Stuck in Michigan... At Least it's a White Christmas?
Saturday, December 23rd - Sunday, December 24th, 2017
New York City, NY & Grand Rapids, MI
Hello everyone!
I am writing this fine afternoon from a faux-leather black tandem sling chair at Gate A6, Gerald R. Ford International Airport, in Grand Rapids Michigan. Phew. What a mouthful. When I woke up this morning UNGODLY MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT 4:40AM HOUR (but you could just call it morning), we were still in New York City. Beautiful NYC, home to our past two days of adventures.
A set of faux-leather black tandem sling chairs
Shopping and strolling through Christmas markets, and taking in the hustle and bustle of Time Square. Going to see Spongebob Squarepants the Musical... A surprisingly brilliant production. Breakfast in Brooklynn. Getting hassled in the subway system (an all-time favorite). Brushing up on our evolutionary knowledge at the American Museum of Natural History. Acting like super cultured folks at the Metropolitan Opera's production of the Merry Widow.
New York Street
Spongebob especially was a surprise. Hear me out. The costumes and set pieces were colorful and creative. They incorporated pool noodles, beach balls, boxes, confetti, black lights, sequins... They pulled out all the stops. The music was good, and the sound effects were funny and reminiscent of the cartoon (Spongebob squeaking, Squidward plopping, Pearl thudding) but not so overwhelming as to detract from the show. The acting talents were amazing! Spongebob (Ethan Slater) could move in ways that defied reality. He really seemed as flexible as a sponge... And the plot was cute and sweet, but surprisingly relevant in our current turmoil. I didn't love the TV show, but I loved the Broadway one.
Spongebob Squarepants the Musical
I, as you may or may not know, love natural history musuems (something about taxidermied animals really speaks to me). So it was a real treat to finally get to go the American Museum of Natural History AKA the museum from the cinematic masterpiece, Night at the Museum. It was raining outside, and the line was around the block. So that wasn't super fun. But we waited anyway. I enjoyed their dioramas, especially their ocean-underwater ones. (I haven't seen too many of those before). The architeure of the building itself also cannot be over looked. It was really crowded when we went, which I found to be a bit overwhleming, but I'd like to go back and have some more lesiurly time to exlore.
The Merry Widow was a real 180 from Spongebob, but equally as good. I mean, hello, it's the Met. It wasn't going to be bad. The whole story revolves around a wealthy widow, Hanna, who has a whole trail of suitors vying for her hand, and her inheritance. There's her past lover, Danilo, who refuses to acknowledge his love for her, lest she thinks he loves her for her money. There's Baron Zeta, who wants her to marry a Pontevedrin, and his wife, who's having an affair with Camile, Count de Rosillon. The whole thing is silly and reminiscent of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The singing was stunning, the costumes were beautiful. And then dancing was phenomenal.
Line outside the American Museum of Natural History
The Merry Widow was a real 180 from Spongebob, but equally as good. I mean, hello, it's the Met. It wasn't going to be bad. The whole story revolves around a wealthy widow, Hanna, who has a whole trail of suitors vying for her hand, and her inheritance. There's her past lover, Danilo, who refuses to acknowledge his love for her, lest she thinks he loves her for her money. There's Baron Zeta, who wants her to marry a Pontevedrin, and his wife, who's having an affair with Camile, Count de Rosillon. The whole thing is silly and reminiscent of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The singing was stunning, the costumes were beautiful. And then dancing was phenomenal.
At the Met
Ya. You can say it's been a great few days. (Vlogs to come!)
But wish us luck! We were planning on being home Christmas Eve, but flights aren't looking good. We all made it on a plane to Grand Rapids (I spent the whole flight sleeping with my head tipped back and my mouth hanging open, and I'd bet my last dollar that someone in this family took a picture of that).
We queued the MPS flight, but there was only one seat... Dad took it. (Family Christmas kind of depends on him being there to play the piano!) The rest of us are still hoping to get on a 4pm flight to Minneapolis. Otherwise, it looks like it'll be Christmas in an airport hotel for the three Hawthrone women. At least there's snow here -- It'd be a white Christmas... We'd make it work, but it would be better to be home. I'll keep you posted.
*fingers crossed*,
Cristiana
