Full of Grace - New York Edition

Up at 5:30 am to pick her up and catch the 7:10 train.

She had told me about this new place, DO, which sells raw cookie dough, scooped like ice cream. We were both excited about it but read that the lines are often a 2 to 4 hour wait.  Nonetheless we grabbed a taxi downtown to try.

We were very excited as we pulled up that there was no line at all.  But as we went to enter the store a woman politely told us that the line forms across the street.  Oh that line, half a block long. But what the hell, we were here, might as well wait.

We only waited about 20 minutes as they let people in about 20 at a time.  Meanwhile they passed a menu around so we could decide before we got in the store.

Strangely, everyone who has seen the menu knew exactly what I ordered. Apparently I have a reputation,

And oh was it worth the wait!  

If you magnify the picture you will see huge vats of butter and sugar in the background.

Yes, we made ourselves sick loving every bite.

Then, needing to walk it off, we strolled through Washington Square in Greenwich Village.  I was explaining to Beaner that “back in my day” this is where “hippies” gathered to protest the Vietnam War.  Things hadn’t changed much with singers and protesters against Trump everywhere.  And a naked woman sitting on the ground shaving her legs.  I wasn’t sure if it was performance art or she was just enjoying the suddenly warmer temperatures. (No I didn't take a picture of her. That would have been creepy)

Then onto Eataly which is a huge place filled with Italian foods and restaurants

It would be impossible to get the feel for it in one photo as there are 20 or more sections, each dedicated to either a certain food or a particular region.  Just the smell of the place is amazing.

And, of course, one section is dedicated to Nutella.  

We had a little time before curtain so we wandered up 5th Avenue to browse Ted Baker and Saks. She found lots she liked but nothing in her price range. No surprise there.

Then the highlight of the day,  seeing Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal, her biggest celeb crush.

I bought the tickets months ago and and paid for premium seats.  Broadway theaters are small, but I like to be close enough to see the actor’s expressions in dramatic performances.  

A couple of weeks before the show they sent me an email saying that our tickets entitled us to a lounge area where we would be given a free glass of champagne and access to private bathrooms. Funny how the 20 something was most excited about the wine, the 60 something was most excited about the bathroom : )

The show was great and Gyllenhaal was amazing.  I’m not a Sondheim fan, but was truly pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this show.  And that Mr. Gyllenhaal can sing.  He plays the artist George Seurat and spends a great deal of the show sketching people in the park. Our 4th row seats paid off as Jake often sat on the edge of the stage, just 10 feet in front of us, netting me some serious ‘cool mom’ points.

At the end of curtain calls the lead actress gave a short speech about Broadway Cares, a charity dedicated to helping folks with AIDS.   Cast members would be in the rear of the theater with buckets if we wanted to donate.  And then she explained that Jake was really sketching during the show,  the cast held up and Jake autographed them.  Selling price?  $750 each.  The sketches were amazingly good but no, I was not that cool.

Off to a small Italian restaurant for dinner where the conversation centered around boyfriends and bucket lists and life dreams, and then back to the train where we promptly conked out.

Sharing a day in my favorite city with my daughter. Making memories. I have much to be grateful for.

Life is so very good.