Beyond the Threshold

After weeks of dropping off Ballerina at the corner of 19th & Broadway, I finally got to go beyond the threshold. Woohoo!

Four flights of stairs later (74 steps to be exact), parents were allowed to observe a technique class (and listen to a world-class pianist).

I captured Ballerina in motion. She, as always, captured my heart.

(Click on the photo to see more detail)

The Rest of the Story

Ballerina and I were so delighted to see Romeo & Juliet! It was the last night of ABT's season at the Met. Sheer brilliance. Curtain call after curtain call after curtain call.

Ballerina was especially thrilled because Irina Dvorovenko, the daughter of one of her favorite ABT teachers, had the lead role. The audience adored Irina and swooned over her partner, the new principal from Italy.

New Yorkers love the ballet. Every time we attended, people were standing outside saying, "Need two. Need two." Like a rock concert!!


New Yorkers also love a good deli. We went to Katz's at the urging of a friend from church. He gave us the scoop on

• how it works (five meat cutters work simultaneously, pick one and get in line)


• how to order (know what you want before it's your turn and speak up) and


• how not to completely look like a tourist (we failed on that one outside so we could have the photo op, but inside we looked like natives)!

Ballerina and I shared a roast beef sandwich the first time we went and a corned beef the second time. We couldn't finish either one!

Before we came to NYC, the Professor sent Ballerina a birthday gift card to Chikalicious, a dessert bar. Chika is a Japanese chef, trained in Paris, who makes the most unique and delicious desserts. Three courses of treats. Completely unhurried. Beautifully presented.

We were positioned to watch the preparation. Detailed. Precise. Rhythmic.

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?

With All Your Heart

What do a beautiful ballerina, a burly meat cutter and a petite chef have in common?

They each put all their heart into their work. And it shows.

Irina Dvorovenko, a principal at ABT, danced the lead in Romeo and Juliet. Breathtaking. Stunning. Exquisite. She danced with all her heart.

The Katz's meat cutter joked, called all the women "Sweetheart," gave samples as he cut, and made sandwiches with all his heart.

The petite chef Chika created perfect desserts – each a miniature work of art and a feast for the palate – with all her heart.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

Liberty Weekend

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).

Slide Show

When I started sorting through photos for this post, I had a flashback to some time in the late 60s. I was a young child, sitting on the floor in a living room in the D.C. area, watching a slide show of another family's vacation. Ktch, ktch, ktch. The slide projector moved from one image to another. I got sleepier and sleepier and sleepier.

If your eyes are glazing over as you read this, you have my permission to get up, take a walk, take a nap, check Facebook, sip a Coke, or whatever! If you choose to stay with me, welcome aboard!

Almost a week has passed since I last wrote and what a week it's been. Last Thursday night, Ballerina and I got tickets to ABT's performance of Swan Lake with Paloma Herrera, Ballerina's favorite dancer. The entire evening was perfect. The sets and costumes were beyond amazing. The orchestra fine tuned. And the dancing. Oh, the dancing. It was exquisite!!!

After the performance, Ballerina and I caught up with Blaine Hoven, an ABT corps member who trained at Mobile Ballet. He did a superb job as Benno, the Prince's best friend. His mom would have been so proud!!! Not only did he perform well, he was gracious and kind to an aspiring dancer.


Fast forward to Saturday when we played tourist. Our first stop - the Staten Island Ferry.


We rode it from Battery Park to Staten Island, raced through the terminal and got right back on the next ferry for the return trip. We had great views of the Manhattan skyline, Lady Liberty, and garbage barges.


The girls loved having their Lady crowns! They wore them throughout the weekend and brought smiles to lots of folks (and several cute comments)!


When we got off the ferry, we took the subway back to the Brooklyn Bridge stop for a trek across the bridge. What a massive structure. We helped the enterprising salesman who had something cold to drink at the halfway point!





When we got to the other side, we took the DUMBO exit (down under Manhattan Bridge overpass) and walked down to Grimaldi's for some of their famous pizza. The hour-long wait in line was well worth it. Hand-made, homemade, baked in a coal oven.


We topped it off at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory down by the pier. Apparently the pier is THE place to go for wedding photos. Saw three wedding parties there. Our girls sure looked cute against the skyline, even without their wedding attire!

Time for popcorn now. The next show begins in a couple of days!

Weekend in the City

Rain, rain, rain. If it keeps raining, I'm placing an order for gopher wood!

Despite the rain, Ballerina and I had a great weekend. We walked to the local pizza place on Friday after class, then down to the East River.


When we got back, Ballerina was ready for dessert so we went in search of cupcakes. The place we went last week was closed, but we found Crumbs and got some for us and to share. Yum! The cappuccino cupcake was best.


We slept in a little on Saturday morning, then headed out shopping. We walked a couple of miles, until the rain got too heavy, then took a cab on down to Saks. Ballerina still had some birthday money to spend and chose a tote bag at the Juicy store. Also got a happy for Sketcher at the Disney store.


We ventured on down to the garment district in search of some large fasteners for the bag. Walked past Radio City Music Hall and thought of California Nephew who loves Aretha!


We found the fasteners and realized that it was about 3:30 pm and we hadn't had lunch. So we walked over to Macy's (you know, the one with 9 floors and a basement!)and ate in the cellar cafe. Good salads. Shopped a little more, without buying, then took the subway home and ate dinner with Ballerina 2 and her mom. We found a diner around the corner with good food at a reasonable price. I had some homemade chicken noodle soup to help cure my cold. The waiter suggested lemons for the soup. It was excellent. Got a bowl to go for later!

Ballerina and I slept in even later on Sunday then went to the Frick, an amazing collection of the finest art displayed in the Frick house. The home itself is a work of art. To think that one individual could amass that kind of collection is astounding! It has been augmented since Mr. Frick's death, but the majority of the works are pieces he acquired. We saw the art of Vermeer, Turner, Renoir, Rembrandt, Whistler, Bellini, Goya, El Greco, Van Dyck, and many others, as well as Renaissance bronzes and Limoges enamels. The exterior shot and the art piece are from the Frick website. Ballerina is standing near the side garden.




On Sunday evening we attended Redeemer, a PCA church with multiple sites around the city. The jazz worship band was excellent. What a joy to worship with fellow believers!

Thanks to all of you who have emailed me about the blog. We appreciate your support and continued prayers.

Week 1

The first week of the intensive is almost over and what a week it's been! Ballerina had her placement class on Monday. Kinda like auditioning all over again — only this time, everyone in the room was an amazing dancer! Ballerina and Ballerina 2 both were placed in the highest level for their age group. Woohoo!! Exciting and challenging.

Here they are on the first day of class, standing in line, waiting to enter the building. Butterflies in the tummy, I'm sure.


At the lunch break, Ballerina and I walked down to Union Square Park for lunch with Ballerina 2 and another dancer whom we met at last summer's intensive in Tuscaloosa. Sweet girl with a really great mom!


At this intensive, they don't allow parents in the building. Good thing I'm the one here, not Writer. He would be vexed at not getting to do a sweep of the building every morning! Doesn't meet his security standards. But, I take comfort in the fact that a Gestapo-trained very diligent guard sits at his post the entire time she's in the building, denying entrance to anyone who remotely resembles a parent. So, this is all I've seen of the studio so far.


I have seen everything west of Broadway over to 6th Avenue. I've walked and walked and walked and walked. Hauled and toted and walked.

Ballerina's dance bag must weigh at least 25 pounds. She carries 2 pairs of pointe shoes, 2 pairs of ballet flats, character shoes, character skirt, jazz shoes, jazz pants, lunch box, water bottles, leg warmers, jacket or wrap, bun supplies, extra leotards and tights, pilates mat, and a ton of other stuff. Big difference in tossing in the back of my SUV, hopping out in front of the studio, and carrying it 100 yards! But we're so delighted to be here that we're not complaining — really!

Some of you have asked what a typical day is like for her. After breakfast, we walk about 4 blocks to the subway, ride the subway, walk about 7 or 8 blocks to the studio, then wait in line until the studio opens at 8:30. Conditioning class begins at 9:00. She then has a technique class followed by a pointe class. Lunch is 1:00-2:00. After lunch, she has two more classes — repertory, character, modern, jazz, choreography, among others. Classes end at 5:15. We then walk back to the subway, ride, and walk to the apartment. Dinner. Shower. Devotions. Bed.

She's tired, but tired from doing what she loves. What a blessing to be here!