Blue Man Group

I'm sure there was a time when these guys were cutting edge or unique. Though that time has passed, they do put on an entertaining show in the tiny Astor Theater on Lafayette near 8th Street. The show is rambunctious entertainment with audience participation. After the show, the crowd gets an opportunity to "meet" the Blue Men although they never speak.

Things you only see in New York.

Photoshoot at a Diner.

Walking through Chelsea we saw a couple of "tour" buses parked along with several equipment trucks. I commented to P that perhaps a movie or TV was being filmed. As we got closer, we realized that a photoshoot was underway next to the Empire State Diner. The windows had been frosted to give the appearance of winter and snow was blowing from a machine. Of course it is mid May with temperatures in the 70's. Looking closer, we realized that the snow was not some kind of cotton but was "real." It would melt as it hit the ground. We watched the creators do several "takes" with them taking numerous photos. I don't know if the model was someone I should recognize. We asked the staffers what was going on and they said it was a photoshoot for promotion of a product in Asia and probably would never see publication in the US. Well, it was interesting to watch for us yokels.

Joyce Theater--Dance at its Finest

Joyce Theater in the Background.
Yeah, the stores in Chelsea can be "interesting".

Kyotofu.

On the left, strawberry shortcake tofu dessert and on the right, black sesame tofu.

When coming to NYC, many of us from the hinterlands think of going to a show. And when we think of going to a show, we think of going to some Broadway musical on a grand scale, something like "Phantom of the Opera" or "Mamma Mia". Last time Fariba and I were in New York, we went to see "Wicked" and were disappointed. I think, living in the Charlotte area, we now have an opportunity to see so many touring performances of this nature, so it is no longer a big deal to see it on the Broadway stage. Couple this with shows like those from Cirque de Soleil, and the old Broadway musical no longer carries the same "umphh". But our standby in NYC has been the Joyce Theater, the home of avant garde and modern dance on 19th Street at 8th Avenue in Chelsea. After an afternoon of touring the fantastic warehouse galleries between 21st Street and 27th Street (including a super exhibit of late Picassos at the Gagoosian on 21st St.), we ended up at the Joyce for a performance by Momix. This dance group uses sophisticated lighting and various fabric props and costumes to put on an otherworldy show. In a couple of segments, the female dancers were topless, which this unsophisticated patron had never seen in a "legitimate" dance performance. However, the nudity was in context and also underscored the fact that we see male dancers "topless" all the time and don't think anything of it. If you come to NYC, you must come see whoever is performing at the Joyce. This is my third time there and all the shows have been phenomenal. Couple that with a vibrant neighborhood full of interesting and reasonably priced stores and restaurants and it makes for a great evening. We topped it off with tofu based desserts at Kyotofu in the Theater District/Clinton on 48th St at 9th Avenue. And interesting experience as performers from nearby Broadway shows streamed in around 11 for some after show relaxation.

Feeding Frenzy

H & M, an accessible Swedish chain with a store on Fifth Avenue at 51st Street.

I am enjoying the opportunity of spending a few days in New York with our only daughter. She is a deep and introspective person and a pleasure to travel with. We got an early flight to La Guardia, arriving precisely on time at 8:00 a.m. A quick cab ride into the city and we had already dropped off our bags at the hotel by 9. We enjoyed a nice $4 omelet and potatoes at a little eatery right next to our restaurant in the hear to Rockefeller Center and across from Radio City Music Hall (we are going to see Leonard Cohen there on Saturday night!). We took a leisurely walk through Rockefeller Center and it looked like rain and we determined that she needed a rain jacket. We stopped at a beautiful Italian design store on the plaza and found a nice looking jacket for "nine fifty". Our daughter said if that meant $9.50, let's get it. Of course it didn't. But as we emerged on to 5th Avenue we saw a line of about 100 people waiting to get into H and M, a clothing store that looked like it had potential for some cool clothes at good prices. In that H and M, and none of the other stores on 5th Avenue were to open until 10, we took a walk and came back. I told her I couldn't imagine why people would wait in line to get into a store. Why would they not just go in when it opened. It was a large store. Well, we came back about 9:55 and the staff had given up and opened the doors. What we saw were many shoppers (mostly women) who had descended on a section of the store. They were scurrying about, some with ten of the same item of clothing and many with 15 or 20 items of various pieces. They were cleaning the shelves off and staff was replacing the shelves with the same or different items. I asked the door guard what the heck was going on. He said it was the unveiling of the Matthew Williamson design for the summer. All of the clothes were reasonably priced and very unique. So, I shot a video which is attached. Just an interesting slice of Americana where consumerism is not quite dead. We ended up getting a great raincoat for P at Zara, a very reasonably priced Spanish chain with a large store in the heart of Fifth Avenue.