It’s Friday and I planned on having a Manhattan day today. I still did, but changed the plan in that I headed to the famous Junior’s for breakfast. I had pancakes, bacon and eggs but it was too early to have cheesecake (which is what they’re famous for) so I will need to go back at some point. Oh, and yes to all those thinking how I don’t eat cheese, I can’t smell or taste cheese in this so I do eat it (as long as it’s a chocolate one).
After Junior’s I headed to Manhattan to the discount store C21 in the hope of getting some sunglasses for the summer. I didn’t find anything I liked so no shopping for me. Immediately after, I walked to Central Park where for the first time in all my visits, I have seen a blade of grass and a lake! In all previous visits the snow and the ice has covered both and it was great to see Central Park green.
One of the street performances was funny, but amazingly well thought of to make it a money spinner. It involved a dance performance company (2 black guys), making a load of jokes about black people and jokingly acting out they were gay a lot of the time throughout out. The performance was basically a guy flipping over a row of people, but the build up involved a lot of joking, playing around with the crowd and collecting dosh off everybody (20 bucks was the magic number and if you have that you were getting a mention in the performance). They must have clocked up around 200 dollars for 10 minutes performance! It was quite funny though but they didn’t get 20 dollars out of me I can tell thee!
On the weather front, I should say after the first day which was arctic, it has been amazingly sunny and mild, thank God! I wandered around Central Park and because of the weather, the stalls, the performers etc were all out in force which is exactly what I would normally have expected it to be like if it weren’t -18 celsius.
Once I spent a good hour there, I joined the TKTS queue to get my broadway ticket for the evening. I always love queuing for these tickets because you get to talk to loads of randoms, and today was no exception. I guess it’s what New York is all about, people watching and striking up conversations with people from all walks of life. I was torn between Matilda and The King and I but opted for the King and I.
Straight after, I went to food at the Counter which is a burger place where you basically customise it from top to bottom. I went last time I was here and it was just as good this time.
It was back to Brooklyn on the subway now to chill for a couple of hours before I needed to go back in to Manhattan for the show. When I got the theatre at the Lincoln Center, it was clear this was a more modern theatre than the ones I had been to before, and it was going to be a full house!
I was sat next to a Canadian lady from Ottawa and she was cool conversation before the show and intermission. She gave me loads of suggestions for future shows to see too so I am massively tempted to go to another one tomorrow night.
The King and I was absolutely amazing, probably only second to Phantom of the ones I’ve seen on both Broadway and the West End. At first the stage seemed far away but the opening sequence brings the stage out so the actors were right by me which made it even better.
I recognised Kelli O’Hara immediately and am convinced I recognised a few others in it too. The show is definitely worth going to if you get the opportunity, it won a Tony for best Musical Revival and I can see why.
After the show, it was getting late and given I have been getting up at like 6am each day I was pretty shattered. It was back to Brooklyn, off at Atlantic Avenue and a short walk to the hotel. Each time I walk back, I pass the Barclays Center and it made me think only a couple another fully day until I am back there for my third and final game of this UK Isles Pilgrimage.
No real plans for tomorrow, other than the possibility that I may go to another show and I really need to go to Junior’s again. I haven’t explored many posh restaurants this time to be fair, I don’t think I’ve eaten at anywhere near as many good places as I normally do when here. Maybe, I will hunt down a good barbecue or Italian in Brooklyn for tomorrow night.
