NYC, Godot, and COVID

Earlier this year, Mark casually mentioned that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are performing Waiting for Godot on Broadway and that tickets were going on pre-sale in April. I non-chalantly replied that I would love to go see that if we could make it work, but that tickets were probably too expensive.

In April, I snagged 3 tickets. Because KEANU REEVES and ALEX WINTER. Of course we were going to see this play!

We high-fived, reminisced about how much we love Bill and Ted, then went about our lives until September. A week or two before the show, we had yet to figure out how we were getting to NYC, where we were staying, and all the minutiae that goes along with travel.

It takes about 4 hours to drive from DC to NYC on a good day. Maybe that’s changed. The last time we had driven to NYC was February 2020 to see The Cursed Child. Then, COVID happened and the world shut down.

Anyway, driving to NYC is a hassle. Traffic, tolls, more traffic, parking…it’s a pain. It’s not even a scenic drive. So Mark looked into the train option.

Jjongrami actually likes the newer cars on Metrorail.

Choo-Choo!

We had no idea it could be so affordable to take the train if you go coach. I know we don’t have the most efficient public transportation methods in the DMV, but we were able to utilize the extended parking at Metro and take the metro to Union Station. Then, it was just a matter of hoping on the train to NYC. We walked all the way to the front of the train so we could get seats together.

There were several stops along the way, and for the most part it was a stress-free experience. Sofs and I chatted about Demon Slayer BECAUSE THE MOVIE WAS SO AMAZING! All three of us got some decent reading time as well. I did find it a little too shaky to do much writing or art.

Yes, Jjongrami joined us on our trip.

Ramen Time

When we arrived in NYC, we walked over to Ichiran’s Midtown location for a late lunch. This has been on Sofs’s must do list since she went with her friends to the Times Square location back in March for a band trip. Thankfully there were only a few people ahead of us in line.

Imagine a long aisle in the middle of the room. That’s the kitchen. On either side of this aisle there’s a row of one-person booths. You order up front and get a ticket. Then, you get seated in a booth. You pass the ticket to the cook/server whom you never see because there’s a screen that separates you. In a few minutes, they bring out your order.

Being in the small booth allows you to focus all your senses on the bowl of ramen in front of you. It was delicious, efficient, and an introvert’s dream. If you want more of anything, you just fill out a little paper and push the button. When you’re done, you just leave. No tipping. It was so good. I’m ready to go again. When we left, the line was down the sidewalk.

Shopping!

After lunch, we did some shopping on the way to the hotel. We each had one backpack since it was an overnight trip. This made it relatively easy to get around, but I still found it a hassle because it’s so crowded in the shops and on the streets. We finally made it to the hotel and dropped everything off, then went back out to explore.

My favorite place was Books Kinokuniya. The main floor had books in English, a lot of the more mainstream stuff. Upstairs was all the manga. It was glorious. I intended to get volume 3 of Nina the Starry Bride but as luck would have it, they had volumes 1-2, then 4 and up. As Sofs would say, I was frying. We did find a Nendoroid Kyojuro Rengoku, so we were winning.

The lower level had all the Japanese books plus all the Ghibli, stationery, and kawaii things. Mark had to stop me from just throwing my money at the store. While he was doing that, Sofs found the cutest pair of origami crane earrings. I got a kawaii octopus notepad and a watercolor brush. I feel like we should congratulate me on my self control.

After that, we dropped by LINE Friends Store. I was hoping to find some Mighteez merch, but they weren’t out yet. I did get to see/touch all the BTS autographs. Then, Sofs started frying big time because they had Zero Base One’s handprints. Yes, she touched all of them. Mark was searching for hand sanitizer while Sofs proclaimed she would never wash her hands again.

Time for Godot!

We returned to the hotel to drop off our purchases, then went out to grab a light dinner which was pizza at Carnegie Pizza. It was tasty and the line formed after we got our slices. Then, back to the hotel to get ready for the show.

Thank goodness Mark picked a hotel (Hilton) so centrally located because we kept going back and forth. Our step counts were so shiny. It was also nice being on a higher level floor because we didn’t hear any of the street traffic which kept us up at night on previous trips.

Jjongrami also attended the play.

We walked over to the Hudson Theatre and joined the line to see Waiting for Godot. It wasn’t too bad. When they let us in, those of us with balcony seats were sent to an upper lobby/ bar area to wait. Our seats were way up, one of the ushers jokingly called it Mount Everest. This was why our tickets were more affordable.

It’s a nice theatre, very cozy. So even though we were way up, we still had a nice view of the stage. You could also have your wine, cocktail, beverage-of-choice with you while you watched the show. That was nice except when someone’s ice was clinking. But that hardly matters when some other person can’t seem to turn their phone alarm or ringer off.

The play was most excellent! (See what I did there?) Reeves and Winter (does that sound weird?) have such a natural chemistry together. This play was perfect for them. The stage design was just a large tunnel/funnel. It drew your eye in. The whole performance was minimalistic. Even props like carrots were omitted and left to the actors to pretend.

I loved how they didn’t shy away from their history as Bill and Ted. We got references to the 90s and an air guitar riff that had the audience roaring. While Reeves and Winter were the main attraction, Brandon J. Dirden as Pozzo and Michael Patrick Thornton as Lucky served as the perfect counterpoint to Reeves’s Estragon and Winter’s Vladimir. I found reading the play difficult with its almost pointless back-and-forth, but watching it on stage with Dirden’s energy made it so entertaining.

Can’t forget Zaynn Arora who played the part of the Boy. Clothed entirely in white, his small stature within the massive tunnel has a creepy effect. He looked like a little angel, but when he recited his lines, you couldn’t help but feel an uncomfortable darkness beneath.

After the show, I bought a poster and we tried to run around to the back to get signatures. Unforunately by the time my small legs got there, the stars were no longer giving out autographs. I was disappointed, but we moved on.

Sofs said we had to explain the play to her, so we went over to Juniors and shared a giant banana split while we talked about the play’s themes and what we thought of the play in general.

I mean, okay. Yes, Sofs. It was weird. But cool!

At What Point Did I Get COVID?

The next day, we got up early and grabbed a quick bite to eat and some coffee. Then, we walked over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I can never get tired of the beauty of that church. We got to see the new mural as well! We attended Mass, then walked around a bit.

There was an insane line for some fake flowers. I found out later, it was some art installation by CJ Hendry. Man, people love lining up for things. Most shops were closed that early in the morning, but Magnolia was open and that was another place Sofs wanted us to try since she enjoyed it so much on her band trip. We got the rich banana pudding and a cheesecake.

Then, it was time to head back to the train station and go home. First, Sofs had to stop by Gong Cha and get another Felix sleeve and button. I also had to get my picture with the Felix cardboard cutout.

The ride home was rougher than the ride to NYC. We found seats together for the three of us, but it was cramped. We were exhausted from all the walking we had done that Sofs napped and Mark and I read our books. It was another shaky train ride, so no writing or art for me.

It was great to finally get home, but the following night I got knocked out by COVID. I spent the whole week in bed fighting a fever and aches that went down to my bone. I hadn’t been that sick in YEARS. It was awful. I’m still recovering. Mark got it later that week. Sofs seems fine and hopefully she stays that way.

I don’t know that I can say the trip to NYC was worth getting COVID, but we definitely had an amazing little getaway! Okay, I’d totally do it again.

NYC Skyline from our hotel room