they have great unions).

I am now an expert in all things Broadway. Ok, maybe not an expert but I know a lot more than I knew two days ago!

Under the stage, wardrobe and (now-functioning) washing machines.

View from the stage. Only 1,100 seats total.

Pre-Show

Our new BFF, Mike, introduced us to Chris, the house manager, during our tour. He told us to “see Chris” before proceeding to our mezzanine seats “in case Chris found some other seats available.” Well guess what? HE FOUND THEM. We got AMAZING SEATS. ROW SEVEN. We were forever indebted. Chris came to check on us and we thanked him a million times. He told us we were “where we deserved to be.” Oh Chris, you’re too sweet. But wait, speaking of sweet, he brought us mini pies of each flavor offered! FO FREE!! And they were AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. Highly recommend the salted caramel and Oreo flavors.

The Show

OMG. I don’t even know where to start. I laughed. I cried. I smiled the entire time. Even through tears.

Sara, she takes my breath away. She is just amazing. I could sit for hours and watch her in basically anything. She could sing Mary Had a Little Lamb and I’d still be there for it.

And Jason Mraz. UGH. So good. The rest of the cast was amazing as well, and the show was so fun! The music was FAB, as I knew it would be. Sara was nominated for a Grammy AND a Tony for it, which is well deserved. It’s so catchy I’m listening to it right now! The original soundtrack is good, but OBVI I prefer the Sara version.

I don’t know what else to say besides that my hands hurt from the amount of clapping I did in my standing ovation I gave Sara. GO SEE THIS. You will not regret it. Try and go in the next two weeks to see Sara and Jason in action together! Dynamic duo.

What. A. Night.

Big City Living

NYC Date Night

August 21, 2017 1 Comment

Saturday I went on the most epic NYC Date Night. Spoiler alert, Broadway was involved. This is my first blog post where I actually rave about living in New York, so get excited.

Back Story: My bf told me I am not allowed to write about him on this blog (hence why I always cover his face with an emoji), so I won’t give much detail about the back story. But, suffice it to say, I had not spent any meaningful amount of time with him in weeks, unless you count hours of sleep, and I told him he owed me a date night. If you don’t say what you want, how will you get it, AMIRITE? My emoji-bf’s idea of a date night is almost always the same: dinner at a restaurant where the cheapest aperitif rings in at approximately $25 and you are expected to have a glass of wine to pair with each course. Now don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a good meal every once in a while, but I’m more likely to appreciate a dinner at the Meatball Shop, where I can go Balls to the Wall and still end up with a total bill of $20. I simply told my emoji-love-of-my-life that a fancy dinner would not do for date night, and I wanted to do a “fun activity.” I was thinking mini golf. Maybe bowling.

But no, he ended up surprising me with tickets to Book of Mormon on Broadway, and a dinner afterward! With 4^th row orchestra seats. It was amazing.

If you are an avid longlegsbigcity reader, you know by now that I complain about New York more often than I rave about it (disgusting hot summers, terrible rainy days, smelly, non-air-conditioned subways, mystery slush lagoons in the winter). But I must say, Saturday was a day where I was incredibly thankful to live in the city that never sleeps.

Here is a rundown of the day that made me fall in love with NYC again:

Morning: I taught a spin class in my neighborhood, meaning, 30 blocks away. It was hot so I hopped on the subway (free with my unlimited Metrocard) and for once, the train came on time. I got there in 10 minutes. I made $50 and got my workout in. I picked up my new spin shoes on the way home, at the bicycle store that is conveniently located on the same street where I live.

Afternoon: I did 4 loads of laundry while I tanned on my rooftop. I am one of the lucky New Yorkers with both laundry in the building AND a rooftop for tanning. More on the #RooftopDweller Lifestyle later this week.

Later Afternoon: I asked Emoji-BF what I was supposed to wear for later, since he had told me he had planned a surprise date. He said “semi nice” which is not a thing. So I asked him more specifically and he said “we are going to see a show.” Keep in mind, he had never been to a Broadway show before, so I wasn’t sure if he meant show like, comedy club, or what. I showered and put on a sundress, and we walked to my sister’s house to hang out. Did I mention my sister and her husband live 11 blocks from me? It took us 10 minutes to get there by foot. Another great advantage of NYC.

Evening: E-BF (“emoji boyfriend”) called a Via and the two of us got down to midtown for $5.95 total. (Use my code to sign up for Via, and you can get super cheap rides too!! Use the code emily5s6e to get $10 free!) Anyway, we got to midtown and he handed me a ticket for Book of Mormon. I was ecstatic. Not only had I wanted to see that show for years, but we are going to Utah in 10 days! Perfect time to brush up on my Mormo-trivia. Not a typo, I call them Mormos.

Anyway, we entered the theater and the ushers told us to proceed down the aisle to the “front section usher.” What?! OUR TICKETS WERE IN THE FOURTH ROW. Guys, these seats were amazing. It turns out that there were 3 seats together, and they were still available that morning because you are not allowed to book 2 seats together on Ticketmaster when only 3 are available. However, E-BF tricked the system. He reserved (but didn’t purchase) one ticket, which holds it for up to 8 minutes, and doing so opened the other 2 up for purchase. Then he opened another browser window to purchase. BAM. I date him because he is so stinkin’ smart.

The show was absolutely AMAZING. Probably one of my favorites I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot. In order of most recent to least recent: Fiddler on the Roof, Porgy and Bess, Jersey Boys, Chicago, Aida, Riverdance, Bring in Da Noise Bring in Da Funk, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, and possibly more that I don’t remember. Anyway, HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend The Book of Mormon. I was laughing out loud within 1 minute of the curtain rising. I was smiling the whole time. My face literally hurt by the end. And the songs were so catchy, I have been listening to it on Spotify ever since. More importantly, I feel completely prepared for Utah.

Minor spoiler alert if you know absolutely nothing about Book of Mormon. The main characters, Mormon missionaries, get stationed in Uganda for their mission. This was a tiny bit awkward since my boyfriend is of African heritage. They make fun of African issues in a very satirical way, but it goes on for quite some time. Aids, people who think they can have sex with virgins to get rid of their Aids, dysentery, war lords, etc. I think E-Bf was a pretty good sport, but there were a few times I was worried to look over at him. He was born in New Jersey though, so I thought I was pretty safe. Maybe less safe at Jersey Boys.

When the show ended around 10:25, we were hungry and guess what, it is NYC so every single restaurant was still open. We went to Dutch Fred’s for dinner, one of E-BF’s fav spots. Then we took another $5.95 Via home.

What a successful NYC day/night. In what other city can you just decide on a whim at 11 am that you are going to buy tickets to a world-class production for that current day and take a 10 minute, $6 car there? Sometimes it’s really cool to live here.