May 26, 2022: Another Disastrous Arrival in New York City, Just Kidding

A Day in the Life:

While Bryant and I were able to get a bit of sleep while on the flight, Kassondra got almost none, so when we arrived at what was effectively 3 am even though in Eastern Standard Time it was 6 am she was rightfully a little grumpy. That being said, getting our luggage, finding a taxi, and checking in at our hotel, the Dream Midtown, a much nicer accommodation than what we started with last time we visited New York City, all went very well. We were able to leave our luggage with them and spent most of our downtime while waiting for a room in the lobby. I did manage to get a couple of errands done with Bryant in the meantime, namely stopping by my bank and ordering $750 in Euros (€695) to be picked up tomorrow and stopping by the Gershwin Theatre to try and redeem some tickets to see Wicked that I hadn’t been able to use but were now multiple years old due to Covid. I didn’t expect them to be able to do anything for me but the lady behind the ticketing counter was incredibly kind and managed to get me a seat for the show that night with a terrific view near the stage.

When I got back at around 10:30 am with Bryant the bellhop let me know that I should check-in at the front desk because they had some rooms ready and could probably get me into one even though it was still more than an hour before when they had told me I should expect to be able to get into a room. They gave us complimentary waters and passes to the continental breakfast for the two mornings we’d be there and our room, while modest, was high quality, especially for the affordable price I was able to get on Hotel Tonight. As soon as we got into the room, Kassondra and I both took a nap for a couple of hours.

When I woke up at 1:30 pm I was hangering for some lunch and Bryant and I walked to Halal Guys a couple of blocks away and were able to get some delicious gyros and brought back lunch for Kassondra which finally got her moving. We left from there to go to the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building next to Bryant Park where we visited the Polonsky Exhibition and were able to see numerous gorgeous texts that contributed to the history of literature. Some of the exhibits included the original stuffed animals for Winnie the Pooh, first editions of some of the most famous works of children’s literature which were established as a genre in the 17th and 18th centuries, the original document of the Bill of Rights, and numerous religious texts, many of which were hundreds of years old. We explored Bryant Park a bit before heading to dinner at Stick to My Pot. We had pan-fried classic dumplings, classic dumplings in a bone broth soup with seaweed, chicken wontons steamed, and scallion pancakes. It was delicious but it definitely hit me differently than everyone else later that evening.

After we returned to the room and I changed into a nicer dress to go see Wicked I started feeling crampy. Even though the show was absolutely spectacular, with incredible actors, costume and set design, and one of the more interesting plots I’ve seen in a Broadway musical, I was consumed during the entire first half by the cramps making me feel as if I might shit my pants at any moment. During the minutes between bouts of sphincter tightening pain, I was able to focus on the musical I had spent so long anticipating. The true irony is that the ticket lady’s kindness wound up biting me in the ass, literally, because I couldn’t leave without drawing attention to my escape. When intermission did happen and I was able to violently vacate my bowels I felt significantly better for it, though I worried the bathroom attendant might become concerned about how long I was spending on the toilet and so prepared a lie that I have IBS to have in my pocket just in case. After that, I truly enjoyed the rest of the show and got consumed in the narrative of Elphaba and Glinda. I went back to the room, glad I hadn’t shit my pants and dancing on clouds for having been able to see such a spectacular show.