Times Square, Taymor and Teaking

Sunday started late....

Teake and I only had @ 3 hours of sleep before we flew, and when we arrived in New York we walked, walked, & walked some more, so sleeping for 10 hours was in order.

We did try dashing uptown by 1 to get into the Wicked lottery, but we were 5 minutes late. So, I introduced Times Square to Teake Bartling. Again, I love the comments he makes. He is a lot like his mother....he is impressed with the sights but doesn't need to look at it long. Even a Naked Cowboy sighting produced a wry smile and a "Ain't America great...'Hey, I have an idea. I am going to put on my whitey tighties and cowboy boots, paint Naked Cowboy on my ass, grab a guitar - no worries if I can't play it or sing, and head to Times Square! I bet people from around the world will pay to take a picture with me!'"...and he was right.

Teake's stomach took over any type of awe he was experiencing and asked if we could eat! I suggested a picnic in Central Park - he loved this idea. We climbed back into the subway on the famed 42nd Street and headed north to 72nd. Teake is the perfect traveling partner! He has no agenda and appreciates everything. We should all Teake life (I have officially made his name a verb).

We grabbed lunch (how many slices of pepperoni can this kid consume?). I opted for a grilled veggie quiche, a copy of the Times and the Daily News and went to the park. On the way there we stopped at the Dakota to pay homage to John Lennon's home and place of his death. We also stopped at the Imagine dedication in the park before we chose to dine in Strawberry Fields.

What a beautiful day. People sunbathing, families playing and dogs - dogs - dogs. We sat, ate and read for over an hour before exploring the park including the lake and Loeb Boathouse, The Mall, and The Great Lawn.

Next we headed to Harlem to suprise Marci and Mitch (former O'G student and - truly - one of the most influencial people in my life) Maguire. Mitch wasn't home, but we did get to visit with Marcie and pets in their gorgeous apartment.

We grabbed the A Train and raced back to Times Square with the goal of waiting for Michele Pawk outside the Hairspray stage door. It is official; the theme of the day was 5 minutes late. Oh well, I have 10 weeks to enjoy my friendship with Michele.

Chinatown was next on the list, so Canal Street was the next stop. Teake loved the craziness of the shopping here. Chinatown is so colorful - the people, the language...the smell. The pungent smell of the nearby fish markets in overwhelming. I envy Teake's cold. We bought a few items, ate a less than stellar meal and said goodbye.

We walked over to the K-mart in Astor Place to do some apartment shopping before dashing home in order to catch the 10:15 showing of Julie Taymor's film Across the Universe. I have to admit we did a bit of dumpster diving. I found this perfect shelving unit that would fit perfect under the bathroom sink....however, it wasn't exactly free because it was too heavy to carry home with our other bags....Taxi!

The film at the Chelsea theatre was really interesting. Teake liked it more than I. Of course, the fact that it features all the music of the Beatles makes it an immediate hit with him. I love the Taymor touches - the puppetry and the mix of realism, animation, fiction and documentary. I am not a fan of Rachel Evan Wood, but the more unkown actors were fascinating. The cameos by people like Joe Cocker and Bono were highlights.

OINK (Only in New York) Moment of the Day:

While watching people row around the lake we became highly amused by numerous things. In second place was the fact that many people were rowing stern forward. This is a bit like milking the head of a cow. However the first place OINK moment went to the boat being paddled by a young Hasidic Jewish man. He had two companions with him...another young, Hasidic Jew and a white guy wearing a bike helmet...enuf said.

It is now noon on Moday. Teake is still asleep, and I am enjoying having nowhere to go and no pressure to do anything. Can you hear the sigh?