UMTravels

Yet another hectic day here in the city. But not until later.

Rousted out of bed this morning my my phone ringing – so rare that I actually answered it. Andy McCormick was on the line — and old college roommate of Davey and I that I haven’t seen for thirty years. He’s Vice-President for Corporate Communication with Pfizer here in NYC. I dropped him a piece of mail a couple of weeks ago with a note about Dan Harpole’s death a year ago. Guess I’d better put on my “theatre” clothes since we are meeting at 5 at a bar in Grand Central on Friday – The Campbell Apartment. Sounds swanky. Open wallet. Drain. Repeat.

This afternoon I move from Davey and MJ’s place to a shared room at the Hotel Pennsylvania (as in Pennsylvania 6-5000 from the song many many years ago) Swanda and I are sharing until Sunday. Didn’t want to impose on my hosts for the entire time I’m here — they have busy schedules and best to leave on a good note. Meeting there at 3pm for check-in.

By 5pm we are off to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockette Christmas Spectacular. Now, this isn’t my usual fare, and I was fairly ambivalent about it — but Tom (from yesterday) says he’s heard great things about it and is planning on seeing it as well. This from a native, albeit an actor.

Doesn’t look like tomorrow performance of Spring Awakenings is going to happen with the strike still going. I doubt that if they settled today, they’d be open tomorrow.

Off to the showers.

EVENING UPDATE

Check-in at the hotel was as they say, a “cluster fuck”. Late room keys, cranky people that hadn’t slept (red-eye flights in), nothing that anybody (except the hotel) could do about it. With 1500 rooms and large conventions — I haven’t seen less than ten people in the check-in line ALL EVENING — and we were a group check-in so it SHOULD have been easier. Beware: Hotel Pennsylvania.

So — the reason for panic and crankiness was that we had tickets for a 5pm show at Radio City Music Hall — The 75th Anniversary of the Christmas Spectacular. I admit going into this I was a cynic… but here is a chuck of an email to a friend about the show:

Well – greetings from the big guy and myself in New York City – just back from Radio City Music Hall for the 75^th Anniversary Christmas Spectacular – and you know the cynic that I am… and it was truly spectacular – right down to the REAL water based snow during wafting down on the patrons at one point. Truly stunning – their 75^th anniversary show. Chris refers to it as a ninety minute Christmas vomiting. But amazing.

This picture gives you a clue:

That is the view from my seat. It was a spectacular.