Trip Report: New York City
It’s hard to believe my most recent trip to New York was a month ago. Honestly, at this point NYC feels like my second home (which I’m not mad about), but this trip was different from my others (but also, the same, yay contradictions!). I headed to NYC for my birthday week (also Matt’s birthday week and our anniversary week, so sorry for skipping out on those babe!) for the Romance Writer’s of America’s annual conference. It was my first time attending the event, and it is deserving of its own blog post, so more to come on the conference itself. I was hesitant about going to the conference because peopling is so not my thing, but the fact that it was in New York, and in Times Square in particular, made it a little easier for me. So I hopped on a red eye and flew my butt across the country, all by myself, because I’m a grown up.
I flew into Newark (and I thought LAX was a terrible airport…) and took a shuttle into the city. Honestly, that experience was easier than I expected. Normally I would go for the train in, but being on my own with a big ass suitcase, shuttling was easier. It was early when I got to my hotel (The Row NYC, review to come), so I registered and dropped off my bags and headed out for some coffee. It just so happened to be my birthday, so I walked to Starbucks for my free birthday drink, then headed to the food hall next to my hotel, City Kitchen, for a yummy donut and some reading time. I ended up eating at the food hall a couple of times because it was close and convenient, and food wasn’t a priority on this trip. I also ate a lot of cheap pizza in those moments when I was pressed for time and needed something quick and inexpensive.
By the time I was done with breakfast, it was around noon, and I hadn’t slept in a real bed for over twenty-four hours so I went back to my hotel and begged for early check in, and lo and behold, I got it! I was in my room by 12:30, showering and napping like a mo fo. When I woke up that afternoon, I headed over to the conference hotel so I could get the lay of the land (luckily it was just a few minutes from my hotel) and then walked over to Times Square proper. Confession time: I fucking love Times Square. It’s a shitshow in the best possible way, and it’s one of my favorite places on the entire planet. I walked around for a little while before stopping at the TKTS booth to purchase a ticket for The Prom for my birthday evening celebration.
I’d been listening to The Prom cast recording ever since seeing their performance on the Tony’s and I am so freaking glad I got to see this show. I don’t know why it closed so early, because it’s fabulous. I laughed, I cried, I was thoroughly entertained. The show’s message of love and acceptance was delivered flawlessly, and that cast is so damn talented. I’m a sucker for a belt, and those ladies (in particular, but the guys too) knocked it out of the park. I really hope the movie that’s coming does the show justice because it was perfection.
The following day was the first full day of the conference, and again, I’ll go into more detail in a separate post, but suffice to say I learned a lot, and I got SO MANY FREE BOOKS. Seriously. It was kind of ridiculous. Not that I’m complaining, obvs.
On and off during conference day one, I was checking StubHub for last minute tickets to Hadestown, fully expecting to not get any, because they were so damn expensive. I got back to my hotel room post conference about thirty minutes before showtime, and figured, fuck it. I changed, walked over to the theater and stood outside refreshing the app until I found a single ticket for under $100 fifteen minutes before curtain. I will 100% use this method again in the future. I saved a ton of money and got an AMAZING seat. (Note: Only use this method if you are okay with not getting a ticket, because there’s no guarantee something will come up.)
So Hadestown won the Tony for best musical and therefore I had high expectations. I will say this right off the bat, this cast is UNBELIEVABLE. Like seriously, some of the most talented people I have ever seen onstage ever in my life. I found the show itself to be a little confused. So much talk during the Tony’s was about the politics of the show, but the show itself is really a love story. I would have picked up on the politics within the love story without them being beaten into my head, and I felt it muddled the characters a little for me (and this is coming from someone who is all about political art). I also felt there were a few too many similarities to Hamilton, and I expected it to be more groundbreaking in that arena. But again, the cast is amazing, and there are some truly breathtaking moments, and if you can see this one in New York, you definitely should. Also, the night I was there Michelle Freaking Obama was also in the audience and I saw her and oh my god and it was amazing to just be in the same room as her. #LifeGoals
Day two of the conference was a long one, but the panels I went to (for the most part) were fabulous. By the time I got back to my room, I was tapped out on human interaction, and though I had a ticket to go to Romance Game Night at Strand, I instead got in my pajamas, ordered food, and laid in bed watching Real Housewives for the rest of my evening. And I don’t regret it one bit.
The final main day of the conference was another big one, and that night was the RITA Awards (basically the Oscars for the romance community). I probably should have gone, but even after spending the week there, I didn’t feel like I had connected with enough people to really put myself out there in that environment (more on that later). So instead, I dressed my ass up, went to the cancellation line for Moulin Rouge and got myself another BOMB ASS last minute seat (not as cheap as Hadestown, but I was in the tenth row on the center aisle, so it’s FINE!). Holy moly. I am so glad I saw this show with the original cast and on Broadway, because as fabulous as the tour will be, NOTHING can mimic the extravagance of it in its home theater. The sets and costumes were unreal, and Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivio are amazeballs. I had some issues with the show itself, but it was one of the most entertaining performances I’ve ever seen and I’m really glad I got to experience it (and on opening weekend no less!).
Overall, it was one of my favorite trips to the city I’ve ever had. I spent my days learning about a craft I love and spent my evenings watching some of the best shows I have ever seen. And on top of all that, the weather was absolutely perfect (unheard of in July). I typically leave New York wanting to move to New York, and this trip was no different. I can’t wait to go back.
