Well here we are, back in the city! How did this happen, and why did this happen? One person - Brittany McKay. She is a motivator. She first said that she wanted to go back and we said, yah, yah... we all do... NO, I *really* want to go back. So then the little researcher that I am, I got online and looked at flights and apts, fully expecting to report back that this was impossible unless she wanted to pay out the nose. BUT turns out I found super cheap flights for this weekend only, the apts were affordable (like $100 each for the whole weekend), and I had a code for $39 tickets to Tribes. Sooo... I reported back that if she was serious, this could be doable. Patti, who didn't go on our longer trip was also very interested to go and see Tribes - so we went for it and booked flights. Crazy. But I do love the city, love seeing shows - and it's so rare to be able to see a Deaf actor on Broadway, that we just had to go back (as nutty as you all think we are). I think I've said before that I know many people that make annual trips to Vegas (and I never have to go back there again) - but I could definitely see myself making an annual trip to NYC.
We wanted to stay in a different area this time - we did the glitz of the Theatre District/Time Square, and now we're going a bit more gritty staying in the East Village area. In fact we're right by the Village Voice (and everytime I think about it I have to sing the line from Rent). We're right in the RENT part of town, just around the corner from many locations where they filmed in fact. We might go get a pic outside of the (fake) Life Cafe (the real one is now a bagel shop or something).
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| Village Voice |
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| Cool mosaic pole |
We arrive after a fairly uneventful plane ride, a nice direct flight with no delays or weird people to captivate us. Our cabbie has a little trouble getting us to the actual apt, and I think we added $10 to the fare in just going around the block...and around another block, and just one more U-turn... but it gives us a chance to get a feel for the area. I mentioned gritty, right? Brittany calls it "seedy"...but this is just the real flavor (and smell) of the city. We've been in touch with our host - once again we're using Roomarama to book an apt - love that site - and the person cleaning the apt is running a little late so we have some time to kill (with our bags) while we wait. Patti spots McSorley's Pub just a straight shot from our apt - and I recognize the name from my research of the area. It's noted on all of the maps like it's a landmark, and I think that's because it is. And we need to go to places deemed as landmarks, so we're in. Its OLD - established, and in this same location since 1854. The front window says, "We were here before you were born" - tons of flavor.
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| 4 beers -2 people |
So we go in - and its full of locals and a few tourists (you can spot tourists because we look up, and there is lots to look at in this pub). I think many of the things on the wall have been there since 1854. We overhear a few comments about "oh straight from the airport" since we're lugging our bags in with us, but it's not unfriendly. The floors are covered in saw dust, and the mood of the place is great old Irish Pub. It occurs to us later that our first meal on our last trip here was in an Irish Pub. Funny. We see the people at the table next to us, and their table is FULL of beer mugs, like for a group of 6-7 people there are about 15 mugs! We look at the menu and it's pretty limited, but then we realize that it's all on the chalkboard and you just order from the daily specials. We decide to get some ale as well, and you have two choices - light or dark. We like those choices, sometimes too many beer choices are overwhelming. We discover that they make their own beer, so that's obviously one of the draws - we get "light" (Brittany just gets water), and each order the fish and chips which we are told by our waiter is good, and they have a corned beef hash, so we get one of those to share and taste. I love corned beef, and after Brittany's Katz's experience, she's curious to try it. He brings our ale, and gives us two mugs each - two drink minimum? But it explains why there were so many mugs on the other table. The fish comes and it's not just good - its amazing. Like moist and meaty with the perfect amount of breading - and this is coming from a certified Catholic (Patti Ann), they know their fried fish. Brittany is just thrilled that our waiter speaks in a "real" New York accent - this is what she wanted most.
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| Just wrong |
We head back to the apt when she arrives, just to drop off our bags so we can head out again while she's cleaning. It's a little apt (TINY bathroom), but its good for what we need. I didn't take pics of it today, but I'll get some up tomorrow. Brittany is a big fan of New York Ink, and last time we were here we went to Wooster Street Social Club, but no one was there. Now she's heard that they're currently filming, so she wants to go back and "meet" Ani (or Ari? Or Ami? I'm sorry I'm not trying to be funny, I'm not sure of his name and she's asleep)... so we indulge her, and we go. It's not far from us - like 2 min on a train and then a little bit of a walk - and on the way we go by places that we went before in Soho. We see C Wonder again, and Dash, and Evolution (the place with the Raccoon penis bones and the coin purses made from Cain toads)- and we go in because Britt and Patti haven't been there yet. I leave with a coin purse. I couldn't pass it up twice.
Turns out that the tattoo place is just around the corner from these places, and we had made a special (and long) trip to get there when we went before. Man, we were so close to it, like 2 blocks away when we went to Dash. It's nice to start to make those connections and put together a spacial map in your head. Anyway, we get there and it looks pretty quiet - I was a little unsure that they were going to be filming, but we get in and we have little greater at the door that we didn't have before. We see people tattooing through the glass and there is definitely a film crew in there. Two cameras and a sound guy. I was looking at someone else that I thought was Ami, but then Britt points out that it's the bald one. OH. Our little greeter guy asks us to come back and join him at the door, and I'm a little nervous that we're not going to be able to get in because they're filming, or that they're screening and only allowing people getting a tattoo or something. But he tells us that because they're currently filming that he needs for us to sign releases on his handy dandy ipads. He's SUPER nice to us, much nicer than he has to be, and kids around with us. We are hot, sweaty messes, and he's being sweet. We fill our info on the ipads, and he has put down that we are "models" - Britt beams... he says that well, he had like 15 choices under occupation and he picked models for us. I asked if I could be a Truck Driver, and he said that it was too late (dang). I get done and then he takes a picture of us on the ipad (good lord, we are seriously a mess because we've walked a bit and it's MUGGY out there) - Patti is almost half way done with hers and Britt is still working on hers. Our new bestie chastises her a little for being the youngest and not having a handle on the technology. While we're being processed, Tony (another person that Britt was thrilled to see) walks by us and out the door, and then pops his head back in to joke around with our friend. Britt says that this is so cool (I trust her), and that BP would be DYING right now if she were with us. I ask if we can take pictures (no, sorry) - and we head in.
The AC is great in this place - it's my favorite. There are lots of people like us just milling about and watching Ami do a tattoo, and I notice that the girl he's working on is getting a Olympic ring tattoo like we had seen so many times on the athletes... and if he's doing it and its film worthy, then we bet she's an Olympic athlete. Others tell us that she won the silver in diving (we didn't watch much diving) - Abby Johnston. So watch for that on the show, and you might see us looking on somewhere in the background.
We head back to the apt, and we think she's done - she's not there - but just as we were getting comfy, she comes back in and is apologetic, she just has to make the beds. We're so low maintenance it's ridiculous, we don't care. We hang out for a while and then start to get ready for the evening. We want to eat at Johns Pizza - yum - which is right around the corner from the Tribes theatre. We get to John's about 5 (show is at 7:30) because they had slower service before and we wanted to be sure we weren't late. We were much cooler this time because we sat in the front room- the last time they sat us in the second room and we didn't have much air moving. Anyway - food! We had the veal meatballs again (Patti needed to try them), and the meatball pizza ... so good! And actually got out of there pretty quickly. So since we had time to kill we went back to David's Tea and tried some new flavors.
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| Floaties |
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| PIZZA |
Getting tea here is an event. You consult with your tea girl, tell her if you want caffiene, if you like a fruity blend or something in an oolong or a black tea... then you smell the teas and hear about their life story... and finally a decision is made and tea is brewed. Brittany really relishes this process, and Patti and I just kind of glom on to her consultation session. I get "Birthday Cake" which is a tea that actually has candy sprinkles in the blend, Patti gets a Mango, and Brittany gets "Movie Night" that includes apples and popcorn (popped popcorn). And bonus, this will be brewed "cosmopolitan style" - when Britt asks what that means she's just told, "You'll see". When we get our tea we find out that it means that popcorn will be floating in your drink, and soggy apples and stems will be at the bottom - you can't really suck up through the straw without getting what Britt calls "floaties" in your drink. She says, "I see wet popcorn in my thing and it grosses me out a little." But she liked the flavor. Just needed it strained. She goes back to try another flavor (Kiwi's playhouse) and the tea lady asks how she likes it - she says loves the flavor but not the floaties. So the tea lady won't let her pay for it. Nice.
OK - it's Tribes time! We were a little worried that we would get an understudy after coming all this way. They list the actors that will be in the show for the evening in the lobby - and we see Russell's name. Whew! We have great seats this time - I knew which section we wanted to be in, and we got in the front row. There is a part pretty early on where Russell comes up into the audience and stands right next to the place where we'll be sitting. We're a little worried about Britt's crazy creeping over the edges if he comes too close. The seats were perfect - Russell great again! The audience is SO close to the actors, there are only four rows around each of the 4 sides of the stage, and we're all lit from the light of the stage. They can see us, and we can see each other as easily as we can see the actors. So there are times when people across the way attract our attention - one guy especially is wearing nice red pants, sitting in the front row, with his legs spread open like he's on the couch at home. It's odd. We're signing to each other a little, and I'm sure that the actors can spot that if they're looking, especially those deaf eyes that catch all movement... So when the play is over and they're doing their curtain call, it was obvious that we had already been spotted by Russell. Even before we did the Deaf hand wave, he gave us a wink and smile that said, "I saw you guys!"... You can imagine the energy coming from Brittany.
We head out to the lobby quickly because last time he came out right after the show, so we didn't want to miss him. And you need to know that all Brittany has talked about is getting him to go out and have a drink with us, which makes me a little nervous. But last time he's the one that brought it up, he said that if his mother weren't' in town we could go out for a beer, dang it... so since then that's been her mission. I convince her to just take it easy, have a conversation, and if it happens it happens, but it could be weird with that as an underlying goal. So we're waiting, and we're waiting, all the other actors have come through - no Russell. I mention that it's possible he went out the other door, and Britt is not happy with that thought.. we're waiting... and then he comes in through the front door, straight for us! Patti says "there he is!" but Britt is looking at the wrong way (since he came back in the front he's actually coming up behind us) - yay! He gives us hugs right away (me and Britt), and he says that we came back! That he remembers us from a couple of months ago! And he's voicing a little as he signs, and then turns to Patti and explains that in Deaf culture, they hug hello when they know each other (!) - so I say, "Her parents are Deaf"... OH!! Voice off. Beautiful ASL. We get to have a nice chat with him about the show, we had seen different actors before (Jeff Perry had to leave, and we saw the understudy for the brother), and we ask if he's staying through January since they extended the run (he is, but everyone else is leaving and he has to work with a new "girlfriend" who doesn't sign but is supposed to be a CODA). We ask about his sign name - it's like the handshape for "MOON", but tapped against his neck (right side) and it's because he has a moon tattoo there, but he's getting it lasered off because it's a pain to cover as an actor. Britt tells him that she's applying to Gally and that I graduated from there and was there the same time as he was... Patti gets a picture with him since she wasn't there before, and he apologizes for being so sweaty, but he's going to work out and he'll shower there - we don't mind much. And it's worth mentioning that this whole time that weird guy in red pants is trying to be a part of our little circle. So much so that I actually thought for a while that Russell knew him. But when we said our goodbyes (and got our goodbye hugs), he had an awkward conversation with him - weird dude.
So that was nice - so cool that he remembered us. I'll get the pic of Patti and Russell up tmw too.. It won't load tonight for some reason.
Back at the apt I struggled with the internet connection (grrr) and we made tentative plans for the next two days... can't wait!!
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| The hall entry - our apt is on the left |
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| Our front door |
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