after two late nights
& anticipating a rainy Saturday morning,
we lounged around in our cozy quarters
mulling over our options
(& took turns waiting for the hot water
to make it to the fourth floor).
we had toyed with going to the opera
but had held off buying tickets,
so we decided to see if we could wrangle
a couple last-minute lottery ones
on the Met website.
three devices going
&going
&going
&going
...
we finally just called the ticket office
& grabbed a couple in the nosebleed section
for that night's performance of Tosca!
(side note: my father is a rabid opera fan,
and our dog - a white lab/retriever mix -
growing up was named...Tosca)
nearby was the American Folk Art Museum,
so we stopped in.
they have an extensive collection (supposedly)
but very little is actually displayed,
which was a smidge disappointing.
they had an exhibit up on American Weathervanes,
so we soaked that in with differing levels of enthusiasm...
most of the restaurants we encountered
(except for the more Mom&Pop places)
were exceptionally vigilant in checking
our COVID vaccination cards
(we're boosted, too)
~ &, even, comparing them to our driver's licenses ~
before they would seat us inside.
we got very used to having our cards examined
to enter shows, museums, churches, restaurants, etc.
& it made us feel so much safer than back home.
we don't eat inside restaurants back home.
i know others do...but we have not.
we really miss that.
but i digress.
we ate cheesecake.
it was delicious.
we got to the Met early so we could prowl around
where the hobknobbers prowl
before heading to our thin air seats
(actually, they were great seats!)
please enjoy this scene from the movie Moonstruck
awesome wall of photos:
opera singers looking their best
& historical documents, including costuming
oh, my stars. just look up!
i know few names of opera stars,
but i do know his...Caruso!
those are people eating dinner at the Met Opera House.
some of them came just to eat dinner, not see the opera,
which seems strange to me - but maybe the chef is great?
i was intrigued by some of the dinner groupings
(as well as those who were eating solo),
especially at tables where there seemed to be no conversation.
here's the view from our seats!
that's the set for the first act -
incredible!
a few members of the orchestra rehearsing...
& a closer view of the amazing set design!
there are ashtrays in the toilet stalls
at the Met Opera House!
i'm old enough to remember
when there were ashtrays everywhere;
but it's been so long since i've seen one,
i had to take a photo.
toilet is included for atmosphere & context.
& one last starry gloriousness
to cleanse your eyeballs from the toilet photo
we took the subway 'home'
with all the other saturday night revellers.
one of the connections boasted THIS
gorgeous tile art...
& spontaneous bystander dancing
(i kept thinking about her poor squished toes,
bearing all her weight while dancing in those heels)
another amazing day & night in the City!
