Three days and four shows later...

Holy cow I slept until 10am on Sunday. That's probably because I was up late, but more likely because I'd been walking all around Manhattan. My legs were killing me but I slept like a rock.

As I put in my required amount of pavement pounding, I found myself becoming very skilled at taking the subway and acting like a New Yorker. (Nod to Karen and Sofia... I emulated S's "couldn't-care-less" look!) You know you are fitting in when people start asking you for directions and you can answer them.

I switched hotels because I had extended my stay. I moved to the Hilton Times Square - half a block off of Broadway and across the street from "Spiderman." I thought being on the 25th floor at the Radisson was good, but they put me on the 40th at the Hilton. Oh, I miss the good old days of my Hilton Diamond status.

Went to a Sunday matinee of "Rock of Ages." It's a funny love story told through 1980's hair bands. The theatre is small and they serve drinks in the audience. It's more like a rock concert than a musical. Quite fun. Would have been even better had I gone at night I think - no matter how much alcohol you put in people, there is only so much you can pull out of a Sunday afternoon crowd.

One eyebrow threading, three Italians, an old Jewish guy named Karl, the Canadian, a hot Scot and his son, nearly two dozen autographs, dinner at Felidia!!! (thanks for the tip Karen!) and a dish of melted chocolate later, I was on a plane back home.

Although I am always sad to end a vacation it is good to come home, if only so I can start planning the next trip!

Two fun memories -
Daniel Radcliff's character, Ponty Finch, jumping up and down on the couch and sating, "I'm in love, I'm in love!" Tom Cruise will never live that down.
The Green Goblin demonstrating how he works out using "Shake weights."

Judgement Day Part 2

So I guess there actually was a time (6:00pm) associated with what was supposed to be the end of the world. Here I was running around thinking I was safe all day.

I know this, because at 6:00pm, I heard a busker on the subway saying something about we're all still here and it's a good day. It didn't sink in until a couple hours later when I heard someone else say, "Six o'clock has come and gone..." Then I got it.

A crazy thing happened on the way to the theatre...
As I was standing in line at TKTS this morning, you'll never believe what happened!! I was chatting with people around me and a couple heard me say that I am from Chicago. They are too. I asked where they live and they told me La Grange!!! Then the woman said that she has a pilates studio. Not only do I know it, I used to live directly across from it, plus the guys from my phys. therapy office all go there. It's a small, small world.

I made my way to Greenwich Village, walked down Bleeker Street (love Paul Simon), stopped at a street market, bought falafel, came back to the theatre district in time for the matinee of "MotherF**cker with the Hat." It stars Chris Rock and Booby Cannevale, who you may remember as Will's boyfriend in Will and Grace. Fabulous play but Rock's was the only signature I missed.

Later, when I was on 34th street near the Empire State Building "I was looking up..."
(If you don't get that reference watch An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle.)

Back to midtown to see if I could find tickets for a show tonight and lo and behold I got into Spiderman! They reworked it, shortened songs, cut scenes, added some and after closing for three weeks opened with a revamped and much better show. I didn't really have a strong desire to see it, but now that I have I will freely admit that I WAS BLOWN AWAY. From a technical standpoint it is not just something that's never been done before, but it is breathtaking. Everyone was a kid - the looks on faces as Spidey soared overhead - even up into and over the balcony - was pure pleasure. And the scene design... freeking cool!

Two funny lines in Spidey tonight. One, there is a moment when M.J. begs Peter not to work tonight - to just take off one night. Peter says, "But anything would happen, a bomb or the end of the world." After one beat, the audience got it and roared. The other unexpected laugh came from an audience member. When Peter missed M.J.'s opening night, her friend said, "He's not even that cute." Without missing a beat, someone yelled, "Oh, yes he is!"

And on that happy note, I'm off to bed.
Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. (And that's a challenge in NYC!)

Judgement Day in New York City

Well, it's May 21, 2011 and it looks like God is willing to let us try a little longer to get this right.

As for me, I arrived in NYC yesterday. Rained most of the day, but the skies cleared in time for a great night on Broadway.

Went to the WTC, old St. Paul's church (just love that old graveyard - so "out of place" in the middle of the Financial district), made friends with New Yorkers, drank free Starbucks (wink, wink Terri), ate some fabulous crab-stuffed trout, met a distinguished (unfortunately homophobic) music director from Calgary at "How to Succeed in Business", got Dan Radcliff and John Larroquette's autographs (yea!), and took FABULOUS night-time architecture photos which I will post soon.

Back out to the streets!

Happy Ending

Oh, Rome you are such a bad boy. Just when I was ready to leave you, you show me a side of you I haven't seen. It was a great last day together. You really are a tease.

I thought the day was going to be like the rest of my time with Rome - always leaving me wanting more. But today he came through. It was very pleasureable. The sun came out around 11am, just when I came into the heart of the city. My spirits immediately lifted. Rome and I had the energy of young lovers. We went back to San Crispino for whiskey and rum chocolate gelato. Delicious. Then he showed me a new place - a coffee shop where they roast their own coffee. It's right by the Pantheon and dates back to when this area was licensed to roast coffee beans. Rome introduced me to a drink the locals get - granita di caffe con panna (coffee slush with cream).

My friend Jeff arranged for me to take the Offical underground/ruins/archelogical/necropolis tour; more easily stated the Italian way, Ufficio Scavi. Usually one has to book this tour a good week in advance. Jeff called me this morning to tell me he put me in the 3pm tour. But not having an offical entry ticket, I was going to have to get past the Swiss Guard and to the Ufficio Scavi office where I should be able to buy the ticket. He suggested that I follow the group in and try to avoid talking to the Swiss Guard. What he didn't tell me was that the Basilica was closed today. They weren't letting anyone near St. Peter's. So, I talked my way past the first gates by saying that I wanted to go to the Posta Vaticana (the post office of the Vatican City). Even though every one else was being pushed back and scolded, I got through. Then I went to the guards that stand where people exit the Basilica. They kept telling me that everything was closed and on tours were going on. I explained that my friend, a priest at the American College in the Vatican City placed me on the Scavi tour. They said there are no Scavi tours. Humph!? I knew Jeff wouldn't do that to me, but I wasn't so sure about Rome. So, I went in to the post office to hang out for a bit - it was only 2:30 - and try to figure out how to get past them. Now, you must understand that I am trying to SNEEK INTO THE VATICAN CITY. When I went back outside, the guards were gone, but that left the Swiss Guard. These guys are serious, have crazy uniforms, are really Swiss, and have been doing this job for a long time! Ok, here we go.
I approached the Swiss Guard, who was currently turning away a nun!, with a piece of paper in my hand. It was just my little note that I made about the time and place of the tour. I told the Swiss Guard that my priest friend put my name on the Scavi tour list, but my offical ticket is at the Scavi Office. I pointed to my instructions on my little note paper. He asked for my ticket/pass. I explained again. (There never was any ticket or pass, but Jeff told me others would have one.) He asked where my friend was, inside or out. He apparently thought I was meeting Jeff. Well, of course I told him that he was in his office which was conveniently through the arch behind the Guard. Voila! He let me pass and even told me where to go. Ha! I only got about fifty feet before another guard stopped me. But I told him that " the Swiss Guard told me that the Ufficio Scavi office is just up there." He also gave me directions and waved me on. Yea!
When I got to the office there was a moment of panic b/c I thought Jeff said it was under his name, but in fact it was mine. I paid and was good to go. Just had to wait for the docent. The tour is only for 12-15 people. Nice.

Best thing anyone could ever do in Rome!!! There is so much information that I will have to say if you ever go to Rome, and are remotely interested in archeology, history, christianity, the Vatican or all of them, you MUST plan to do this tour. We learned about 2000 years of pagan graves, popes, St. Peter the apostle and first pope, and St. Peter's the first and second basilicas, as well as the Vatican hill and valley which name originally had nothing to do with the catholic church. We went two stories under the alter and nave of the basilica and saw a 2000+ year old necropolis (literally city of the dead) and St. Peter's bones. You do not see this on the Popes' tombs tour! OMG, OMG, OMG. And I mean that literally. Wow. I will do this again - anytime, everytime! I visit Rome.

So, Rome, you won me back. You are a sly Italian lover. I should never have doubted you.

Italian Lover

More about St. Francesco of Assisi is going to have to wait.

When I first met Rome, he swept me off my feet. All charm, 70 degree weather, sunshine, good company, good food, showed me all the sites. I went for him hook, line and sinker. Well, it's been 2 1/2 years and Rome is showing himself to be a bit of a cad. He's toying with me, leading me on. On my first day back he took me to our favorite gelato place. We laughed, talked to other tourists and told them about San Crispino's gelato; we sneeked in to the the popes' tombs at St. Peter's; we met some young American priests who know my freind Jeff. But Rome was cloudy and a little stand-offish.

On day two, Rome fooled me. I went to the Forum only to find it isn't free anymore and you can't see it without buying a ticket for the Coloseum and Palatine Hill. Well I didn't have that kind of time or money and he knew it. He wasn't goingto make me late for my lunch with Jeff. So, I left.
Rome was gracious at lunch with Jeff. We had a really nice time and the day warmed up. That evening we shared a fun time at the Carosel and took lots of pictures. Then we enjoyed a Turkish bath and prosecco on the balcony.

So, imagine my surprise this morning when Rome jilted me for the Pope. We had a meeting planned to climb St. Peter's coppula, but Rome decided to spend the morning with Benedict instead. I couldn't even view the coppula on my own. Well, two can play that game.

I ran to Spoleto. He's quiet, clean, has that small town kind of charm, is friendly if a little boring. If all the new construction says anything, he is good with his hands, and he let's me talk to other guys. He's warm and has beautiful views.

I'm heading back to Rome tonight. We'll see what he has to say for himself and what he is planning for my last day. He'll have to work hard if he wants me back. I'm not sure if it's possible. We may just have to be friends. Anyway, there's always Sorrento - and Luigi!

What's up with the water works?

Leaving Sorrento was a sad affair. I took one last walk to the cliff and view of the bay before leaving. And then I cried. What up? It reminded me a bit of when I got to Interlaken, Austria years ago. I was tired, a bit stressed, loved the city and the view was spectacular. I'm realizing that I love that size city. You can feel like you are just one of the locals. In Sorrento I already established my local morning espresso bar... me "Buon giorno signore, uno cappuccino, par favore." them, "Buon giorno, singnora." ... drink... me "Ciao, grazie." Simple and effective. My day always started right from there.

On to Assisi.
I decided for a change of pace that I'd try staying at a monastery. (This is the "pray" part of my journey aparently.) Didn't get in until dark. The train station made Assisi seem like a ghost town. This also reminded me of Interlaken, Austria, as I arrived there after midnight and it was strangely quite. I took a cab because I didn't have the energy to figure out the bus and mess with my bags. Ha! Every three seconds the meter increased 5 cents. That's about 8 US cents. For a seven minute drive, I paid $20. Crazy.

My room at the monastery was as you would assume: no pictures, no TV, no hairdryer, no phone, not a single luxury. The view was wonderful, as were the windows and the toilet paper! That in itself made up for the teensy-weensy shower. The B&B part of the monastery is not their first priority, so there is no conceirge, no internet, no daily maid service. I came for the experience, if you are wondering. My single bed had a warm quilt and extra wool blanket, which I needed. They offered a simple breakfast and very surprisingly, a bar - not just espresso bar either. It was put to use too. I expected a monastery to be quiet and peaceful, but this is Italy. There were loud goings-on every night. I was trying to figure out who the heck was making all the noise. It wasn't the priests. I did hear them singing my first night there. That was so worth it. As best I could tell, people came to hang out at here. Most of the noise-makers got in their cars to leave. What a life when the monastery is the local hang-out.

I cannot possible say enough about Assisi. Beautiful, spiritual, historic... wonderful. The whole thing (not where I was at the train station) is on a hill inside the old city walls. Again, I started tearing up the moment I crested the hill and came through one of the huge gates. Unlike Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Assisi is all one color - stone. A local artists told me that there are over one hundred churches within the city walls. This place isn't big, but some of the churches are huge. The Basilica of St. Francis of course is the money maker. It's the most beautiful church I've seen outside of St. Peter's in the Vatican. More about what a cool dude St. Francesco (literally, Frenchy) was when I get a chance to write again.

Sex in the city - Part Due

Oh, so finally made it back to a computer. I will try to highlight the last few days.

I did go to Pizzeria da Michele in Naples. And that's all I did in Naples - got off the train, walked a few blocks, almost got pickpocketed (but I hide my valuables well), had a conversation in Italian in which I asked and even understood the answer, got pizza and went back to the train station. Didn't want to see anymore of Naples than that.

The pizza...
I sat by a couple Italian guys, one who is home from his job with Carnival Cruise Line. He said that he never misses a visit home without stopping to eat at da Michele. The Korean guy across from me, told me he was there because his guide book told him to be. :) I think I said that I ordered a mozzorella pizza with extra cheese and a beer. €6,50 is about $10. Not bad. Did I cry over the beauty and simplicity of the pie. No. I must really be a food snob. Every guidebook, food and travel critics, plus "Eat Pray Love" says that's it's the end-all-be-all. The crust was chewy, and my pizza making friend Theresa tells me that's not good. The marinara sauce tasted okay, but maybe a little like it came from a can, and the whole thing was a soupy mess -but I liked that part. The cheese was great and the experience was one in a lifetime. Very good, but not the best I've ever had. Clearly Neopolitans disagree. Oh, well. It was fun.

Hum?... I've been flirted with by the old and the young, but no one my age. I suppose sugar daddy or play thing isn't so bad. On the train to Naples I was called a MILF. There was a group of four 17 and one 19 year old boys. They were all fired up and goofing around. Started to talk to me in Italian after I noticed them looking at my necklace - a Lire (the old form of Italian money). At least I thought they were looking at my necklace. They were cracking me up. Just a bunch of young cuties with their arms wrapped around each other. So funny how you'd never see American boys do that. Once we finally established that I don't speak Italian (but I could understand a lot of what they were saying), they asked me if I knew what a MILF is. I told them that I did know, and NO I am not going to say it. Well we bantered back and forth for a while and when they left, the instigator of the group said "Bye MILF." I'll take it.