Ron's NYC Experience Part 1 - the city

[Ron]

6am and time to get my butt out of bed. Had to leave by 7 to make the trip to the city (with a stop at IHOP for breakfast) and be at the club by 11am when they opened to get in line. Normally when I go to Manhattan, I use the Lincoln tunnel to go from Jersey. The bus terminal is right on the other side, and you can park there; then walk to where you need to go (or if it's far, bus or cab), but Times Square and the theater district are just a few blocks away. For those of you that have never experienced NYC, it is rather unique. It is impractical to drive anywhere. Most people do not own cars (and at $400 a month to park in Manhattan I understand why). The club had a lot with a special discout, so I went to park there. I didn't see the entrance and ended up parking across the street at another garage (24hr rate $30). But since at the end of the show it was pouring down rain I was rather glad I only had to walk one block instead of three to get to the car.

I entered the club and wanted to know where the line formed for the night show. They looked at me as if I was nuts! (well......) They said that when people arrive early they get a ticket with a number and then are sent to the bar area (Lucille's bar) where they can get a drink or some food, but it was too early and we should come back around 5pm if we wanted a good seat (doors opened at 6pm for 8pm show). We left and I told my wife I was not waiting that late to go back, although they thought it was early. We visited several stores in Times Square, including Toys R Us with their giant indoor ferris wheel. There was also a dance organization that was putting on a show outside, so we watched that for awhile. But it was getting colder and you could tell the rain was coming. My daughter broke her thumb last week in softball, and it was turning purple from the weather, so it was time to go back to the club and sit. It was 2pm. Place in line:1. We ate a light lunch (there was a required dinner purchase with the show later on) and worked on killing 4 hours.

 

...part 2 coming soon....