And we had a blast!
We wanted to go last year but I got sick in December and was coughing too much to feel comfortable going. We wanted to have a lovely day in New York while taking into account that 1) Mom keeps to a gluten-free diet; and 2) I’m not walking quickly these days because I either have a heel spur caused by Achilles tendonitis or Achilles tendonitis caused by a heel spur. Six of one, half-dozen of the other.
Our local AAA office was offering a one-day bus, I mean motorcoach, trip to and from NYC, with tickets to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular (which will be referred to as “the show” from here on out) included, and about 5 hours of free time before the show.
Mom and I went to our local AAA office to board the bus, and less than 2 hours later we were in New York! Our first mission was lunch. It’s not difficult to find gluten free menus, but I didn’t want to eat at a chain restaurant that we have here. The bus dropped us off at 8th Avenue and 50th street. Don Antonio‘s was a quick walk from there. Mom had a margarita pizza on gluten free crust, and I had a capricciosa (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, Italian cooked ham, basil). The pizzas were delicious.
We walked down Broadway to Times Square, taking in the pop-up holiday shops and the glitzy theaters. We spent some time in Times Square and even saw the Naked Cowboy!
Next was Bryant Park. I wanted to have a hot cocoa, watch figure skaters, and peruse some holiday shops, and Bryant Park fit the bill. I waited in a long line for a hot cocoa where they used a blow torch to char/melt your marshmallow for you. The skaters were fun to watch, and the crowds weren’t as heavy as they are closer to Christmas.
We walked back up 5th avenue and saw the Saks window decorations. Very Hallmark. We stopped in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I’ve long been a lapsed Catholic, but I can still appreciate the beauty of old Catholic churches.
And we made it back to Rockefeller Plaza. The Christmas Tree was exactly as gorgeous as it is on television, even if the crowds around it were a bit frenetic. People were having entire amateur photo shoots and the environment was a little hostile.
I had very low expectations of the show itself. I thought it would be 90 minutes of repetitive kickline dances and the tin soldier falling sequence. I am so glad I was incorrect. The show had a 3D movie, drones, pyro, live animals, and non-kickline singing and dancing. It was fun and fantastic and the only thing that would have been better would be if the kids behind us weren’t high-pitched screaming in our ears the entire time. (The parents were all, “kids are gonna kid” but we all know that not all kids do that.)
After the show we easily found the bus and were safely driven back to the AAA office. They showed “Home Alone” and it was amusing hearing the (mostly older) audience lose the plot. “Why is she on all of these planes if he’s home alone?”
It was a wonderful day and makes me wonder if I should start taking day trips to see some shows.
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