Patrick, I always love your reports. And I love the way you talk about Lee and how you manage with him. How lucky you both are to have each other and what a wonderful example you are to others who have loved ones in the same situation.

P.S. Love theater and food so this was great.

Hi NP! Just got back from France (report's on the Europe board) and always read your reports with my trusty Manhattan guide in hand. Sorry about the "incident" but glad all is well.

Neo, I have printed this out for the Yankee to read and Get Homesick !!
Gracias... ((F)) Scarlett

Patrick, you are living my dream. A month in NYC filled with theater and good food. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Very scary for you when Lee left the apartment but you really knew how to get some assistance from New York's finest. I'm glad he was found unharmed.

Patrick, always love reading your trip reports. I feel like I am walking along with you! :)

So scary about Lee. So happy all turned out well. (Sure makes for one dramatic trip report, though, eh?) :)

My world-traveling single aunt had major health issues at the end of her life, but could never give up the travel. She was hospitalized on her last trip (to Canada) and then came home and succumbed to her emphysema shortly thereafter. She, too, was a huge theater/food/wine buff. My favorite connoisseur. I miss her terribly.

Thanks for giving me another "fix"! :) :) :)

Hope the rest of your trip is marvelous and looking forward to the next installment!

Paula

Is the apartment comfortable Patrick? How are you managing with the size of it ?

Scarlett, since I somehow managed to lose Lee in the apartment, thinking he was here when he had gone out the front door, I guess it would be silly to suggest it's too small for us! Actually it works fine being a studio. I'd never survive with a sofa bed or murphy bed that has to be put up to have room to sit. But the bed takes up a pretty small portion of the room, with a couch and two really comfortable leather dining chairs as well -- we we're fine. And of course Lee is famous; every doorman, concierge, and security man greets him with "Hello, Lee" every time they see him. They have no clue who I am!

That's great ! ( about the comfort of the apt)

Actually , that is great that they know Lee too.
One partner/spouse is usually the unknown person next to the famous one anyway lol...

I just want to know how much weight you end up gaining on this trip. I'd travel w/you anytime...

Wannabe... that is what I thought too :)

But all that walking, maybe..

Patrick, you are a saint!

Wannabe and Scarlett - he didn't look overweight at the GTG, but I don't know what he looked like at the start of his trip! Just lucky, I guess.

Hey folks, first of all, could we cut this "saint" stuff? I'm doing nothing that any of you wouldn't do for a partner who has given you 40 amazing years together.

The walking has cut dramatically this year. Normally, we'd walk from midtown to South Street Seaport or South Ferry at least once or twice, and wouldn't think of taking the subway the 16 blocks to Lincoln Center. We're using the subway (and busses) a lot this year. So I'm not sure about the weight gain, but we really aren't eating that much. Last night was only the second time in two weeks I've had a dessert (and this was fresh fruit only). We are only ordering one course each for lunch and for dinner. Once in a while we'll split an appetizer. I haven't had a single French Fry or baked potato yet on this trip. The wonderful bread they insist on putting on the table is the killer. A couple of times I've sadly told them to take it away.

Patrick, maybe we could call you a failed demon? ;-)

Well, you are eating with me on thursday and I will come back to this thread with a full report on what you order. : - )

very funny, all of you! saw the pics of the gtg, everyone looks great. i am so sorry i had to miss that. how about one more before patrick and lee leave?

Where are those pics ??

I would meet for lunch one day, I'm only around another week and a half, then we're taking off on a little vacation.

Those West Bank parties sound like fun, we'll have to get there one of these days, We've had dinner, the food is pretty good.

Skatedancer, would love to meet you one of these days and reminisce about Argentina!

how wonderful you get to spend a whole month in NY. I wish I was that fortunate!

Glad you found Lee but I can imagine that was trying. I agree with what you said that what you're doing is normal when you have such a wonderful partner so I won't comment on that - just that you both are lucky to have each other. I feel that way about DH but know that not everyone is as lucky as us when it comes to being with someone they truly enjoy spending their time with and cares about.

Can't wait to hear the rest of the report!

btw, it's been a couple of years since I've been to NY last and I'm sure you already know about the place but just in case, another good lunch place is Le Bon Soup. I think it's somewhere on 56th street if you're around the area?

WEEK 2:

Sunday, June 8:
Brunch at Rachel's on 9th -- what a deal --$10.95 each including great Bloody Marys. Fresh berry pancakes for Lee, spinach and 3 cheese omelette for for me.

Boeing, Boeing was wonderful. We saw this production in London last year so was anxious to see it again with only actor Mark Rylance still in the cast. Since he played his role as a Brit last year but as an American this year, that was a bonus. He was brilliant and deserved the best actor Tony he just won. The rest of the cast was also superb -- loved Christine Baranski playing the maid as French instead of English.

It reached 96 today -- really hot. This evening we headed to Aleo (20th off Fifth) for dinner -- practically the only ones there, but the food was sensational. I had a hanger steak salad with roasted peppers, gorgonzola, asparagus, and arugula. Lee had a special fettucine with homemade meatballs, Italian sausage, and roasted peppers.

Monday, June 9:
Headed down to Soho for lunch at Lola's, a pretty place that has jazz in the evenings and great soul food lunch or dinner. Fried chicken and collard greens for me -- crab cakes and black bean soup for Lee. The prices took us by surprise, but the bill was fine -- seems they gave us the dinner menu instead of the lunch menu so the prices weren't as bad as we expected. Still kind of pricey for what it is -- but a lovely place with friendly service (and the lovely Lola herself coming over to chat).

Saw the documentary about the building of the dam in China called "Up the Yangtze" -- very interesting. This was at the Quad on 13th, near 6th. We were early, and discovered Red Mango, a new chain of great "healthy" frozen yoghurt with choices of perfectly fresh chopped fruits for toppings. Loved the yoghurt -- sort of tart and delicious.

Dinner tonight was at Tagine, a Morrocan place near Port Authority bus station. Our tagine with lamb, and the cous-cous with Merquez and vegetables were delicious. We were expecting belly dancers, but instead Monday is "open night comedy night". It was embarrassing -- especially for the family with the children. I'm no prude but I didn't see anything funny about the pornographic sexual things the guy was saying -- nor did anyone else. Not a chuckle in the house. We heard the guy go over to the owner a little later and say he was quitting -- no one appreciated his humor. GOOD RIDDANCE! I also forgot that one place smoking is allowed in restaurants is where they have hookahs. The perfumed smoke from them was really not complimentary to the food as far as I'm concerned.

Tuesday, June 10:
Up and dressed earlier than usual today, so went to Rennaissance coffee shop on 9th for regular breakfast (instead of our usual whole grain cereal in the apartment). I can't do New York without some good corned beef hash with poached eggs -- this met the need.

Saw Indiana Jones at Regal on 42nd. Tuesday is free popcorn day!

Early dinner at Brasserie 52 on 9th. Liver and onions for me. Goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast for Lee. Good food.

Tonight was the single performance of Showboat in Concert at Carnegie Hall. Great cast with superb voices. I'm not sure I would have liked some of them in a full stage production -- more operatic than Broadway. But the great Carolee Carmello was superb as Julie -- and her "Bill" was memorable.

Wednesday, June 11:
Last year I said we wouldn't go back to Havana Central at Times Square, but a 1000 bonus points with Open Table and a discount coupon from restaurant.com convinced me to do otherwise. Actually lunch was great. We both had a special of a mango glazed salmon salad.

Saw the musical Passing Strange. I hadn't been excited to see this, but when we somehow managed to get 5th row center premium seats for $48 -- we went. Loved the show -- much more than either Rent or Spring Awakening that it is being compared to.

Piece of cheesecake at Juniors on our way back to the apartment.

A Catered Affair tonight -- starring Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, and Harvey Fierstein. I so wanted to love this show, but found it slow and dull more than anything.

Dinner at Sosa Borelli. Lee had a wonderful spinach ravioli with thick lamb ragu. I had grilled tuna over spinach linquini. The pasta was pretty bland, until I poured the little dish of pesto for the bread over it. Delicious then.

Thursday, June 12:
Decided to go up to Dinosaur BarBQ in Harlem. The bus right next to us goes to within two blocks of it -- even though it is about 90 blocks. So we decided to take the bus instead of the subway. An hour and a half later. . .the BarBQ was great! Took the subway back home in about 15 minutes.

Tonight saw the rave critiques Port Authority off Broadway at the Atlantic. Three fantastic actors -- basically a series of somewhat related monologs as three generations of men reminisce about their failures in life and love.
John Gallagher, Jr (who won the Tony last year for Spring Awakening), Brian d'Arcy James (will be playing Shrek this fall -- and an accomplished actor), and Jim Norton (the elderly British actor who just won a Tony for his performance in Seafarer.

Late dinner afterwards at Red Cat, a few blocks away. Always love this place. Ordered tempura green beans with a wasabi dipping sauce as a starter to split. Lee had Mahi-Mahi, and I had their special pork chop on a warm salad of fave beans, escarole, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes. Great!

Friday, June 13:
Had gyros and souvlaki at Uncle Nick's on 9th for lunch.

FODORITE GTG next door in the Worldwide Plaza at 5. Great fun -- see the separate thread on this event.

Thought about skipping dinner, but didn't think that too long. Instead we walked down to Cascina and had pastas. My bucatini Amatriciana was amazingly good. They also offer a great house red for $7 a glass that was huge in flavor and wonderful.

Then After Party at the Laurie Beechman Theatre at West Bank Cafe on 42nd again. Great night. Two guest performers -- one was the first African American Elpheba in Wicked on Broadway and then played Ceiley (?) in Color Purple. The other plays the character parts in Legally Blond and will be in 9 to 5 on Broadway this fall. Great singers -- both. Then this funny, couple did a bit of their cabaret act called "Johnny Niagra and Pepper Cole". Hysterical send up of a medley of Liza Minelli songs, then a spoof of Mary Poppins. Half way through it suddenly occured to me that this guy was the next door neighbor (growing up) of Lee's brother in Saratoga, Ca. Lee's neices were good friends, and "Johnny", real name John Boswell even played at one of their weddings. I spoke with him afterwards -- we had met at the wedding maybe 10 years ago. Small world. Tonight was too much for us, however, and we fizzled out about 1 AM and toddled up 9th Avenue to get some sleep!

Saturday, June 14:
Lunch at La Bonne Soupe -- great little place. Then a performance of The Mikado at City Center. Lots of fun -- quite good, but not the most well done production of the operetta we've seen.

Pouring rain when we came out -- and no umbrellas. Took our time going through the "arcades" and waiting for the rain to subside to get back to the apartment without getting soaked.

Tonight headed down to Apizz on the lower East Side. Thanks Bugswife. We loved this place. Very small and the best arrangement of tables for couples I've ever seen in New York -- they are NOT lined up a row, but scattered. We split an order of their famous meatballs --two huge ones -- and an order of wild boar lasagna with pecorino. These two dishes are probably the best two things we've eaten this trip in New York. Simply wonderful!

Sunday, June 15:
Headed to the Village for brunch at Agave -- good, nothing special and I really didn't like the complimentary frozen margaritas at all.

Neil LaBute's play, Reasons to Be Pretty was fascinating. A really amazingly talented cast of four. Loved the performances more than the play, but his work is always interesting.

Back to the apartment where tonight we pretended we were real New Yorkers -- we ordered food delivered and ate in -- while glued to the TV for the Tony Awards, the red carpet prelude, and the pre show. Meanwhile I was online on BroadwayWorld.com "chatting" with everyone on the message board commenting about the proceedings.

END WEEK 2