Chicago and Argentinean Food

This one will be short and sweet.  We went to see Chicago, the musical, today.  It was in the Ambassador Theater built in 1921.  It was another postage stamp theater with the stage hardly being bigger than a stage in a modern high school.  In fact, I would wager that Birdville High School, a new high school close to our old Hurst house, has a better stage than this Broadway theater.  Anyway.  Best things:  Live music, full orchestra - but it was on stage because there's no 'pit' for the orchestra in front of the audience.  That left about 12 feet of stage room for the actors to put on the musical.  Therefore, the staging was quite inventive with actors lined up on the sides of the stage and appearing from the center of the orchestra.  The conductor of the orchestra even had a few 'bits' in the play.  Second, the 'star' of the performance (Christie Brinkley) did not perform today which we both considered a first rate piece of luck - she's rumored to sing very little and when she does rather badly compared to the others in the cast.  The singers and dancers were just first rate.  It was thoroughly entertaining and rollicking nonsensical fun.  Such a contrast to yesterday.

In keeping with trying to eat different foods, today we went for Argentinean.  I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I know it was good.  One of the things I really like here is the Prie Fixe Menu concept.  You usually get an abbreviated form of the menu with 3 courses (choices in each category) for a set fixed price.  Today we had beef empanadas with chircurria sauce (spicy and tasty), followed by salmon with couscous/spicy salsa topping for Drake and a chicken cutlet with tomato bruschetta and french fries for me.  We both had cheesecake.  Everything was first rate, and the price was under $100 and that included glasses of wine with dinner.  For New York that's a bargain.  

We also had two experiences today with New Yorkers.  First, we took a new subway line (for us), and we couldn't figure out how to make the transfer to get into Manhattan.  We were standing around, looking frustrated when a guy on his way to the Puerto Rican Parade asked us if he could help us.  Since we were going his way, he said, "Oh sure.  Just follow me."  He led us right to the exact place we needed to catch the train, and amused us with some light conversation.  Turns out he's just moved to Brooklyn to save some rent money, and he wants to get back to Manhattan where the trains run more frequently.  He left us with a fun riddle:  What goes up and never comes back down? 

  Our second experience was on the way home today.  We've discovered that the most crowded trains are not rush hour, but the weekends.  It's due to some trains not running on the weekends as well as large numbers of people moving about all throughout the day and night.  It's actually harder to get a seat on the subway train on the weekends than during the weekdays.  I'm still having trouble remaining upright on the subway - especially when it lurches suddenly.  Today, it lurched and I stumbled.  I didn't knock into anybody because I've learned to hang on with two hands.  Anyway, a young woman noticed me and simply got up and offered me her seat making it gracious by saying she was about to get off anyway.

Those kinds of occurrences have been commonplace and has been a pleasant surprise. The level of civility between strangers is much, much higher here than any other place I've ever been.  It crosses all color lines.  When I was here in the late 60's, people would literally run you over on the sidewalks and would shove you out of their way.  I never heard an apology or anyone offering to help.  Now courtesy and consideration seem to be the norm here.  Who would have expected it?

Tomorrow will be a light day - I have to clean this house in preparation for our friend arriving.  Drake wants to wash the car - ironically, there's a 24 hour manned car wash about a block from this house.  The real trick will be to back down this tortuously narrow driveway.  My job will be to stand behind the car and yell, "STOP!"

Tomorrow night - Little Italy - I've already picked out a place to eat.