twenty-three

Ok, I have to be honest. I’m actually home now. We got in yesterday. I’m sipping a cup of French pressed Princeton blend coffee. And now, I’m going to finish the story.

With the subways pretty much out of commission, (oh, you should have heard the New Yorker on the street’s dismay), we took a long walk from the Museum of Natural History to Broadway and 51st, to the Gershwin Theater. Upon finding the location of Wicked, we found ourselves in the heart of New York. The center of the American Empire. The center of the universe. Times Square. Or at least that’s what it feels like and what I think many people would like you to believe. A large (+10 story) poster of P. Diddy, a neon Virgin Records sign, flashing announcements for everything from Broadway shows to men’s razors. The center of capitalism, advertising, and media saturation. Mmmm, mmm, mmm, breathe it in…

I must begin my brief rant on New York here: I don’t think I can stand this city. I have a lot of really fond memories and dreams about the magnificence of the Big Apple, with it’s art, it’s music, it’s cultural influence that we would be lost without. It’s history is fascinating. But it is too much for me in person. The city feels as if it were on the verge of imminent disaster or collapse. The subway system was a good indication of this: you take away one thing that everyone relies on and it’s chaos. People are up in arms. The strain of too many people in one location, that is abated by this mass transit system, is brought back to the surface. It’s too much for me.

Another thing I found overwhelming on this trip, mostly I think because of our time in the big cities, was the idolization of the self. New York is a city of self discovery, of self proclamation. People go there to be stars, to rise above the rest, to eat fancy dinners, drink expensive alcohol, to experience high culture. We walk past Trump Tower and wish we could be like him. We see the advertisements that sell us the life of excess. We are told to seek personal advancement. We all should be celebrities, and here is the place where we can pretend we are. This idea that New York is the center of it all is very egotistical, very self centered, and very true. It’s the Grand Central of American Empire life. It seems to be the manifestation of what the ideal "Pax Americana" looks like: cities bustling with commercial success, unobstructed personal exhibition, celebrity. I’m not above it: I’m writing a blog right now, which means I think my words are important enough to read, like my own little celebrity diary, talking about my life of important acts and ideas. So, while not claiming innocence, I end my rant by saying that I don’t have much need to see that city again. Twice was good for me. And of course, with my tendency to make broad, sweeping statements which I may rescind at a later date, remember that while I loathe that City, I may love it all the same.

Now, back to the trip. You may have noticed a little guidebook in my current reads, the Knopf Map guide to Boston. Well, we picked that up because my mom recommend/loaned her copy of the New York edition and it is so amazing that we had to have the Boston version as well. These little books are full of easy to read maps, landmark descriptions, and restaurant recommendations. We decided to check out one of the local pizza establishments it recommended, just off of Broadway, John’s Pizzeria, and it was right on. We had a fabulous pizza dinner, some good margaritas, and found a great place to get out of the bustle for awhile to cool off and prep for our night on Broadway. Nestled into an old building, it looked like a small pizza joint from the outside, but opened up into a ballroom style dining area which was really cool. We chose a couple good wood fire pizzas and had an amazing dinner. I have to say, we ate really well on this trip. And that was one of the better meals.

Finally, the moment we were anticipating all week: We entered the Gershwin theater and took our seats for Wicked. Now, for those who are unfamiliar, Wicked is a musical based on the bestselling book about the early life of the Wicked Witch of the West, from the Wizard of Oz. You should really check the book out because it’s wonderful. The musical set was fabulous, as to be expected on Broadway in NYC (see, I like some things about this place!). I don’t know what to say about the show really. The story turns all you know about the Wizard of Oz upside down. Was the Wicked Witch really wicked? Who was the Wizard? What’s the relationship between the Wicked Witch (Elphaba, by name) and Glinda the Good Witch? All will be revealed! The soundtrack is amazing, with a mix of orchestral pieces and some all out pop and rock. If you have a chance to listen to the music, my favorite songs are "Popular", "Defying Gravity", and "One Short Day".

We all really enjoyed this special treat within our long trip. I think Stacy’s parents really enjoyed the story and the music, having grown up knowing the Wizard of Oz. And Stacy has been listening to the soundtrack non-stop for the last couple of months, so she loved getting to see it live. This was definitely one of my highlights from the trip.

Following the show, we hiked back to Penn Station to catch our Amtrak train back to Boston. The trip was winding to a close. We’d seen our 7th state in as many days. We were all pretty tired and all had ranging levels of sickness either coming or going from our bodies, so it was good to get back to our beds in Boston and spend Thursday resting up before we traveled on Friday. Overall, New York was a good time. Too much big city America for me, as I mentioned before, but worth it for the experience.

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