NYC 2014 Day #6

Sunday.  Normally a day of rest.  Not here!
We were all up bright and early to take the subway down to Ground Zero for the 9/11 Tribute Center (for people wanting to attend in 2016, we will be going to the brand new 9/11 Museum which is supposed to be beautiful and touching).  Since New York Public Transit always changes subway lines on Sundays, we knew we were in for a treat.  We all had to pay attention where to get off (and there was one hilarious moment where people got off the subway at the wrong spot and we enlisted strangers to help us yell at the students on the platform to get back on)-- and, despite one group getting off early, we all made it there safely.
After looking at the tributes and artifacts in the space (put together by survivors families), people got to wander the grounds of 9/11 and have some free time before our 3:00pm show.
Jackie and I went back to the hotel for Facetime with the girls (thanks for taking care of Millie who woke you up by vomiting on your bed mom!) and then we were off for brunch.
We went up to a nice quiet restaurant on the Upper West Side and delicious things.  I can't remember exactly what I ate, but I was stuffed and they had really good bread.
Then, it was off to Rocky.  No one in our group new what to expect-  Rocky?  Singing? Dancing?  Well, my expectations were totally exceeded (and this was not just by me...) Most of our group put it as one of the top shows of the trip.  Here's why it was a fun show to end our trip with:
1-  The chemistry between Andy Karl and Margo Seibert was amazing.  They were so good in their roles (great voices-- and REALLY likable).
2-  That set.  I cannot begin to describe how huge and impressive that set was.  The Winter Garden Theatre has only had 3 musical in it the past 30 years-- Cats, Mamma Mia! and Rocky.  I had never been in there before so I was amazed at the size of those sets.
3-  The last 20 minutes put our group on such a high, that everyone was in a fantastic mood at the end of the show.  The show is closing so unless you're going in the next week, I'm not spoiling anything by saying that first first 20 rows get to go up on the stage and sit on bleachers.  Then the stage slides out and sits on the first 20 rows of seats, making a full on boxing ring.  The people on the side seats stand up so they can see the fight-  making it feel like you are at a real boxing match.
The fight choreography (in tandem with makeup artists acting as coaches applying bruises and blood to the actors faces) in amazing and a huge jumbo tron drops down from the ceiling over the ring.  To top it off, Rocky throws his sweaty towel into the audience and someone in our group caught it.
In short, in may not have the most amazing music (though Eye of the Tiger is in it),  we had a great time.
After that, it was off to Max Brenners for chocolate overload (where we were seated by 2 children's group- a tween girls Bday party and a tween boy's soccer team.  It was deafening.  And that was just Kelly DeHaan singing to be heard above then.
After that, our group wandered around Union Square Park, went up to Lincoln Center and relaxed by the fountains, frolicked on the grassy knoll at Lincoln Center and then ended the night with Jackie's treasured garlic knots.