They say the neon lights are bright, on Broadway!

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Day 2:

We slept very late. Almost till 1:00. We were tired from the previous 2 days and the late night last night.

The day started with a text from a friend from Atlanta who was in town. She was on her way home about the same time we were starting our day. It would have been great to see her as we only see each other every so often.

Next up was bagels, at The Bagel Bar down the street. They were delicious.

Then we rushed up town to see Dog Day Afternoon. The reviews had been mediocre at best, and it was one of the last shows we plotted for our trip. We didn’t have high hopes, but we were pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed it a lot. The performances were great and the design was amazing. It’s been years since I’ve seen the movie so I’m anxious to get home and give it a watch to see if it’s as funny as the show today was. We were both very happy to have included it in our list.

We had dinner at Gallagher’s. A must when we come to NYC. We always get the crab cake and the carpaccio. Tonight, we shared entrees and had a small bottle of wine. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours before we moved on to our evening show. (However, for the first time ever, Stu the bartender was not tending bar. We see him every time we go).

Of course, we had to walk from 52nd street to 41st street, so we couldn’t walk by The Rum House without stopping in for a pre-dinner cocktail and to see our friend John. We disappointed to learn after many years he has moved on. We had great service, but it was not the same. And he always remembered us.

We finished the evening with Schmigadoon. It’s the stage version of the TV show from years ago. I actually had to push to get Adam to put it on the list because he was convinced it would be meh. I was excited because it is based on the big dance shows of the 40’s and 50’s and I LOVE a musical with big dance numbers. I turned out to be right. The show is a must see if you like musicals. The performances were great. The design is great. And the songs are toe tapping good. And if you happen to be a musical theater fan there are so many throw backs to all of the shows of yesteryear. Samples of melodies. Jokes that harken back to the shows. And characters that play on the characters from these musicals. Billy Bigelow. Gertie Cummins. The Barroness from the Sound of Music. The audience might have been the best part of the show. They were on board the minute the show started and stayed right there till the last chord of music. It was so good.

We are batting a 1,000 so far with our selections.

We called it an evening early. I’m sitting in my underwear, drinking a soda water, typing while Adam is in the shower. We are going to watch some TV and read the Facebook so we can do Day 3 tomorrow.

Cabin in the woods (oooh) –A cabin in the woods (yeah)

I’d like to speak to the manage!!!

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-.

It’s a Saturday night.  

I’m seated at a desk, in lovely Norway, Maine, where I have escaped the clutches of the big city and am relaxing with a bourbon and a soda, water in the middle of the woods.  

It’s the first time in three years, I’ve been able to take a Saturday off, without using a vacation day.  

We started planning this adventure last July.  

Back story.

When Adam and I first moved to Maine, every year or so, our friend group, which is 16 lesbians, and the two of us, would plan a getaway.  Most of these trips were in the winter.  We’d rent a lodge in the middle of nowhere, caravan in, and spend two to three days hibernating in the woods.  

One of the most fun trips was watching The Shining, in a mountain lodge, in the middle of a snow storm, with only a fire to light the room.  Super scary.  

We, however, have not had the opportunity to get away since Covid for a multitude of reasons.  

Our friends decided last summer to change that.  

The planning commenced, the air bnb was secured, the meals were planned and here we are.  

There are four couples this time, in a 1790’s farmhouse, 5 miles out of town, on a snow covered hill.  It’s as beautiful as it sounds.  It has lightly snowed all day, while we’ve gathered in front of a fire and played games, read books, discussed politics, and since about an hour ago, enjoyed pre-batched cocktails that Adam whipped up yesterday.  

It really is a serene setting.  

The house is super quirky as it was originally built in the late 1700’s and has been added on to several times.  First a kitchen.  Then a family room.  Then a mud room.  Then a game room, that eventually connected the house with the barn that was built the same time as the house.  

It’s chilly, and squeaky, and has all the charm you’d think.  There is plenty of room to spread out.  I’m upstairs in an office nook.  Several people are playing ping pong.  Adam and a couple of helpers are prepping for lesbian taco night.  More about that some other time.  

Like I said, It was awesome to know that I could take the weekend off, without being beaten up, asked why I needed time off, or be given a guilt trip about why I needed to be a the work. I get two days off a week, and I just scheduled those days to be yesterday and today. 

And here we are.  

The only real funny part of the trip, is when we got here, we discovered that the owner is a huge fan of a past administration, my friends and I don’t support.  There are photos, and books, and articles, and even an official White House statement about someone who received a pardon for campaign finance convctions.  

None of this really matters to us, as the money is already spent, and there wasn’t much to do when we got here.  However, had we looked closer at the photos in the posting on Air BNB, we might have seen the photos.  

That being said, it’s truly nice to get away, and hang out with our chosen family, and share meals, and laugh.  

It feels really good to laugh. 

https://www.graniteridgeestate.com/norway-maine-rental-farmhouse