On Thursday, June 16th, we we took the red eye flight from Seattle to New York City. We landed at JFK airport at 8:00am. From the airport, we took the Air Train to Jamaica Street Station and hopped on the subway (J line) to Essex Street. We were staying at the Hotel on Rivington, a modern 21-story glass tower, located in Manhattan's happening lower east side.
We arrived at the hotel and walked through a funky egg-shaped entrance with red carpet. We tried to check-in to the hotel, but it was too early and our room was not ready. We were told to come back at 4:00pm. So, we checked our bags with the doorman and stepped out of the hotel to explore the city.
We walked from Rivington Street through Little Italy, then on to SOHO, and through New York University. We did a bit of shopping on Broadway and I bought a fantastic jacket at the Superdry store, the same jacket my friend Erin bought in New York one week before. We walked through Washington Square Park and people were everywhere. A guy was setting up his drums getting ready to entertain the crowd, a group of men were playing chess, and others were lounging by the fountain chatting with friends.
We proceeded to Greenwich Village and walked through a neighborhood filled with brownstone houses, until we finally arrived at the Jane Hotel.
Up the stairs of the Jane Hotel and to the left is Cafe Gitane, it was recommended for a delicious brunch by our good friend Erin. Cafe Gitane overlooks the Hudson River and the food has a French, Mediterranean, and Moroccan flair. When we walked into the cafe, we were greeted by a tall, dark and handsome french beau, and we were immediately pleased with the delightful, quaint cafe.
Over the restaurant speakers we heard Jimmy Hendrix singing Castles Made of Sand, followed by Led Zeppelin, so we knew we were in the right place. We sat down and I ordered an espresso that came with a side of chocolate, a spot of creamer, and a bowl of tiny sugars. Clearly, Cafe Gitane takes their presentation very seriously.
Brian ordered the prosciutto, brie, and honey mustard sandwich and I ordered the baked eggs with smoked salmon, potatoes, and cream. I also ordered the seven grain toast covered with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, and chiliflakes - UNBELIEVABLE!
Needless to say, our brunch was fantastic. After Cafe Gitano, we checked out the lobby of the Jane Hotel. We decided that we would look into staying at the Jane the next time we rolled into the city. We headed to Chelsea Market and were very impressed by the speciality food and wine shops, as well as the architecture of the market.
We climbed up the stairs to a startling view of One World Trade Center or formerly known as the Freedom Tower under construction. I had not been back to this site since I went up in the original tower in 2000. Once construction is completed, the tower will be 1,776 feet tall. It is scheduled to open in 2013.
We walked along the around the construction site and read the information posted along the chain link fence.
We walked into the World Financial Center, which overlooks Ground Zero and the bustling construction. A student group from Seattle were huddled around the glass listening to a tour guide explain the new construction plans.
We went into the 9/11 Memorial site where we were quickly taken back to the day it all happened. A video played up on the wall of the museum; family and friends spoke of those they lost, but the message focused on rebirth and moving on with life after death. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was really glad we came.
We took the subway back to our Essex Street stop and checked into the Rivington hotel. Our room was on the fourth floor, it was spacious with a king size bed, and a huge shower. We laid down to rest a bit before The Book of Mormon. A few hours later we got up and showered. The dress I intended to put on was unwearable due to a stuck zipper, but fortunately I brought a back up. We hailed a cab and headed out for dinner around 6:30pm. The show started at 8:00pm.
We were going to try and make it to Bianca Restaurant, an inexpensive Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, which was recommended by our friend Jennifer. Traffic was extremely bad, it was pouring rain, and I started getting nervous. The cab driver, Barry, from Africa, was keeping us calm by talking politics, but I was having serious doubts that we would make it to the show on time. I informed Barry the we had changed our mind and to head up to Times Square. He dropped us off at Times Square and we spotted what looked to be a Irish Pub a few blocks from the show.
A man out front greeted us and directed us up the stairs for dinner to The Playwright Tavern and Restaurant. We walked up the stairs and met Martina, a friendly Irish woman who sat us in a cozy booth.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner, accompanied by a few glasses of champagne, and a few vodka and soders. At 7:45pm, we headed off to The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O'Neil theater.
We walked in and went straight to a friendly New Yorker selling merchandise. We bought two t-shirts and a coffee mug for our friend Alex. We went to the bar and ordered two vodka and soders. The bartender asked us if we wanted to make it a double and we both agreed. Then we found out that a double was $28.00 per drink! We did however notice that the cup they served the cocktails in was similar to a child's sippy cup, so it was basically impossible to spill a drink. This was perfect because with the sippy cup, you can take a drink to your seat. Brian and I made our way to the mezzanine level and to our seats. We were both surprised at how small the theater was, but the intimate feel was awfully cool. No pictures were allowed to be taken during the show, so I got a snap shot of the stage before the musical began.
Shortly after we found our seats the show began with a Mormon missionary singing,"Hello, my name is Elder Price and I would like to share with you the most amazing book." One missionary after another, ringing doorbells, stating their name, and selling the Book of Mormon. After this delightful song, the audience learns that the Mormons are at a missionary training school in Salt Lake City, and would soon receive their assignments. The favored Mormon, Elder Price received a dreadful assignment to Uganda, as well as an unpleasant Mormon campanion, Elder Cunningham. The Ugandan village that Elder Price and Elder Cunningham aim to save is ridden with horrible disease and violent crime, but the satire is thick, profound, and absolutely brilliant.
The Mormon missionaries struggle with their own doubts about religion, confronting their sins, and one Mormon even questions his sexuality, but instead of confronting these feelings he sings, "turn it off, like a light switch, just go click, its a cool little Mormon trick." This was by far one of my favorite parts of the show.
Act I quickly ended and the crowd was begging for more. Brian got up during intermission and ordered two more double vodka and soders in a sippy cup. Shortly after he returned to our seats, Act II began. Without giving the entire musical away, I will just tell you that the villagers are converted and many other surprises happen along the way. The audience gets a glimpse into what happens when a Mormon lies about eating a donut with the song, "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream," which features dancing coffees, donuts, and guest appearances by Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Johnny Cochran.
Surprisingly, it is Elder Cunningham that wins over the villagers by making outrageous claims of faith in order to simplify the villagers complex problems. The preposterous promises made to the villagers are down right hilarious and the villagers reactions to their new found faith is laugh out loud funny! Nikki James, plays Nabalungi, a young African girl that becomes swept up in the Mormon faith and her desire to move out of the village to Salt Lake City. She was fantastic! Not to mention, she won the Tony Award for featured actress in June.
As with any South Park episode, the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone end the musical by bringing the story full circle, they tie it up into a nice little bow, and make a moral lesson out of it.
This show comes highly recommended. It is a must see if it comes to your town.
After the show, Brian and I met up with our high school friend, Brett Young. Brett lives in Brooklyn. We met up with Brett and his friend Tim, and a few other buddies in SOHO.
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