The Circle of Life

March 23

I honestly think I was more excited about turning 23 on the 23rd than I was for the big 21 milestone. (After all, it is my lucky number!) Unfortunately, my birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, limiting what I could actually do to celebrate. I had debated taking a vacation day but figured it would just be easier to wrap up my work early for the week and have a three-day weekend.

So while I didn’t celebrate the day in any special way, I did arrive at my desk that morning to find some surprises from a few of my coworkers. I was touched!

March 25

A few months ago I had been pondering what “special” thing to do for my birthday this year and decided it was time to cough up the money to see a Broadway show. I’ve only entered one show lottery and was unsuccessful, and have otherwise made no attempt to snag a ticket. Since this was a special occasion, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just pay the full price. I figured my first Broadway experience may as well be the one show I had wanted to see since I was little: The Lion King. Almost every seat was taken when I bought my ticket, but  I was more than willing to settle for mezzanine seats (the cheapest!) anyway.

That morning after sleeping in, I hopped onto the bus to head into the city. Luckily the morning commuter traffic was gone, so getting through the Lincoln Tunnel was a breeze. I did notice, however, that the tourists in Times Square were especially…annoying? They were far more rude and self-absorbed than the people I usually encounter when I visit on Saturdays.

Although it was warm out that day, humidity was sky-high, so I headed to the Minskoff Theater to pick up my ticket and snap a quick selfie before my hair looked as bad as Monica Gellar’s in Barbados (on Friends). Luckily no one was really around, so I didn’t feel too awkward!

I had some time to kill before I had to be back at the theater, so I went to the Kmart on 34th street to pick up the Mockingjay Part 2 DVD using the gift card my parents had graciously sent me. I’ve been to the store quite a few times,  but had absolutely no idea that it had a third floor, where the electronics department was located.

With only an hour to spare I stopped for lunch at the nearby Potbelly’s (where the cashier complimented my Lion King shirt), then quickly went back up to the theater to wait for the doors to open. When I saw the huge crowd waiting outside, I was glad I had already taken some pictures!

Once inside the theater, I oohed and ahhed like everyone else and bought myself a few souvenirs to add to my collections.

I forgot when I purchased my ticket that I would be sitting in the very back row of the theater, but I honestly didn’t mind. I’m  used to having seats that far back for most events. My only complaint was that the guy sitting directly in front of me was ridiculously tall and I kept having to lean to one side or the other. Otherwise, the view was still great!

“Circle of Life” started the show off with a bang, and I immediately felt like a kid again. The costumes were mesmerizing and I was instantly hooked.

For the most part, the show stayed true to the movie. Most lines were exactly the same (and I often found myself quoting in my head), and some of the actors sounded just like their cartoon counterparts. I was particularly impressed with the actors playing Scar and Pumba! I didn’t have much interest in any of the extra songs in the show, although I did think adding in a number from the second movie was a nice touch.

Before watching the show, I was particularly curious as to how they would bring Pride Rock and the other movie locations to life on stage. Most were quite simplistic but I definitely felt they still captured the environment of each scene. I was blown away by the stampede scene. They used moving wildebeests of different sizes to create perspective in the gorge, and it worked!

I left the show in awe. I loved it! I’d definitely like to see more Broadway shows in the future, though I’ll probably keep trying different lotteries. Besides, I might actually get better seats for a cheaper price!

My final stop before heading home was at the Carlo’s Bakery in Times Square to pick up the cake my Mom had ordered for me. Since she pre-ordered and paid online, I didn’t have to wait in the ridiculously long line it normally takes to get served there. I was able to give them my name and they presented me with this gorgeous dessert! Thanks, Mom!

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I was worried about having to cram onto the normally crowded bus with all of the people commuting home after work, but it seems that most people either had the day off or got out early (Bauer too got an early dismissal), so I was fortunate enough to get a seat.

I topped off my day with a sadly disappointing Chinese dinner and a deliciously sweet slice of cake.

It may not have been the typical “go out and get drunk” birthday I’m sure most 23 year olds have, but I still enjoyed it!

March 27

Happy Easter!

Sadly I’m not able to spend it home with my parents, but that was also the case during my time in college. We did get to Skype at least, so it’s always nice to “see” them!

It’s been a rather laid-back day for me: eating candy, enjoying my Easter dinner/dessert and watching The Miracle Maker.

Now that my birthday and Easter are just about over, I guess it’s time to look forward to what will hopefully be an exciting and warm spring!

Meeting at The Met

March 12

I was a shopper on a mission, so I knew it would be best to hit up stores solo so I could find the things I needed. I started off in the Times Square area to replace my newly purchased Minnie Mouse mug that I accidentally broke, then headed uptown to a grilled cheese place for lunch. It was tucked away in a spot I would never have otherwise crossed, but it didn’t seem to be much of a secret; seating was minimal and the place was packed. I could see why though; everything was delicious!

The “warmer” weather was enough to convince me to walk to all of my destinations, and I made my way as far south as 20th street near Bed, Bath and Beyond. I underestimated how far those stores were from Herald Square (where I had previously been), so I was completely exhausted by the time I made it back to the Kmart on 34th street. Despite the temperature only being in the 50’s, I thought it would be a good idea to grab a smoothie along the trek to keep me hydrated. I hate coffee/cappuccino (both iced and hot) but will drink smoothies year round.

Although most of the items I purchased were things that I only eventually needed to acquire, the one non-negotiable purchase was a new black purse. I [unintentionally] destroy purses. I don’t bother investing in expensive brands because I know it will just be money flushed down the toilet. It’s been an issue since I was in high school and only escalated through college. I recently bought a new one from Walmart at the end of last year (or early 2016) and was annoyed to find that it was already falling apart, so I picked up a new one I liked at Kmart. I have a tendency to fill purses with everything but the kitchen sink, so I’m willing to bet that contributes to their demise.

March 19

I had been hoping for another warm weekend, but I forgot that it is March after all. Thanks to global warming we seem to have more warm, winter days than ever…which makes it all the more annoying when the winter chill returns. Since it was too cold to do much outside, I decided to advertise on Go Find Friends to see if anyone was interested in joining me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had five or so people express interest, but only two officially confirmed they were interested. I exchanged numbers with both to keep in contact before we met.

Even though I had set our meeting time for 1:00, I decided to (as always) go into the city early. The museum was at least 40 blocks from the bus terminal, but after a week of sitting in my desk at work, I’m always up for an excuse to walk.

When I was just a few blocks from the museum, I came to a halt when suddenly my purse slammed down to the sidewalk. “Impossible!” I thought. “I just  bought it!“ As I picked it up to take a look (while my inner dialogue was cursing the universe), I was slightly relieved to see that the strap itself had not broken, but the thread holding it to the purse had broken. Although an easy fix with a bit of thread, there was not much I could do while standing on Madison Avenue. I was about to accept defeat and just carry it (which would have been for hours) when I realized I could lengthen the looped part of the strap that was still attached just enough to slide it over my shoulder. I’m sure it looked silly with my purse hanging on an angle, but I didn’t care.

My next issue was attempting to find lunch in the area (and at this point it was already 12:15, so I didn’t want to go too far). The first cafe I stopped into only took cash (I didn’t have much) and the next place was so crowded I wasn’t sure that I’d get my food quickly. This time I did accept defeat and settled for a $3 hot dog at a vendor outside of the museum. It’s not exactly enjoyable when you’re scarfing it down in 40-degree temperatures.

Close to 1:00, I received a text from Lucas (one of the people from Go Find Friends) saying that he was on his way to the Met. After reaching out to the other guy who said he would be there, I didn’t hear back from him until hours later. I always expect people to back out, so sadly this wasn’t surprising.

Neither Lucas nor myself had been to the Met, but we both enjoy museums so it seemed like a good way to spend the afternoon. I will say that it’s difficult trying to talk someone you’ve never met while still attempting to look at artifacts. In fact, we got hurried along by a rather rude tour guide who insisted we move so her tour could move into the area. Geesh!

The two of us were immediately overwhelmed by the size of the museum. (It’s the largest art museum in the country!) Nearly every single room was attached to about 3 other rooms, so it was easy to get lost or miss something because of the route you took.

One of my favorite “rooms” was this:

The second I stepped inside I immediately knew it looked familiar and realized it was in the movie “When Harry Met Sally.” So cool!

The only other art museum I’ve been to is Cleveland’s, but I was more than impressed with the Met. Cleveland’s Egyptian section is one of my favorites, and the Met’s was even more impressive! They also had more expansive exhibits from other countries that I really enjoyed. I personally have never been a huge fan of looking at hundreds of similar paintings, (and Lucas seemed to feel the same), so we didn’t spend as much time in the American and European painting galleries.

Here are pictures of some of my favorite items from the day:

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We were there for a few hours, and nearly flew through the entire museum. I honestly would’ve have done the same had I been alone. There’s just so much to see that it’s a bit overwhelming. There was even a suggested “shortcut” route on the museum map.

With my feet aching from all of the standing/walking, I bid Lucas adieu and crossed through Central Park to catch the subway back to Port Authority. It was a pleasant afternoon and hopefully the two of us will be able to hang out again the future.

Bonus: I picked up another Key Chain for my collection!

 

 

 

The Amazing Race

My mom is the queen of creating scavenger hunts. She put together fantastic hunts for birthdays and holidays alike while I was growing up, and I really do appreciate her skills. They were always a blast and I definitely enjoyed the challenge!

When I saw on the website Meetup that there would be a scavenger hunt in NYC yesterday (the Amazing Scavenger Hunt by POGO events), I jumped at the chance. My love of the hunt, combined with the chance to see more of the city and meet new people, meant there was no way I could pass up the opportunity.

Although it did cost money to participate (I’m assuming for prizes), I figured it would still be worth it. There were some groups/teams signed up to play that already knew each other, but a significant portion had come alone to play the game. I ended up in a team with three other women and one guy, and it was crazy how different all of our life stories were. All but one of us was originally from out of state, there was a huge age range among us, and our careers could not have been more different. (Everything from engineering and software developing to magazines and the Department of Justice). It certainly made for some interesting diversity, which inspired our team name: The Misfits.

photo courtesy of @jls7228 on Twitter

The hunt was done through a smartphone app called ScanQuest. One team member was responsible for taking all of the photos for the challenges, which were uploaded onto the app for the coordinators to view later. The hunt was comprised of various places to find, other items to spot, trivia and drawing. Any challenge that needed a photo required that all team members be present, which was certainly more involved than just snapping a photo of something from afar!

All of the “places” were related to things at various subway stations around Manhattan. This was called an “underground” scavenger hunt with the intention of keeping participants out of the cold weather (and cold it was, yesterday!) during the winter. I was surprised by some of the artwork at the stations that I otherwise would be unlikely to see.

Even more fun than the “places” was the list of random things we all had to keep our eyes out for during the hunt. Some examples: person with blue hair, man wearing a suit, dog in a carrier, woman wearing braids, someone wearing sweatpants, police officer, someone reading a book on the subway and a MTA worker. (And yes, we found all of these!)

Since we had to take a picture with these people, someone in my group had to explain what we were doing and ask for permission. Had I been in a group with other shy people, I would’ve had no issues stepping up as the leader. Luckily I had quite a few extroverts as teammates, so I was content to let them take charge.

Everyone we approached was fine with having their picture taken, though some were more curious about what we were doing than others. Most of the people on one subway car we were in seemed to get a real kick out of the hunt.

Our final task (which was completed in a frenzy), was collecting five business cards or menus from dessert shops around Rockefeller Center. We managed to get it done and then headed back to “home base” with around 6 minutes to spare (you got extra points for being early, and points deducted when late). The entire hunt was three hours long, and we still didn’t get all of the tasks accomplished. I doubt any team did!

Sadly, our team didn’t place in the top three but it was still a great experience. My only complaints about the hunt were my own personal issues: I spent the first 90 minutes or so thinking about how much I had to pee and spent the other half in pain thanks to my knee.

I went back to my apartment exhausted and sore from probably the most intense three hours I’ve ever spent in Manhattan, but I can’t wait to give this another go in the summer!