Photo of the Day: A Glowing Review
What a welcome back to New York City! After arriving back from Houston just before midnight yesterday, I barely had time to readjust before jumping right back into the daily grind. But I got a very pleasant surprise when my friend Mei Ling sent out an e-mail saying she scored free tickets to the Broadway show Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles, and would anyone like to go tonight? Yes, please! Even though I'm not a die-hard Beatles fan, I do enjoy certain songs so ingrained in our pop culture they're impossible to not love. Rain definitely did not make it to my list of personal Broadway favorites; it played out more like a concert than a true musical with a continuous set list inter-cut with video clips. It was also more geared toward ramping up nostalgia among the older crowd, which was actually alive when the band was around. The show was a very glossy, and at times trippy, production, and though I've never watched a Beatles concert, I was informed that the actors did indeed achieve spot-on imitations of the Fab Four. They frequently encouraged us to get up and dance (Twist and Shout, anyone?), and they used the stadium ploy of cutting to live feeds of the audience on the screen projectors to involve us in the action. Though not a classic Broadway experience, I had a great time just relaxing and listening to good music—for free!
As predicted, the city is literally glowing with holiday cheer now that Christmas is just around the corner, and I could immediately see the difference. They've finished stringing lights up on the trees so entire avenues are twinkling, and they have giant themed displays up along my route to the office. It's positively magical, and I haven't even begun to wander past my usual walk to work. The Rockefeller tree is being lit tomorrow, and though I am going to pass on watching it live, I can't wait to see the iconic site sparkling in its full Yuletide splendor. I love Christmas in New York City!
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| I got a shot of the curtain during the overture before the ushers yelled at me to put my camera away. |
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| I snuck the camera back out during intermission to take more pictures of my friends. I got yelled at again. |
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| In front of the Neil Simon Theatre after the show. |
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| Giant Christmas lights! |
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| Huge red ornaments in the fountain across the street from my office building. |
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| How festive! |
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| The overall effect of the vibrant red ornaments with the Christmas lights and water reflection was quite magical. |
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| Fountain reflections. |
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| I like balls. |
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| Christmas tree lights are up on all the trees. |
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| Trying a little bokeh action. |
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| Christmas light closeup. |
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| The lights are so neatly and uniformly wrapped all the way up the trunk and into the branches. |
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| More Christmas lights. |
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| This is what I see when I exit my office. I love Christmas in New York. |
Oh, I wanna be there Josh!I can imagine how pretty it is at nite!
ReplyDeleteI really like the giant ornaments!
ReplyDeleteI also like the first photo. You are actually in a pic, and you are so excited. It's awesome!
wooooow! the decorations are SOOO beautiful! the giant red christmas balls are my favorite! the city must be so magical looking this time of year!
ReplyDeleteand i agree with laura... it's nice to see you in pictures!
@Evelyn: Oh, the lights are sooo beautiful around my office, and I haven't even been to see the tree. On the other hand, it is SOOO cold and the crowds are CRAZY, so I don't know if you'd enjoy it!
ReplyDelete@SpeechlessLaura and Michelle: In addition to the giant ornaments, there are giant Christmas lights, a giant toy train, and, of course, a giant tree! It does, in fact, look magical. But also very cold and crowded, haha.