Here are a few final thoughts on our trip.
We took the Megabus to New York. The Megabus is a double-decker bus with comfortable, reclining seats, large windows with good views (our return bus had a transparent ceiling), an onboard bathroom, and free wi-fi. The bus boards at Union Station, which meant we could park the van at Shady Grove and ride the Metro to Union Station, availing ourselves of the amenities there before we departed. The trip was scheduled to take four hours one way (about an hour longer than the train) and the bus nailed it both times.
The best part? All four of us taking the train to NYC would have cost $600. The Megabus cost us a total of $120. Awesome deal.
Katz's Delicatessen was one of the highlights of our trip. Pastrami sandwiches never appealed to me before, but I figured that if I was going to get one, this was the place. Here's my first-ever Pastrami and the rest of our lunch.
This was REALLY good.
Ben and I had a good time on Saturday walking from Times Square to the Empire State Building then up 5th Avenue to the Apple Store near Central Park then back to Times Square. It was a long walk but he was completely cool with it and we saw lots of interesting things. Seeing the Freedom Tower rise at the southern end of Manhattan was incredible. The thing is immense. It's hard to describe just how much it dominates the skyline so here's a shot. This is around 91 floors high with the facade above floor 66. It will top out at 105 floors.
Despite its reputation and history, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was a lot of fun. The stuntwork was ambitious and amazing, the setting and special effects mind-blowing. The book and score weren't totally memorable (the score was noticeably U2ish) but worked well enough. The guy who played the Green Goblin was fantastic. The audience ate it up. Afterwards, Rachel got a whole bunch of autographs and her picture taken with Spider-Man. Then, the guy who had just starred on Broadway in front of a couple thousand people, slung his guitar case over his shoulder and starting walking home by himself. It was surreal.
Here's a preview that gives you an excellent taste of the show.
Chicago on Friday night was the polar opposite of Spider-Man. A small theatre, the orchestra on the stage, no sets, minimal costuming. Just the half dozen main characters and a chorus of singer/dancers who played all the other roles. It was a testament to just how talented the performers are that it was fun and interesting and great.
Rachel's auditions went well and she got a callback from the University of Miami. All in all, a fun little break that we were happy to share as a family.
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