The Rest of the Story

Sunday was spent in practice, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Mass, and walking in Central Park. That park is huge. It was interesting to see when we flew in—buildings, buildings, and more building, and acres of trees smack dab in the middle of them.

Monday morning, my mom, MFD, and I went shopping for souvenirs, then we went back to the hotel to get ready for rehearsal at Carnegie—the other practices had been done at the hotel. We stayed after our own practice to hear another group that we wouldn’t get to see that night because we’d be getting lined up off stage. Carnegie was only a couple of blocks from the hotel, so we went there to change, then back to Carnegie for the pictures and to hear the prelude concert.

Then it was our turn to shine. I didn’t mention that in any other choir performance I have seen, singing sections have all stood together, i.e. sopranos in front, basses behind, altos next to sopranos, tenors behind them. What David Thye, the conductor, had us do instead was to sing in quartets—a soprano next to a bass next to an alto next to a tenor next to a soprano, etc. It made me a little nervous at first, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear my part if I was hearing two others beside me. Turned out I knew my part better than I thought, or was a better singer than I thought, because I could hear myself and the other parts, and I hit my notes correctly! It really was kind of neat, supposedly you blend better that way. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to hear our actual performance for ourselves to see how it turned out—Carnegie Hall itself is copyrighted, so no pictures or recordings were allowed inside by the audience.

We met back up with KSA, MFS, and my mom after the concert, where KSA had a dozen roses for MFD and me. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww. We loaded up on busses and headed for the pier, where we eventually boarded The Spirit of New Jersey for a dinner buffet and cruise around the Statue of Liberty and the harbor.

After dinner, there was a DJ to provide some entertainment. Let me tell you, we had some wild (mostly) women on that cruise that forced me to get up and sing and dance and generally look silly with them. I want to make sure you understand I was forced, because there seem to be quite a few pictures floating around, so if you happen upon one, remember that I was forced. And remember that pictures and videos can be doctored. Did I mention that I was forced?

We finally got back to the hotel about 0300 Tuesday.

Sometime after daybreak—quite some time after daybreak—we got up and around for our last day in NYC. Beautiful blue skies, nice temp, we headed out to eat first. Then we walked up 5^th Avenue…and walked…and walked. Eventually we ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the beginning of Museum Mile. Once a year, the museums along this stretch offer free admission, and we happened to hit that day. Unfortunately, after arrival, we were informed that it was only from 1800-2100. So rather than pay the “suggested” $20 per adult, we walked a little bit further before heading back to the hotel.

So there we are, around 85^th and 5^th Avenue, when the blue skies depart and it starts to rain. Not just rain—it poured. Yep. And why would we have an umbrella when the day started out so beautifully? KSA did buy one from a guy that was offering them in front of the Met. Good thing, or all kinds of stuff would have been ruined, like our cell phones, cameras, etc.

For those of you that might be visiting NYC in the future, busses do not accept paper money. Coins only. The drivers don’t care how wet you are. We would have already been soaked to the bone by the time we went out of our way to hit the subway. So we walked all the way back to about 54^th and 6^th Avenue. In the pouring rain. We barely got to the hotel in time to find our suitcases and change clothes before we had to load up for the airport.

{sigh}

So, we get to the airport about 1730, our flight is supposed to depart at 1945. As we’re standing in line, they inform us that our flight has been delayed until 0045. And actually, we had a pretty good time during the wait. We hit a few of the shops, got something to eat, then entertained ourselves by visiting or playing cards. One of the gals brought some cards and you played like gin, only with words, and that was fun.

We were all more than ready, though, by the time they called our flight. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any more delays, so we actually did leave around 0100 EDT arrived back home at 0230 CDT.

There you have it. And remember that I was forced.

Flo

Fun in New York

Except for the last day, we had pretty decent weather while we were in New York. Cloudy quite a bit, a few sprinkles, and fairly mild temperatures. And thank goodness—other than the subway ride downtown and the bus ride to the port for the after-concert cruise, we walked everywhere else. (And I didn’t lose an OUNCE! I was so disgusted! But at least I didn’t gain, either.)

After arriving in New York and checking into the hotel, we walked up 5^th Avenue to the Empire State Building. We didn’t have a long wait at all, maybe because it was cloudy. Worked well for me—that fear of heights thing, you know? Not too bad, actually. A level ground and tall fencing makes me feel a little more secure. It was kind of cool to see some of the buildings and stuff sticking up above the clouds, even if we didn’t get to see much in the distance. It was really windy up there, too. It made MFD nervous and she didn’t want to look over the side, but Me-Ma eventually talked her into taking a peek.

After that we went to Carmine’s for dinner. Oh my. Family style Italian food and it was wonderful. There were seven of us, and we all split a salad, lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and some kind of sausage and rotini dish. We had leftovers, but no room for dessert. Bummer. They didn’t have crème brulee anyway.

We just moseyed along the rest of the evening. We found Broadway and Times Square and I don’t remember what else before we made it back to the hotel. Now then, the hotel did have crème brulee—for $12. So I couldn’t tell you if it was any good or not. However, I’m thinking not. We stayed at the Hilton, and let me tell you, if that’s what Paris is used to, I don’t know why she was bitching about jail. A Super 8 is just fine by me—it’s cheaper and at least it has a refrigerator you can actually use and a microwave. And I even got desperate enough for a decent cup of coffee that I resorted to the Starbuck’s that was in the hotel. And that was cheaper than the $4.50 they charged for a bottle of water if you broke the seal on the beverage bar.

Sheesh.

After practice Saturday morning, we took the subway to Battery Park and got on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. No one is allowed up top anymore, and you can’t even get inside the base of the Statue without tickets, of which there are only a limited number. I tried to get some online before we left, but they were already gone. It was still fascinating to see those monuments of history, and to think we might have walked on the same ground as some of our ancestors.

Before heading back, we made a short stop at Ground Zero. I cannot adequately describe the sights and emotions.

The subway was interesting. One man offered his seat to my mom, but other than that, no one really talked to or looked at each other, ‘ceptin’ fer us tourists. And you know those pictures you see on the internet with people pierced all up one side and down the other? There are real people like that.

Walking around, you know how to tell New Yorkers from the tourists? New Yorkers are each issued a cell phone to attach to their ears, and you have to walk along, oblivious to everything. And not those silly things a lot of people around here wear that look like a huge hearing aid with a blinking light. Has to be an actual cell phone. Guess they don’t want others to think they might be talking to them.

Saturday evening concluded with a Broadway show, Monty Python’s Spamalot, at the Schubert Theater. It was hilarious. If it comes to a town near you and you get a chance, go see it.

Groaner for the day: one of our chorale members ended up standing next to a university student named Lance. Another member enjoys teasing MFD about boyfriends, so his comment was that MFD liked Lance a lot.

I told you it was a groaner.

Ok, that’s it for this round. To be continued…

Flo

P.S. Happy Birthday KSA

Carnegie Hall

According to a member of our choir, 1 in 73,000 people can say they have performed at Carnegie Hall. It truly was an honor, especially when you think of all the musicians that have appeared on stage. The debut performance in 1891 included an appearance by Tchaikovsky; the evening before our concert, the Emerson String Quartet played. In between, there were performances by artists such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles, to name a few.

“It is probable that this hall will intertwine itself with the history of our country,” said Andrew Carnegie in 1890, when he laid the cornerstone of the building that would become Carnegie Hall. The [Isaac Stern] auditorium's renowned acoustics have made it a favorite of audiences and performers alike. "It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument," said the late Isaac Stern. "It takes what you do and makes it larger than life."

The twenty-five members of our chorale joined up with about 225 others from high schools, colleges, and churches to sing Franz Schubert’s Mass in G. Of the four performing groups in the concert, ours was said to be the best of the evening. We also received a standing ovation—and not because of the family members that attended.

I attribute that to the skills of the director of our local chorale, and the conductor of our entire choir and orchestra.

Our chorale has been meeting several times a month for almost a year, learning our parts and to pronounce the Latin words properly. In New York, we spent four hours Saturday, four hours Sunday, and about an hour for dress rehearsal Monday with the conductor. Most of the things the conductor emphasized were things that our director had emphasized, so our little chorale was pretty well prepared. And it was actually fun! The conductor had a great sense of humor.

I really didn’t know what to expect from the conductor when we all got together in New York. It’s pretty amazing to think 250 people from different parts of the country got together, and after nine hours of practice, could put on a professional performance. And the only time we worked together with the soloists and orchestra was at the dress rehearsal.

All in all, it was a totally awesome and inspirational experience.

Here’s a picture of MFD and me in concert attire standing next to “our” playbill in front of Carnegie Hall. David Thye, our conductor, is the top photo.

Flo

The Body Is Back

I’m not sure where the rest of me is, but it’s not here. I think the Transporter Room malfunctioned and I haven’t completely reassembled.

Our flight home was delayed, so we didn’t get back to the house until 0400 yesterday. Slept for a while, then MFD had a dentist appointment. My plan was to hit Wal-Mart on the way home to pick up some supplies for tonight, then go to Curves. However, I could hardly keep my eyes open to read while I was in the waiting room, so we came directly home. Then I napped. Then I slept all night. I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, but I did. Ran my errands and now I have to [gasp] cook. Our parish Director of Music and Liturgy is moving the end of the month and we’re having his going away party this evening.

I feel like I’m in a fog and I think I could sleep a couple more days. Doesn’t help that I think I’m catching a cold—got a sore throat, headache, my neck and shoulders are sore.

So, we’re back home, but definitely not recovered yet. Had a wonderful time, though, and I promise to fill you in.

Flo