A Visit to NYC Part 2: Maman and the Magic of Broadway

I started off the first morning of my weekend with my mother by bringing her to Maman – one of my favorite little coffee shop/bakeries I’ve blogged about before. And how appropriate! Bringing my maman to Maman! (I thought that was cute.)

There we enjoyed some chatting and delicious pistachio chocolate croissants, while my mother enjoyed her coffee and I tried an iced rose tea limeade. The rose flavor made for an interesting mix, but it was quite nice and refreshing.

After breakfast we headed for the High Line – a place my mom had mentioned she wanted to see. An elevated park/walking trail, built along what used to be a railroad line, the High Line is a wonderful vantage point from which to enjoy the sights of the city. My mom and I walked along most of it, enjoying the plants in the park, situated amidst old railroad ties, as well as the city landscape around and below us.

As we were walking, we ran into a little honey event! There were stands where they were giving out free samples of honey (lavender honey and matcha green tea honey were two of the options – both highly recommended!), as well as some stands where you could get popsicles and shaved ice with flavored syrups and honey. I decided to get some shaved ice – peach lavender flavor, with lavender honey. I was trying to decide if they would probably take credit cards or not when I suddenly realized, there was no payment station! It was all free! After that, I doubly enjoyed my shaved ice – yummy and absolutely free of financial nuisances! (When we walked by a second time I got my mom and I popsicles too… after all, it was a hot day, and what better way to hydrate than with free and delicious popsicles?!)

Nearby the High Line, my mom and I went in to explore Chelsea Market. This is where I enjoyed some delicious iced drinking chocolate a few weekends ago! Overall, it’s a cute little indoor mall, with bookstores, random stores, and lots of food places. While there, my mom and I shared a topped focaccia from Amy’s Bread as a sort of lunch/snack – it was quite delicious. The selection of other pastries at Amy’s Bread looked quite delectable, as well.

As our day continued, my mom and I headed downtown to do a little more sightseeing – the 9/11 memorial, the Charging Bull and the Fearless Girl, Battery Park, etc. My mom joked that you knew you were on vacation with Marta when you had 20,000 steps before 2 pm – which is right about where we were at! We didn’t want to be too tired for the evening, so after a little relaxed time in Battery Park and some refreshing fresh-squeezed lemonade, we headed back to the hotel.

Around 5:30, we headed out to meet my dad’s friend, John Bolton, who is starring in Broadway’s Anastasia right now as Vlad, at Sardi’s. For those of you that aren’t familiar with it, Sardi’s is a lovely theatre-themed restaurant, conveniently located right in the middle of Broadway. Actors can often be found there, and theatre memorabilia and caricatures of performers line the room. They also happen to have great food! If you ever have the chance to go, I definitely recommend it – and if you have the chance to go with an actor/actress, I would recommend it even more; I think it just makes the whole experience more fun!

I had a delicious meal of scallops, risotto, and vegetables. I haven’t had scallops in a long time (and love them!), and these were excellent – buttery, melt-in-your-mouth smooth. John kindly let me take a picture of his loaded Cobb salad, as well, which looked like a winner.

For dessert, we shared (which is to say I ate most of it hehe) Sardi’s famous Boccone Dolce – a delicious strawberry-shortcake-like cake without the shortcake; think fluffy whipped cream (and meringue!) and strawberries. Although dairy does not always suit my stomach, whipped cream is one of the great loves of my life, and this dessert was an absolute delight!

After dinner, John headed off to get ready for the show, and my mom and I wandered around until it was time to go sit down for Anastasia.

Fortunately or unfortunately (I think fortunately), Broadway is something that simply cannot be captured in words. This show, Anastasia, was a prime example of everything I love about Broadway. The music was beautiful – some of it coming from the movie nearly everyone from my generation remembers fondly. The choreography was excellent – there’s even a ballet number in the middle, where the actors and actresses who’ve been dancing and singing and acting suddenly break out their pointe shoes! The singing was fantastic – a number of really touching and tingling moments with beautiful long-held notes (I loved both Anastasia’s and Dmitry’s voices). And John was excellent – hilarious, wonderful dancing, incredible stage presence. His character is definitely one of the highlights of the show.

Overall, it was one of those shows where you forget where you are, and could keep watching for hours. I truly could hardly stop grinning throughout the show, and my mom can attest to the fact that we were both gushing about it for some time after we left the theatre. If you ever have the opportunity to see a Broadway show – especially if you never have before – I absolutely, 100% recommend that you do. Anastasia certainly wouldn’t be a bad one to start with!