Zoom Buddies in NYC
I just had a wonderful long weekend here in New York City with my college friends Jean and Stephanie (who both live in Los Angeles) and Jennifer (who lives here in NYC). I call our group “Zoom Buddies” because we get together every month via Zoom. (Unfortunately, the fifth Zoom Buddy, Linda, couldn’t join us - we’ll make sure she’s there next time.)
History: The Immigrant Experience
We visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The next day, we continued the theme and did a tour at the Tenement Museum. Everything was so moving, and so inspiring! We shared our respective immigrant stories. We had been friends for decades, yet we were still learning new things about each other.
Broadway: Celebrating Women
We saw two excellent Broadway shows that would be enjoyable for anyone, but were especially fun for a group of girlfriends:
Six - A musical staged as a glamorous pop concert in which King Henry VIII’s six wives tell (sing) their stories. The music was upbeat and catchy, and the lyrics were clever and funny. It’s amazing to me that such an innovative, successful musical was written (in just 10 days) by two students at Cambridge.
Suffs - A rousing musical about women’s suffrage in the United States, written by a woman and performed by women (even some in men’s roles). The performance was sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta, an African-American sorority whose founders were in the suffragists’ march portrayed in the musical. The audience was filled with sorority alumnae dressed in white. At a post-show talkback, cast members shared how it felt to perform in Suffs before and after the presidential election. It was a poignant reminder to “keep marching.”
Walks: Manhattan Hot Spots
Thank goodness for our comfortable shoes and the sunny fall weather, because we covered a lot of miles on foot. We walked portions of the High Line and Hudson River Park. We walked through the Lower East Side and the East Village to Union Square and Madison Square Park. We walked through Central Park and along Fifth Avenue and around Rockefeller Center and through Times Square. The city was getting ready for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and for the release of the movie version of Wicked. There was so much to see, and to talk about!
Food & Wine: Take Your Pick
With NYC’s plethora of great restaurants, it’s no surprise that we enjoyed a wide variety of delicious meals. Highlights included curry at Up Thai, grilled octopus at La Pulperia, ramen at Momofuku, tapas and paella at Addictive, and soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung. We also enjoyed relaxing with wine and cheese at Jennifer’s home and my apartment.
It was such a joy to be together IRL (In Real Life). We would have had fun anywhere, but I think we did a really good job of making the most of what NYC had to offer. It was an enriching, enlightening, and energizing experience.
