My day 2 summary of events and other random thoughts for my 40th Birthday NYC trip!

I slept quite well overnight and woke up feeling mostly rested – which is a good thing, because that doesn’t always happen on the first night in a hotel. Went down and had breakfast. It is your standard Comfort Inn breakfast setup.

I then got ready and walked north looking at the sights and making my way to Central Park. I walked around there for about 5 hours or so – it is a large park, but I saw a good portion of it, just not every single trail :).  It took me a bit to figure out the map and get oriented so I didn’t keep going the wrong way and ending up back where I already was.

It is a nice park with lots of different settings for different types of activities. I did chuckle a little at their Quiet Zones so that people can relax, get away from the city, and enjoy the sounds of nature. Well, no matter where you were in the park, you could still hear the city a bit. I just find it funny because back in Michigan, especially da UP – we just call being away from the city and hearing nature “every day life.”

When I was done walking around, I was quite hungry, as I only had a small lunch in the park. So using my Swagbucks Local app, I found a nice Mexican restaurant nearby and went there for a late lunch/early dinner. Perfect time to eat, I was the only one in the place – and it was a great meal. I then hopped on the subway to head back to my hotel – I needed a break from walking, and I was at the very other end of the park from where I started.

Got back to my hotel to relax, get off my feet for a bit, and get ready and dressed up for my first ever Broadway Musical! I went out and headed the block or so to “Dear Evan Hansen”, had my picture taken outside, and then went in. Waited in line for a little bit before they opened the house.  It was a wonderful experience. Interesting mix of people and outfit styles – but that is what I was expecting. The show was AMAZING! I just had this gut feeling about the show that I would relate to it and that it would be powerful and wonderful – and I wasn’t wrong. I sure hope it goes on tour and that Wharton Center brings it – I would love to see it again. I’m also excited that I get to see my shows in June, Pride Month, because the Playbills are Pride-Themed – they have a rainbow banner at the top of the cover instead of the normal yellow.

I then came back to my hotel for a brief break and to allow me to decompress emotionally from the show. Yup – I cried a bit and was emotionally exhausted. I did forget to bring my Kleenex with me – I brought it on the trip, but it was sitting on the desk. Someday I’ll remember to always bring it with me – never know when I’ll get really wrapped into a show. I then headed out to go to Pinkberry for a much needed snack and to make the Ottinger’s jealous, but they closed early (or Google was wrong?). So I found another frozen yogurt place that was past Times Square. So I got my frozen yogurt and went and sat in Times Square eating it – a nice way to end the evening.

Some other thoughts I’ve had:

There are two Gentleman’s Clubs near my hotel and whenever I walk by them – they seem to want me to go in. I haven’t had the heart to tell them yet that I’m no gentleman – I’m a Fabulous Gay Guy!

I must say – I think I’m enjoying walking around the city with all the foot traffic. My brain gets to constantly analyze the patterns of people and where they are moving and what is the best possible path I can take to maximize my travel while minimizing disruption to others. I do tend to still walk faster than most people.

If anyone has great skills at playing Tetris or other games of moving shapes to fit into the correct spots – you can get a job as a parking attendant in NYC. I have a parking lot out my window and just watching how they shuffle cars around to fit as many as they can in the tiny lot is amazing.

Someone needs to fix the New Year’s Eve Ball – there is a section on it that is flickering on/off or different colors than it should. It is ruining a wonderful site for me, because my mind instantly focuses on that small spot.

Well, that’s it for day 2 – time to rest and be ready for day 3 – Bronx Zoo and The Boys in the Band!