Unlike the day before, we woke to brilliant sunshine for
our second day of touristy fun!
We had invested in Grayline open-air bus tickets, paying a
deposit that got us on a bus to their office where we would purchase the proper
ticket. So after waiting 45 minutes for a bus, a competing company took pity on
us and dropped us at Grayline office. Complete chaos then followed, as we
waiting for over an hour and a half in line to purchase our full ticket.
Grayline hadn't impressed us so far.
Luckily for the company we had a great tour guide on our
trip uptown. We saw lots of beautiful sights, interesting architecture and
learnt fun facts about the city (e.g.: it was originally hilly but was
commissioned to be flattened out). We hopped off at Central Park, by which
point we were very hot. We picked up lunch at the Plaza food court and had a
picnic in Central Park, which was beautiful. The New Yorkers stared as Mum and
I discovered the "SQUIRRELS!", and chased after them with cameras.
Apparently squirrels in NY are not deserving of any form of attention…
After pausing for a quick jet-lag induced siesta on the
grass we headed off to the shops. Bloomingdale's, Madison and 5th street all
got a visit. The tempting taste of shopping began seeping in and so I took an
important break from sight seeing, and bought some cheesy souvenirs.
I had been getting more and more excited all day for the
event that was sure to be the standout of the trip. Posters were strewn around
the city, I had been humming the songs underneath my breath and gathering
advertisement material…It was finally time to see Wicked on Broadway!
It was a spectacular show, the soaring voices, dazzling
costumes, clever humour, lovable characters and clever plot made it my all time
favourite. It was a really special experience to share with mum, right down to
our intermission toilet dash, sneaky photo taking and joking for weeks
after. I left "Wicked" buzzing, singing "Defying
Gravity" and clutching my souvenir cup.
The tale of the Witches of Oz was indeed Magical.
I settled into bed, with "Wicked" themed dreams
already forming. I had hoped for a long, jet-lag quelling sleep but… When the
fire alarm goes off in your hotel at 5am, you move…fast…and apparently so does
the FDNY.
Clutching valuables in hand, with Dad off playing the hero
waking everyone up, Mum and I made our way outside, the smell of smoke
lingering in the air left me worried about Dad's absence. My concern was short
lived. The evening's dramatic turn was caused by a small microwave fire and we,
accompanied by other sleepy guests made our way back in to retrieve Dad
(luckily it wasn't a real fire!)
Sudden, false yet alarming awakenings may not be always
desired, but they do make for interesting memories. It's not everyday you have
the FDNY sprinting to your rescue!
From the glamorous lights of Broadway to the flashing
sirens of the fire department, it's safe to say I had a dramatic evening!
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