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Blogs by Donelle Knudsen
Visit New York City in the Autumn and Don't Miss the Broadway Plays 9/5/2008 6:25:33 PM
For the fifth year in a row, as fall approaches, I have an overwhelming desire to return to the Big Apple. In the fall of 2003 and 2006 my daughter and I spent 10 glorious days in New York City. 2003 wasn’t my initial trip; my introduction was in 1966 when I was one of thirty bright-eyed and innocent teenagers on the middle leg of our three-week-long American Heritage tour to the east coast.
In June of 1966 from my window of the Hotel Edison, I could read the sign on the Imperial Theatre: Fiddler on the Roof, SOLD OUT. Back then Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park played at the Biltmore Theatre. Unfortunately, Barefoot in the Park, which starred Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley, and directed by Tony Award winning Mike Nichols, was also sold out. But several of us saw Cactus Flower with Lauren Bacall, Barry Nelson and Brenda Vaccaro. We had the cheap seats, or rather a cheap wall to lean against, but it was a night to remember. Cactus Flower was the first professional play I had ever seen and one of the funniest, I might add. We also saw Superman, which was cheesy, but fun, and the famous, and then off Broadway play, The Fantasticks, which originally opened May 3, 1960 and played 17,162 performances until it closed on January 12, 2002. Happily it is in production again - this time on Broadway at the Snapple Theater.
I love everything about NYC, from the beleaguered cabbies and the stuffy subways to the jam-packed, bumper to bumper, earmuff to earmuff streets and sidewalks. Where else do you hear just about every language on earth, eat whatever tickles your taste buds and see world class plays, opera and ballet and a gorgeous skyline from Liberty Island?
Yes, Times Square is noisy, glitzy, and tacky, but it’s a must-see, at least once in your lifetime. In September 2003 New York City lived in the shadow of September 11th. My daughter and I visited Ground Zero and shed tears as the bagpipers played their mournful tunes. Shopkeepers and restaurateurs were happy to see tourists that year. The streets were teeming with people from every corner of the world, and I felt a surge of pride and patriotism and vowed never to forget the sacrifice of 3000 souls that terrible day. We traversed the island from Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, south to Battery Park to board a boat to see the Statue of Liberty. From the east side to the west side we scoured the stores and art galleries, gazed at the multi-million dollar apartment buildings on Park Avenue, walked through Central Park, Little Italy, Greenwich Village and toured the UN.
I’ll miss my trip to NYC this fall. I guess it got to me, it's under my skin, can't get it outta my mind. But I’m needed elsewhere, as we’re having hometown excitement of our own, planning our daughter’s October wedding. But next fall my husband and I will go to New York. He’s never been and I can’t wait to show him the sights and sounds of the most exciting city in the US. Broadway here we come!
