We got an early start to the long weekend on Thursday night with student rush tickets (translation: inexpensive, good seats available on the day of the performance) to ABT's production of
Sylvia. After the other moms and I purchased the tickets, I returned to the apartment to make dinner. Moroccan chicken with couscous, green salad with dried cranberries, salted pecans and feta, and French bread. Yum!
All six of us ate, changed clothes, and headed to the Met (ABT performs at the Metropolitan Opera House) via bus and subway. None of us had seen this ballet before. It was stunning! Gillian Murphy starred as Sylvia. Here's Ballerina with NJ friend outside the theatre (Gillian is in the poster).
Found out that van cabs
can't won't seat 6 passengers. Cabbie said there were too many of us. Hmmm. Wonder what those extra 6 seats and seatbelts are for??? Not to worry. We retraced our subway and bus ride home.
Friday morning, we slept late. What a luxury! We then went to Century 21, a department store. Their slogan on the door, "Fashion Worth Fighting For," was the first clue to what was inside. Think TJ Maxx on steroids. Ballerina and I always love a good bargain and sometimes the hunt. We had a blast!
We then treated ourselves to a late lunch at Angelo and Maxie's. Every day we walk past this restaurant on Park Avenue. Every day we see the "Prix Fixe" lunch sign. This was the day to enjoy. Our three-course choice was salad, filet mignon, and New York cheesecake. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!! Tasted even better when we saw the real menu prices!!
Ballerina and I returned to see Sylvia again on Friday night, thanks to some extra tickets. Diana Vishneva and Ethan Steifel debuted in the starring roles. Their performance wowed the audience and earned many curtain calls.
On Independence Day, we went to The American Girl Place at the behest of Ballerina 2. Was a sweet trip down memory lane for us -- saw dolls and books and clothes that are now stored away at our house.
We stopped in at St. Patrick's. I love it when a house of worship reflects the glory of God! What a spectacular display of beauty. The photo is from their site; ours is too blurry.
We then made our way to the Sansha store in search of pointe shoes for Ballerina. Despite the bad online review of the store, we found the salespeople to be quite nice (good lesson in not believing everything you read!!). Ballerina decided to return to her old favorites, Suffolk Solos. Sansha had shoes to fit her right foot, but the left . . . not so great. In a burst of optimism, we bought both pairs. (Ballerina's feet are two different sizes. That doesn't matter in a street shoe or in a ballet slipper, but it does in a pointe shoe. To make it work, we always buy two pairs at once. Pointe shoes don't have a left and a right so she still ends up with two pairs -- we don't have to discard one shoe from each pair.)
By then, everyone was hungry. The ballerinas were ready some McD's fries to balance out all the fruits and veggies I've been feeding them! With a hefty dose of cholesterol coursing through our veins, we headed to the Hershey store, then the M&M store (yes, three floors devoted entirely to M&Ms).
July 4th in NYC wouldn't be complete without a photo with Lady Liberty. Love the pointed toe.
We found her again down the street at Toys R Us.
I'll let Writer break the news to Sketcher that we won't be buying enough Legos to duplicate it.
To complete the July 4th trifecta (burgers and Lady Liberty were the first two, in case you lost count), the girls rode the Ferris wheel at the toy store. Don't think I've ever seen an indoor Ferris wheel before. Have you?
This year the Macy's fireworks display was on the Hudson River, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the river. If it had been on the East River, like it usually is, we would have walked to it, but Writer thought it unwise to go to the west side because of trying to get back to the apartment with the crowds. Like you, we watched it on television.
Ballerina tried on her pointe shoes again and determined that the left really doesn't fit well so we returned to Sansha on Sunday. They're ordering the correct size. Ballerina and I spent the afternoon together, exploring. We returned to Redeemer on Sunday night for church. The perfect way to end a great weekend.
P.S. Thanks to all of you who've emailed or called and asked about my injuries. I'm fine. A little bruised and sore still, but fine. And, I returned to the scene and got some comfy sandals. With the gift certificate, I paid a whopping $9.99 (plus bruises).
The final course marked the occasion. Three selections for each of us (Ballerina 2 and her mom joined us there). Which looks best to you?
