New York City --- A Special Day for US

The Marquee for the Off-Broadway Play that our Daughter Created

Roger here...

Rhinecliff Amtrak Station

This was a day that Dianne and I will never forget.  Our daughter created and wrote a play that was being performed off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre near Times Square.  Serendipity stepped in for us. We had already made plans to be in the nearby Hudson Valley when Robyn told us that her play would be in preview while we were there.  Preview means several public performances with tweaking each night until the official opening.  We obviously had to go!!!!!!

I made Amtrak reservations on Amtrak for a 1 1/2 hour trip from Rhinecliff Station to Penn Station.  We investigated the parking situation at the station during our mansion viewing day, and discovered that we might not be able to find a place to park the car.  So we took an early morning cab to the station.  The parking lot was indeed full.  Whew.

The train ride was very full, but also smooth and comfortable.  We had views of the Hudson River for most of the trip on this gloomy weather day.

Sightseeing ....

We sat still more than we moved during our taxi rides.

We took a cab to our hotel, the Hampton Inn Times Square South, where they kept our luggage before check in.  We crammed in quite a bit of sight-seeing via walking and very slow taxi rides.

The New York Times has been in the news quite a bit lately.





The Empire State Building was certainly easy to spot. 

NBC News.  We frequently watch NBC News when we are not traveling.  Not being able to keep up with the news as we normally do has been somewhat frustrating, but it has also been refreshing.


Times Square was only a short walk from our hotel. 

Lots of activity in this part of the city.

One of our cab trips was across the city to the site of the 9-11 tragedy.    We wanted to make the effort to see this area.  We had no idea that it would affect us the way that it did --- very emotional.

World Trade Center

The foot print from where the south tower once stood was amazingly somber, and so well done.  Having watched the attack live on TV many years ago, this monument gave me chills. 

The names of all the victims are cut into the perimeter of the monument.  An identical monument with different names from the victims of the north tower was a few steps away.  A rose is placed on the victim's names on their birthday.  Very moving.

This globe was recovered from the original plaza.

This is how it looked in its original location.

This monument was dedicated to the servicemen who fought in the Iraq war after the attack.

Across the street we discovered Fire Station #10, that housed the first firefighters who responded to the disaster.  The bronze plaques honored the 343 first responders who perished on that fateful day.

The photo below shows the pictures of the first responders who gave their lives in order to save others.  Goosebumps.

For a complete mood swing we left the 9/11 monuments, and headed for Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center is a hub of activity.  

We decided to walk down into the iconic "ice-skating" rink to enjoy beverages in the warming day.

Where is Nancy?

Robyn's play!!!!!!

Our daughter, 
Robyn, created and wrote #DateMe several years ago.  It is semi-autobiographical so it is very dear to our hearts.  It played for several years in Los Angeles at Second City Hollywood where Robyn played the lead character.  It was picked up by Second City Chicago where it played, off and on, for three years.  Robyn also played the leading role in that production.  The off-Broadway production is a very big deal for Robyn.  We are so proud of her.

Proud dad taking pictures outside the theatre

Robyn joined us for dinner at BEAs (next to the theatre).  Jay and Nancy treated us on this amazing night.

Robyn's name is displayed in three locations on the theatre placard in the lobby.  She is not acting this time because the director wanted her writing expertise.  

The play is a comedy with improv, and it is hilarious!  Uniquely, audience members created their own on-line characters that were utilized throughout the show.  The audience (not just us) howled with laughter.  I think it will be a success in NYC as it was in Chicago and Los Angeles.  

The Proud Mom, Nancy, Jay

What a night!  The next morning Robyn met us for breakfast before we caught the train back to the Hudson Valley.  Promptly at 5:00 p.m. we picked up our ecstatic dogs.

Dianne's Teensy-Weensy Trailer Tip:

I used this tip in the motor home as well, but it's even more useful in the trailer.   I save up quarters all year long and put them in a small Tupperware container, along with Tide Pods, to have ready to grab-and-go if we find ourselves conveniently located to a laundry room at a campground.  In the motor home, I had the luxury of storing all the Tide pods and all things laundry in a large cabinet.  No space for that now, so the Tupperware container sits in our bathroom ready to grab, and the bags of Tide pods are stored away and replenished as needed.  My fold-up laundry hampers are stashed in the car until needed.  Airstream designed two handy storage areas at the head and foot of the bed that can be used for dirty clothes until time to do laundry.  It all works!

We are now in Maine!  Next time.