During the month of December, Delta flies direct from
Honolulu to New York on a 767. Decent
business class seats – although a little cramped this time despite the seats being
lie flat. Cashed in a two for one delta
one Delta Reserve card bonus, well worth the price of the fare to New York for
two people.
First the downers….my Hilton garden hotel - bad to real bad, breakfast at the hotel –
the worst food at any BF buffet I have ever encountered – good for my diet, one
Greek restaurant – crowded and overrated, the rain on New Year’s eve -
relentless, and the hordes of people squeezing the life out of you on the
crowded streets in Times Square – really good people trying to find their way
through the masses of human flesh not meaning any harm or discomfort, and the
unbelievable number of roads closed for cars and PEOPLE on the day before the 1st
of the year – crazy number along with the 8,000 police on duty on NYE ready for
any potential disaster….. Huge number of people smoking cigarettes, and even
more smoking marijuana, the stench permeating almost every street corner in
NYC. Hot dog for $5 – the street vendor
was going to kill me after I told him he was ripping us off.
Second the unexpected moderate uppers…….the police (except
for one wahine who would not even consider my plea, all the rest were
wonderful!!!), the one dollar pizza – 2 pieces cheese pie with soft drink for
$2.75 – so yummy. Seeing my relatives
both in NYC and on Long Island, two Broadway plays – Waitress, Anastasia,
walking 6-8 miles of day to compensate for the excesses in food and drink,
Macy’s in NYC…..the progenitor of the Macy’s chain – so big you can get lost in
it, filled to the brim with shoppers, holiday displays and overall good
bargains, - hey Alexa, tell Bezos, that Amazon dude, hey you don’t have all of
the business. I won’t mention the name
of places I didn’t love, but Rosie O’Grady’s bar was a welcome and unexpected
treat. Downstairs in the bar, great wine
I couldn’t stop drinking, an amazing onion soup and friendly and
uncrowded.
The police in NYC
Special mention regarding the 8,000 police at Times Square
during New Years eve and the days before and after. Very friendly lot, easy to talk to, helpful,
understanding, flexible, human, approachable, and comforting. I’ve always connected with the NYC police
over my 72 years of life given the erratic and infrequent times that I have
been in NYC. Really, nowhere else on the
planet are police as approachable and helpful as they are in NYC. They are the best! And I’ve been almost everywhere in the world,
every state in the US, most of Europe, Asia, South America and a third of
Africa…….
At one point, we needed to cross Broadway to get from one
side to the other to get to our New Year’s eve Dinner / Dance event at the
Edison Ballroom. The road was closed and
they wanted us to walk another mile in the rain to go around the barricades to
get to the other side of the street. I
pleaded with the one of the officers and he LISTENED! I told him the cab let us off here and I am
72 year old and all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth and please let
us cross because we are old and we need to get across the street so we can
dance the night away at the Edison hotel.
Please make an exception – and HE Did….he walked us across with another
couple who was on their own mission. That was not the only time they went off rule
to let us pass – there were many other examples, plus chatting with them on the
street, they would answer questions and engage in conversation, were funny and
professional. What more can I say?
The NYC police – they are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The extraordinary part of the trip.
The Rockettes at
Radio City Music Hall. Truly the
best overall Christmas show I have ever seen in my 172 years of life. Wonderful, worth the one hour of waiting to
get in and get seated, worth the far up and to the side mezzanine seats that we
booked not wanting to break the bank – we were told there were no bad seats in
the Music Hall and I agree. The show was
part technology, overflowing to the entire hall, not just the stage, camels,
actors and dancers aside from the amazing Rockettes. The coordination of movement, flexibility,
musicality, presence, and changing costumes of the girls including dressing as
Santa, was truly spectacular, flowing, refreshing, inspiring, uplifting, and
truly entertaining. If I could only be
reborn, my goal would be to come back as a girl and spend my early life
practicing to be a Rockette. Oh well,
that dream won’t come true but I’m left with one truly memorable 90-minute
performance, one that I will want to see yet a third time. The first time was half a century ago, before
I could appreciate any of the talent and imagination that goes into a such as
show, I was closer to the stage and all I can remember of the first time is a
long line of pretty girls, legs go up, legs go down, to the side, to the other
side, legs go up, go down, this side, that side, legs go up, legs go
down……… I can die now that I have been
to the Radio City Music Hall twice in my life.
God, grant me yet another time to see them is my plea for 2019.
The Edison Ballroom
New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance Party 2019.
Gone are the days when you could go to the Rainbow Room and enjoy the endless
ballroom music of alternating bands every twenty minutes – from Big Band to Cuban
band in a beautiful room bordered by magnificent chandeliers, 50 foot drapes,
several levels of dining tables, a revolving dance floor and an eclectic group
of guests from all over New York and the world enjoying the most spectacular of
dinner/dance venues in the world. But alas, somehow the Edison Ballroom,
through the genius of Bill Kaelblein, has recreated this atmosphere in the
Edison Ballroom on 47th near Broadway proximate to all of the action
of the New Year’s Eve ball dropping party just a few meters away. The Edison Hotel lobby looked interesting and
inviting but the prices during New Year’s week were prohibitive. The ballroom itself was smaller than it looks
on line but large enough to hold a few hundred people …I think just over 300. Bill expressly told me he would limit the
number of guests so as to not overcrowd the room, the dance floor and the
common areas. I must admit he achieved
this goal nicely. Interestingly, there
are two floors at the Edison Ballroom; the folks on the second floor – more
like a balcony - paid $100 less per person but I feel they also were not as
interested in dancing like those paying more to be closer to the
action…..although there was this one couple in the corner above that was having
their own dance party….good for you!
We got there early and we were let in early….maybe 7:40 pm,
20 minutes before scheduled start time.
A great table second tier from the dance floor which we liked very much
– we were close but not crowded by the ever enlarging
dancers encroaching on the dinner tables on the dancefloor perimeter. The wine was divine. A four-course meal that was fine – cuisine is
not the goal of such events but the food was decent – no complaints. The steak was tender and the salmon was
cooked to my liking, condiments tasty, salad and desert good but memorable, but
the wine kept coming.
Both Latin and Big Bands were outstanding, the music
danceable and the variety included almost every dance that is on the books (I
asked for a waltz at one point and it was not played until after my night was
over and my dance shoes replaced by my walking boots). Salsa, rumba, cha cha, merengue, night club
two step, fox trot, samba, swing, bolero……we danced and we danced and we
danced. The food came and we took a
break and then we danced and we danced and we danced. Couples kissing on the dance floor, mostly
mature couples, a hand full of experienced dancers and the rest just pulling
and pushing on the dance floor, a few teachers a few dance students, a few from
the younger crowd, a few getting a little tipsy with time and not watching
where they were or who they were dancing into, a great assortment of people
from all over New York and elsewhere. We
met a couple from Florida that comes every year for this event and Bill K talks
about the number of repeat guests that he gets in this, the 10th
year of the event.
The ballroom floor was a bit worn and weathered but it
worked fine. Maybe a new dance floor
would spruce up the ballroom but it did not hinder my dancing in any way. Bathrooms spacious and clean, the ballroom
was decorated but not overly so, party favors were given near midnight, an
excellent singer graced the music of the Big Band although I’m embarrassed to
admit I didn’t like her dress. The leader of the Big Band, Joe Battaglia, came
over to all of the tables and wished everyone a good time and a happy new
year. He was an old but gracious man who
can still really blow on that trumpet without any problem. He did almost fall on stage but fortunately
he didn’t.
In Sum: NYE was a night to remember, and the holiday
week in NYC was a delightful departure from the mundane, expensive, sterile,
and predictable Hawaiian choices. NYC is
never an easy place to be and I have known this since I was a youth trying to
find my way in THE CITY as it was affectionately referred to by the
locals. Then I could only wonder why NYC
was such a well-regarded city worldwide.
It was dirty and expensive and aggressive and at that time in the 60’s, crime
ridden. Moreover, the doors were never
open for me as a teenager. But it takes
money and plenty of it to go to NYC and enjoy what it has to offer. And thus, it’s taken me 60 years to really
appreciate the city I grew up in. Would
I return in a year or two for another NYE holiday in NYC? I’ll have to think about that one……
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