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Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.
Monday, 20 December 2010 18:57I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to New York City. Next time I go, however, I'll need to start on the other hand, as it will be number 6.
The last time I'd gone was in 2008, a trip to Yankee Stadium with Ryan.
This time, it was Nella (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ink_n_imp) and the Vixens En Garde with their show "Rapier Wit!" that drew me down for the weekend. And after it all ended, I actually really want to go back.
April and I had gotten off to a bit of a late start--our bus left Albany late, and we arrived in the city about 45 minutes late, which meant that we had to go immediately from the bus to the subway to Nella's place in Queens, and then immediately on a bus to Brooklyn where we caught the show. The hardest part of the journey was actually trying to find the subway from Port Authority. Because our wiggle room was gone due to the bus leaving and arriving late, I totally missed the fact that Port Authority actually does have a subway level, so April and I wandered around 42nd Street trying to find a subway station. In addition, I was expecting to see a blatant sign or something for the subway, like there is in Boston, which has very noticeable signage for subway entrances.
One other point: who the hell decided to assign nearly identical street names? After emerging from the subway in Queens, I found myself at the intersection of 63rd Road and 63rd Drive. To someone not from the area, I found myself baffled. Regardless, we made it, and so, no harm, no foul.
After a brief bit of stumbling around in Williamsburg, Nella, April, and I found the Brick Theater. The show itself was great--basically, for those who went to the NY RenFaire last summer, it was a considerably longer version of the Vixens' show, "Violent Delights." The party of Vixens grew from 3 to 7, and there was more Shakespeare. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with seven lovely ladies in bodices and tights fighting on stage doing Shakespeare. The theater itself was tiny, but very cozy. And I was happy to find out that the show had been a success--we went to what was supposed to be the final show, but it's been extended for an additional four shows in January!
After, the cast and some of the audience (ourselves included) went to the Alligator Lounge for some socializing, pizza and drink. I was in the presence of so much alcohol this weekend, but I couldn't drink a damn drop of it--curse you, Flagyl (the antibiotic I'm on that's helping to keep the surgical wound from getting infected)! Around 1 AM or so, we took a cab back to Queens, where the three of us decided to watch The Great Mouse Detective--because who apparently doesn't enjoy Disney late at night?
On Saturday, the three of us headed to a spot in Manhattan, or as Nella affectionately called it, "Da Heights," for a last-minute Christmas party held by a group of her friends, with Lindsay, a.k.a., The Nostalgia Chick, presiding. We spent the night there.
For once, I felt just a tad bit out of my comfort zone. Being used to hosting holiday parties at my place, it felt just a touch odd being one of the people invited instead being a host. I didn't have the joy of making the friends feel at home, and it actually felt nice to be an observer to a night's proceedings, especially since I was the only one completely sober (again, damn you, Flagyl!!!). I felt that way for most of the weekend, actually. Nella and April were having most of the conversation between us, with myself largely out of it. I didn't mind--it's not often I'm the passive observer. It left me free to look around the surroundings, or, if there was some quiet down-time, get a bit further on the game I'm playing on my PSP--Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (so far, quite good, actually--I already like it considerably better than the DS game, 358/2 Days).
It was during these lulls in activity, walking outside in Times Square or taking the subway, where I was socked in the face (figuratively) by an onslaught of photographic inspiration. I realized, hurrying to find a subway entrance on 42nd Street that Times Square at night is breathtakingly beautiful, and I also found the subway stops gorgeous, with beautiful tile designs and signage. So I decided that I must take either a long weekend, or perhaps a week, and just go to NYC and photograph what I see, including the subway. Before you say so, I already know that taking pictures in the subway's a bit of a hassle--thanks to 9/11, we can't have nice things because NYC is now fucking paranoid--needlessly so, I think. You can't stop a nut from going berserk--there are people in this world who do crazy shit--that's the end of it.
Regardless, my head is now buzzing with photographic ideas--things I'll have to do next time I go to the city, and things I'll have to do when I'm not pressed for time as I was this weekend.
So, a big thank you to Nella for providing an enjoyable weekend. I'll definitely return.
Speaking of photography, there's a lunar eclipse tonight--it'll be visible in the early morning hours on the East Coast. I'm still debating whether I'd like to see it; totality is around 3 AM, and I have to be up at 6. And I realized during the last total lunar eclipse that my lens doesn't have a long enough zoom to adequately capture detail the moon. I actually need a telescopic lens--300mm zoom simply ain't good enough. We'll see, though.
Now, for dinner, but before I go, I end this with a question, because I'm actually quite curious: knowing that tomorrow is the winter solstice, does the fact that a lunar eclipse on that day add any additional special meaning or and special observance?
The last time I'd gone was in 2008, a trip to Yankee Stadium with Ryan.
This time, it was Nella (
ink_n_imp) and the Vixens En Garde with their show "Rapier Wit!" that drew me down for the weekend. And after it all ended, I actually really want to go back.April and I had gotten off to a bit of a late start--our bus left Albany late, and we arrived in the city about 45 minutes late, which meant that we had to go immediately from the bus to the subway to Nella's place in Queens, and then immediately on a bus to Brooklyn where we caught the show. The hardest part of the journey was actually trying to find the subway from Port Authority. Because our wiggle room was gone due to the bus leaving and arriving late, I totally missed the fact that Port Authority actually does have a subway level, so April and I wandered around 42nd Street trying to find a subway station. In addition, I was expecting to see a blatant sign or something for the subway, like there is in Boston, which has very noticeable signage for subway entrances.
One other point: who the hell decided to assign nearly identical street names? After emerging from the subway in Queens, I found myself at the intersection of 63rd Road and 63rd Drive. To someone not from the area, I found myself baffled. Regardless, we made it, and so, no harm, no foul.
After a brief bit of stumbling around in Williamsburg, Nella, April, and I found the Brick Theater. The show itself was great--basically, for those who went to the NY RenFaire last summer, it was a considerably longer version of the Vixens' show, "Violent Delights." The party of Vixens grew from 3 to 7, and there was more Shakespeare. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with seven lovely ladies in bodices and tights fighting on stage doing Shakespeare. The theater itself was tiny, but very cozy. And I was happy to find out that the show had been a success--we went to what was supposed to be the final show, but it's been extended for an additional four shows in January!
After, the cast and some of the audience (ourselves included) went to the Alligator Lounge for some socializing, pizza and drink. I was in the presence of so much alcohol this weekend, but I couldn't drink a damn drop of it--curse you, Flagyl (the antibiotic I'm on that's helping to keep the surgical wound from getting infected)! Around 1 AM or so, we took a cab back to Queens, where the three of us decided to watch The Great Mouse Detective--because who apparently doesn't enjoy Disney late at night?
On Saturday, the three of us headed to a spot in Manhattan, or as Nella affectionately called it, "Da Heights," for a last-minute Christmas party held by a group of her friends, with Lindsay, a.k.a., The Nostalgia Chick, presiding. We spent the night there.
For once, I felt just a tad bit out of my comfort zone. Being used to hosting holiday parties at my place, it felt just a touch odd being one of the people invited instead being a host. I didn't have the joy of making the friends feel at home, and it actually felt nice to be an observer to a night's proceedings, especially since I was the only one completely sober (again, damn you, Flagyl!!!). I felt that way for most of the weekend, actually. Nella and April were having most of the conversation between us, with myself largely out of it. I didn't mind--it's not often I'm the passive observer. It left me free to look around the surroundings, or, if there was some quiet down-time, get a bit further on the game I'm playing on my PSP--Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (so far, quite good, actually--I already like it considerably better than the DS game, 358/2 Days).
It was during these lulls in activity, walking outside in Times Square or taking the subway, where I was socked in the face (figuratively) by an onslaught of photographic inspiration. I realized, hurrying to find a subway entrance on 42nd Street that Times Square at night is breathtakingly beautiful, and I also found the subway stops gorgeous, with beautiful tile designs and signage. So I decided that I must take either a long weekend, or perhaps a week, and just go to NYC and photograph what I see, including the subway. Before you say so, I already know that taking pictures in the subway's a bit of a hassle--thanks to 9/11, we can't have nice things because NYC is now fucking paranoid--needlessly so, I think. You can't stop a nut from going berserk--there are people in this world who do crazy shit--that's the end of it.
Regardless, my head is now buzzing with photographic ideas--things I'll have to do next time I go to the city, and things I'll have to do when I'm not pressed for time as I was this weekend.
So, a big thank you to Nella for providing an enjoyable weekend. I'll definitely return.
Speaking of photography, there's a lunar eclipse tonight--it'll be visible in the early morning hours on the East Coast. I'm still debating whether I'd like to see it; totality is around 3 AM, and I have to be up at 6. And I realized during the last total lunar eclipse that my lens doesn't have a long enough zoom to adequately capture detail the moon. I actually need a telescopic lens--300mm zoom simply ain't good enough. We'll see, though.
Now, for dinner, but before I go, I end this with a question, because I'm actually quite curious: knowing that tomorrow is the winter solstice, does the fact that a lunar eclipse on that day add any additional special meaning or and special observance?
