leg 1: new york

being home for two full weeks was blissful, but a price had to be paid, and leg 1 of my two week road trip found me in ny for 36 hours.

determined to make the most of my time,  i had reached out to my friend deb, who has been out  of town for my last couple visits, and my cousin melanie, who recently moved to the city, to see about getting some girl time.

both agreed to join me for my second viewing of 'sleep no more'.  lucky for me, i had been upgraded to first class on my direct flight from lax to jfk, so i wasn't a total zombie when i arrived. 

deb and i met for dinner before the play and began the business of catching up.  since i haven't seen her in about two years, there was a lot to talk about! we enjoyed some tasty pizza, until my boss (who was also joining us for the play) arrived, and we headed over to the theater together. 

melanie and her roommate joined us shortly thereafter and i was excited for them all to participate in one of the most unique theater experiences of my life. interestingly enough, it was completely different then the first time. in fact, every scene was different with one exception, and i was glad to end the night feeling like i had seen much of what i missed the first time.  

after the play, melanie and i made brunch plans for the following day, and i headed back to deb's apartment with her to finish her catch up and say hello to her husband.

saturday afternoon found me heading to meet up with melanie and her roomie (in the snow!)  441/2 - a place i'd highly recommend in the hell's kitchen neighborhood.

i dined on some delicious french toast while hearing all about melanie's decision to move. i can also relate to and appreciate just how much she's experienced in her short time there. it made me a little nostalgic for my early california days when i had the energy and time to do and see so many of the tings there are to do and see here!  it seems she is settling in quite nicely, and though i never doubted it, i was glad to see just how well the city, and her roommate seem to suit her.

and, all too quickly, it was time to head to work.

luckily, 'work' was fun.  once again my company has sponsored a series of award shows, and tonight was the first.  a highlight was getting to meet the cast of 'smash' (who were all darling and gracious), and actor, john leguizamo, who, despite being in the middle of what looked like a semi-serious conversation, still make time to snap a photo with me.

unfortunately, the show ran REALLY long. madonna pitched a fit and said she was leaving if they didn't put her on (how often do you get to say that?!?) so our portion of the evening got cut.  we finished the night pretty angry at not having gotten what we paid for, but there wasn't too much time to dwell as i had to be on a plane the next morning for the next event.

it was a quick trip and though i was exhausted, i made every one of my 36 hours count!

if you're interested, here are a few 'articles' about the event...
dan stevens
madonna
anderson cooper
smash