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).

Birthday and Ballet

Ballerina celebrated her 14th birthday on Sunday. What a glorious day!

The morning began with her favorite hot pink roses and presents. We then walked down to Dunkin Donuts for an extra healthy start. I'm pretty sure if you have to walk to the donut shop and back, it cancels out the calories.


Months ago, Ballerina asked to go to Chinatown for her birthday. I was happy to oblige. We stopped at Union Square Station first to make sure we knew exactly how to get to ABT from the subway on the all-important placement day. That accomplished, we rode on down to Canal Street and bargained our way through Chinatown. Ballerina scored on several items.


Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant where I was one of four non-Chinese in the room and one of six who didn't speak the language (Ballerina & Ballerina 2 included)! Ballerina was finally in the majority, a rare experience for her. The girls were a little surprised that we were expected to share a table with complete strangers, but they warmed up to the idea and happily ate their chicken fried rice (their own, not the strangers'!).


We shopped a little longer, then headed back to the apartment to get ready for the big surprise. Ballerina received tickets to New York City Ballet's benefit performance, Dancer's Choice.


The highlight of the evening for us was watching Katie Morgan dance the pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty. Her performance was breathtaking and her costume was exquisite. We've known Katie since she was in middle school and it was exciting to see her perform with NYCB. Katie knew it was Ballerina's birthday and gave her a signed pair of pointe shoes which will be treasured (for the non-ballet fans . . . that's the equivalent of getting an autographed baseball from a pro ball player).

Ballerina declared it the best birthday ever!

Bagels and Ballet

We've had two fabulous days. Yesterday we started the morning at the bagel shop. Nothing like fresh bagels, toasted with cream cheese.

After a quick stop back at the apartment, we headed to the subway where we got our Metro passes — unlimited riding for a month. Ballerina had a pointe fitting at the Freed store in Queens, so we made our way on the 6 and the V. Really easy to find the place, thanks to the good directions on the phone. We even had entertainment while underground.


For the uninitiated, finding the right pointe shoe is like searching for lost treasure. You know it's there, but locating it is a test of perseverance. Like a street shoe, the length and width have to be correct. The pointe shoe also has to have the correct profile, vamp, taper, and shank strength. The shoes are handmade from satin, canvas, paper, and glue. Being handmade, no two are exactly alike and each maker has his or her own signature shape. Some shoes have their maker's mark stamped into the sole.

When we got there, another ballet friend from home was finishing her fitting. Squeals and hugs all around.


The fitter at Freed was so attentive and exacting. Ballerina's feet were examined and measured. She tried on at least a dozen pairs of shoes — different sizes, different styles, different makers. She had Goldilocks' success — she found some that were just right.



Back to the subway, across town to Hell's Kitchen where the Yumiko shop is located. I had promised Ballerina a Yumiko leotard for her birthday. She and Ballerina 2 had lots of fun trying on different styles and colors. Both came away happy.




Lunch was at Chipolte. Inexpensive and spicy!

We walked through Times Square, did a little shopping, then returned to the apartment where I made dinner. After dinner we walked around the neighborhood. Found a great little bakery and each got a cupcake. Mom 2 and I got angel food, Ballerina had vanilla and Ballerina 2 had red velvet. Yummy!


We crashed last night and slept late this morning. We planned to go the Union Square farmer's market and on the Staten Island Ferry. An email changed all that -- tickets to ABT's Giselle. What a treat! Maria Riccetto was even better than the last time we saw her.

Seven Minutes of Pure Joy

This weekend, Ballerina performed as a gypsy at the ballet. Seven minutes of pure joy!

Lots of work. Challenging combinations. Hardest performance to date. Loved every second of it.

She takes classes six days a week, rehearses multiple times a week for many, many weeks. All to perform for seven minutes on the stage.

What are you pursuing with equal passion?

P.S. Writer has (at least for now) agreed to let me post photos of Ballerina and Sketcher. I'll try not to overwhelm the system with pics!!