New York State of Mind Part 1
So it has been over a week since JP, my amazing mother in law, and my dear childhood friend and I hit the big apple. I think I am still recovering, processing, and wrapping my head around it all. The trip was truly magical and truly amazing on a number of levels that I just don't know where to begin or end. I have decided I will just start at the beginning and the beginning might surprise you.
May 3 at exactly 1:20 pm I happen to be on my email and I received a message titled: DISNEY'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL-iTheatrics 2018 Choreo DVD. I opened it immediately and here is a little of what it said:
Congratulations to all who participated in the 2018 Junior Theater Festival Choreography DVD auditions in Atlanta and Sacramento and others who have done amazing things with iTheatrics throughout the year! You should be so incredibly proud of yourselves...your professionalism, flexibility, and talent amaze me. This email is your invitation into the 2018 High School Musical JR. Choreography DVD Shoot cast. Yes, you are cast!
JP's amazing dance teacher who discovered our shining star and is helping me navigate all the excitement! Thank God for Mrs. Megan and everyone at Preston Center Dance
I remember sitting there and thinking, "HOLY HELL! He made it! He really made it! Now what? HOLY HELL! I have to go to New York! YUCK!" I admit it! I said it! But I am proud to say I obviously sent the email on to him and sent him a text saying, "READ YOUR EMAIL NOW!" Then I picked up the phone and called his dance teacher Ms. Megan. I did not have a clue as to what iTheatrics was or is, remember this is all very new for me having a kid in the dance and acting world, and I asked her is this something that I REALLY need to make happen. Well she gave me a resounding YES and I trust her and I know how much she believes in my John Paul that I started working on the details as I needed to have John Paul in New York no later than June 26. Which that alone gave me the hives. I had ZERO desire at that time to go to New York. I had been before as a kid and I remember thinking it stunk and was stupid crowded! Well I can assure you my mind has since been changed and I am happy to report I LOVE NEW YORK CITY! Like REALLY love it! Like that will have to be a post in itself I love it that much!
JP and I getting ready to board our plane. Smiles all around!
Ok, back to JP! Being that I did not want to go I asked my mother in law if she would come with me and she was more than excited to come and my bestfriend Ginger too! So I had two peeps to keep me entertained while JP danced and sang all day which was great! We arrived in New York late on the 26 and my sweet JP had a list of places he wanted to hit. First on the list was Rays Pizza. Let me just say, "WINNER!" That pizza is amazing! Have you ever had it? If not, I highly suggest it should you find yourself in New York and I highly suggest keeping it simple and going with the pepperoni pizza! I knew New York had amazing pizza as my family is from the east coast, but holy cow I forgot how amazing! And boy did it hit the spot after traveling.
BEST PIZZA EVER! RAYS for the win! One happy kid here!
The next day we were all up and at 'em early as we had to get JP to the Ripley Grier Studios by 9 am, with a packed lunch: all the while figuring out the subway system. Now that was a sight to behold! Trust me on that! I am happy to say we figured it out by day 2.5 and I am now the proud carrier of a couple of metro cards with a few rides left on each! Maybe we can use them next year if he gets invited back!
The AMAZING Steven Kennedy kindly booting the parents out! I will let you look him up and see how amazing he is and how BIG this iTheatrics invitation is for JP! I am still in awe after looking into all of the wonderful people working with JP.
Once we made it to the Studio we were allowed to go up for the parent meeting. I was all ready with my pen and notebook and JP was so embarrassed. I seriously thought it was a meeting! Basically it was, "Hi we will have your kids every day until 6. Here is who you check them in and out with. Pack their lunch daily please and send them with water. Check emails because if there are any changes or updates you will get them there. Do not camp out here! There is a Starbucks somewhere for that! Nice to see you, congrats on having such talented kids, now beat it and let us work our magic!" I was like wow! But, hey I realize if this is what he wants to do in life this is good. So I put my notebook up and my mother in law and I headed out to hit the streets.
AMAZING New York breakfast!
On the way down the elevator one of the sweet moms could tell we were new, it was so obvious it was ridiculous, and she asked if there was any questions we had as she had done this with her child already. I was like, "Thank you Jesus! Yes we have a ton of questions!" Then my mother in law piped in, "Can we treat you to breakfast?"
Chris and Trish were amazing! They knew the program and they knew the city which was an even bigger bonus! So we had breakfast, got our questions answered, and headed out. When we started this journey I asked my mother in law, "What do you want to do while we are in New York?" All she wanted to do besides see JP in his element was Bloomingdales and the 911 Memorial. So Thursday was our day to hit Bloomies as Ginger really wanted to see the 911 Memorial and she had yet to arrive.
When I travel I am not one that has a list of places to go like my son JP is. I am more the type of let's walk and experience it all. So I said to Gramzee, aka my mother in law, "According to my map Bloomies is this way! So let's stroll!" That is just what we did and we had THE BEST time! We happened across Bryant Park. It is this park that has ping pong games going, water fountains, pop up shops, a reading nook, and it was just so quaint and we just really loved it! I highly suggest you going there should you be in the city. It is so sweet! I imagine during the holidays they really do it up!
Right next to Bryant Park was the public library and again it was so beautiful! We did not actually go in but we admired the architecture and statues outside. We kept walking and low and behold found St. Patricks. For those of you who do not know, my mom was VERY Catholic and my dad still is. We walked over and we were going in to light a candle and would you believe they were starting a mass. Actually I have since learned there is a Mass all the time, but I took it as a sign from my mom that she was actually with me. My mother in law asked me if I would like to stay and attend and of course I did. I cried a little, but honestly they were happy tears as I could feel my mom's presence. It really was a magical moment for me. After mass we kept walking and found a quaint french restaurant and had a MAGNIFICENT lunch. I wish I could remember the name, but for the love of God I can't! All I can say is it was delish and is about three blocks down from Bloomingdales! Which we hit hard! So hard I made a friend at the Clarin's counter. Grace! She is amazing and if you are ever in New York and find yourself in Bloomies, you really should stop by her counter and ask her for a quick facial. It was AMAZING and so is she! She had me refreshed, refaced, and ready to get JP and hit the city at night!
The amazing Grace of Bloomies! So lucky to have crossed paths with her!
After our facials we got to JP, thanks to Grace's help in hailing a cab! Another site to behold, my mother in law and I trying to hail a cab! Grace saw the trouble we were having and graciously helped and we made it to JP just in the nick of time! We got JP and we headed to another spot on his list. Ellen's Stardust Cafe, which for those of you newbies like myself, is a very touristy but really neat experience. Especially if you are into the Broadway Musical Scene. Basically in a nutshell your waitstaff are Broadway performers who are in between shows or trying to get a show and they entertain you your entire meal. A lot of fun and I highly suggest you going if you love Musicals and singing! We had a ball and little side note. Go between 5 and 6:30 and your wait will be a lot less than after 6;30. Anything after 6:30 can take up to 2 hours. So take it from me. Try to get there before 6:30, but even if you don't, New York is the best place to people watch, so why not do that in line at Ellen's Stardust Cafe!
Gramzee was in good hands!
After dinner sweet Gramzee was spent so JP and I put her in a bike buggy and sent her home and we headed to Time Square! Want to talk about amazing people watching! It is the melting pot of people watching and JP and I loved every minute of it! From the Pot Mobile, to the painted naked people, yes you read that right, to all the interesting sights and sounds! It was a site to behold and one I am so glad to have experienced with my sweet JP and one that I will remember always. Ever have moments like this?
After that, we headed back as JP had to be up and ready to hit the dance floor by 9 am for another full day in practice. But we first made another stop at Ray's Pizza! JP LOVED their pizza! So we did and yes I am happy to report I ate it again too! I think I ate my way through the city and what a city to eat your way through! They know how to make their food! So we had our late night pizza and hit the sack!
So there you have it folks! Part one of New York! I can't wait to share Part 2 with you later this week with a New York State of Mind!
XO,
Amy
Hello, World!
Have I told you about the AMAZING shoe that I walked all over New York with! It was such a blessing to be able to wear sandals in the heat of the summer and these sandals are amazing for your feet!
