My Love affair with NYC

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My love affair with New York City.

The first time I went to NYC I was a new 22-year-old teacher at Bountiful High school.   I went with a group of drama students on an educational tour between the Christmas- New Year holiday break.    We went and toured with other drama teachers and students from across the state.  

We stayed  or should I say "holed up" in the Edison Hotel,  on 47^th just off Times Square.  It was 1984 and the Edison had a beautiful old world lobby but the rest of the hotel  was really old world and not updated in the least.  I checked my four girl students  into their room, my one boy into his (that he shared with a student from another school), and then I wandered down a labyrinth of hallways where the ceiling got shorter and closer to the top of my head til I was let into a closet..I mean my room with a single bed and a tiny RV type bathroom.    The accommodations were kind of bleak, but the experience was out of this world.  Thus began my love affair with NYC. 

1984 was back  when NO one went into Central Park (too many drug deals and prostitutes) and before the Mayor and Disney had yet to reform Time Square and the theatre district.  There were many XXX theatres and pamphlets being handed out EVERYWHERE.  We were told to keep our eyes down and stay together in a group close.   My girl students were afraid, and so we did. My boy student- Craig Casper- was more adventurous and walked us through Central Park .  He was our protector.  He was probably 125lbs. dripping wet, but had been to this city with his father so he felt more secure and after the park walk he took us to Carnegie Deli for “real” German deli style cheesecake—and yes, it was amazing.  (I had gotten a piece at Carnegie Deli every trip until it closed in 2016. I mourned.)     I remember being in the Howard Johnsons (that was on Times Square but isn’t any more because of the Times Square Marriott)  and  when asked where we were from and  we said, “Utah” the waitress looked at my one boy student and four girl students and me  and said,  “Oh I get it polygamy.  Can I see your horns.?”  My students looked at me very confused.  Realizing that she thought we were all married to 16 year old Craig- made us  laugh hysterically.   

We saw Cats,  ( I was stunned by the dancing and how they decorated the theatre up so we were all small and it felt like we were in a garbage dump—giant shoes and drink bottles and cans.  It was very immersive)  La Cage Aux Folles, , A Neil Simon play and an off Broadway small musical. La Cage Aux Folles blew me away…such a  tender, bittersweet story and so amazing with all of the people in drag – some men and some women which kept everyone guessing til the end when they finally pulled their wigs off.  Astonishing. 

We came out of La Cage on New Years Eve and were trapped in a block jammed with too many people on Times Square.  We were  jostled, pushed and shoved, so we linked arms, kept our valuables close to our chests and waited for the ball to drop.  It was magical. Then within minutes after the ball drop a million people just disappeared and all that was left was  massive amounts of garbage and confetti.  By morning, even that was cleaned up.  

I couldn’t wait to get back to NYC…so two years later in the 1986  Christmas/New Years holiday,  I was there again, this time with Wayne.  We saw.. Smile,  Rumors,  Cats  ( again)  a little off broadway production that wasn’t memorable but the guy out front trying to sell us “coke and weed” certainly was.    We avoided the New Years Eve crush…staying on the side flow streets and watching the police horses rear up and keep the crowd at bay.   We saw bottles being thrown out of hotel windows and landing on people’s heads..one guy all bloodied…and one gentleman , who was soooo intoxicated, dropped his pants and shouted ,”Happy New Year,” at the top of his lungs.   Good times. We ate at a little Chinese restaurant with  real cats running around—not the costumed, dancing, jellical kind.

Times Square and NYC got  cleaned up and “Disney-ized” in the 1990’s. Thank goodness.  It made the place much more family friendly.   

I didn’t get back to NYC til 1996 and I’ve been going pretty consistently ever since. 

I have been with just Wayne or with different groups of friends - many times, with a  girlfriend, with my sisters and mom , with a BHS choir trip, taken the older boys with the Wangsgaards and Brady Bentley, taken the younger boys with Lindsey, taken Laila  and just recently I was there with  Truman.   

I love New York.   There is so much to see and do.

I love the energy.  

I love people watching.

I love hailing a cab. ( UBER is better now)

I love ALL of the theatre.

I love the food carts.

I love scouting out the best “cheap” pizza in NYC.

I love following different foodies advice for the best this or that at restaurants.

I loved the cheap shopping in China town -  I have bought too many purses, too many watches, sunglasses, pashminas and t shirts.

I love walking through the expensive 5th avenue high end stores..and I used to love going to H and M – which was only in New York, and Forever 21 – which was only in New York…but now they are everywhere.  I still love Zara.

I love walking through Central Park and watching the artists, the nannys with  strollers,  the zoo, the ice skating rink, the John Lennon memorial,  the lakes, the fountain, the bikers and  horse drawn carriages.

I’m okay with the subway..it doesn’t scare me…but I love walking the most.

I love walking the Brooklyn Bridge back into the City.

I love going to church there.

I love spending time in the museums.

I love the Statue of Liberty …seeing it up close or far away.

I love the romance of the Empire State Building, or going to the Top of the Rock and now the  One World Trade Center for outstanding views. 

So much to love.