A Quick Trip To The City

By Thomas Morrone, CFP®, CPA

Our children gave us tickets to a Broadway show, Dear Evan Hansen, for a Christmas present. Recently, we went into the city to see that show. Regardless of how many times we go, a trip to NYC is always an adventure. A quick 2-hour train ride and the city that never sleeps is at your beckoning call. As soon as you leave the train platform and enter Grand Central Terminal, you can feel the energy of the city and the buzz in the air as people are scurrying in every direction. That energy level picks up a few notches as you leave the train station and walk outside onto 42nd street. The city is alive with taxis zipping in every direction, sirens blaring and horns honking. NYC, we are here.

We arrived around 11:00 AM and our show was not until 3:00 so we were ready to do some exploring. We heard about the new Hudson Yards on 10th and 34th so we decided to check it out. A multi block project that took 10 plus years to develop and still in progress was awaiting us. It was magnificent and overwhelming at the same time. This development has only recently opened so there were many other curiosity seekers doing the same thing that we were doing. With the modern architecture overlooking the Hudson River, high end shops and boutiques and restaurants, one would expect nothing less from a new project in the heart of Manhattan. The rooftop observation deck was still under construction and not open to the general public. I guess that is yet one more reason to take another trip back to the city. We had some lunch and walked around a little and then started making our way to the theater district. The weather forecast was volatile, but we never saw rain. We were also prepared for bad weather if it did develop with rain coats and umbrellas but we were fortunate that it stayed dry.

We arrived at the Music Box Theater and made our way through the long line and finally made it to our seats. The show was everything you would hope for. It was entertaining with laughs, tears and applause. We had fabulous seats which elevated the level of our entertainment experience. After the show we went for a cocktail to unwind a bit before going to dinner.

Walking is always a big part of a trip to the city and you see crazy things and inevitably you say the phrase, only in New York. We did take a couple of cab rides but still walked about 15,000 steps and enjoyed every step. The energy level of the city is both contagious and exhausting at the same time. We certainly got swept up in the NYC vibe. After our relaxing cocktail, we made our way over to the East side to dine. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a restaurant that Kelly recommended. It capped a fabulous day as we relived some of the highlight moments and laughed some more.

Thank you again to our children and their spouses for the show tickets that provided us with an opportunity for a memorable NYC trip. Life is good.

Oh yes... and on that day, Tiger Woods also won the Masters.

Until the Next Tom’s Take...

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