New York State of Mind

My sister, Emma, came to visit me this past weekend for some sisterly bonding, some New York adventures, and a little vacation from West Hartford before she began rehearsals for our town's impending production of Hairspray (if you're in WeHa you need to be there July 26-28).

Now out of my immediate family, I never considered my sister a city person. I live here and love it. My brother thrives when he’s here and plans to move immediately after graduation. My mom used to work here, commuting from Jersey. My dad’s office is here when he’s not working remotely, plus he’s just a foodie and all-out culture junkie. But my sister…I never pictured her enjoying the bombardment of stimuli synonymous with NYC. As is her way, my sister surprised me during her visit, “The idea of living in New York is growing on me,” she said. I looked at her as if she just declared she was moving to a nudist colony. “I mean, if you have this much fun all the time, it could be awesome.”

Well, folks. As you’ve noticed from my blog, I aim to keep things interesting. I do try to have fun all the time. I’m constantly out and about, running from shows to jazz concerts to food tastings to yoga class to street fairs to whatever the hell else I could possibly find to keep myself busy. The truth is, sometimes I’m exhausted from it. I’m absolutely having a blast. But does enjoying New York mean hopping from activity to activity every day?

Like many things in life, the answer lies in the balance.

It’s best to balance those things which are quintessential New York with “regular” life.

Sometimes I think about what I would be doing, and how my life would be, and what my personal calendar would look like if I still lived in West Hartford, CT. Chances are, I’d come home most nights and watch a movie, or read a book, or go for a walk before going to bed. Doing this every night sounds incredibly boring to me, which is perhaps why I live in a place with so many after-work options. That’s certainly how some people live—even if they’re apartment is in New York—but not for me.

This past week, I put a New York twist on “regular” life and also managed some quintessential New York fun for a balance I aim to achieve more often.

So much of New York’s culture relies on our restaurant scene. As of 2010, there were over 23,000 restaurants in the five boroughs. New Yorkers are famous for using their ovens as extra drawers. But on Wednesday night, instead of going out to dinner, my friend hosted an Italian dinner party.

Salad with roasted vegetables and olives, broccoli rabe, vegetable lasagna, whole blue bass and red snapper with Italian cheesecake for dessert. Thank goodness he put in all the effort, because all I had to do was show up and enjoy the food and the company of his guests. A dinner party. Something different. Something you could do in any city in the world. Something mellow. Something "regular."

When my sister came into town, she of course wanted to do New York things. So we went to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Becco, before going to see Newsies!!! There is a New York Moment attached to this story. Newsies offers $30 tickets through their ticket lottery (see: New York on a Dime). My sister and I showed up dressed for the theater and entered our names. We stood shaking as names were called. It seemed as if they called every name but ours. Just before the last name, my sister and I held hands and closed our eyes hoping that we would win the last pair to see the 8pm show. “I’m channeling Mary Murphy,” my sister said—she’s a judge on So You Think You Can Dance with SO much energy it just feels like she can make magic happen. The last name was not ours.

Totally bummed.

I run up to the front to ask if Newsies has Sunday performances so we could try again. But then Emma yells my name. So I run back to her.

Turns out: The last name called was an Andy Something-or-other. Andy came with his wife and two friends. Andy’s friend, Ryan, had already won a pair of tickets for Andy earlier in the lottery. Andy’s wife saw us holding hands and told Andy to accept the extra pair of tickets FOR US! Wait. It gets better.

“Wait, you look really familiar,” Emma says to Andy’s second friend. “Were you on So You Think You Can Dance?” BAM! YES! It was Evan Kasprzak from SYTYCD Season 5! Evan is IN Newsies and wanted his friends to see the show. So Evan’s brother Ryan, also a contestant on SYTYCD, Andy and Andy’s wife (still no name) all entered hoping that they would win a pair to see Evan in the show. We stood talking to Evan about SYTYCD, Newsies, the other SYTYCDers in Newsies, dance, theater, Kat Deeley, and the woman who’s channeling made it all happen: Mary Murphy. Surreal. Competely surreal.

Evan definitely thought I was a crazy person because I was talking so loud and so fast. I could not comprehend that I was going to see the show that night. And that we didn’t win the lottery, yet those people were just so sweet. And that we met him just chillin outside the theater. CRAZY.

As a side note, the show is INCREDIBLE. I am completely obsessed. Get your ass to that theater. NOW.

Sunday Emma and I slept in before grabbing brunch at Good Enough to Eat—rumored to have a great brunch. It was tasty, for sure. We waited in line for 40 minutes to get in, but we were in no rush. Not rushing felt great. So unlike New York….

We wandered around the Upper West Side a bit. We stopped in to my apartment for an afternoon snack. Having nothing really to do, we decided to go all tourist-y and take a rowboat ride in Central Park. So fun!! I should also mention, the rowboat ride in Central Park seems like one of those things that would be outrageously expensive just because it’s New York. Newsflash, it’s $12 for an hour on the lake. It was nice just to relax in the shadow of the sun as it set, tucked behind the trees of Central Park away from the cement and honking.

To top off our weekend we went to the movies to see Brave. Nothing terribly special. Nothing notably New York, yet completely enjoyable.

The thing is, New York gives you the option. Take advantage of unique New York attractions or just go about your day--that’s the big advantage of living here. Balance. Choice. So yes, Emma, if you live it the way we lived it, New York is always that much fun.

Be Yourself

Monday night I went to Seth Rudetsky’s Not Since High School! benefit concert at this hot little gay lounge called Xl. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Seth’s work, he is incredible. He is a musical genius (in the way of musical direction, vocal arrangement, and crazy piano playing) who has made a career as a Broadway personality. That’s the best way to describe him. 

Between his Playbill column Onstage & Backstage, his Sirius XM radio show Seth Speaks, the fabulous concerts he organizes with phenomenally talented members of the Broadway community, and--most importantly--his Deconstructions, Seth is a musical theater expert. [Side note: a Deconstruction is a video blog session in which Seth chooses music from a show or artist, or a single song to break down and analyze in order to demonstrate anything from stellar vibrato and vocal placement to hilarious lyrics.]

Seth put on a fantastic concert Monday with stars like Chris Jackson (In the Heights, The Lion King), Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Catch Me If You Can, Wicked), Melissa Errico (Les Miserables) and so many more. They all sang songs from roles they played in high school. 

Besides nearly fainting from Norbert’s rendition of "I”ll Know" from Guys and Dolls, Chris Jackson was the best number of the night. He was apparently in Oliver! as a teen, and began his number with his cockney traditional version of "Consider Yourself." He commented on the irony of his type casting (the joke is he’s black) and then swept into an R&B rendition of the song, which I hope he makes into a single because I would buy that!

But I'm sidetracking. Seth’s greatest accomplishment is not his concerts, his radio show, his books, his own original musical or his tour schedule. Seth’s ultimate achievement is that he has made a successful career by being himself. 

He is unapologetically flamboyant and sassy, exaggeratedly yet unexaggeratedly Jewish and a complete musical theater nerd. Seriously, I thought I was the only person who swooned that hard at the way Gavin Creel back-phrases when he sings "I Turned The Corner."

His animated facial expressions are completely strange. He edits himself for no one. He’s coined numerous terms just by saying them in his own Seth inflection (i.e. Brava!, delic-i-ous, criz-azy, obsessed). He never takes it down a notch for fear of offending anyone. He never tones down his conviction for fear of startling people with his honesty. In fact, it’s all become part of his marketable persona.

Seth has basically said “screw you” to judgment. Because of this, he is a star simply by being him. He LOVES Broadway. Sometimes I just think of him as the Peter Pan of stage door kids. He gets overwhelmingly excited about talent and displays no shame when it comes to expressing his awe. I relate to this as I have been known to cry speaking to actors at their stage door while they take the Sharpie from my hand and give me the autograph I brag to my brother about.

I admit, however, that simply being myself is a challenge for me. So often I feel like I have to impress people, and I become a different version of myself. I find myself adapting to the atmosphere or the people around me. But Seth reminds me: why be a knockoff version, when you can be the fabulous original?

Seth Rudetsky follows his passion and continues to bare his uncontainable personality in any environment. Musical theater fans all over the nation love him for it. So take a page out of Seth’s book. Be yourself. Don’t just follow your passion, own it. Don’t tone yourself down to blend into whatever industry or situation you’re in. Make a splash. Be yourself. After all, when people meet you, that is who they expect to see.

Combine your passions

This past week was chock full of things to talk about. Seriously, I’m exhausted. But not too exhausted to tell you all about it.

My brother was in town in order to squeeze in as many shows as humanly possible before the Tony Awards—which took place at the Beacon Theater last night. He managed to pack in four shows in three days, compared to my four shows in five. Foiled again! I met a ton of Broadway celebs back stage, at stage doors, and (of course) by hitting the sidewalk lottery jackpot when I ran into Neil Patrick Harris after Evita. (To answer your question, yes there is a photo. To answer your next question, yes it is a cute one.)

Aside from my bondage to Broadway, the week was eventful. Thursday, I snagged a spot at the Meredith table at the June luncheon for Advertising Women of New York (AWNY). AWNY is a networking organization focused on women in the fields of media and communications—not just advertising. Mary Beth West, Executive Vice President and Chief Category and Marketing Office of Kraft Foods Inc., delivered the address. She is the head honcho when it comes to brands like Oreo, Trident, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Wheat Thins, all those foods you’ve never heard of. A gifted speaker, Mary Beth discussed Kraft’s success (re-launching multiple brands and celebrating new ad campaigns) by comparing her business to music.

Naturally, I was smitten with her in a matter of seconds. Mary Beth went on to eloquently describe how her musical education playing classical violin and jazz saxophone helped her lead Kraft to become a trailblazing company. As in music, she believes it is important to mix a classical foundation with elements of jazz. Fusing these philosophies, she urged the forum of business folk in the room to let go and be spontaneous. The fusion of her passions for music and business served up a powerful message.

This got me thinking. The combination of passions created a meaningful message that spoke to a ballroom full of people on multiple levels. Perhaps a key to success in career and happiness in life is to mix passions on a consistent basis.

Another AWNY speaker, Wendy Clark of The Coca-Cola Company, begged her audience to “find what you love.” Perhaps merging multiple things you love will lead you to the thing you love most.

When I was in undergrad at Barnard, there was a void in my life because I had not been cast in any campus musical theater productions. Life without theater was just not the same. (In fact, if you ask NPH life should be more like theater.) My dad suggested that I go write for the Columbia Daily Spectator’s theater section so that at least I’d be able to see theater and maybe score a few free tickets. As many of you know, this foray into arts journalism changed my life. I discovered my passion for writing, but fell in love with it because I married it with my theater obsession.

This concept extends from finding the right career to discovering the right community.

Friday night, after Shabbat dinner, I headed to The Triad to perform as part of the Bikram Yoga NYC Cabaret. I was so excited to sing and this time around I felt like I truly picked a song that fit both my voice and the event. I sang “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors.

For those of you who don’t know the show, the character Audrey lives on Skid Row and works in the flower shop that houses the Man-Eating Plant that lends the horror to Little Shop of Horrors. She dates a sadistic dentist who beats her, and so she dreams of a place where life is pretty and simple. The grass is greener on the other side. (A bit morbid, but follow me.) I altered the lyrics a bit to tailor to the Bikram Yoga crowd by playing Audrey as if she fantasized about one day being united with Bikram Choudhury, even though he’s a bit of a yoga dictator.

The crowd really loved the humor in the start of the number and followed me as I turned a bit more heartfelt in this song about the girl who just dreams of a simple life. I felt amazing afterwards. Not only did the combination of humor and emotion totally work, but I love performing in these cabarets. I feel like a part of an incredibly unique community of yogi artists.

We’re all so used to seeing each other basically naked and dripping sweat in a yoga room, killing ourselves to do better and be better. Yet once a month, we get dolled up, throw back some drinks, and show off our hidden talents as hosted by our favorite drag queen Miss Chelsea Piers. (Amazing drag name, right?) I feel so at home in this group of people cheering me on. We’re all bonded because of our commitment to our yoga practice, but also because we enjoy spending a night cozied-up to the performing arts.

 Now, I’m working again to merge two things I love in the categories defined as “Social” and “Career.” In case it is not obvious, I love to write. I am also part of a fabulous organization known as the Urban Girl Squad, which functions as an event-based social networking organization for young professional women in NYC. I absolutely love the event offerings at UGS and I’ve come to meet intelligent and interesting women to connect with and broaden my network of New York friends. Well, UGS was looking for a writer to blog for them. That’s right, folks. I am taking the Internet by storm, one blog at a time, on route to finding what I love to do one combination of passions at a time.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy days in which my passions coincidentally collide, as it was yesterday with the French Open tennis Men’s Singles Championship by morning and the 66^th Annual Tony Awards by night. A national holiday in The Book of Ruthie.

Whether it's a coincidental discovery or an active search, I hope you find a way to integrate those multiple disciplines which ignite your passions to live a fulfilling life and land a prosperous career.

The Bucket List

Whip out that sunscreen and put on those white pants, we are a full week past Memorial Day and it's June!
I don't know why, but I am abnormally excited for summer--given that I am still a person who works Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. Looking outside, the skies do not bode so well for summer weather this week, but I will not give up hope.

In my work as an assistant, I manage my boss's schedule. She is so busy I am literally booking at least one month out for her. So even though it is only June 4, it feels like June is over.

To ensure June doesn't actually fly by without a LOT of fun-having times, I've been thinking about all of the things I want to do this summer.

In fact, in preparation for this season of sunshine, joy, lighter workloads, more outdoor time, and increased drinking, I have prepared myself a Summer 2012 bucket list. To guarantee summer doesn't disappear leaving you bewildered and thinking, "Wait, I had so many things I wanted to do!" I suggest you do the same. (Bonus points if you use a different fun verb for each item on your list.)

Any ideas for me to add to my long list?


Food to taste
Eat brunch at Buttermilk Channel
Try pizza at Grimaldi’s
Enjoy a lavish dinner at Kittichai
Devour ice cream at Ample Hills
Refresh myself with sangria Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club
Sip a cocktail at Raines Law Room

Late nights to party
Party at the Brooklyn Museum – Target First Saturdays
Dance salsa at Kana
Meet ex-pats at LeBain

Trips to take
Beach weekend away with friends
Long vacation to another country
Fly down to New Orleans for jazz, booze and Creole cooking
Visit the Hamptons

Shows to see
Once
Newsies
The Columnist
Shakespeare in the Park – Into the Woods

Outdoor fun
Walk the Botanical Gardens
Take funny pictures mimicking animals in the Central Park Zoo
Play some tennis in the park – in order to relearn said sport
Lay back during a Monday night movie in Bryant Park
Practice Bikram at Solstice in Times Square
Sunbathe on the High Line
Jive at Midsummer Night Swing
Spend happy hour at The Rink (outdoor bar in Rock Center)
Venture to Randall’s Island
Ferry to Governor’s Island

Random things to do
Lounge and eat junk food for a movie day in the movie theater in my building
Attend at least four dance classes
Wander Chelsea Market
Engage in art at Rubin Museum of Art K2 Fridays for free movies, art, music and lounge
Take advantage of pay-what-you-wish at The Whitney Friday 6-9pm
Picnic at an outdoor movie