Time for the day 5 update of the Fabulous 40 NYC birthday trip! I always think I don’t do too much, but then end up writing a novel!

Started out with, you guess it, breakfast! And then headed off to church. Thanks to ReconcilingWorks to make it easy to find an RIC congregation. There are many in the area, but most didn’t even mention it on their websites – so I doubted how committed they were, but I found one that mentioned it on their website – although they still didn’t have their full welcoming statement online. It was a lovely old building and a nice pipe organ. Not too many in attendance today, so I guess it just isn’t in Michigan that attendance goes down in the summer. They actually call their worship services mass and they are very “massy” with lots of the old traditions. It was nice to experience it, but I don’t know if I’d like it that way every Sunday. While their organ was lovely, the way it was played during the hymns made it hard to sing along – I’m so glad we have Bruce at Faith! Overall I enjoyed the service and the people were very friendly as well.

I then went into Central Park a little bit – it was right across the street – to just relax a bit and figure out what I was going to do for the first part of the afternoon, since I didn’t have anything planned except to spend a bit of time exploring. I also enjoyed the views as I was sitting there, which was right along one of the paths that many joggers take 😉 I was just looking around and found an interesting looking park – so I decided to go. I hopped (well walked, since I’d probably trip and fall if I really tried to hop on) the MTA to head to Bryant Park. It is a nice little park and they had a restaurant there so I grabbed lunch. While eating I looked at what else there was in that area and discovered Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library (main/iconic building).

So after lunch, I went on a walk to explore and first went to Grand Central. While most people seem to be awed by it, I must say, it was smaller than I expected for some reason. It was still a wonderful place (if you don’t have to use the bathroom!) and a beautiful building. Then over to the New York Public library. This is the main building, but the New York Public Library is really a system of libraries all around NYC, so this building is really only part of the New York Public Library. They had a few exhibits that I glanced through (I was running out of time) and explored around a bit. Another gorgeous building. Also, as I do more and more in the city, I’m realizing that while there is a lot above ground, there is a ton below ground as well. In fact, when they needed to expand the library building, they tore up Bryant Park and put a library addition under the park, and then rebuilt the park on top of the expanded library. In the main reading rooms, it just smelled like old books, or as I thought – smells like knowledge! Wonderful smell!

I headed back to my hotel for a quick change before heading to the first play of the day, which was Come From Away. This is the true story of flights that were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, on 9/11. It is the story of the people in the town and the people on the flights. Very powerful and moving stories – I loved it! Somehow the guy next to me mentioned that he had seen it before and that it would be fine if I cried because he would be. I told him I was prepared and had my Kleenex! Well, I don’t know about the whole theatre, but the guy to the left of me and to the right (and of course me) were all crying through the show. This is one I’d definitely see again – hopefully it will go on tour and come to Wharton.

Again back to my hotel for a quick change and figure out the evening plans. Found another SB Local place to eat at and had a nice dinner at an Irish Pub – had fish and chips and a hard apple cider. A nice relaxing dinner – again got in right away and the prices aren’t too bad. Then headed over to the play of the evening!

This was an off Broadway show – which is determined by how many seats the theatre has – nothing to do about location – since very few of the theatres are actually on Broadway – most are on side streets. And Broadway (the street) runs a very long way on the island, so there is much more on Broadway than just theatre. This theatre is actually a set of 5 stages that are all underground again. These are newer ones as well, so a lot different architecture than the previous shows I’ve seen. This was the other show I was seeing that I had seen before. This was Avenue Q! I loved every minute of it again. They’ve tweaked a few things since I’d last seen it, but always love finding little changes if they make it better or continue to fit with the times. At intermission the person sitting next to me, asked me if I had seen it before, and I said yes, twice, but have also listened to the soundtrack many times. He guessed it because I would start pre-laughing, or making motions with my hands, etc. He is from England here on business and missed seeing it on the West End, so fit it into his trip here. He loved it too. Before the show I noticed he was quite cute and my gaydar went off. Hearing him talk with his British accent made him so much more adorable at intermission, but then he said something that ruined my fantasy. He said the dreaded phrase, “my girlfriend”. Still it is always nice to see someone enjoy a show as much as I do.

Now, since I’ve seen the show before, I know there is a section where they typically will collect money (or attempt) from the audience. I noted in the program that any money collected will go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, so I made sure to have a donation ready. I think I might have been the only monetary donation they got (they don’t get to all the audience, but glad I could reach and put it in) but they did get some candy and a Metro card! (Hint: I’m still collecting on Facebook for Broadway Cares as well!)

Then it was a walk back to my hotel to wind down the evening and prepare for the next day of adventures.

Some closing random thoughts.

As I mentioned a few times above, and what I’ve noticed in most of the theatres, is the wonderful architecture. While the shows are great, the buildings are a show themselves. We just don’t make building with the detail to art and grandeur that we once used to.

I’m impressed with the public safety (police, fire, etc) here. With the streets so crowded, I really don’t envy them trying to get around, since even if people wanted to move out of the way, there isn’t always a place for them to go. Lots of the emergency vehicles are smaller than normal. So you see these cute little police cars and fire trucks.

And, if anyone needs to get me a belated birthday gift – I think I’ll need a leg and foot massage when I get back!

Now to bed I go for another fun filled day tomorrow with the Intrepid Museum and Afterglow.

Yes, it is time for the halfway point, aka day 4, of my Fabulous 40 in NYC birthday trip, and today is the whole reason for the trip – my birthday! Hard to believe the trip is half over, but then again – I still have half to go!!!

Started as all mornings tend to start, waking up and having breakfast. I ate in my room this morning as the breakfast area was full. The hotel doesn’t have much space, so the breakfast area isn’t always large enough.

I then headed on the MTA again to go to the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath). Yes, I celebrate my birthday by celebrating math! (says the person who owns mathwhiz.org). It is a wonderful little museum with lots of interactive displays that all relate to math and how we can use math in the world. Each has a display that describes the math principles behind the activity. I even road a tricycle with square wheels, but because it is on a “bumpy” (very certain type of bumps) road, it rides very smooth and easy. After a few hours there, I headed out to go to play #3.

Play #3 was “Once on this Island”. It took me awhile to get into it as the dialog and songs were a bit hard to understand at first because of the accent used for the show. Once I got into it, it was very wonderful, and I’m glad I had my Kleenex with me. The staging of it was amazing. First, it is in a circle in the square theatre, but it was also several floors underground. The set was covered with sand (whole island thing you know), one area actually had water, and part of the stage/set came up into the audience. It is a very powerful play about how stories are important to share from generation to generation because they connect us and bring us hope.

I then headed back to my room to charge my phone and to relax a bit and figure out dinner. During this little break, I opened some packages I got while I was here. I got some nice gifts from my parents and my friend Vicki. Also, when I picked up the packages, I mentioned that I got them because it was my birthday. So, the hotel gave me a bottle of wine!

I really needed dinner today because I didn’t have time for lunch and I was starving. I found a close by Italian place that is part of SB Local. I went there and they said it would be a 20 minute wait, but I was seated in about 5 minutes. It wasn’t a fancy place, but still had great food at a reasonable price I thought for NYC.

Then back to the hotel to freshen up and get into my newly bought tuxedo for the special night! I’ve been planning this for months, and some people knew about it already, but wanted it to be a surprise for some. I figured since this was a super special night, why not go all out. I thought about renting one and the length of time I’d have to rent one from Michigan or the hassle of renting one here, so I checked on how much it would cost to buy one, and it wasn’t actually that bad. And thanks to Swagbucks, I got it from Amazon using my Swagbucks! I think I was the most dressed up person in NYC tonight! (Now tomorrow night is another story considering the Tony’s will be happening). I then headed out for the pinnacle event of my trip.

Before stopping at the Majestic Theatre I went to Times Square to do a “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night” video. I haven’t watched it, and not sure how well it came out and if I even got the line down correctly. I am just loving being able to share this adventure with all of you. Then I headed back to go see “The Phantom of the Opera”. This was my 10th time seeing it and first time on Broadway. (For those who want to keep track, 2 times in Toronto, 1 in Green Bay, 2 times in Grand Rapids, 4 times at Wharton Center, and now once on Broadway!) I did my little warning speech to those sitting next to me that I will hyperventilate and become emotional, but I will be OK. One family was from Michigan, and more to the point – the UP! They are on a summer vacation and their daughter is really into Phantom, but had only seen the movie, so they treated her! So I had some nice chats with them.

It was great seeing The Brilliant Original again, there were parts that have faded from my memory a bit as it has been awhile since I’ve seen The Brilliant Original. There are parts I still prefer, but there were some parts of The Spectacular New (the current touring) version that I missed as well. It was still great as always and loved every minute of it. The seat I picked was perfect! Close enough up that I felt like I was under the chandelier, but just a bit back that I got a good view of it without having to look straight up.

I did notice a difference in the audience for this show compared to the others I’ve seen so far in NYC. The other shows as they are still new or for short runs, the audience felt to be more like regular theatre goers who pretty much knew how to behave and that they were there to truly enjoy the show. The audience for Phantom had a more “touristy” feel to it. Tons of people taking pictures when they shouldn’t – I feel bad for the ushers to have to go through that every performance with trying to stop people from taking pictures. I’m not talking about just before or after the show, but actually during it. I prefer to capture the memories of the show in my head and let the adventures continue there.  Overall I really enjoyed the show and reacted as I typically do to it.

A few more thoughts on a tuxedo. First, twice I think people thought I was an employee. First was coming down in the elevator in the hotel. Two people got on and told me what floor they wanted. They were going to the lobby where I was going, so I just mentioned that is where we are already going. But then I got the strange feeling they thought I was working as an elevator operator. I don’t know any place that has those any more. I could be mistaken, but it was still interesting. The second time was when I was getting ready to have my picture taken outside the theatre and someone stopped to ask me questions about their ticket. I finally realized they thought I was working there, so I directed him to someone that should be able to help.

Both going into the theatre and inside the theatre several people complimented me on how nice I was dressed. After the show a couple caught up to me on the sidewalk and just wanted to let me know how nice it was to see someone who knew how to dress for the theatre. So, the tux was a hit! Who knows when and where it will appear next!

After the show was out, I hobbled (yes, hobbled, not walked, since after overly emotional experiences, my legs get weak and it makes it hard to walk) over to visit my friends Ben & Jerry. I got a dish of ice cream and headed to Times Square to enjoy my birthday dessert! It is mesmerizing to sit in Times Square and just relax and enjoy ice cream – I think I could get used to that! I think i was the best dressed in Times Square – definitely compared to the guy who was walking around in what looked like a two-piece women’s swimsuit. People were taking pictures of him, and because he walked right by me, I may be in some of those pictures – what an interesting contrast!

I then headed back to my hotel to unwind, recap the day, and get ready for tomorrow.

Before I go and before a few final random thoughts – just wanted to thank everyone again for virtually joining me on my trip and wishing me Happy Birthday today and for allowing me to share my adventures with you.

Now for some random thoughts.

The act of blessing people when they sneeze is weird. First, why just sneezing, why not coughing, or hiccups, or just because? It is a weird cultural habit. Also, it is the only thing that complete strangers will say to someone and people accept it just fine. I was reminded of this twice on this trip because I remember one time saying “Bless you” to someone and realized how strange it is to say it to a total stranger (not wrong, just strange). Then tonight at dinner I sneezed and the lady sitting next to me blessed me.

New York is very different on the weekends than the weekdays. The streets are less hectic during the day, but then at night Times Square was a lot busier. Makes sense that more people would visit on a weekend.

I have also noticed that a lot of people around here smoke while walking on the sidewalks and then just flicking their butts into the street. That would be a reason for me not to live here. Also, I have noticed that not all smokers are smoking cigarettes, some smell a little different 🙂

That’s all for now – on to another busy day tomorrow – church and two more shows, and who knows what else!

Here is the day 3 summary of my 40th birthday adventures in NYC!

Slept pretty good again, I’m waking up early, but am not fully rested – I think because too much light comes into my room once the sun comes up. So I finally slept a bit again and then was running a tad late from what I had planned. I had breakfast and then headed out up to the Bronx to go to the zoo. It was a nice MTA (won’t say subway, because part way we went above ground) ride and some of their lines have better announcing and displays in the trains than others.

The Bronx Zoo was very nice, although I think I’ve preferred some of the other ones I’ve gone to more. Also, today was a popular day for school field trips, so at points it was a bit too loud and hectic with so many school kids there. Hard to be really annoyed at that though, since getting students around animals and science is always a good thing. The most interesting part of the zoo was the monorail that goes through their Asian areas. It was nice to just sit and watch while riding and having the wonderful (and darn good looking) driver/guide talk about the animals and the zoo. You can tell he really knew his information and wasn’t just reciting a memorized script.

It is a decent sized zoo, although if you ever go, make sure to get the all experience pass, otherwise half the things in the zoo you have to pay extra for. This took up all of my day, and I did feel a little guilty eating meat during lunch, since it just felt wrong to eat animals while in a zoo. But it was still delicious! 🙂

Just before the zoo closed, I was done with seeing everything and headed back on the MTA to my hotel to rest a bit and clean up and get ready for the evening. I again didn’t have time for a true supper – too much to do, and I get stressed out about picking a restaurant, because that is how my mind and personality work when making a decision.

Tonight’s show was “The Boys in the Band.” The play originally came out (no pun intended) in 1968, so this was a revival in celebration of the 50th anniversary. This was a ground breaking play in that it dealt with the lives of gay people at the time. As someone who is still dealing with “what it means to be gay” and how to handle it in this world, it is sobering to realize that people have always been struggling with this. We’ve come a long ways in some standpoints, while in others we haven’t moved at all. Reminds me of “Medea” a play I saw at CMU a few years back, but that play was written in 431 BC, and still resonates very true to today. So, there seems to be some things in life that will never change. Gives me hope to be reminded that I’m not alone, while a bit of sadness that things don’t change.  I did remember my Kleenex tonight, but alas didn’t need them. I loved the staging of the play and the acting was great! Didn’t take me too long to get “Sheldon” out of my mind while seeing Jim Parsons in the show.

I ended the evening with some wonderful cookies and a milkshake at Schmackary’s Cookies which is right around the corner from my hotel.

Now time to rest up for day 4 (and the 1/2 point already!) with the Museum of Mathematics, Once on this Island, and the crown jewel of my trip The Phantom of the Opera!!!!!!!

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!