Well, we’re here again for a week of theatre and food.
Got in on Sunday via Delta, and are staying in a luxury apartment building, the Zebra, on 42nd and 9th — well, close enough to 9th to be called 9th. Found the place on Criaigs list. The entrance to our building is between two theatres, which is pretty cool. When we arrived the air was chilly, and there was a breeze, which was a little disheartening (though we did come equipped for cold). But hey. It’s November.
The view for our window
Our first outing was dinner at a bistro called Chez Josephine, which is basically next door to our building, and which was named for Josephine Baker. Very pleasant. We followed that up with a food tour of Chinatown yesterday, which was offered by the same company who did the food tour of the Village that we went on last year, in which we sampled incredible dumplings, very nice (and authentic!) Peking Duck, and a range of stand-up tastings that included tea, beef jerky, and scallion pancakes, among other things.
Where we started in Chinatown - Chatham Square
On the route - Meat getting ready to be served
Doyer Street - a crooked street in more ways than one
Just before the end - our guide, Raheem, and the teapots
And then last night we went to see the Tony-award winning musical from this year, In the Heights.
Well, what can I say? The musical was not disappointing because we had no real expectations, but it wasn’t earth-shattering either. It was competent. It showed its various inspirations — among them Rent and the short-lived Brooklyn and even in places a bit of Avenue Q – and it had a story and characters one could afford to like, and songs one could sing and remember, but what it lacked was real conflict, conflict that made us care. What happened in the end was never something that really mattered. Maybe that was because everybody was too nice. Maybe it was because things didn’t push far enough. The catalyzing moments were external — a black-out, a death — which didn’t leave a whole lot of room for character development. But the production was fabulous, as Broadway productions tend to be, with multi-level set pieces and scrims that allowed for different moods, and one of New York’s famous bridges as a backdrop (I’m not going to say which because I get them mixed up) and great lights and a live orchestra and a whole range of musical influences.
Enjoyable? Yes. Earth-shattering/life-changing? No. Worth spending money on? Yes, at a bargain price. But if you have only the choice of full-price tickets, then find another show.
