Kate Kronicles: New York was fabulous! II

We had decided not to cram too many plans into Thursday’s schedule, as we were not certain how long the auction at Sotheby’s would last. The auction was exciting, full of beautiful art selling for ridiculous prices. I simply don’t get some modern art. I watched a couple black lines drawn through various circles and squares, completely uninteresting in my opinion, go for I believe it was $500,000, much more than its listed value, while some of the classic pieces did not even sell. Our painting went for more than the estimated value and we were happy in the end.

When the auction ended earlier than anticipated, we decided to go to another play. I chose Cat on a Hot Tin Roof featuring James Earl Jones(one of my very favorite actors), Phylicia Rashad, and Giancarlo Esposito among its very talented cast members.

We went to Sardi’s for dessert after the show and had a somewhat forgettable strawberry concoction, which happened to be their specialty.

Friday we figured we’d do the touristy must sees of New York, the Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty. Well silly me for thinking that we would just walk into the ESB and casually waltz up to the top to have a look. We piled into the line outside the door where we were promptly taken by a couple of New York hustlers. The story was that if we went on their “New York Skyride” we would be able to bypass the lines and get to see more of the city for about the same price. After dropping $76 for the two of us, we followed the young men through a back entrance to the building and up to a cheesy “Star Tours” type ride that showed a video of New York. After the ride, we still waited in about an hour worth of lines before getting to the top. It was cold, windy, and crowded but still fun.

We took the Staten Island Ferry to see the SoL since it was free.

Great views of the city all around

and a kind fellow ferry rider took our picture.

We went to see Rent Friday night. The set and costumes were well done and the music was lively. Tamyra Gray was certainly a credit to the show, which I felt was actually lacking in its character and story development.

Angel, the shows charismatic drag queen deserved a bit more attention in my opinion, but it’s hard to explain more without giving too much away for those of you who have not yet seen the show.

We skipped dessert and went to bed early by comparison. Wed and Thurs nights had extended themselves until around 2:00 am.

Saturday I joined Jacob for Brunch in Union Square. Stupid me, I didn’t get any photos. I had tasty dish that included tofu scramble, black beans, guacamole, salsa, veggie sausage and corn tortillas to wrap it all up. I asked Jake how much a typical tip was in NY not wanting to look stingy with my standard 20% and he advised servers were lucky to get 5%. What?! You New Yorkers are a tightfisted lot! Come on! After, I walked around the farmers market while I waited for mother to join me. I bought a photograph of a goat, which I later decided needed to go to my brother Matt, a gingersnap and a cranberry walnut pastry. What great vendors! I could live off this market alone.

I had seen an add for a Brazilian Rainforest exhibit in South Port bragging about a recreation of the Amazon. Of course, I coerced mom into going. Disappointing! I expected something similar to the greenhouse exhibit in the Chattanooga Aquarium. No such luck. A few potted plants lined a canvas walkway. There was a shop at the end with Brazilian made products explaining the importance of fair trade. Ok good for them in that respect. We walked around the port a bit and looked out over the water,

then headed to the Bodies exhibit next since it was just down the street.

Mom was a little wary of the gross out factor. The exhibit was done tastefully though with information versus exploitation. I would certainly recommend it to anyone. The preservation was phenomenal. It is so amazing to see what’s lurking just under our surface.

When plans with my NY friends fizzled out, we decided to hit another Broadway production. November, starring Nathan Lane, was simply too irresistible. I adore Nathan Lane!

Funny, quirky, and constantly entertaining, the only gripe I had was that constant use of the word F%*# took away from some of the jokes. Honestly, I often enjoy a well-placed expletive, but sometimes it just kills the flow of the funny.

After the show, we planned to go to a vegetarian restaurant who told us they would be open late. They weren’t, the bastards. Thankfully, an adjacent European bistro was more than happy to seat us. In fact they didn’t seem to want us to leave when the meal was over. We enjoyed a four-cheese fondue. The bread was tasty but wanting a bit more, I asked if our waiter could bring out a few fruits or veggies for us to dip. He obliged with a platter full of tomatoes, carrots, and green apples. The green apples were my favorite; such a great compliment to the pungent cheeses. We shared a flourless chocolate cake, which was accompanied by a light pistachio ice cream and called it a night.

Sunday morning we woke up early, packed our things and had breakfast in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant.