Today is Louise’s birthday so we had some major celebrating to do! Off to a fantastic French meal at La Bonne Soupe we went! If only it were that simple.
First of all, when I ordered the cab using my handy-dandy Curb App, I didn’t notice that the pickup spot showed Greenwich St. We were actually on Washington St… our driver was not happy with me. So when I asked him if he could drive in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral his answer was quite short: “No!” When I asked why he couldn’t drive us in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center, his reply was that we had a “fixed price”. And that was that. He was not budging.
Lunch was delicious, of course; this restaurant never disappoints! We had a very leisurely lunch and then walked to Radio City Music Hall on 6th Avenue, a short couple of blocks away. We had tickets to the 5 p.m. Rockette’s Christmas show.
First order of business: Have a drink in the lobby of Radio City Music Hall. Guess what? They didn’t accept cash. This is truly a sign of the times. Everything is digital! I know I sound like a real “golden girl” when I say this, but the world is just upside down. Nothing is the same. While I believe much of it is for the better, sometimes I long for a more simple and quiet life. Using a credit card is certainly much easier but it is quite like chips in a Las Vegas casino – you just have no sense of what you are spending. I do love technology, but I just can’t even begin to imagine where we will be in another 10 years.
Anyhow, on to the show. One word: AMAZING. This is the second time I have seen this Christmas Spectacular in the past four weeks, and it was just as incredible the second time. The precision, the sets, the 3-D animation, even a nativity scene with a live camel. DAZZLING!
For perspective, Radio City Music Hall has over 6,000 seats, and it was at or near capacity. That’s a lot of people. The sheer magnitude of a crowd that size becomes very evident when you try to go to the bathroom at the end of a show. Especially for women. I had to go. Now. Our floor didn’t have a bathroom, but we found an elevator and headed to one that did, only to find about 200 people in line. I am NOT exaggerating. I wanted to cry. And then, like an angel whispering in my ear, Louise said, “Follow me.” I followed her, and her walker, to the front of the line, and once everyone in line saw her, it was as if the sky opened up. We were in. I have never loved her more.
We walked out of the theatre and I suggested we walk a block around the corner so that we could grab a cab going in the right direction to head back home. We did, and when we turned the corner we could see, in full view, the tree at Rockefeller Center. Given my sense of direction, this was a miracle!
Here is Miracle #2: We went another block and lo! and behold! St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Because both the Rockefeller tree and St. Patrick’s Cathedral were high on their list, we felt like we accomplished this mission. Without the cab driver, by the way. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful few days!