New York Adventure Day #3

Friday morning was sunny and cool. It was off to breakfast at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center by Central Park. After wandering all over the Center (the ground floor is a humongous Whole Foods), we finally found it tucked away by the elevators. The bakery is run by Thomas Keller and all of the pastries and bread are French. I got a cherry danish and it was the best cherry danish I've ever eaten in my life. This isn't what we ate (see Jackie's blog for that) but it gives you the idea.After the bakery, it was off to the madness that is Century 21 Department Store.

This place is a madhouse and we were overwhelmed- everything is designer labels and discounted- but we're used to the Old Navy discounted section- not Versace. It was fun but we had to hurry over to the Lower East Side for our scheduled walking tour with Big Onion. Big Onion does walking tours all over Manhattan. The one I signed us up for was the Eating Tour of the Lower East Side. After buying Jackie a Diet Coke so she could use the restroom at Popeye's Chicken, we were off exploring the Lower East Side with 20 other people and a doctoral student in history at Columbia University. We had Dominican Republic Fried Plantains, pickles from Jewish picking company, dried rose petals and plums in the Asian section, meat and cheeses at an Italian deli and cannoli's in Little Italy. It took 2 and a half hours and it was great.

After the walking tour, we went to Pomme Frites in the Village. They were closed when we went last summer so we were so happy to find it open (and busy). Other than burning my mouth with fresh hand-cut Belgian style fries, it was amazing.

After our salty nourishment, we went to the Seaport to pick up our discounted tickets for our Friday night show and our Saturday matinee. Even though it was only discounted 25%, we got tickets that night for August: Osage County. Our friends (the Coxes) saw it over the summer and loved it- it also won Best Play and the Pulitzer. We knew the show was long so we headed up to SoHo for a little chocolate sustenance. We headed for Vosages Haut Chocolate.

After a hot chocolate (as in both temperature and spices) and curry ice cream, we were off to the show.

August was amazing. The 3 and a half hours flew by and the actors were amazing. It was funny and sad (like a Eugene O'Neil drama- but contemporary- meaning it has F-words). The set was also phenomenal. Check out the clip for an idea.

After the play, we were hungry for real food so we went off to The Burger Joint inside Le Parker Meridian Hotel. We love their Norma's restaurant for breakfast, but this place was supposed to be good (and cheap). The hotel is 5 stars- and looks it. There is no sign up for the Burger place- you just have to go behind a big curtain and it's like you're in another world.

Lobby Burger Joint

The food was great and we went back to bed with sore feet from all the walking. Another great day in NYC.

New York Adventure Day #2

We awoke Thursday morning with a song in our hearts, smoke in our lungs and scratchy throats. We had much to accomplish today, but the number 1 priority was switching rooms. I talked to a desk agent who said, pack your bags, leave them in your room and we will switch you to a non-smoking floor.
We headed out the door to discover a rare New York City first. Jackie leaving the hotel for breakfast (as opposed to Clin bringing it back to her). We walked up 7th Avenue to Central Park South. After going the wrong way for a bit, we found the restaurant Sarabeth's . After indulging in a current scone and omelet and Jackie's lemon ricotta pancakes, we walked up 5th Avenue to the Frick Museum. Before we went in, I called the Letterman show to try to get stand by tickets. I had to answer a trivia question (which luckily I knew) and we were assigned number #7 and 8. On our way to Sarabeth's, we stopped by NBC to get standby tix for Conan. We were in the mid-50's there so I hoped we'd have good luck with Letterman.

After getting in the Frick (see Jackie's Blog for my trying to get a discount story), we went on the self-guided audio tour. My favorites were these:

These fresco's by Boucher depict arts, sciences and humanities- as demonstrated by 3 year olds. It's hard to see the detail, but they were very funny. Another favorite was this:

of Sir Thomas Moore (it looks amazing in person).

Finally, Jackie's favorite was this:

I guess at one point the codpiece was painted over in the early 1900's. I tried to buy Jackie a magnet of the painting but she would have none of it.

After that it was over to Jean-Georges in the Trump building for lunch. They do a gourmet 3 course lunch for $24 (considering that dinner there is over $100, that's a pretty good deal. Paparazzi were waiting for someone outside the hotel, but Jackie refused to ask who they were waiting for. Here's what the restaurant looks like inside. They even sat us wearing jeans. That's Central Park out the window:

After a great lunch (and an expensive house-made soda), we split up so Jackie could resolve the room situation and I could get tickets for the musical 13.
I got a great deal on tickets ($25 for orchestra seats) and off we went for Letterman. Long story short, we got in (barely), made friends with a couple from Alabama, had a crazy homeless black man tell us that Obama was the Anti-Christ while waiting to get in the studio, we stood in line forever because the guest was John McCain and they had to do security sweeps of the entire building, they physically watch you turn your phone off (no honor system here), and Letterman told us he had profuse snot due to a cold. After that, we grabbed a quick bite to eat (a hot dog), and we were off to 13.

The composer (Jason Robert Brown) was there in the audience and he signed my program. After the show (which was really good), we went up to a Mexican Restaurant called Rosa Mexicano. Jackie didn't want to go, but I'm glad I made her (and I think she was too) because the food was great. As you go in, they have this really cool waterfall with 100's of diver statues. It looks cool (and the mole was tasty):

After that, it was time for bed in a cool, comfortable smoke free room. A night that (so far) was tear-free!

A Quick Break

This clip today made me happy. It's from a British sitcom called Beautiful People. This clip involves neighborhood children getting ready to audition for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the school.

Can you name the 6 shows referenced to in the clip?

New York Adventure Day #1

So. ever since the end of July, I have been planning a fall break get-away for Jackie and myself. If you've been to my wife's blog, you've seen the clues I've given (all factual- but also intended to throw her off the track) and maybe you've wondered where we were going. Well, after our student trip in June, I thought it was about time that Jackie and I go to New York- alone. I'd been before without students, but Jackie had just had Millie (and it was for a conference). Jackie had been before without me (where she gained enough information to write a book on, "The Best Places in New York City to Breast Feed"). So, in conspiracy with Jackie's mom to watch the girls, I planned our trip.

For those of you that don't know Jackie (and you should read her blog to find out more), one of her more charming qualities is anxiousness. It's one reason it's sometimes best to make your plans and make her go because she's going to be nervous about something no matter what.

Last Wednesday, Jackie was under instructions to pick me up at the high school at exactly 2:25pm so we could make our 4:50pm flight. She was there, packed and ready to go (to Seattle she thought) when we arrived at the airport. I let her check-in at the kiosk so she could see where our flight was going (JFK) and the surprise would be over. As she read the flight information, tears of joy and gratitude filled her eyes as she embraced me at baggage check-in. "This will be the most fun we will ever had" she said breathlessly.

Oh wait. That was the Disney version. Let's recount what actually occurred (and I'm sure Jackie's side of the story will be up on her blog shortly).

"What the hell? I SO DID NOT PACK FOR THIS TRIP!! I brought heels! I packed for west coast! We were just there in June!" As we put our baggage up on the scale, a friendly desk clerk goes, "Was this a surprise? How fun!" to which Jackie replied, "I guess..." To calm her anxious heart, I quickly realized Diet Coke was needed immediately. After a discussion through security (where all of the agents learned that Jackie was not dressed for 4 Broadway shows or lots of walking) Jackie's mood became brighter when I got her gummi-Peach-O's and Diet Coke.

After a long and boring flight (Delta's satellite TV system has never worked on our flights), we arrived in New York. After waiting for an eternity for our bags, off we went to the Millennium Broadway hotel in Times Square.

Because I had purchased our hotel on Priceline, you cannot specify bed size or smoking/non-smoking until you get there. Well, we had been put on a smoking floor and though we protested, we said we would go check it out and if it was bad, we'd come back down. We went, we checked, it was bad, we came back down only to discover the desk agent had given the non-smoking 2 bed room to someone else while we were upstairs. They were sold out (and it was 1:00am in the morning at this point) and the desk clerk said we could be switched in the morning. We went back up to the hotel room where Jackie immediately burst into tears (even though I was pointing out that we had a cool view of the Chrystler Building) and flopped into bed pulling the covers up to act as an air filter. Clin and Jackie's NYC adventure had begun!!

Beepin' Night

4:30am Friday night/Saturday morning. Jackie is out of town with her mom, sister and father's 1st wife (not to be confused with polygamous term, "Wife #1"). I awaken to the sound of a "beep". I've heard the sound before and I think it's one of our 14 smoke alarms in the house notifying me that the battery is running down. I close my eyes and said to myself, "Jackie would make you get up now and find the source. She's not here, go back to sleep."

5 minutes later:

"beep".

Just once. Eyes open, Jackie still not there, eyes close.

5 minutes later:

"beep, beep, beep".

I sit up and say to myself, if it wakes the girls, there will be no getting them back down. Better find which alarm it is. I get up in my under-altogethers and begin to roam the house in the dark.

No beep for a few minutes as I lay perfectly still, ready to strike.

I get back in bed. The second my head hits the pillow:

"beep, beep, beep".

Back up, I realize the house is freezing. I turn on the heat and perch on the stairs waiting for the next series of beeps. I sort of doze off on the stairs when I hear the beeps again. They sound like they're behind me. Tricky little bas*****. I'm onto their game. I perch in Millie's doorway thinking it's the alarm in her room (and praying she doesn't wake up).

"beep, beep, beep, beep". Four this time!

And from downstairs! I go and turn on the light in the dining room hoping the neighbors don't happen to look into the dining room to see the ward music director standing in his garments in the middle of the kitchen in pose much like a puma ready to pounce, waiting for the next series of beeps.

"beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep"- really fast.

It is now openly taunting me. I grab the broom and begin whacking the smoke alarm that is high up on our dining room ceiling. No beeps occur during this. I wait for a few minutes thinking the problem is now solved.

"beep".

A curse word slips out of my mouth as I whirl around because it sounds like it's behind me. I go into the front room and sit on the couch only to find myself fully illuminated from the headlights of our neighbors truck. I don't care anymore. Let our non-English speaking furniture making neighbor see me in my shame.

"beep".

Forget it. I'll find it in the morning.

I go back to bed and fall asleep.

The next morning I go downstairs to make the girls breakfast.

"beep". I realize it's the phone in the kitchen. I search for a moment to see why it's beeping and nothing seems to be amiss. I solve the problem by unplugging it.

Cedar City

So Jackie and I decided to go on a little vacation last week. We loaded up a bag and headed off to Cedar City, UT to see a couple of shows at the Shakespeare Festival. We saw Gaslight (which we loved) and Julius Caesar (which should end after Mark Antony's Friends, Romans, Countryman... speech). We stayed in a romantic Best Western Towne and Country Inn where we basically laid around with sparkling cider and candles.

Oh. Wait a minute. We were joined by 38 high school students- I went down on a charter bus (where we watched lots of The Office Seasons 3 & 4)- we shared the Best Western with approximately 698 other high school students (my students joined the students of Lone Peak High School in a dnace off in the parking lot). We competed against 97 high schools in Dance Ensemble (The Tempest- and student choroegraphed), Dance Duo/Trio (Antony & Cleopatra), Acting Ensemble (my western version of Taming of the Shrew), Technical Olympics and 3 monologues and 2 scenes. Overall, the Acting Ensemble took 2nd (and was asked to perform it at the awards ceremony in front of 3500 students), the Dance Ensemble took 2nd (and was also asked to perform) and the Dance Duo took 1st (and the female dancer won a $1000 dance scholarship).

Overall, it was an eventful weekend. One student lost their shoes (on the day it rained), our bus driver swore more than any Martin Scorcese film ever did (and kept commenting on how people he knows keep ending up in the paper talking about their arrests) and I didn't have to wait for anyone at the school to be picked up by their parents. Yay Riverton Drama!