I will warn you, this is going to be a VERY LONG post. You may want to read it in sections, unless you really have no time or life and want to wade through all of this at once. Enjoy!!
------------
Part One: The Long-Long Drive.
We left Richmond by about 7:45 Saturday morning. Andrew, Caitlin, Olivia and I arrived in Georgetown, still half asleep. They loaded up the Subaru while I grabbed some things from the house. By nine o'clock we were on the road. Caitlin was driving first, with me set as co-pilot and navigator. Andrew and Olivia fell asleep shortly after we got Starbucks. Within an hour, Caitlin and I had finished our coffee and were desperate for something to keep us going. The trip continued on. After Caitlin's 2.5 hour shift ended, I took over driving and by this point, everyone was awake. We stopped for lunch at the Jane Lew Family Restaurant in Jane Lew, West Virginia...Andrew's choice. It was a great little place. It was then that we decided we wouldn't eat at any chain restaurants. Starbucks was the only chain permitted. Andrew took over the wheel after lunch and drove the rest of the trip. He said he had too much caffeine in his system and would go crazy if he had to sit and do nothing for any longer. Caitlin and Olivia napped in the backseat, I remained navigator. I didn't nap at all on the way to the hotel.
Part Two: We're Staying Here?!
As we all know VERY WELL, I hate New Jersey. We crossed the state line and I wanted to cry. We're all glad Andrew was driving. Traffic through New Jersey is very much like traffic in New York City, but with speed. Maneuvering down the Garden State Parkway requires aggression and no hesitation. Anyway, we made it off the G.S.P. and went through downtown Irvington. It was scary. I won't lie. It was a shady neighborhood and made me super twitchy. When we pulled into the hotel parking lot, Andrew looked into a yard next door and saw a crowd of police standing by a large group of men, all in handcuffs. We're assuming drug bust. We checked in to the hotel and went up to our room. It wasn't bad at all. Smelled a bit funny, but that was no big deal. The beds were comfortable, the bathroom was nice...
We all got freshened up. We decided we were going into the city for dinner. We took the hotel shuttle to the airport, then hopped the train to Penn Station. We wandered around the city looking for a place to eat. Olivia picked a small Mexican restaurant called Cancun. It was tasty. Over-priced like everything else in the city, but tasty. After dinner, we headed back toward the train station. On the way, Caitlin noticed a mass of people moving around in Bryant Park. We went to check it out, discovering The Pond, New York's winter skating rink was set up. Caitlin and Andrew insisted on going ice skating, so Olivia and I stood on the sidelines while they skated until midnight. Once they were off the ice, we all headed back to the train station and returned to the airport. We waited, and waited, AND WAITED for the hotel shuttle. We finally got back to the hotel. I had to shower and get ready for bed. By the time I got out of the bathroom, everyone else was asleep.
Part Three: 7am Is Not Our Friend.
7am on Sunday rolled around and we were, in one word, EXHAUSTED. Olivia, Caitlin and I were almost completely ready by the time we woke Andrew up. Somehow we managed to get out of the hotel by 7:30. We once again took the hotel shuttle to the airport, took the train into the city, and let the day commence. The first thing on our list was breakfast and coffee. We had seen a place called Andrew's Coffee Shop, and decided that would be the perfect non-chain place to grab coffee and something to eat. Much to my dismay, the coffee wasn't great. And the muffins were cold. It took forever to get served. It was a cute place though. We're guessing we just got the one sucky server.
We had made a plan for the day. Breakfast, then I would go to TKTS to get our Avenue Q tickets while the others went to Central Park. That went down the tubes. The hours for TKTS have changed, so we ended up wandering around Times Square. We went to Toys-R-Us so Olivia could see the Lego displays and the T-Rex. That was a fun time. We took lots of goofy pictures and just had a great time being touristy....which I usually can't stand doing. After Toys-R-Us, we headed to brunch with Caitlin's cousin Megan. We ended up going to this lovely place on 45th and 9th, the Film Center Cafe. I loved it. I have every intention of going back there sometime, and taking Daddy with me. I think he'd really like it. It was great to meet Megan after hearing so much about her from Caitlin. Megan's husband, Nick was a very nice man, and Lincoln, their son was the most adorable baby I've seen in a long time. We enjoyed a delicious brunch. Olivia, Andrew and I had to eat in 20 minutes though because we were heading over to the Broadhurst early.
Part Four: When a Matinee Meets an Evening.
I had bought a single red rose for Kate and wanted to give it to her. Some Kate-fan-friends of mine went to see Equus several weeks ago and told me that Kate doesn't come out after the show. So we waited and waited for her to arrive for call. In our waiting time, Richard Griffiths arrived, as did Daniel Radcliffe. That was cool. Kate almost slipped right by me, but I practically sensed her presence and turned around. There she was, headed in the stage door. "Miss Mulgrew?" I started. "I just wanted to tell you have a great show today and break a leg." I handed her the rose and she thanked me. "I was told that you don't come out after the show, so I was wondering if I could get a picture with you." It was a simple as that. "Of course, sweetheart," she said in that deep, lovely voice of hers. Olivia snapped the picture, then asked for one herself as well as her autograph. She got both. Kate is such a kind woman. So courteous and polite to fans. That's why I love her.
Equus was amazing. I can't go in to too much detail about that merely because there aren't words to describe it. It was beautiful, bone-chilling, and there wasn't a single flaw in the whole show. The cast was phenomenal. Not a weak link in the cast. Kate was amazing; Caitlin, Olivia and even Andrew loved her. Richard Griffiths broke my heart, and I hold a new and unbreakable respect for the young and awe-inspiring Daniel Radcliffe. LOVED IT!
After the show we ran to TKTS to get our Avenue Q tickets. I bought them all so we could sit together: 7th row, nearly center stage. Perfect seats. Once again, Avenue Q blew me away. It does every time, and I'm sure that it always will. I hope Jen can let me know another day when she'll be playing Kate and Lucy...I want Caitlin to see her in the roles. Jen has such a powerful stage presence and an amazing voice. It breaks my heart to think that they haven't given her the roles of Kate and Lucy after all this time. Anywho...I'm rambling about that now. So, Andrew and Olivia LOVED the show, but Andrew didn't like Howie Michael Smith as Princeton. Which is fine. He's entitled to his opinion. So, the show ended and we rushed to the stage door. And once the waiting commenced. Caitlin and I were literally hopping up and down saying, "Come on, Jen....Come on! Where is she?!" Yes, the men were wonderful. And yes, we loved the ladies, but Jen....she was why I was there. I had pressed for us to see Avenue Q continuously just so I could see Jen again. And I WILL see the show again before it closes. I WILL!
Howie Michael Smith(Princeton/Rod) and Jonathan Root(Nicky/Trekkie) came out first. We got autographs and the Sacred Silver Sharpies were fondled, as is tradition at Avenue Q. We all got pictures with the two gorgeous men, who were sweet as could be. As they headed off, we asked Jonathan if Jen was headed out. He seemed somewhat confused, but told us yes, everyone else was one their way out. As soon as I caught sight of her, my grin spread from ear-to-ear. When she came out, I said, "You probably don't remember me, but I'm Sasha." It took her a few moments. I reminded her of my email screenname since it had been what she remembered when Cait saw her over the summer. After a moment she said, "Hal....Halvorsen! Oh my gosh, Sasha!" And gave me a hug. Caitlin said, "I'm the friend that asked you about her this summer..." Jen's response, "Yes. Now it's all coming together." Sadly she couldn't stay and chat. The whole cast had a benefit they had to sing at. She told us that and said, "I would love to stay and hear how school is going....It's going well, I hope?" I nodded and said yes. After we got pictures and signatures from her, she looked at me and said, "Why aren't you dressed warmly? It got cold out here." "I have a coat....back in Kentucky," I told her. "Well, you go somewhere and get warm. Quickly." Haha. I got a scolding by Jen. It's as if we never lost contact at all. We all got autographs from the whole cast and pictures with most of them. As I said, it was a shame they had a benefit to go to...Jen would have stayed forever and talked with us. We might have even been able to get her to go grab coffee with us, which would have been fun.
Part Five: So Much For Karaoke....
We wanted cheesecake. I wanted coffee. We wandered, and wandered, and wandered until we came across the Applejack Cafe. Andrew got a burger and cheesecake. Caitlin, Olivia and I got cheesecake and coffee. The plan had been to eat our dessert, have our coffee, and head out to a karaoke bar to kill the two hours we had before the last train left for Jersey. Well, that didn't exactly happen. We began discussing psychology, which led to an hour and a half long discussion of Equus from a psychological perspective as well as all of the artistic aspects of it. It was an amazing discussion. I think we all agreed on everything that was said, too. Another amazing thing. As I said, this discussion was an hour and a half long, and after we had finished eating and talking, we decided to skip our late night plans and head back to the hotel early. We went to Penn Station and caught the 11:56 train back to Newark International Airport. We had to wait there for the shuttle until almost one o'clock Monday morning. We got back to the hotel and, once again, by the time I was showered and heading to bed everyone else was asleep. That seemed to be the trend.
Part Six: The Long-Long...and Depressing...Drive.
10am, much like 7am the days before, came too early on Monday morning. But we got up, got ready, packed and hit the road. The drive was even longer coming back than it was going there. Literally. It took us eleven hours to get there, and thirteen to get back. Andrew drove, then me, then Caitlin, and Olivia brought us in to Georgetown. We got to my house, and while everyone moved stuff from one car to another, I went into the house to gather some things. Hilary was home alone, so I chatted with her for a few then we headed back to campus. I crashed after texting Trey, who was drunk off his ass.
Part Seven: And In Conclusion...
I miss New York. I miss it so much.................
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
elphabaatheart's journal
