Last year I discovered the Peter Pan bus as an inexpensive means to travel to NYC for a weekend getaway. When we saw that Wayne Brady was playing in Kinky Boots, we thought this a great opportunity to do something fun for ourselves after a very family oriented past two months. We also learned our lesson about lodgings so I found a reasonably priced Holiday Inn in Manhattan for us to spend the night. We’ve never stayed in Manhattan before so we thought it would round out the adventure nicely. Janet has been wanting to see the 9/11 memorial as well so we booked our bus tickets for an early trip.

The weather was beautiful for walking the streets of New York. Being a weekend in January, the city is absent of much of the tourist crowds so seeing the memorial was not difficult. As with before, I found the experience very emotional bringing me back to that harrowing day. Janet was appreciative to see it, but we both agreed we did not need a return visit. The sun’s reflection off the buildings gave the plaza with the fountains a sparkly glow, and the Occulus train station is finally nearing completion.

 

We especially enjoyed touring St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church Wall Street. The place was used as a staging area for many of the first responders during the crisis and there many pictures and memorials to the brave police, firefighters, and medical personnel who helped during the tragedy.

 

 

After seeing the memorial we took a train to Greenwich Village where I’d booked a reservation in a local restaurant. We got there early so we took a walk around the village. I had to stop and take a picture in front of the Stonewall Inn bar which was the site of the 1969 police riot that began the gay rights movement.  LGBTQ issues are very important to me and this place is a historical landmark for the progress that’s been made.  Eating dinner was an experience in itself. Since this restaurant was nowhere near the tourist areas, it was filled with locals who were eager to talk to us and even wondered if we were interested in real estate. I feel like we’re regulars now, which is somewhere between resident and tourist. I like this feeling and hope to experience more of these local favorites!

What can I say about Kinky Boots other than it raced right up the charts as one of my favorite musicals of all time. The show is based on a movie of the same name and is based loosely on some real events in England. The owner of a failing shoe factory meets a drag queen who demonstrates the need for boots that will support the weight of an adult man. Cyndi Lauper wrote some great songs that stick in your head for days and make you proud to be who want to be instead of letting others tell you what you ought to be.  The big thrill was seeing Wayne Brady, who we’ve loved on Who’s Line is it Anyway for years!  We don’t often wait at the stage door, but since we had a hotel room only a few blocks away, we decided to hang around for an autograph and picture. Our wait paid off and he eagerly greeted his fans.

Our bus wasn’t scheduled to leave till after noon on Sunday.  Since our Holiday Inn was near Macy’s we decided to spend the morning exploring all of it’s seven floors. It’s no wonder they call it the largest department store in the world. This easily consumed the hours until time to leave. We made our way back to the bus station and headed home from just another weekend adventure living in New England like a tourist.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller