29 | April | 2026 | I'd Like to Speak to the Manager!!!

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Day 5:

Not a lot of photos today as we repeated a few things.

Started the day back at Los Tacos No. 1. Who doesn’t love a good taco and fried quesadilla to start the day. Double Topo Chicos today because it was extra spicy.

Then we were off to the theater.

Today’s matinee was Fear of 13. A true story of a man who was sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit. It stars Adrian Brody. I have no photo there as they put a sticker on your camera when you went in. I still don’t know what for, because it didn’t stop people from taking photos. (I did grab a shot of the playbill from online).

They also went VERY out of the way to make an announcement to shut off your phones part of the show. It didn’t work. Six. Count them. Six cell phones went off during the show. And of course, they are always in the quietest part of the show. And I’d like to go on record saying that OLD people are the worst. At both the matinee and the evening show there were old ladies still looking at their phones after the show had started.

The show was serious, but with a good number of laughs. I loved the lighting as it wasn’t big and splashy and spoke more to the kind of lighting I like to create. Adam prefers when things are bright and moving. It was two hours with no intermission, but it moved along at a nice pace. Definitely worth seeing, if for no other reason than to see Adrian Brody in his underwear.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant up the street from our matinee. Unfortunately, their website said open all day, but when we got there, they didn’t open for dinner until 5:00 and as we had a 7:00 show, we needed to eat early. So we moved on to Joe Allen’s. Joe Allen’s is on Restaurant Row, and for those of you not in NYC, it’s often frequented by actors in the area and the posters on the wall are all the posters from notorious flops from Broadway. Carrie. Dance of the Vampires. The big ones.

We grabbed seats at the bar. Ordered dinner and was waited on by the best bartender we’ve been waited on in forever. I’m surprised Adam sits at the bar there, because every time we do, I make friends with the person next to me and he hates it. I did not do that today, but there was a shared moment when the French Dip that I ordered arrived sans dip. The boat for the gravy was on the plate but it was completely empty. The foodrunner, the bartender, and everyone around me had a good laugh about it. It was delicious once the gravy was brought.

After dinner we went back to The Rum House, where we had the worst service we’ve ever had there. The server was short and snappy; didn’t seem to care we were there and I did something I never do which was to call across the restaurant to get her attention so that we could pay our check and get on to our show. She was busy talking to a table across the restaurant about her botched haircut and I learned that her mother always says don’t not spend money on your hair and your eyebrows. You’ll regret it every time.

Tonight, we saw Giant, a play about Roald Dahl. Who knew he was a bigot. Which is ultimately, what the play is about. It stars John Lithgow, who really is 7 feet tall. Well, actually 6’4”. He commanded the stage and turned in an amazing performance. So far, we are still batting 1,000 with our show selection.

After the show, we returned to our hotel, packed our belongings and moved to the apartment that friends loan us in the West Village. Their daughter, had been staying here this week, so we couldn’t get it until today. It’s a wonderful space, and is next to everything you might need. Food, drinks, bagels, coffee, subways, parking. In fact, we were able to park right in front of our building tonight. Of course, we are supposed to move our car in the a.m. but we usually just pay the ticket so we don’t have to get up early.

Adam and I have seen more straight plays (non-musicals) this trip than ever before. We also made the switch from the mezzanine (the first balcony) to the orchestra this time and we have discovered that there is more leg room and I don’t have to climb as many stairs, unless I have to pee.

We are both having fun, but we are ready to see our kitties and sleep in our own bed.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Day 4:

Day started later than I thought it would, thanks to Adam letting me sleep. It was especially nice since I didn’t sleep great last night.

We were up and out by 11:30.

We made our usual stops at Starbucks and McDonald’s then afterwards we walked across to Park Avenue to have lunch at Hillstone. This is the second time we’ve had reservations for lunch here, the last time we cancelled because we stayed out too late. Today was not the case. Adam has wanted to eat here for a bit, because it’s part of the Houston’s restaurant group. They have an excellent reputation for service and food.

My story about Houston’s is that I couldn’t get hired there when I worked in Atlanta. Of course, at the time, I probably wouldn’t have hired me either. I didn’t have the right experience. I use them as an example of strict management because when I applied there, they had line up and you had to look spot on, with the right number of pens, and they had to be a certain brand at that. I can assure you, that everyone was using the same pens today.

We were sat right away, and the experience was good. It an interesting team serving experience, where everyone takes care of everyone. My water glass was never empty, I never needed for anything. The portions were huge. The food was excellent. And for NYC the prices were actually affordable.

After lunch we walked down through Madison Square Park to Broadway then on to Fish’s Eddy. It’s a fun dishware store that’s been at 19th and Broadway forever. They sell vintage dishware as well as kitschy things, along with just normal plates and glasses. We actually found some pasta bowls that Adam is going to order when we get home. If you haven’t heard of them you should look them up online.

After that we headed south again to the Daryl Roth Theater to see Mexodus. On any other day, this show would not have even been on our radar, but who else has a Tuesday matinee. We are so glad we didn’t skip it. It’s a two-man musical about The Underground Railroad that ran south to Mexico, instead of north toward Canada. Until I heard about this show, I had never known about the southern underground railroad. The two actors cover that this is not taught in school.

The show starts strong and continues to get better. The two men who starred in and wrote the show, were terrific. I was moved to tears at the end, as they began to wrap up the story with references to how we all are one people, and are taught to hate.

Half the audience today was school age kids, and I have to say they were incredibly well behaved. In fact, their behavior was called out at the end by the actors who told them to hold onto their joy and not let the world shame them out of it.

After that, we took the subway north, to get a snack. Adam has seen Tic Toc’s about a pizza place on 50th street called Don Antonio. They are known for their fried pizzas. We were going to stop in for a snack before we got a drink before the show.

It’s a cute place, and the service was great. Adam ordered a fried calzone and the only thing that would have made it better was ranch dressing which they didn’t have.

Then it was on to The Rum House, for a quick cocktail before our evening show. We recognized the server from last fall, and after she slowed down, we commented on how nice it was to continue to see familiar faces there. To thank us for our compliment, she offered us shots, when she brought the check. And what 60 year old man doesn’t like a shot.

Next up. The Lost Boys. Based on the movie that I loved from the 80’s.

It’s big. It’s splashy. The set is three plus stories tall. There is flying. There are a million lights. There are lots of sets. There are lifts. It’s loud. There is fire. And fog is everywhere. And well it’s a ton of fun. It lacks the scare factor from the 80’s but it makes up for that with a fun score and a pretty cast. It’s still set in the late 80’s and the costumes and references are great.

It’s a mindless way to spend a couple of hours watching a spectacle. I loved it.

After the show, we cabbed back downtown to a bar called Seed Library. Fun fancy cocktail list. Laid back room. Service was great. My only complaint, was that the menu was short on bourbon cocktail choices. The ones I chose were great, but it would have been nice to have a wider selection.

After the bar, we walked home hoping to grab a snack and soda at McDonald’s. I’d assured Adam that the McDonald’s near our hotel was open 24 hours. But alas. I lied. It closed at 11:00.

So I convinced him that deli sandwiches would be a better choice, and now that’s he’s finished with his chicken sandwich, I think he agrees.

Now it’s time for a shower, and to do it all again tomorrow.