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Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: Preparation

Published on by juliebrannan3 Comments

One would only need to glance at this blog or know me a little to know that I walk all over New York City year-round, 50 or miles a week or more with regularity. I also bike – over 3200 miles in the past two years according to my Citibike app stats. I have blogged about walking in London and Paris, and even Los Angeles. My blog tagline is “A New York Real Estate Agent Explores the City.” But this post, and the next few I have planned, will be taking a markedly different tone, as I am about to leave NYC for Tanzania in a few days – to attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, and celebrate afterwards with a photo safari.

At the top of this post there is a screen grab of Mount Kilimanjaro as seen at the Disney attraction “Soarin’ Over the World.” And just above this paragraph is a Disney wiki entry showing that Mount Kilimanjaro appears in the opening sequence of Disney’s “The Lion King,” as animals travel for the presentation of Simba. This, plus a vague knowledge that Hemingway wrote a book called “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” was my primary knowledge (absurdly limited! Kilimanjaro is in “Pride Lands” rather than Tanzania) about Kilimanjaro until a family member who enjoys hiking and I started to talk about combining her love for hiking with my desire to do a photo safari somewhere in Africa.

As I began to learn more, more decisions became necessary: which route to take up the mountain (there are several), which guiding company to go with (you are not allowed to climb Kili unguided, nor would I want to), and when to go. Here are some of my thoughts behind these choices:

Which Route

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, with three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo has the highest elevation, Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m (19,341 ft) above sea level. Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and, as the highest mountain on the continent of Africa, one of the “Seven Summits” (the highest peak on each continent). For perspective, Kilimanjaro is fourth highest of the Seven Summits, being less tall than Everest, Aconcagua, and Denali. The Marangu route, the only one with huts to stay in rather than camping, is the original way to the top. It is easier in some ways – more gradual, fewer steps since fairly direct – but is less favorable for acclimation to the altitude, leading to a success rate as low as 45%. The Machame route is the most popular route, and is often completed in six to seven days (more days leads to a higher chance of success). The Umbwe route is considered the most challenging route, very steep, and also without as much opportunity for acclimation. The Rongai route approaches from the Kenyan side of Kili, is less steep than Machame, and can be dryer during the rainy seasons (more about time of year later). Northern Circuit is a long route taking nine days, excellent for acclimation, and avoiding the Barranco wall if rock scrambling is a concern. The route I chose, Lemosho, is an eight day trip, considered to be one of the most beautiful journeys on Kili, starting in the rainforest, traveling through heather/moorlands, into Arctic desert, and concluding in the Arctic zone for the summit.

Which Guiding Company

I did a lot of research before booking with Ultimate Kilimanjaro, which has an excellent reputation for support and safety. However, there are many good companies and the most important thing is to book with a company that is a part of KPAP (Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project). If a company is certified by KPAP, it means that the local guides and porters are being paid a fair wage, and experience ethical treatment while working on the mountain. You can check on the KPAP site to ensure a company you are considering is on the list. Prices vary a lot between companies, and some of the least expensive companies may cut corners with payment and conditions for the people crucially supporting our climb.

When to go

Kilimanjaro is very near the equator, so temperatures don’t vary significantly between summer (December, January, February) and winter (June, July, August), but there are rainy seasons and more dry seasons. It is definitely easier to climb when you aren’t being rained on virtually every day, with snow once you get high enough, so I picked dry season (end of August). The big rainy season is in March through May, with another rainy season in November/December (usually less rainy). It can rain (or snow) any time of the year, of course, and rain is quite common year-round in the rainforest, but in the dry season you are unlikely (unless very unlucky) to have precipitation every day. The temperature on the mountain changes so much, however, that it is like climbing from the equator to the arctic in just a few days!

Physical training

For the Lemosho route, I will hike about 45 miles, with plenty of uphill and downhill elevation, and some rock scrambling. Obviously it is best to be in good physical shape, and hiking is the best exercise for that (in addition to all my daily walking and biking in NYC, I did some hiking in California earlier this year to try out my boots and other gear, see below). Being in good cardio shape, resistance training, squats, and – especially – stairs (up and down, as the effort required for going down 15,000 feet over two days often does a real number on hikers’ quads, calves, and knees) are useful. Hiking with gear plus your fully weighed day pack is good preparation (see here for such a hike I did in Manhattan). You tend to go up slowly, to help with acclimation, and down quickly, to get back to oxygen-rich air!

Gear and clothing

At Kilimanjaro, you start out in the rainforest (at least on the Lemosho route) and end up in the Arctic zone. Temperatures at the summit range between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius), and the wind can vary as well, influencing the perceived temperature. Because of this range of conditions, it is challenging to pack clothes and gear for this trek. There is also a weight limit to how much your porters are allowed to carry, dictated by KPAP. I won’t go into all the details about clothing and gear, as there are many sites (including Ultimate Kilimanjaro’s) to give you sample packing lists and even specific items that are recommended. The most important items are your hiking boots, which must be comfortable, supportive, and waterproof – and well broken-in. There are no huts to stay in on the Lemosho route, so I will be sleeping in a tent. No electricity, although I will take battery packs to keep my few electronic items charged. No running water, no showers. Below is what my duffle for the mountain looks like, with things organized in waterproof bags.

Vaccinations and medications

Although there are no requirements for vaccines to travel to Tanzania other than if you are coming from a place where Yellow Fever is an issue (and coming from the US via a plane change in The Netherlands, this is not an issue for me), the CDC has a list of recommended vaccines, which you can see on their website here. I updated my TDaP, and had Hep A and Typhoid vaccines, and was fully up-to-date on everything else. As for medications, you need anti-malarials (and there are various kinds with different pluses and minuses, so look at the CDC site and talk to your doctor – all require a prescription) and you can choose to take acetazolamide (also a prescription), which may help with altitude sickness, and ibuprofen (over-the-counter) for sore muscles and symptoms of altitude sickness. Most people who are unable to summit, who need to be evacuated, or experience severe illness on the mountain are experiencing the effects of extreme altitude on the body. Going up slowly can help your body to adapt to the altitude, but some people are more susceptible than others and even people who have not had trouble with altitude before can have a bad experience on a subsequent trip. Because of lower atmospheric pressure and lower oxygen levels, at 10,000 feet and above, 75% of all people will experience some symptoms of altitude sickness (headache, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, fatigue) but Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a more severe form of altitude sickness that can affect the lungs or the brain, and if you have AMS it is crucial that you descend as quickly as possible. On my trek the guide will be checking my pulse rate, blood oxygenation level, and administering the Lake Louise Scoring System by asking questions morning and night. I have agreed that if the guide says I need to descend, I will do it. However, on the Lemosho route, which has multiple opportunities to “climb high/sleep low” (optimal for acclimation) and also takes six days to ascend (two days to descend!), as many as 90% of all climbers on this route are able to summit.

As is clear from the two quotes above, climbing a mountain is often used as a metaphor for life, for overcoming difficulties, and/or for a personal journey. In the next few weeks I will have the literal experience of putting one foot in front of the other and – hopefully – looking back to discover that I have climbed a mountain. But I expect that this physical journey will end up to be an emotional/psychological one as well. I intend to take each day as a grand adventure, focusing on the experience rather than the inconveniences, discomfort, fatigue or the ultimate goal. Although I certainly will do everything within my power to reach the summit, if altitude sickness prevents it, there will be so many other experiences that will make the trip worthwhile. And, after getting down from the mountain, a five-day safari awaits. Hopefully next month I will be posting twice, once about the Kili climb, and once about the safari. (POSTSCRIPT: read about the Kili climb here and the safari afterward here!) It’s almost time to leave – wish me luck!

Walking the length of Broadway – from Battery Park to the top of Inwood

Published on by juliebrannan1 Comment

I love walking, and especially walking in New York City, and have written about it often (see old posts here, here, here, and here – among many), and have even compared walking in NYC to walking in London and Paris (see it here) and described walking in the ultimate car city, Los Angeles (see it here). Soon I will be going on a very long walk – I plan to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with a family member (and will be writing about the preparation for that as well as – hopefully – an account of the trip afterwards). (POSTSCRIPT: read about the Kili Climb here, about preparation for it here, and the safari afterward here.) As part of my training as I headed into the final weeks before leaving, I recently did something I have wanted to do for a while – I walked the entire length of Broadway from Battery Park to the tip of Inwood, about 13 miles, with my fully loaded daypack for Kili (including 4 liters of water), wearing my hiking boots, etc. Here’s what my day was like!

Broadway is the only avenue in Manhattan that runs its entire length (and in fact, continues north for two miles into The Bronx and then runs for 18 miles through Westchester County, through the towns of Yonkers, Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and Tarrytown). It is also a street that does not follow the grid in Manhattan above 14th Street. Much of it follows the Weckquaesgeek trail, a major thoroughfare long before Europeans arrived. It was then widened by the Dutch, and named the “High Way.” When the British took over it was renamed Broadway because of its unusual width. In the 18th Century, Broadway ended just north of Wall Street, and the section below that was Great George Street, but since 1899 Broadway has begun just north of Battery Park, so that is where I began my walk, on a Saturday in late July that was finally not too hot or humid to contemplate such a long walk.

I took the subway to South Ferry (I had thought about biking down but decided not to test my endurance too much!), and began my walk at One Broadway, just north of the Museum of the American Indian. Before too long I encountered the famous Wall Street bull at Broadway’s intersection with Wall and watched people line up to take photos.

Not too far north from there I began reading the markers for the Canyon of Heroes. This is the section of Broadway where ticker tape (from when the financial district had tons of ticker tape paper as a side effect of doing business) parades have celebrated heads of state, winning local sports teams, and special occasions like the end of World War II or the return of Americans who first walked on the moon. It is fun to read these although you will only read those on one side of Broadway if you are trying to make good time. I stayed on the east side of the street for much of the day to take advantage of shade. I also started from the southern end of Broadway and walked north, rather than starting from the north and walking south (I found out later there is a “Broad City” challenge that starts at the northern tip of Manhattan because it was done in an episode of the show). If you do start from the south, you can read the Canyon of Heroes markers more clearly because they aren’t upside-down, and the sun will be more behind you near the middle of the day rather than in your eyes. On the other hand, as I will describe later, the Inwood section of the hike is much more hilly so you might want to get that over with earlier in the day.

Still in the Canyon of Heroes, be sure to appreciate Trinity Church to your left. Trinity’s first church in Manhattan was built in 1698 and was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776. There was a second building on Wall Street until Trinity Church as we see it now was built in 1846. It was the tallest building in the United States until 1869, and the tallest in NYC until 1890.

Continuing north, if you look to your left, you can catch a glimpse of the Oculus, first on its own and a block later, with One World Trade rising behind it. (I have written before about the Oculus and about One World Trade.) They aren’t actually on Broadway, but St. Paul’s Chapel, which somehow survived 9/11 and was used as a staging area for helping rescue and recovery workers after 9/11, is on Broadway at Fulton. After George Washington was sworn in as President, he went to St. Paul’s for services and the pew he sat on has a plaque noting this.

Continuing north, I passed the Woolworth Building, which was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, with a height of 792 feet. Perhaps more impressively, over 100 years after it was built, it is still one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States. It has been converted to residential condos, and the penthouse – which is pretty spectacular, to say the least – recently sold for only $30M (down from over $100M when first listed!) in “white box” state, ready for finishing out to the buyer’s taste and use, but is a very unique space. After passing City Hall (which, built in 1812, is the oldest city hall in the US still used for its original governmental functions) and City Hall Park, I couldn’t resist a smile as I passed Zero Bond. This was the location of my work as a background actor for the final season (as it turned out, the final episode) of Succession, and I had scarfed down some craft services for lunch just outside that building standing next to Matthew Macfadyen (“Tom”). You can read more about that experience here.

After walking through Greenwich Village, the next big event is Union Square, where Broadway begins to cut across the Manhattan grid, creating interesting little parks or “squares.” I was doing this on a Saturday, so the excellent Green Market was in full swing. I had been hydrating up to this point, but decided to buy some fruit and enjoy it (raspberries and red currants) for my first snack of the day.

At 23rd Street, Broadway intersects with Fifth Avenue, and you get a great view of the Flatiron Building (unfortunately scaffolded right now for some facade repair). Completed in 1902, at 20 stories it was considered dangerous and a “folly” for the builder. A National Historic Landmark, The Flatiron Building is now universally adored – it was the fourth most loved building in the United States in a survey in 2019 (behind Falling Water, the Empire State Building, and Coit Tower in San Francisco).

Broadway intersects with Seventh Avenue at 34th Street, home of Macy’s flagship store. The real Santa (of course! come on, watch Miracle on 34th Street) hangs out in Santaland every holiday season, and the Thanksgiving Day Parade ends in front of the store. This building was completed in 1902 and is a National Historic Landmark.

When Broadway crosses 42nd Street, you are at the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square. Full of screens, neon, costumed performers, street theatre, hordes of confused tourists, and surrounded by Broadway theaters, Times Square is a lot, no question. There’s also no place like it. I actually successfully timed my day to avoid the pre-matinee crowds.

Speaking of Broadway theaters, a few blocks north of Times Square you can see the simply named Broadway Theater, currently the home of Here Lies Love, and the Ed Sullivan Theater, currently home to the Colbert Show. Did you know that most Broadway theaters are not actually on Broadway? There are 41 Broadway theaters (theaters with 500 or more seats, generally between 41st and 54th Streets, with the exception of the Vivian Beaumont a bit north in Lincoln Center at W 65th) but only the Broadway, Winter Garden, and Palace (currently undergoing a multi-year renovation) have addresses on Broadway itself.

When Broadway crosses Eighth at 59th Street, you are at Columbus Circle, looking to your right at the Southwest corner of Central Park. Broadway will continue to move west on the diagonal, intersecting W 66 (at Lincoln Center), and heading through the relative quiet and residential nature of the Upper West Side.

At some point in the W 90s, I stopped in at a random pizza place for a classic NY slice. Around this point I was beginning to tire a bit, but the pizza helped. Later on I stopped at a Mister Softee truck, but as you will see from the rest of this blog post, as I became more tired I took fewer photos.

Continuing north along Broadway into Morningside Heights, I passed Columbia University on my right and Barnard College on my left. Columbia was established as King’s College in 1754 on the grounds of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan, and moved to the current campus in 1896. Columbia is the 5th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States (after Harvard, William & Mary, Yale, and Princeton).

After Morningside Heights, Broadway seemed to get very hilly, and although there are plenty of lovely things to see – Inwood Park deserves its own blog post – I began to get more interested in finishing the trip than in taking pictures.

At the very tip of Manhattan Broadway swung east again, preparing to continue into The Bronx after a bridge over the Harlem River. After trudging to 218th Street, not wanting to go across the bridge, I considered myself to have done the walk, and backtracked to the 215th Street MTA station to catch the 1 train. I felt strong the next day, with no sore muscles, so felt good about the trek in terms of trying out my Kili gear on a long hike. The entire trip, including stops here and there for food, or bathroom breaks, took just under 6 hours. I feel the day would be more fun if you did it with someone over the course of an entire day, took more breaks, didn’t mind veering off Broadway now and then, and considered stopping at 125th Street (or starting there if you want to do the trip heading south instead of north). The most interesting thing to me was how different Broadway is in all its varying incarnations and neighborhoods. Walking it was like a microcosm of Manhattan itself; constantly different, never boring, not a city but more like a series of cities. The length and many-sidedness of Broadway illustrates the thing I love most about New York City – its constant variety and reinvention. Samuel Johnson once famously remarked that if you are bored with London you are bored with life – and to me that is true (I would say, even more true!) of my beloved New York City.

Pier 57 on Manhattan’s West Side

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The piers along the Hudson River have a long history of adaptation, from being a major series of docks for commercial and passenger ships (the survivors of the Titanic were brought to Pier 54 where Little Island Park is now rather than the Cunard-owned Pier 59 where the ill-fated vessel was intended to conclude its journey – and Pier 59 itself is now part of Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex), to rundown areas to avoid, to the current series of vibrantly reimagined public places (Chelsea Piers was first, but see my previous posts on the more recently opened Little Island Park and Pier 26 ). I recently checked out Pier 57, next to Little Island, which has been in the process of transformation since the fabulous City Winery (terrific food and wine – and concerts!) moved there from farther downtown but now is completely finished, with a fantastic Market 57 area for food and drink, and a two-acre rooftop park with spectacular views.

You find Pier 57 by going to West 15th Street and heading west – if you go past it, you will find yourself in the Hudson River! Close to Chelsea Market, The High Line Park, and Little Island, and also part of the wonderful walkable and bike-friendly Hudson River Park, Pier 57 is unassuming on the outside.

As you enter, with one of Google’s NYC offices on your right and City Winery to your left, if you proceed forward you will enter Market 57, an eclectic group of food and drink vendors.

Eclectic and bustling, the choices are varied and there is plenty of seating with great views of Little Island Park and the view south down the Hudson River. The largest seating area, in keeping with the community feel of Pier 57, is called the “Living Room” (but 7400 square feet of living room!).

Market 57 was curated and developed by the James Beard Foundation, and there are daily cooking demonstrations, culinary arts programming, and classes led by experts (see their schedule here).

Heading back past Market 57, you can either take stairs or an elevator up to the public rooftop, free of charge and open from 6am-1am every day. You can see up to Hudson Yards, west to the Empire State Building, and south to One World Trade and even the Statue of Liberty.

Pier 57 has ten bookable, tech-enabled spaces which can be reserved at no cost thanks to Google (see here for booking information) and an educational interactive exhibit about the Hudson River and the animals that live in it, called The Discovery Tank. As part of the ongoing development of Hudson River Park led by the nonprofit Hudson Park Trust, Pier 57 adds to the series of wonderful public spaces along Manhattan’s far West Side. I say it constantly, but one of the most wonderful things about New York City is that it is constantly evolving. The phrase may be “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” but I will add emphatically to that “If you are bored here, you will be bored everywhere!” Come and check out this new addition to the city I love, whether you are a resident or a visitor – New York City, in all its ever-adapting glory, is here for everyone.

A day at QC NY Spa on Governors Island

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I am always looking for new and enjoyable things to do in New York City, and also love a special spa experience (a favorite go-to is Aire Ancient Baths in Tribeca, but no photos allowed there!). So imagine my delight when I discovered there is a new day spa experience on Governors Island, a place already so special in that you feel as though you are in the country away from NYC, all the while experiencing incomparable views of lower Manhattan (see my previous blog post about Governors Island here). Having spent a lovely and unique day there recently, I can say that the experience is highly recommended. Here’s what my experience was like.

In my previous post about Governors Island, I describe what it is like to get to the island, and the process is no different to get there for a day at QCNY. The spa requires advanced reservations, and when you reserve they send you a link to reserve your ferry trip there at no cost (to get there usually requires a small fee unless you show your IDNYC as a resident). The cancellation policy is fairly generous, allowing you to cancel any time up to the time of your appointment, and there are several packages at different costs depending on how many hours you wish to stay and whether you want to add on a massage. My own recommendation is to get the all-day pass, as there is plenty to do for multiple hours, and that the massage – although delightful – is not necessary to enjoy the day. Currently they have only a few massage treatment rooms so booking that well in advance is important, although they are expanding and will have additional space soon.

When you get off the ferry, you will see a sign straight ahead directing you to the right, and it’s a very short walk to the spa, which is well signposted. After a quick checkin, you are given a key on a wristband with your locker number on it. Payment is taken in advance so that leaving is easy – you simply turn in the key. At this point everything is covered except for any food or drink (more about that later!) which can be paid for by any credit card or apple pay, no cash. In the locker, you find a robe, slippers, and a towel in a themed tote bag. Most people wear the robe and slippers over their swimsuits, and carry the bag. You are absolutely allowed to keep your phone with you, take a book, or snacks, and all of those can be carried in the tote. When you are in a sauna or pool, there are always plenty of hooks to hang your robe and tote. I always put my slippers inside the tote if taking them off to go in a pool, because they really do all look alike.

There are three main spa areas, a dry Wellness Path, a wet Aquatic Path, and the outdoor pools with views of lower Manhattan. The Wellness Path is the first you experience as you come down from the locker rooms. The first room has individual beds to lounge on with large infrared lamps above, which are supposed to be good for collagen production and reducing inflammation. The next room is a olfactory sensory experience with four different scents to experience, and you are encouraged to write in journals words that each scent bring to mind.

Next, there is a dry sauna, the Mountain Stube, and you are encouraged to go in to open your pores, then use the facial scrub provided, followed by a cool wet washcloth to remove the scrub. In the Fireplace Room there is a moisturizing facial mask to apply while you relax. All these extras are included, and twice while I was at the spa an employee came around with complimentary facial and eye masks as well.

Next to the Mountain Stube sauna is a Cocoon room, where you can swing and relax in these wicker hanging cocoons while listening to bird song.

The Jukebox Room plays classic rock (I heard Talking Heads a few times!) and designed as a place to relax, talk to your companion if you aren’t alone, and rest with a facial mask if you happened to get that recently.

The Upside Down Room provides a way to look at the world in a different way, and is a lot of fun to relax in. If you get a photo taken as I did, you can flip it and appear to be resting on the ceiling!

The Close and Yet So Far sauna had stunning views of the city, looking over the outside pools.

Going down another level to the aquatic experience, I took fewer photos there because of all the steam and water! However, there were multiple steam saunas, each decorated and scented to go along with a given theme – one was Scottish, another like being inside as a storm raged outside, and my favorite, A Thousand and One Nights, with lovely music and feeling a bit like being in a Turkish bath. There was a steam shower, a foot bath area with bubbling tubs, and body scrub provided to exfoliate before lying on a steel table and having water flow over you in a Vichy bath. On this same level was an area with different facial moisturizers and a large screen showing you how to do a facial massage.

The outdoor pools!!!! As much as I loved the entire spa, I think these were my favorites. It is surreal to be lounging in heated outdoor pools while looking at spectacular – and close! – views of the Manhattan skyline. There are two main pool areas, both of which have multi-levels and various places to rest and turn on bubbling action. There is one section with music piped underwater that you can only hear if your ears go below the water line. Behind the pools are rows of loungers and chairs.

If you do happen to have a massage booked, that area is just off the locker room area, and features a lounge area to rest before or after your treatment, as well as a generous supply of snacks.

And what of food and drink, if you are making a day of it? There is plenty of water infused with citrus or mint, and apple cider, on every level of the spa, and apples and coffee are also complimentary. An employee might come around at some point offering a healthy treat such as slices of apple dusted with cinnamon. There there are also two main areas to order food and drink – and a selection of wines and fun cocktails! The food and alcoholic beverages are for purchase, and the costs are about what you would expect for a facility that knows it has a captive audience. There are a series of hefty salads (the one I had featured field greens, pecans, and goat cheese), as well as a charcuterie and cheese tray. I will note that later in the day I heard people trying to order food and some of the selections were no longer available, so keep that in mind and order lunch on the earlier side (needless to say, it is not easy to get supplies to Governors Island!). I sampled two of the cocktails – an Aperol Spritz with the salad and a Cosmo later with the charcuterie platter – and both were generous pours and delicious. You are not allowed to come and go from the spa, though, so don’t plan on leaving and getting something from one of the food trucks on the Island and coming back.

I’d like to add that the spa is open year-round, and the outdoor pools are heated so you really could enjoy even on very chilly days. A visit where it rained the entire day would make the outdoor pools less appealing, but everything else is inside. The generous cancellation policy ensures that people don’t need to worry about the forecast when making a reservation. I happen to love immersive theatre (I wrote a blog post about Punchdrunk several years ago) and the thing that struck me while I was at QCNY Spa was that this was the first spa experience I have ever had that feels in some ways like immersive theatre. I believe it could be enjoyed solo (especially if you brought a book) but is ideally suited for a day spent as a couple or for a group of friends. As always, New York City keeps providing new things to do and experience, and this is one I will definitely revisit.

The Tony Awards: 2023 and a look back to attending 2022

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Every spring in New York City, there is a flurry of new plays and musicals opening on Broadway to beat the deadline for Tony Award nominations. Of course productions do also open other times of the year, but the spring opening season is the busiest time of the theatrical year. Broadway’s importance to the culture and economy of NYC cannot be emphasized enough – in the last year before the pandemic shutdown, 14,077,000 tickets were sold, bringing in $1.83 billion in direct and an estimated $14.7 billion in indirect money into the city’s economy. NYC tourism in general and Broadway theatre specifically continue to rebound since reopening, but estimates are that Broadway revenues are still down 8-10% compared to pre-pandemic numbers. In a business where only one out of every five productions that open on Broadway recoup the investment put in by producers, every move that can increase the probability that a given show will succeed will be taken.

I have watched the Tony Awards on television for decades now, and last year had the thrill of being able to attend. I have been to the Drama Desk Awards before, and really enjoyed, but the Tonys are another experience altogether. How did I manage this? A good friend was involved with the revival of Company (which did in fact win best revival) and was able to get me two tickets to the 2022 Awards – which were also the 75th Anniversary of the Tony Awards. As we approach the 2023 awards, I am looking back on what that experience was like. Spoiler alert: it was fantastic!

Now this year (2023), the televised ceremony – which serves as a way to publicize the new shows in a season in addition to giving out the awards – was in peril due to the WPA (Writers Guild of America) ongoing labor strike. Even though Broadway playwrights are members of The Dramatists Guild (which is a professional organization, not a union), many of them are also members of WPA from working in television or film. Some Broadway performers have written for TV or film and are members of the WPA. In addition, most members of the Broadway community are in their own unions (Actor’s Equity for performers, or Local 802 AFM for musicians, for instance) and would be unlikely to cross a picket line from another union. At one point it was announced that the Tony Awards would not be televised this year. But several writers who work both on Broadway and in TV/film (Martyna Majok, David Henry Hwang, Tony Kushner and Jeremy O. Harris among them) reached out to the WPA and asked them not to picket the ceremony – and they were successful (see this New York Times article for the details). It’s still not clear how the ceremony will be impacted by the strike, as members of the WPA who are nominees (and there are quite a few) have been asked not to attend and to pre-tape acceptance speeches. But there will be performances by nominated shows, and the awards will be given out.

Even before the strike, there were going to be some differences between this year’s ceremony and those in the past. It has been held at Radio City Music Hall for a long time, with a few interruptions (the Beacon Theater in 2011 and 2012, the Winter Garden Theatre when the first post-pandemic awards were handed out in September of 2021), but this year will be held far uptown in Washington Heights. The United Palace Theater, where it will be held on June 11, 2023, has far fewer seats than Radio City (3400 vs. 6000) but more than the Beacon or the Winter Garden. On the plus side, though, covid restrictions are much less rigorous than the procedure in place last year.

Last year, there were two sets of protocol in place. Those of us in the orchestra section, who could potentially be seen on camera, had to prove vaccination status, get a PCR covid test in advance and upload to get a digital health pass that would allow us into the venue. Then masks were optional for those in the orchestra (and from what I saw, most were not masked). For those in one of the mezzanines, proof of vaccination was acceptable, and masks were mandatory.

Also – and I only know this because I saw someone’s ticket who was trying to get in the main entrance but was in the mezzanine so was instructed to go along the side – not all the tickets were like the ones I had. The tickets for those in the orchestra were thick heavy embossed tickets in a black and silver envelope! The ticket I saw for someone who was going to the mezzanine looked like a regular Ticketmaster print out with a bar code. It was so exciting to get the fancy tickets a few days before the ceremony. Most years there are a limited number of tickets available for purchase by the way, but they are expensive (I looked, and for this year they were $775 and $575 – not scalped prices, the actual tickets from the Tony site) and you will be far away from the show. The orchestra level was for people directly involved in the nominated shows, or for presenters.

In addition, those in the orchestra had a required dress code – as our fancy ticket said, “Black Tie Only” – and a separate entrance (the main front entrance of Radio City) from those going to the mezzanines. Only those in the orchestra were allowed in the main lobby or the (really spectacular!) lower level bathrooms. There are bathrooms in the mezzanine, but not as opulently Art Deco, or as fun to pose in front of.

The section of the orchestra I was in was in the middle but far house right. The cast of A Strange Loop was in front of our Company section, and MJ the Musical behind us. Nominees from any show were seated closer to the stage, but would occasionally come by to say hi to their cast mates. Three rows in front of us, in a kind of Spring Awakening reunion, were Steven Sater, Jonathan Groff, and Lea Michele. I took a screenshot of the opening when The Music Man cast marched in, and circled my location:

I have been to other televised shows, so some of the aspects of how that works was familiar to me. But the Broadway-specific nature of the entire evening was a dream come true. Before the show began, they were playing Broadway songs. In commercial breaks they would show montages of things like this year’s shows, past Tony acceptance speeches, past Tony dance numbers, etc. They would then count down and when they got below five ask for applause as we came back live. People watching was so much fun, as during breaks people would get up to see their friends. It’s also a chance for people in the industry to meet or express appreciation for those they haven’t worked with. For instance, Philippa Soo and Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton OBC) came and took selfies with some of the performers from A Strange Loop.

We all received a thick souvenir Playbill and there was merchandise you could only get there. I bought a tote bag and t-shirt that had the 75th Anniversary logo on the front and all the shows that had opened that season on the back, as well as sweatpants with the Tony Awards logo.

This year I will be watching at home again. I don’t know if I will ever be able to attend the Tony Awards in person in the future, but I certainly hope so! But if not, I will always have the memories of what it was like to be a part of that special crowd on the most important night of the entire Broadway season in June of 2022.

Central Park in Spring

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A highlight of the current Lincoln Center Theatre production of Camelot comes at the beginning of the second act, when Lancelot (a magnificent Jordan Donica) sings “If ever I would leave you.” When walking through Central Park lately, I have been singing (inside my head, not aloud!):

If ever I would leave you
How could it be in springtime?
Knowing how in spring I’m bewitched by you so?

Spring in Central Park is bewitching, indeed. After the austere beauty of bare tree branches creating stark contrast with the greyish winter sky, against hard brown soil, it seems that in mid-March and through April into early May, the park becomes vibrant seemingly overnight with carpets of flowers and spectacular flowering trees. The juxtaposition of the glories of nature with the iconic Manhattan skyscrapers and stately apartment buildings is truly unique and makes Central Park a very special place to experience in spring.

Flowers that grow from bulbs show up first – generally cheery daffodils are the harbinger of the spring blooming, followed later by tulips. Later you can find black-eyed Susans, violets, and bluebells.

Cherry blossom season is famous in Japan and in Washington DC, and there are terrific cherry blossoms in both the Bronx and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. But Central Park is underrated, I think – cherry blossom season in the park is unforgettable! Most of the cherry trees in the park were a gift from Japan in the early 1900s, and there are three main types: Okame, Yoshino, and Kwanzan. For instance, look for Kwanzan on the east side of the Reservoir, Yoshino near Pilgrim Hill on the east side near 73rd Street, and Okame on the west side of the Reservoir. Okame are the first to bloom and are deep pink. Yoshino bloom next and are so pale they are almost white (I have been walking beneath these when the blossoms are being blown off by the wind and it looks like you are in a warm weather blizzard!). Kwanzan bloom latest and are thicker clusters of bright pink. The timing varies each year depending on the temperature and precipitation, but once a tree has bloomed, the blooms are only on the tree for 7-10 days (and can come off all at once if there is a rainstorm or high winds). The transience of this beauty makes the experience of being around it even more magical and meaningful. When the cherry blossoms first begin to bloom, the branches of most trees are still bare, but by the time the last of the cherry blossoms fall, the park has greened with pale new leaves and bright spring grass everywhere you look.

Most years there is little or no overlap between the timeline of the three types of cherry blossoms, so use this as a general guide:

Okame Cherry Blossom Dates: Mid March (most already gone as I post this)

Yoshino Cherry Blossom Dates: Beginning / Mid April (ending now)

Kwanzan Cherry Blossom Dates: End of April / Early May (coming soon)

To see a few videos I have posted of cherry blossoms in the Park, check out this one, this one just behind the Met Museum, or this one next to the Reservoir. Also, for a more formal garden experience, the Central Park Conservatory Garden at Fifth between 104th and 106th Streets is particularly stunning in spring.

If it sounds like spring is my favorite season in Central Park, it is – at least right now! On a sultry summer evening coming back from Shakespeare in the Park, a spectacular autumn day with the fall foliage ablaze, or after a gorgeous fresh winter snowfall, those seasons will then be my favorites. As the song eventually decides, I agree that in my love for Central Park:

Oh, no! Not in springtime!
Summer, winter or fall!
No, never could I leave you at all!

TV and Movie Filming in New York City

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Having enjoyed visiting many working film studios in Los Angeles, it would be easy for me to think that all significant filming takes place on the West Coast. However, living in Midtown, I pass by film locations on a weekly basis, seeing trailers, filming equipment, and sometimes even catering (craft services) out on the street. Generally speaking, if they aren’t actively shooting, you can walk past their set up and the bustle of the activity and just get to where you need to go. Recently I was able to be an extra on a major cable TV show (update as of May 30, 2023 – it was the series finale of Succession!) that needed “upscale New Yorkers” for background and was able to experience first hand the excitement, chaos, and tedium (at times) of filming in New York City. This led me to think more about the importance of the movie and TV film industry in New York City.

Interestingly enough, the movie industry began in New York City – and so did television. In 1894, the first first commercial motion-picture exhibition was given in New York City, using Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope. Between 1895 to 1910, New York City was the capital of film production and distribution. Fort Lee and other areas of New Jersey close to Manhattan were also centers for early movies. In 1920, Kaufman Astoria Studios (which are still in operation – I had to go there for my PCR covid test before working as an extra this past week) opened in Queens. 

Thomas Edison had a strict monopoly (“The Trust”) on the movie business, though, and filmmakers began to move to the West Coast, primarily in and around Los Angeles, to make money quickly before they could be prosecuted for patent infringement. Los Angeles also, of course, provided a more consistent climate for year-round filming. However, the radio industry, and then the television industry, were also born in New York City before many (but definitely not all) television shows moved to Los Angeles. Broadcast television (news, news shows, and talk shows) has remained centered in New York City. All talk shows have lotteries (and some have same-day stand by) for live audiences, and that can be a fun thing to experience. I have been in the audience at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (look into tickets here), Late Night with Seth Meyers (ticket process here), and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (ticket information here) in just the past few years.

My top experience as an audience member was seeing Saturday Night Live in November of 2019, though. It is a very very hard ticket to get – you have to email them in the summer and then they select throughout the year. See the process of how to get tickets here. There aren’t many seats, and some people line up for days outside (especially for a very popular musical guest) for standby tickets. It was amazing to see how quickly they transitioned from scene to scene with the live time restriction. I would love to do it again!

My very recent experience (1/30/23) as an extra on a TV show filming in NYC was a bit of a surprise and much more enjoyable than I had thought it would be. Update as of May 30: I can now reveal that the show was the finale of “Succession”! I will upload a few photos below, although of course no phones were allowed on set.

My sister loves this particular show (I signed an NDA and can’t say much more about it until after it airs!) and saw that they were looking for “upscale New Yorkers” as background on a few days. She encouraged me to send in photos, and after I had forgotten about it, I did get an email from them asking if I would be available on two days (one to get a PCR covid test, and then the day on set) as well as measurements, dress and shoe size, whether I had an visible tattoos (nope) and if my look had “significantly changed” since those photos (also nope!). After confirming me, they sent a link to register on the RABS site (Run A Better Set) which had me fill out an I9 form, and gave me info first for the covid test. Getting to go into Kaufman Astoria Studios itself was fun, the testing process was very efficient, and after they processed the negative test I was given a call number for the shoot (#44- you were asked your number constantly on filming day) and a site to check the day before the shoot for my call time and place. On the day of filming, I started out in holding for the background people, in SoHo, had breakfast, rotated through Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup, had a group wardrobe photo taken, and after about 90 minutes was bussed to the filming location (a private club, Zero Bond). When we first arrived, we sat quietly on another floor as the principals rehearsed just above us, but after being there about another 90 minutes, we were sent up to the set. The scene itself turned out to be very interesting (although of course we couldn’t look at the actors as we were dining patrons). Update: it was the scene where *spoiler alert* Greg is Google translating Swedish to figure out what Mattson’s plans are. It was once a much longer scene and involved Mattson, Oskar, Greg, and Tom. In the end I was not visible in the significantly cut scene. My scene partner and myself were selected to come into the room and be seated by a hostess, which kept things interesting and also allowed for some viewing of the director and staff watching the filming of the scene before we walked in. The same scene was shot many many times, with changes in camera angles also many times, and it was fascinating to hear how the scene played a little differently every time. After 4-5 hours, background was released and bussed back to holding, where I collected my things, checked out, and went home. I was paid via RABS for covid testing and for the filming, although as a non-union extra it is certainly not enough to make a living! But it was very enjoyable to see all the people and steps that go into making just one scene in a high-quality cable television show.

Obviously, New York City is synonymous with Broadway live theatre, and according to a recent report from the Broadway League, Broadway theaters of all sizes contribute over $12.6 billion per year – on top of ticket sales – to the New York City economy. The same report found that Broadway supports more than 12,600 direct jobs and an estimated 74,500 indirect jobs in NYC. Surprisingly, though, in 2019, New York City’s film and television industry was directly responsible for 100,200 jobs, $12.2 billion in wages, and $64.1 billion in direct economic output. There are more than 120 soundstages throughout New York State, most in NYC, of varying sizes. Currently under development are Steiner Studios in Sunset Park, Brooklyn which will provide another 500,000 square foot production hub to the already well-known Silvercup Studios in Long Island City and Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria. To delve deeper into the history and current state of NYC’s film industry, I recommend visiting the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria right next to Kaufman Astoria Studios (check out hours and ticket prices here).

Now when I pass filming while out and about, I have a new appreciation for the importance of the movie and TV film industry to New York City. And who knows, maybe I will get the chance to be an extra again. I will have no idea for a few months whether I show up in the scene I walked into so many different times (I DID NOT haha), but regardless, it was a wonderful experience for this “upscale New Yorker” to experience!

London Holiday Decor and Markets 2022

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My beloved New York City never shines as bright as between Thanksgiving and New Year’s – it’s hardly an original opinion, and yet I can’t help but to reinforce it. I have blogged several other years about holiday decor (here from 2014, here from 2015, here from 2016, holiday markets, Dyker Heights lights in 2019 and earlier in 2014, how NYC decorated during the pandemic in 2020, etc., etc.). But my second-favorite city is London, and they certainly know how to do the holiday season extravagantly as well. I have visited many many times over the years, but only once before during the holiday season (in 2011). I was fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving week in London just last month (2022). I simply couldn’t stop taking photos, and felt completely immersed in the holiday spirit during the entire delightful week. Here are a few of the highlights of the 2022 holiday decorations and markets as I came across them during my stay.

First, let’s talk about the Holiday Markets. They are all over London, and full of shopping, snacking, and eating opportunities. The market all along the south bank of the Thames was a lot of fun, stretching from the London Eye past the National Theatre and almost to the Tate Modern. There was a terrific market at Trafalgar Square, and a quite large and raucous one at Leicester Square. See here for a video of marshmallow toasting at the Leicester Square market.

Covent Garden, one of my favorite places to wander in London, has not only a Holiday Market added to the normal plethora of shops, but also fantastic decor, entertaining buskers, and restaurants along with snacks. Props to their classy use of a disco ball, which gives a subtle snow effect at night (see it here). I thoroughly enjoyed seasonal gingerbread and along with Ben’s cookies, which are always there – and always worth the wait!

Harrod’s was well-decorated as always, and I never go to London without including a lengthy visit to their food hall. In addition to looking at all the fun holiday foods, I was able to get several items to go for an impromptu lunch al fresco.

And Fortnum & Mason! Ah, to dream of receiving one of those huge Christmas hampers!

Borough Market is another of my favorite places in London, decorated festively, and providing an opportunity to have absolutely the best cheese sandwich in the world.

Somerset House has a wonderful skating rink – see here for a video including the cutest tiny skater.

Christmas trees are of course everywhere. I particularly liked the one at the London Transport Museum adorned with double-decker buses and the one at the Buckingham Palace gift shop entirely decorated by crowns.

In Hyde Park, they had set up a Winter Wonderland, with food, drink, and carnival rides. I discovered that a “helter skelter” is a traditional British ride where you sit on a mat and go down a curvy slide. There was a real ice slide that I went down – twice – on an inflatable tube, a haunted house, a fun house, and the opportunity to try “tornado chips” (a potato sliced in a spiral, skewered, fried, and dusted with garlic salt – absolutely delish).

The wonderful thing about London during the holiday season is that you don’t even need to seek out decorations – you will come across them everywhere you go. They are all festive during the day but particularly magical at night. As the days grow so short and the nights so long, this celebration of light and joy is particularly appreciated.

Of course I enjoyed the London theatre scene while there, and indulged in several pints of draught lager as well as an absolutely yummy gingerbread milkshake spiked with Bailey’s (find it at Byron), but what made this trip special was being immersed in the London holiday spirit. And then I was able to come home to New York City and appreciate this most special time here as well.

Here’s to many merry celebrations as we all end 2022, and look forward with hope and anticipation to 2023!

The Museum of Broadway

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There have always been good exhibits about Broadway theatre around the city that come and go. The Performing Arts Library has excellent displays – some more elaborate, like the Hal Prince exhibit a few years ago, and some as quick pop-ups like the one honoring Stephen Sondheim via his correspondence set up after his death almost a year ago. There was a terrific temporary exhibit about costumes around the time Broadway reopened after pandemic. And many theatres themselves have displays of old show art or even props or costumes from productions that have been in that theatre. But when I heard people were planning to create a permanent Museum of Broadway, I thought that was a splendid idea and knew I wanted to be there as soon as they opened. I was fortunate enough to be there on opening day, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The museum is on West 45th between Seventh and Sixth Avenues, right next to the Lyceum. You walk in through the gift shop (will exit there as well, two chances to shop!), head toward the giant Tony Award, and either purchase a ticket or scan in if you have purchased in advance.

Everything is completely themed – so when you are entering through a stairwell, you see information about warmups in stairwells before a show, backstage traditions, and even the bathrooms are disguised as dressing rooms.

The first room has a poster for every Broadway theatre, and information about the show currently there, as well as a QR code to go through to purchase tickets to the show. If an theatre is currently empty, the poster is blank, so this room will need to be constantly updated as shows come and go. You can see a video of this room here. I noted that the small group of people who saw 15 or more shows in a given year (and I am quite definitely in that group!) account for 28% of all tickets sold. And only 35% of tickets sales on Broadway are to New Yorkers like myself, so you quickly realize the importance of tourist dollars to the Broadway economy.

You might wait a bit to be let into the next room, as it features a lovely short film about the history of the Times Square theatre area. They let groups of people in at a time so that those enjoying the film aren’t constantly interrupted by people coming or going, and I appreciated that.

Then you begin the main portion of the museum, which is a timeline of Broadway. Each time period features costumes, props, information, and interactive displays with which to explore that era. The first was of course the vaudeville/Ziegfeld Follies period.

The next section featured Show Boat, often considered to be the first true musical theatre piece (rather than a revue). The cross section is of a tree trunk showing the time between 1927 when Show Boat first was produced, and 2022, the opening of the Museum of Broadway

The next section featured the “golden age” musicals such as Oklahoma, and the beginning of the Tony Awards.

Moving forward in time, there was a wonderful room dedicated to West Side Story, including a video highlighting the choreography. This was one of the many places you could insert yourself into the set, here behind Doc’s counter.

The next era included Cabaret, Hello Dolly and Hair (these costumes from the 2009 revival).

Interspersed with shows of the time were information and interactive exhibits about people who did important work in the time being portrayed (Hal Prince above, for example, or Bob Fosse and Stephen Sondheim here).

The large interactive exhibit about Company was in the timeline associated with when Company was first produced, but the sets shown here are from the recent Tony Award-winning revival (see a video of this room here.)

After “easing on down the road” from The Wiz, there was a large display about A Chorus Line, including this mirrored room, seen here on video.

After Annie, there was an interesting area about jukebox musicals, which are not all the same. As pointed out in the chart above, some are based on movies, others not, some feature the music of only one person/group (Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys MJ, A Beautiful Noise) and others of various artists (Moulin Rouge, Rock of Ages). They had a video screen showing clips from several of the jukebox musicals currently playing on Broadway that I expect will be changed out over time.

While Off-Broadway, The Public Theater has been an incubator for several shows that have gone on to Broadway. Continuing in time, there were small displays for Cats and La Cage Aux Folles.

The next room underlines the impact of the AIDS crisis on the Broadway community, and the creation of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Red ribbons cascade down next to a two walls filled with names of those who died of AIDS in the creative community.

Heading into the 80’s, there are displays for Evita, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, and of course the Phantom of the Opera. A large beaded curtain features a hidden Phantom mask that you can only see from a particular angle (see it here).

The next, large, room highlights Rent. I really enjoyed this room, as it had costumes, sets, props, cute interactive aspects (ring a doorbell and see who shows up at the door), a telephone where you can listen in to casting recollections, and a place to draw your own recollection and add it to the digital tribute wall.

Moving forward, you can see props from The Lion King, Avenue Q, and The Producers (you can sit behind the desk).

While not one of the larger exhibits, I enjoyed this section about Spring Awakening.

I loved the 360-degree set showing Wicked inside the Gershwin Theatre. You can see the public areas but also the backstage areas for warm ups and dressing rooms, and the backstage machinery that makes the set pieces move.

After a small display for Hamilton, there are panels for shows that opened each year, and I really loved that there were blank panels for the next several years. It’s exciting to think of what might lie ahead for us on Broadway!

Leaving Broadway through the years, you enter a very informative session about the creation of a Broadway show, from initial playwriting, to production and design, casting, out-of-town tryouts, and arrival on Broadway. There are many video interviews with creatives explaining how stage managers/stagehands/makeup artists, etc., work.

There is a section after this which will have special exhibits that switch out over time. The first one is about the art of Al Hirschfeld, and even has a fun interactive way to create your own Hirschfeld caricature.

Exiting again through the gift shop, I left happy with what I had experienced. I already have plans to bring someone else to the museum in the next several months, and this is the kind of place that you can spend as long or as little as you want while there. I would say the bare minimum of time would be about 90 minutes, and more if you want to really watch the videos, read and listen to information presented, and study the props and costumes. Tickets are $39 and up, and a portion of every ticket sale goes to Broadway Cares. Broadway is the heart of New York City, and I think a museum dedicated to this art form fills a need. Also – it’s fun . . . don’t forget to enjoy and let the sun shine in!

The Upper East Side of Manhattan in October

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When one thinks of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, you often imagine rows of elegant townhouses and apartment buildings, interspersed with high-end shops, elegant restaurants, and schools with children in tidy uniforms. All those things are true, but they aren’t the entire story. The idea of the Upper East Side as a stuffy, reserved neighborhood is negated every October when walking through the gauntlet of Halloween decorations that adorn block after block in the neighborhood. Some decor is indeed elegant but much of it – much more than you would expect – ranges from spooky to terrifying. I have posted before about Halloween decor in NYC (here and here for instance) but this post is specifically about the Upper East Side this year, with a bonus of a dog costume contest held yearly in Carl Schurz Park!

I have posted a few videos on Instagram, too – here’s an example.

I talked to a UPS delivery man while taking one of these photos and he said he felt he needed hazard pay to go to some of these houses, because he had no idea who would come to the door!

I love the skeleton above – almost seems like a jaunty “Singing in the Rain” pose.

Here’s another video that I posted on Instagram. This was one of the more terrifying displays, and the sound was triggered by someone walking by.

Another Instagram video, just to give more of the flavor of being in front of one of these houses.

Although a lot of those photos may make the Upper East Side seem like a terrifying place in October, there are more light-hearted things to enjoy as well! One of the best is the yearly “Halloween Howl” dog costume contest held in that well-kept secret treasure of NYC, Carl Schurz Park in the Yorkville neighborhood of the Upper East Side (I’ve blogged about it before, in general and after a snowstorm). Here are a few photos from this year:

Now, a lot of these same townhouses decorate for the December holidays as well, but there is nothing quite like the gothic excess of so many of these decorations! Walking to an appointment on the Upper East Side in October, with the first touches of chill in the air, and taking in the sights of what my fellow New Yorkers have done to celebrate the season in the city – and share it with others – I am reminded once again of how fortunate I am to live and work in this vibrant city.