New York, New York

As an early Xmas present to each other, we had a 2 day holiday in NYC. We took the train from Union Station in DC at 7:30 am to Penn Station in Manhattan. They've put up a parking garage at Union Station since our last trip. The lot where we parked last time has a building on it now. We got up to New York about 11:00 am, hiked from Penn Station to Times Square and got into our hotel. Then we went looking for lunch in a real NYC delicatessen. On the way to lunch we saw the Naked Cowboy. I'm not sure what he was advertising, but he looks kind of cold. You never know what you will see around Times Square. It's fun to wander around and take a look. We saw some other entertainers in front of the Ripley's Odditorium. They were dancing to a Reggae rhythm up on stilts. The first night we went to see the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall. It was their 75th Anniversary Extravaganza and they put on quite a show. I never expected to see 3D effects in a live theater show. The next day we had breakfast in the hotel and then headed down to Macy's. We walked along 5th Avenue to see how the shops were decorated and passed by the NYC Public Library with its lions in the front.
Macy's was packed. Black Friday here is a regular Thursday for them. This was a regular workday and it was tough to move around, and you could forget about getting an elevator. I'm always intrigued by their wooden escalators anyway. These things are ancient and look like they could eat small children. Macy's goes all out during the holiday season. We liked the Poinsettias singing carols. Macy's also has on display the crystal ball that will be seen in Times Square to usher in the New Year. This was very impressive. A huge ball that changed color over and over. Like watching a kaleidoscope from the outside.We originally planned to see the matinee for Wicked on Wednesday. However, the stagehand strike prevented that. We did get tickets for Mary Poppins instead. This was in the New Amsterdam theater, which was famous for the Ziegfeld Follies. It was a great performance. I never have seen someone tap dance upside down before.After the play we headed back down to Penn Station to catch our train. We stopped off at another delicatessen for dinner. If you ever eat at one of these places bring a big appetite or plan on sharing. They had some really great coleslaw, too. We got a last view of the Empire State Building and went into the train station.
They have an interesting way of doing business there. There is a display board in the center of a huge room that shows what trains are coming in and what track they are boarding from. The thing is you won't know what track to go to until about 10 minutes before they start boarding. The board would change showing the track number and a herd would stampede for the door. We had a great time in NYC as we normally do when we visit. It would be a fun place to live; for about a year. I don't know if I could keep up the pace longer than that.

Milonga ‘Pasional’ at the Athenaeum

Anya and Anthony of TangoDuos are participating in the Milonga 'Pasional' held at the Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria every 2nd and 4th Friday. We are really enjoying our Argentine Tango lessons and are always looking for new places to dance. So, we decided to check it out.

The Athenaeum is an interesting venue. It used to be a bank among other things and is now a center for the arts. They have just installed a new floor which was a pleasure to dance on. It wasn't crowded as we went on the Friday after Thanksgiving. They usually have a pretty good crowd so next time we'll get there good and early. It was a great place to use our Argentine Tango and we need the practice.

Play Review - South Pacific

We have a tradition for Thanksgiving. We normally get season tickets to the Lazy Susan Dinner Theater every year and spend Thanksgiving there. This year they put on a production of South Pacific. As the year heads into winter, it was kind of nice to be reminded of romantic nights on warm, tropical islands. The production of this classic play was great and the food is always good and plentiful. It's a lot easier on the cleanup, also.

Traffic Trouble

We went to the O Club on Wednesday night, which is our usual thing. We have a standing date and have become regulars there. They have a great buffet meal and a good sized dance floor. The band last Wednesday was "Airplay", a four piece ensemble who did a pretty good job.

We always try to arrive before the door opens at 6:00 PM. There is normally a line of the other regulars and we get a chance to visit for a couple minutes. We wait for our meal until the band's first break. Most everyone else is hitting the buffet line while we hit the floor, so there is more room to dance. After the break we get to sit down to enjoy our meals; unless a really good song comes up. Eating comes second to dancing.

On the way off Ft Belvior, about 9:00 PM (2100 Hours for us military types), we encountered a traffic signal that was malfunctioning. We sat at the red light for several minutes before I decided it would never change. I checked both ways and proceeded through the intersection. The MP in the car behind me thought that I hadn't waited long enough. I got off with a warning and I will pass it on to you; "Never run a red light on a military installation." I wanted to ask him how long I should have waited. However, I make it my policy never to be argumentative with anyone more heavily armed than I.

Second Sunday Dance at DCRC

Jody and Charlie have started having a dance at the Dale City Recreation Center every 2nd Sunday of the month from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. They normally have a practice session on Sunday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. This is in a larger room and they bring finger foods and water.

We went Sunday to this dance and had a lot of fun. There were dancers with a variety of experience; some new students and others that have danced for years. It is a nice venue and a bunch of great people. The word must be getting out as there were enough people that Charlie opened the removable wall to expand the room. It would be nice if there were more opportunities for dancing on this end of the county.

I think that ballroom dance is the perfect entertainment. When you are dancing with a partner, you necessarily have to pay attention to that partner. If you go to a move with your significant other, you are both paying attention to the screen (or to the kid that just dumped his soda in your lap).

Friday Night Dance

We were invited by friends to attend a dance at the Heritage Hunt clubhouse last Friday. There was a nice dinner and a DJ. We got a chance to visit and dance some Swing and Hustle.

Here are Kathy and Randy doing some Jive.