Billy Elliott

Today at work, I had the brilliant idea of trying to get Student Rush tickets for Billy Elliott. I thought it would be impossible. You see, for this show, SR tickets are only made available two hours before curtain. So I checked with my roommate Brooke to see if she would go with. After work around 6:15, curtain was at 7:30, I decided it was worth the shot. I hurried across Time Square, pushed through all the tourists over to 45th in order to check for tickets. Low and behold!!! They had TWO LEFT! I was stoked. I called Brooke and told her the good news.

I personally think Billy Elliott was a FANTASTIC musical! The music is spectacular (composed by Elton John) and the dancing and acting are amazing. As an audience member, I went from emotional highs of not being able to wipe the smile off my face, to sad, heartfelt lows. The main character in this play is a 12 year old boy. And kudos to him. I wish I could do something amazing like this. Sing on Broadway? Maybe one day... :)

Tunnel to the unknown...?

I have found my new favorite place. I don't know if I want to tell you where it is, because then you may steal it... I discovered this little safe haven on the way to work last week. It's a little courtyard nestled in between two buildings between 48th and 49th. Woops, just gave it away! :) The rock wall is about 12 feet high and has a waterfall running down either side with a glass tube and bridge running through it. This morning I left for work 20 minutes early to make time to sit here and read my book for a bit. It was so relaxing and the sound of rushing water successfully masked the sound of busy NYC traffic. Start of a new morning tradition...? I think so!

Brighton Beach...

OK. Yeah, yeah. I know I already went to the beach this weekend. But it's Memorial Day weekend. And I'm practically on vacation for the summer. Soo....? Brooke and I decided to check out Brighton Beach in Brooklyn today. Don't worry. The SPF 50 came out to cover up the burn from Saturday. And I wore a shirt half of the time. So I'm just peachy... And if you didn't know, cultures tend to live together in certain parts of New York City. And out at Brighton Beach, everything is Russian. A majority of the people. Everything is written in English as well as Russian. And did I mention... Russians?

You can't see it very well, but above "Moscow" are the words "Russia on the beach"

It was a great spot! I think we'll be coming here in the future to chill on the weekends.

Bryant Park

As many of you have probably guessed by now, living in New York involved A LOT of walking. Today alone, Brook and I guess that we spent at least 5 hours of our day waiting for a train, on a train or walking. Crazy, huh? So you can only guess how happy my feet were to nestle down for an hour this evening in Bryant Park.

**Happy Feet**

Bryant Park is a very lovely spot in the city - there is no arguing that. So don't even try. The park is located between 5th and 6th avenue and again between 40th and 42nd street. In the summer there's a large lawn right in the middle of the park. On Monday nights June through August they show free classic movies around sunset. In the winter the area is converted into a large ice skating rink! Pretty nifty!

Also, just so you know, the summers here are HOT and HUMID! Like dripping.... So you can only imagine that people love spending time outside, especially in the parks. Shade. Green grass. Magnolias bakery banana pudding. Who could ask for a better evening?

Crumbs

Ta-Da!!! Another bakery. Maybe you've heard of this one... Crumbs? This bakery is more novelty and focuses on creativity rather than taste. But they're cute. And I went for the cute. I felt like a little kid wanting the cupcake because it had an umbrella on it, but what can I say?

If you like Pina Colada!

Rockaway

When people hear New York City, they think Empire State Building, Time Square and Central Park. RARELY do they think great beaches... But it's very true. There are a ton of beach spots in the area. Saturday Celestyn and I went to Rockaway beach for part of the day. The weather was GORGEOUS. The few hours we spent was just what I needed for a little R&R. Sorry there aren't more photos. But it's difficult to haul that big camera around all the time.

For Free in NYC...

Free concerts are ALL OVER THE PLACE in New York City during the summertime. This morning on my way to work walking up 48th and saw a stage. So I decided to stop and watch for a minute. My initial thought was, "Oh, this is nice. A local band!" Nope, I was sadly mistaken... Yep, it was Plain White T's.