Motown and NYC (8/1/2014)

Paul Morrone |

For our anniversary, our children gave Cathy and I tickets to see the Broadway musical Motown. Cathy did a little Priceline shopping and found a nice hotel in the Theatre District. Now that our daughter lives in NYC we are always looking for an excuse to train in and what better reason than to see a Broadway musical. This is not an official review of the play by any means but just about how we had so much fun.

We drove to the West Haven station on Sunday and took the train from there to Grand Central. We were staying two nights in NYC which would have been 3 days of parking charges. The New Haven station would have been around $90 but West Haven was only $12 (free all day Sunday and then $6 per day for Monday & Tuesday). It was well worth the little extra ride to West Haven for those savings as well as we avoided the Q Bridge construction in New Haven. We took a cab from Grand Central to the hotel because I did not want to deal with walking with luggage for the 7 blocks…plus it was hot and humid. We dumped our luggage at the hotel and hit the streets of the city.

Kelly took the subway from her apartment on the lower east side of Manhattan to meet us for drinks before the show. We walked around and shopped for a bit and then decided that a cocktail was needed. Did I mention it was hot? We sipped some margaritas and cooled down and just chatted. It was fun listening to Kelly telling us about her life in NYC. She lives in one of the greatest cities in the world and she is embracing all that it has to offer. We are so happy for her.

After cocktails Kelly went back downtown and Cathy and I went back to the hotel to freshen up and to get some dinner before going to the theater. The Motown show is based on the rise of Berry Gordy as the name behind the Motown music label. Some of the artists featured were Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five, The Commodores and The Temptations to name just a few. The show was energetic and entertaining and often I found myself singing along with the lyrics and clapping to the music. I was not alone in doing this I might add. The actress who played Diana Ross was amazing. Not only her looks and voice but her mannerisms were so similar to the “real” Diana. All the actors and actresses were not only extremely talented but also looked like they were truly having fun on stage. It was truly an enjoyable show.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast we walked countless blocks from midtown to Union Square. Along the way we soaked up the sights, people watched and enjoyed the various neighborhoods and diverse sections of the city. There is always something interesting to see. We hung around Washington Square for a bit and then after lunch and a cupcake stop, we worked our way back uptown. Did I mention it was hot? All in all we had a great time in NYC and we are already looking forward to going back for another adventure.

 

Until the Next Tom’s Take………………