New York City, Day Two

Friday morning Heidi's college friend, Angie, came into the city from upstate New York to spend part of the day with Heidi and me. It was really nice to see her again. We were pretty much ready when she arrived so we contacted Lyft and got a ride to Chelsea Market. This is an old building that was formerly the National Biscuit Company — Nabisco. Inside it is a food hall, shopping mall, and a television production area for both YouTube and the Food Network. The sidewalks inside range from smooth to cobble stone. And people—there were hundreds of them.

Our first stop was a chocolate shop. Heidi tasted a sample brownie and said it was dry. So we walked out of there. But it was only a couple of shops away where we found this store.

Walking along we slipped into a little hallway where we saw elevators to the YouTube studio and the Food Network. We thought we might see someone familiar enter this elevator, but no such luck.

I didn't want to shop so I found a place to sit and enjoyed watching the myriad of people. It was fascinating. I saw many, many people stop to have their photo taken at this sign.

After awhile, the girls returned to where I was sitting and we found a place to have lunch. We were fortunate to find a place to sit down. As I mentioned before, this mall was packed with people! While we were eating Heidi told me there was an archway of lights they wanted me to see. It was really pretty.

 

When we had had enough, we contacted Uber. By then it was pouring rain. The Uber car parked on the opposite side of the street so we had to cross over and got drenched. It was raining so hard, it was difficult for the driver to see—not that it matters, because the drivers in NYC make up their own driving lanes!

Angie stuck around in our hotel room for awhile and we had a great visit. She is a pharmacist, so it was interesting talking to her about medications and such. She and her husband have three children.

After Angie left, Heidi and I got ready for our big evening. Our dinner reservation was for 5 pm at Carmine's Italian Restaurant. Since it was still raining, we contacted Uber to take us there. Heidi and I got there early, so we sat at the bar. That was really fun because the bartender spoke to us a lot. He didn't mind us sitting there at all, and it gave me a chance to look around and notice each chandelier was unique. Also, it was fun to watch him interact with the paying customers. When the rest of our party arrived, we were taken upstairs to our table. This restaurant reminded me of Buca di Beppo – very Italian with food served family style.

L to R: Amy, yours truly, Heidi, Andrea, Donna, Montana, and Morgan

We ordered beverages and one appetizer: fried zucchini strips, which were yummy. I had raspberry lemonade to drink. We also ordered a delicious salad.

For our entrees, we ordered spaghetti with meatballs, manicotti, and chicken alla romana.

When we had eaten all we cared to, we ordered the strawberry shortcake for dessert and told our waiter it was for Amy's birthday. He told me he and the other waiters would come to our table and sing a rousing "Happy Birthday" to Amy.

And now it was time to go to the Broadway show, "Hello, Dolly!" staring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce. It was located in the Schubert Theatre which is across the street from Carmine's.

As we stood in line to enter, I could feel the excitement in the air. We entered the beautiful theatre and found our seats which were in the second row of the balcony.

L to R: yours truly, Heidi, Donna, Morgan, Montana, Andrea, Amy, and Andrea's neighbors Ellen and Pat

The musical was fabulous! The audience erupted in applause and whistles when Bette made her initial appearance. At intermission I learned Heidi and Andrea had never seen the play or movie and had no idea what the storyline was. I think this made it extra special for them.

As Dolly Levi (played by Bette Midler) entered the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, the waiters began singing "Hello Dolly," and the audience in the Schubert Theatre gave her a standing ovation. I had no idea Bette Midler was so well loved! I believe this birthday celebration for Amy will be one she will always remember.