Pride Parade NYC 2015 #LOVEWINS

My phone buzzed with an alert shortly after 10AM on Friday morning. I was on the subway and surprised to have a text come through. I stared at my phone a little dazed. SCOTUS RULES MARRIAGE BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL. MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR ALL. I emerged from the under ground onto the bright, sunny streets of New York City in the good ol’ USA! America the beautiful where love is love and everyone can get married from sea to shining sea!

I walked down the street smiling, which turned to a grin when I saw this guy.

He was so ready for this ruling. Pride flag out the minute the news hit the airwaves. I imagine he’s been ready for this for decades. He had his own mini Pride Parade there on Park Avenue Friday morning. The perfect start to Pride Weekend and a preview of:

NYC Pride Parade 2015 ♥♥♥♥♥♥

I’ve been attending Pride parades and fighting for marriage equality since I was 16 years old. This was a hella (as we say in my hometown) hella special!

Rainbows EVERYWHERE! Except in the sky! The rain held off for the parade though had it not, many were prepared with festive umbrellas!

Can I just tell you how amazing it is to be in New York City and have EVERYONE around you radiating happiness and pride? I hope you can imagine that because it is truly fucking beautiful.

Glitter and be gay!

We’re dancing in the streets! Girl walked the whole parade in those heels. It is not a short parade, it’s at least a couple of miles. RESPECT!

She’s not just see the world through rose-colored glasses, she’s seeing it through LOVE!

Diva. Fabulous. Again, in awe of the heels: that’s a real person, not a mannequin, I swear!

Gorgeous. Look at that national pride, baby!

Together 32 years! I told them they were adorable and they were like, “Cause we’re old?” No! Cause you’re so happy and clearly so in love!

But yes, the old couples who have been together for decades, not able to marry, always make me cry. Always. I see a sign, “Together 37 years, married 2” and it’s like turning on a faucet. So happy for them!

Nerd pride!

It was lovely to see many churches represented in the parade. Hooray for God loving EVERYONE. There was a church on the parade route adorned with flags, with a table out front handing out cups of water. It fills my heart with joy and hope when religion actually practices what it preaches!

Love, acceptance, tolerance, peace!

I think this guy danced down the entire parade route. He is wonderful. Makes me consider checking out the Collegiate Churches of New York!

I didn’t see a single protester or anti-gay representative. Actually, that’s a lie. I saw a guy with a “JESUS SAYS REPENT” sign but he was holding a rainbow flag. Very confusing. There’s an article going about “Orthodox Jews Can’t Protest Gay Pride Parade, Hire Mexicans Instead” but I don’t think he was part of that! Still, every single thing I saw at Pride 2015 made me incredibly happy!

Including some great butts!

And about a dozen Marilyn Monroes.

Hope you had a chance to celebrate marriage equality this weekend! If you’re overseas, maybe you’ve gain a bit more respect for America!

Happy Pride! LOVE WINS!

14 Acceptable Reasons to Ghost Your Date

I’d been on four great dates with this guy. He made me laugh, he remembered my favorite cookies are macarons, and he didn’t let a little rain ruin a lovely evening. Smart, spontaneous, and also really cute. I was starting to think he might be someone I could actually really like. After our fourth date he kissed me goodbye and left the next day for a two-week vacation in the Hamptons. Two weeks is a long time when you’ve barely known someone a month!

The first week he texted me pictures from the beach, pictures of the lobsters he was eating, pictures that made me absolutely jealous but also happy. He was keeping in touch, maybe he might actually really like me too! When he texted me “You need to come next time”, I felt sure of it.

The second week was completely different. He responded to one text I sent but otherwise I heard nothing. “It’s okay, Mary Lane,” I told myself, “He’s spending his time making the most of his vacation, not texting you! That’s okay! Give him space!”

I gave it some time. I knew the day he was back in the city…that day came and went. Three days later, I still hadn’t heard from him….
“After a two-week vacation, work is probably crazy…” I rationalized, shoving the or maybe he’s just not that into you doubts aside. “Keep giving him time.”

I gave him time, plenty of time. Nothing. When I hadn’t heard from him in over a week, I decided fuck this shit. I was tired of simply hoping to hear from him. So I texted him, “Are you still in the Hamptons?”

No response.

My fears were confirmed. The guy was ghosting me. What a jerk!

“Ghosting” is a term that refers to a common modern dating phenomenon. A romantic prospect falls off the face of your earth. They leave a radio silence on all forms of communication. They disappear with no warning and you never know WHY.

It’s a horrible thing to do to someone! I loathe it. I do not stand for it. So I texted him again:

Look at me! I’m so cute and clever! He’ll have to respond to that!

NOPE! NEVER got a response. NOTHING. DEAD SILENCE.

I was hurt. Ghosting so damn disrespectful! I was pissed. It’s fucking mean! ANY response is kinder than being ignored! I was annoyed. There’s no excuse for ghosting!

Then I thought about it (because I couldn’t get it out of my head, no matter how much I wanted to). I thought about it and realized, you know, there actually are some excuses for ghosting! In addition to drowning and frisbee head injuries, I came up with:

14 Acceptable Reasons to Ghost Someone

1 A parent died

You’re grief-stricken, probably having difficulty processing your feelings. You’re on the phone constantly, handling funeral arrangements, speaking to lawyers, and relatives you haven’t seen since you were seven. You’ve completely forgotten about me and I totally get it. Best wishes to you and your family.

2 Diagnosed with an STI

As long as you didn’t expose me to it, there’s no reason to tell me. But you’re probably embarrassed enough that you don’t want to deal with any potential sexual partner right now. Makes sense to me! Welp, hope it’s not AIDS, hun!

3 Bi-polar disorder

Maybe when we met you were manic and now you’ve come crashing down. You see my text and can’t respond to it. How could any one possibly like you when you feel this worthless and depressed? So I never hear from you again. I understand and sincerely hope you have a good therapist.

4 Discovered we are blood related

You Google-searched the shit out of me and Ancestors.com revealed we have the same great-great grand father. You can’t believe you made out with your COUSIN! GROSS! You’re so disgusted, you never talk to me again. You think you’re doing me a favor, sparing me this incestuous knowledge. No, man! You’re depriving me of a RIDICULOUS story! Damn it!

5 Arrested and cannot make bail

Who knows what the crime was. But being in jail definitely makes it impossible to contact someone! I can blame you for being a criminal, but I can’t blame you for ghosting!

6 Kidnapped

Oh this is just horrible! Of course you can’t communicate, you’re bound and gagged and god knows where! Stay strong!

7 Sold into sex trade

Do grown men actually get sold into sexual slavery? Seems incredibly rare. Dude, you have the worst luck. But the best excuse for ignoring me! Stay strong! You will escape, I believe in you!

8 Spontaneous decision to join a monastery

You saw a vision sent from God. It was so powerful, you felt moved to destroy all your worldly possessions (including your phone), forsake all temptations of the flesh (including me), and devote yourself to Jesus! Hallelujah.

9 Forced to join a cult

You poor thing! Hope you’re as unbreakable as Kimmy Schmidt!

10 Castration

Ouch. That’s….that’s gotta be painful on so many levels. I want to ask how the fuck this happened but uh, you’re dealing with enough shit right now. Um…I hope it doesn’t get infected? Hope you find a good therapist? Take care!

11 Rare flesh-eating virus destroyed fingers

At least it’s better than castration?

12 Amnesia

I mean, if you can’t remember who I am, I can’t very well expect you to respond to me. Get well soon! And congrats on having such a romantic, old-timey affliction!

13 BOTH hands bitten off by crocodile, replaced with hooks

Well, I sure get why you can’t text! The bad news is no woman is going to let you near her with TWO hooks. The good news is the next Peter Pan remake will probably be all about you! Cool!

14 Death

Aw! You became, like, an actual ghost! Bummer, babe, but take comfort in the words of Billy Joel: “only the good die young”. Rest in peace!

NO DOUBT one of these happened to that poor guy I’d been on four dates with! I mean, I could assume he’s a disrespectful asshole, but I’ll never know for sure! Maybe he’s a really nice guy who contracted genital warts, joined a monastery, and lost all his fingers ALL ON THE SAME DAY!

Moral of the story is: if you ghost, expect us to assume EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST.

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015

Solstice Yoga in Times Square

Here’s a New York summer tradition you may not know about. Every summer solstice June 21st, for the past 14 years, a group of people gathers in Times Square to practice yoga. At the start it was just a few friends, just a few mats, just a few sun salutations. This past Sunday, June 21 2015, thousands of people gathered in Times Square for free yoga classes offered nearly every hour from 7AM to 7PM.

I was there the entire 12 hours (even longer actually). I spent the entirety of the longest day of the year watching people find zen amid the chaos of aggressive drivers, thralling crowds, flashing lights, and incessant advertisements.

I watched the day begin with a gray, humid drizzle. A little rain wasn’t enough to deter those who signed up for the 7AM first class. They slapped their mats down on the wet pavement, perhaps happy for its cool temperature in late June.

June 21st was named the International Day of Yoga this year. The Times Square event perfectly fit in with this new celebration. People all over the world practiced yoga in large groups to celebrate. Dignitaries from India, where yoga originates, were in Times Square and quite thrilled with the international distinction.

Athletica provided mats for all attendees throughout the day. They also gave sunflowers to the early morning classes. Flowers waving all over Times Square. Feet flying in the air. Large crowds moving and breathing in unison. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Good thing I took pictures!

There were people of all different walks and different levels. Yes, the majority were ladies in Lululemon attire. But there were also old men with round physiques and surprising flexibility, a few father-daughter pairs for Father’s Day, many tourists in jeans who had not planned on a day of yoga but wanted to join in after walking by. Best of all there were some truly incredible yogis celebrating the 1st ever International Day of Yoga in the dirty, concrete, “crossroads of the world”.

Who knows how many sun salutations I watched that day but it’s no surprise the sun came out by late morning.

Solstice Yoga Times Square

Yoga in pretty much every open space in Times Square. From 42nd Street all the way up to 47th.

I tried to join in the fun! Hopped on a mat, grabbed a sunflower and tried to find balance. Concentrated on blocking out all the noise and comotion of every New York dweller’s least favorite landmark.

As you can see, I was so bad at yoga, I cleared out all of Times Square! That NEVER happens! It’s like my tragic lack of flexibility became a walk-way clearing super power!

Fine, fine, that’s not what happened at all. But to have the experience of being in a deserted area of Times Square? That was a once in a life time opportunity. Then to do a sun salutation alone on the empty street? It was pretty awesome.

By the end of the longest day of the year, I was starting to lose my mind. The sun, the lights, the fact that I’d been up since 4:15AM, it was all catching up the me. Was I seeing things? It seemed like the world was turning dark. The wind started rippling little pieces of trash in between the mats set down for the final class of the day. Just as my brain felt like it might burst, the dark clouds up above ripped open.

Down pour. All over Times Square. It came on so fast no one was really ready for it. People used their mats as shelter from the storm.

Most people stayed for the class. Of those people, each one I saw stayed in good spirits as well. A summer shower leaves you soaking wet in Times Square. So you stay and find peace and practice yoga. In a way, it was the perfect end to the day.

My shoes got soaked in the rain. That’s when I did the unthinkable. Maybe because I was losing my mind after a long day, maybe because connecting my feet with the earth felt like a solid yogi practice, maybe just because I could. I took my shoes off and stood barefoot in the middle of Times Square.

Stranger things have happened on Midsummer, I suppose. Shakespeare wrote a whole play about that. But this will certainly go down as something I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would do.

The clouds parted for blue sky and sun in time for the last yoga class of 2015 held in Times Square. The perfect end to the longest day of the year.

If you’re interested in participating in this event next year, visit the Times Square Alliance website for more info. If you don’t want to wait a whole year, Bryant Park has free public yoga all summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For all the info on that visit Bryant Park’s website.

Happy official summer everyone! Namaste!

June 16, 2015August 31, 2017

Good Old-Fashioned Fun at the Jazz Age Lawn Party

This past weekend saw NYC’s niftiest party of the summer, the Jazz Age Lawn Party! Governor’s Island was transported back in time to the roaring ’20s. But with legal alcohol and much better cameras!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of this swell event. Live music, performances, dancing, vintage, fashion shows, even a pie baking contest: they aren’t kidding when they call it the bee’s knees! Spirits were high, St. Germain spirits were flowing, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

It brings you back to simpler times. Before blogs, before Instagram, when people watching was the highest form of such entertainment. Before tanning was ever in vogue and fans were the perfect hand-held device.

JALP-parasol-beauty — I hope these ladies bring parasols back into fashion on the city streets!

There’s something about this event that is hard to describe. Perhaps good old-fashioned fun best covers it. Everyone who enters the fenced event space seems to have a smile on their face. Everyone is in a good mood, even if they somehow missed the 11:30AM ferry (even though they were totally on time for it) and had to wait half an hour for the next one.

JALP-ferry — The ferry ride to Governor’s Island full of Jazz Age Lawn Partiers!

JALP-ferry-skyline — The view from the ferry- doesn’t get better than this!

Perhaps it’s the sort of people this event attracts- cats and kittens who love an excuse to dress up and boogie on the dance floor surrounded by trees under sunny skies.

Also families. The Jazz Age Lawn Party is known for being a family friendly event. Yet it has few aspects that cater specifically to children. Fun for all ages is every inch the case of this lovely celebration. (Every inch apart from the bar I should say! Prohibition has no place at this jazz age event. Let me assure you, the St. Germain signature cocktails are incredibly refreshing in the heat!)

Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra provide a steady soundtrack of big band jazz tunes throughout the day. The man looks impeccable and his voice is smoother than the ferry ride over the calm New York harbor. He’s also a terrific master of ceremonies, bringing in the lovely dancers of the Dreamland Follies and Carvella’s Canarsi Wobblers.

Michael Arenella is the fella responsible for this whole event. He’s grown it from a small picnic into a giant, 2 weekend party over the past ten years. It’s absolutely remarkable. I’d love to meet him one day, but it probably won’t be a Jazz Age Lawn Party day because he’s the man of the hour, in greater demand than anyone else on the island! I can only imagine what a wonderful human he is, given the atmosphere he’s created for this party!

Were you distracted from the band leader whose praises I just sang? In this picture, yes, he may be upstaged by a New York icon! That man behind the camera is indeed Bill Cunningham, the lauded NYTimes street style photographer! It was a special surprise to get to see him in his element. I was especially tickled to be on the same press list as him!

The Jazz Age Lawn Party is certainly an event with fantastic fashions, “lawn style” if you will, as opposed to “street”.

JALP-style — She made her dress and hat herself!

JALP-mens-style — Who knew a man could look so good and so masculine holding a parasol?

Ah the days when no outfit was complete without coordinated head wear!

Dear Gentlemen of New York City,

I hope you made it this far through the post without tuning out because I have a very important message for you.

YOU NEED TO ATTEND THE JAZZ AGE LAWN PARTY. August 15-16 is the next and final weekend of the season, buy your tickets now!

Why?

If you’re a fella who likes fellas: I don’t think I need to make more of a case than I already have. It’s a fabulous party!

If you’re a fella who likes the ladies: The female-to-male ration at this event was easily 3:1. Go to this event, I guarantee you a dame dripping with joie de vive. If you can dance, they’ll hanging all over you.

I was lucky enough to have this fella ask me to dance. His name was Tony and CRIPES was he an amazing dancer! I’m a terrible dancer, but even so Tony made me look good, spinning me around, and leading me firmly into a dozen moves I thought I’d need at least an hour to rehearse.

When the music ended, I felt like I’d just been on a roller coaster! This guy’s world-class! He told me his dance teacher is on TV and that he has mastered every dance form except ballet! I believe it! Thanks for the dance, Tony!

The Jazz Age Lawn Party is such a hit that it takes place two weekends every summer. So you still have plenty of time to plan for the next one, which (like I already told the boys) is August 15-16th. Don’t be intimidated by all the amazing outfits I show cased here! You need not have a 1920’s vintage swim suit like the participants of the Bathing Beauties and Beaus Promenade!

JALP-bathing-beauties — Spot Bill Cunningham again?

That said, almost everyone wears something that gives at least a nod to the period. Gents, strap on suspenders and a bow tie and you’ll be grand. Even just garden party attire will do. Ladies, throw on your best shift dress and a long strand of pearls. Everyone, put something festive in on your head. Here’s what Elaine and I came up with from our (+roommates’) wardrobes!

Of course if you want to go all out, it really is the perfect time. There are some amazing vendors on site, selling vintage pieces as well as hand crafts. My favorite was Dora Marra for Headdress NY. Her fascinators are so fun and I hope some day I have enough style to wear one!

All information for the upcoming August Jazz Age Law Party can be found on their website. Tickets start at $35 and are selling out quick! Children under 12 are free. If you can not attend but want more jazz age swankiness in your life, check out my post from last year’s 2014 party. Then put Pandora on a jazz station and re-read The Great Gatsby. We’ll all have a grand old time.

June 10, 2015

Home Town VS Now Town: Giants VS Mets No-Hitter!

I’ve lived in New York for seven years, but I was born and raised and spent the first 18 years of my life living in San Francisco. At least once a day people ask me where I’m from and it’s with great pride I get to say, “San Francisco!” That question is often followed up with, “Which do you like better?” I can’t chose! I love them both!

Well, last night I was in a position where I did chose.

Last night the New York Mets played the San Francisco Giants and I journeyed out to Queens to ~~pretend to care about sports~~ see the game!

It was barely a month ago that I declared the Mets as my favorite New York team and wrote all about what I’d wear to a Mets game. Well, last night I forgot all that and remembered my roots.

SAN FRANCISCO, BABY! LET’S GO GIANTS!

It felt weird. I felt like I was betraying my love of NYC! Rooting for MY home town rather than THE home town is also strange. I was tiny minority wearing my Giants baseball cap, walking around Citi Field. I guess it made me look like a die-hard fan, someone who had traveled far and wide, not just a subway ride, to see this game. Some dude on line for a hot dog yelled something at me about a player and I looked at him and laughed, “You expect me to know what you’re talking about? Hahahaha! Buddy, I’m clueless about sports! I’m here for the beer! Unless you want to buy me one, shut up!”

Giants VS Mets No-Hitter

I thought the Giants would need my love way more than the Mets. That turned out to be entirely wrong. Last night Chris Heston of the Giants pitched a no-hitter. The Mets didn’t connect a single bat with a single ball all night! Apparently this is a big deal in baseball. All my sport-fan friends (yeah I have like, 2) texted me, “You’re at the no-hitter!? No way!” Even the Mets fans I watched the game with thought it was cool, “Well if I have to watch the Mets lose, at least it’s in an epic way!”

My favorite part of the game was watching the one section of the stands that was full of Giants fans. Finnerty’s Bar in Manhattan is owned by Californians and known as Bay Area sports bar. Yep, there are enough California transplants in NYC to warrant our own bar! (It almost makes me want to get into sports! Almost.) Every time the SF Giants play in NYC, a group from the bar rallies to cheer on their team at the game. It was really fun to watch home excited these 50 people got while the rest of the stadium was morose.

The final minutes of the game, no one else was on their feet except these avid fans from Finnerty’s holding their breath that the Mets wouldn’t manage a final hit!

Sorry NYC! I still love you! But I’m really glad I wasn’t rooting for you last night and went with my roots instead!

June 9, 2015September 11, 2016

The Opening of One World Trade Observatory

One World Observatory opened on May 29th 2015. This date coincided with my 7th year anniversary in New York City. I had to go up my gleaming NYC counterpart on this special day for both of us. I bought tickets the day they went on sale.

My Experience Visiting One World Observatory

It was a zoo. An absolute zoo. Crowds around the block, tourists of every shape and size, lines upon lines, and waiting for every small step along the way. It was kind of awful. But it was also kind of great. Which describes the experience of living in New York to a T.

The views were of course amazing. Staring out at the expanse of the whole city, I got that breath-taking feeling every New Yorker knows. This is my home. I fucking live here. I am so goddamn lucky. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

But UGH! TOURISTS!

It’s quite the experience, one quite catered to tourists. After going through an intense security check, we began below ground. Videos played on the walls featuring talking heads- many of individuals who actually worked with their hands on the building. Sporting hard hats and even Brooklyn accents, I did enjoy this showcase that called to mind the iconic “Lunch atop a Skyscraper“. Human beings build this city and I’m glad when we’re prodded to remember that.

One World Trade features the fastest elevators in the world. It takes 60 seconds to get to the top. The walls of the elevator change as you ascend, a virtual reality mimicking glass. You start with bedrock, rise to street level, rush up between the buildings, and end above everything with a simulated view. It’s cool I guess, but I just wanted the real view!

Before the real view, we had to stand and watch the most New York Cliché film ever created. Times Square! Taxis! Subways! Statue of Liberty! Pedestrians! I almost yelled out, “HASHTAG #NEWYORKCLICHE!” to all those snapping pictures. But I resisted. #MarketingFail

As the film ended, the viewing screen rose to reveal the actual view! Hooray!

As soon as the screen reached the top, it came right back down. AW MAN! We all filed out of the darkened room to find the actual view. We were finally there, right??

Yes.

Each window was covered with people, like pigeons on spilled white rice. You basically had to wait in line again, for a turn to see out any of them. Some direction had much less of a wait, like New Jersey to the west. Even with the sunset!

No one cared that you could see Governor’s Island except me (you know how I love Governor’s Island).

Even the Statue of Liberty windows were relatively empty. She’s hard to see from a distance.

But the iconic views of the Empire State Building and the Bridges? Fuhgeddaboudit.

Worth it? Yes. I mean, the view speak for itself! That said, I would never go back on a Friday night. I would avoid any weekend if at all humanly possible. But as the first public day and my NYversary: yes, absolutely worth it. You could spot the other locals, the other New Yorkers who love their city so much they almost want to wear I HEART NY shirts. (But can’t because they’d sooner die than be mistaken for tourists.) Locals who remember the Twin Towers, who experienced 9/11, who literally watched One World emerge from ashes. Locals who never talk to each other on the subway but when they find each other smooshed by crowds, waiting to get the best view of their town, they’ll have a friendly chat.

I went at sunset and saw both views: daylight and after dark, as you can see. This was probably another reason for the maddening crowds. Once it got dark, the reflections in the windows became more intense. The whole observatory is through windows, there is no part that is outside. I would recommend going during the day, ideally a sunny weekday.

I have never been to Top of the Rock and I was 13 the last time I was at the top of the Empire State Building, so I don’t exactly have anything to compare my viewing experience with. After going up One World Observatory, I want to change that! This summer I intend to make it up Top of the Rock AND the Empire State, returning with a full report on which is my favorite! (I definitely need a better camera before embarking on this journey.) If you’ve been up any of them- let me know your thoughts!

My pretty, pretty city.

Tickets for the observatory are $32 and you can purchase them and learn more at https://oneworldobservatory.com/

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015

The Joys of Outdoor Theatre at Shakespeare in the Park’s “The Tempest”

A favorite NYC summer activity, last week I went to see FREE Shakespeare in the Park! Now I can tell you all about it…

On one hand, the weather was extremely appropriate for Shakespeare in the Park’s first preview of The Tempest. At 7pm the sky was black and threatening as could be. As I left work and drops had yet to fall. Blow over, blow over, please blow over was my mantra the entire subway ride to 81st and Central Park West.

The weather gods ignored my silent pleas. Zeus was all, “Sacrifice a cow or shut the fuck up.” It had been sunny all morning, all day! Walking out of the subway, I was greeted by raindrops. On the east coast, we get weird, brief, cloud bursts all the time, hopefully this was one. Please be a cloud burst, please be a cloud burst, was my mantra the entire walk to the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

shakespeare in the park tempest 2015 nyc — Earlier in the day before the rain began with the theater in the background.

The scene outside the Delacorte was madness, despite the weather. Weather apps still revealed only a 50% chance of rain that night. “My phone says 56%!” said a stranger waiting for the theater doors to open. “My phone says only 48%!” another person chimed in. We all compared notes, all hedged our bets, all crammed under any sheltered space and waited. A united front of dedicated theatre patrons all keenly knowledgable of the fickle nature of gods.

“Bring me a virgin,” says Zeus, “Then I’ll totes call off the clouds.” Ugh, weather gods are the worst.

shakespeare in the park senior line — This photo was taken earlier in the day, but imagine hundreds of theatre goers crammed under that overhang, trying to stay dry.

Wine and beer flowed from the bars stationed around the semicircle of the theater’s perimeter, as steadily as the water from the sky. Better yet, gin and tonic flowed from a thermos I had brought. The Delacorte allows you to bring in outside food and beverage- even alcohol. This made the chore of waiting perfectly palatable. Better still, I was on a date where conversation flowed as easily as all aforementioned liquids. Time flies when you’re talking to an attractive, charming fella. Suddenly it was 8:45PM and they still hadn’t called off the show. But Zeus had called off the precipitation. At least so it seemed…

The Public Theater truly does its best to honor the stage mantra, “The show must go on.” They only ever cancel a show if the weather poses safety hazards. At 9PM, an hour behind schedule, they opened the doors and ushers welcomed us to our seats. New York’s most dedicated Shakespeare fans piled in. All in one theater, all a little soggy, but happy our perseverance had paid off!

The Delacorte Theater (the set of Comedy of Errors a few years back- not the set of The Tempest!) credit

The Tempest opens with well, a SPOILER ALERT tempest: a storm at sea. I almost wished it was still raining as the actors thrashed about the stage, clutching ropes and ship rigging. The energy was high, the theatrical storm much more dramatic than anything we’d yet experienced that night. It takes a certain amount of time to adjust your ear to Shakespearian dialect, but as we moved from sea to sand, it was easy to sink into words of the world’s most celebrated playwright.

I don't think photography is allowed in the theater...so shame on me...but the quality is so poor maybe that makes it ok? Also you can see the new 432 Park building in back of Belvadere Castle which is very strange! — I don’t think photography is allowed in the theater…so shame on me…but the quality is so poor maybe that makes it ok? Also you can see the new 432 Park building in back of Belvadere Castle which is very strange!

When we’d really settled in to the iambic pentameter, just losing ourselves int the play, the clouds opened up again. Zeus couldn’t resist. This was a true cloud burst, brief but just long enough to get us thoroughly wet. Still, the show went on. My date and I stayed, huddled under a picnic blanket, forced to cuddle for warmth. Neither of us was complaining.

After a rapid mopping of the stage, the actors returned, jumping back in without missing a beat. These folks are truepros. Every single person I saw gave a commendable performance.My wording of that sentence is specific for a reason. There were actors I didn’t get to see! Alas, alack! We only ended up seeing half the show! When the break for intermission arrived, the sound of the stage manager’s voice boomed over the PA. The show would not go on due to time constraints! It was 11PM and we were only half way through! Central Park closes at 1AM! Noooooooooooo!

11289154_10153393223886241_8513655181300995134_o — A production still of *The Tempest* (that I certainly did not take: credit)

Thus never was there a tale of more woe, than the time I tried to see the first preview of The Tempest! Just kidding! It was still pretty great and an enjoyable evening and I can’t wait to go back to see the second half! Opening night of the show is June 6th, so I’m going to try to make it back before then. I’d recommend you try to if you want the easiest line! Especially with the weird cold, wet weather we’ve been having. I can confirm Shakespeare in the Park makes a great date.

Want my tips for how to get ticket? Find them here: A Former Usher’s Tips for Getting Shakespeare in the Park Tickets

Want my specific thoughts on what I saw? Here you go:

The costumes are simple and sharp. Miranda played by Francesca Carpanini is lovely. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Danny Mastrogiorio are hilarious. Caliban (Louis Cancelmi) is played in a different way than you’re likely to have seen before.Chris Perfetti is the first male Ariel I’ve ever seen and plays the “airy spirit” beautifully, with the subtle weight of his enslavement ever present. Sam Waterston as Prospero is masterful, I reserve further comment for when I’ve seen his full performance! The set: illuminated blue images of waves serve as the backdrop and set the scene of the island (and were not my favorite Shakespeare in the Park set). For the first preview, the run time was announced to be 2 hrs 45 mins. This production has made fewer cuttings to the script than most other Tempests your likely to see!