I have been to New York City many times over the years, but this time was different. I was going by myself (sans husband and kids), and meeting Stephanie (my good fb friend from Chicago) in order to see one of my favourite actresses perform at a nightclub in New York City.
I was nervous for many reasons, but excited for a new adventure. This would be very personal - a wish fulfilled. It would mean keeping something special in my heart. I love the Big Apple, I love my memories of ATWT, and I love the new friendships I have made because of the love of my 'story', including Colleen Zenk. So, now it was time to explore my own personal dreams.
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| Colleen Zenk at Feinsteins |
When I found out that Colleen Zenk would be performing her 'Still Sassy' cabaret at Feinsteins in New York City, I was determined to go. My husband couldn't take the time off work, so I was made plans to go alone. To my wonderful surprise, my friend Stephanie said she would join me. The show would be on Sunday, November 6, 2011, so I decided to treat myself to most of Saturday and Monday as well. Since I had been to New York before, I was at least confident that I could maneuver my way around well. I made arrangements to take the day off from my business on Monday (since I would be flying back to Toronto in the evening). My trip would be my birthday and Christmas present from my dear husband (who is not a soap fan, by the way).I booked my flight accordingly (leaving on Saturday morning). Then I started looking for a hotel room close to Central Park, near Feinsteins. First snag - what wasn't already fully booked was much too expensive. I didn't realize until I had done some more investigating, that the New York City marathon was on Sunday. Oh my. Well, it took me almost two weeks but I found an absolutely charming B&B on the Upper East Side at a reasonable price and location. Then to plan the rest of my itinerary for a weekend to remember. I was excited and motivated.
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| Mamma Mia on Broadway |
I wanted to see a Broadway show. I considered 'How to Succeed in Business...' with Michael Park, but couldn't find a price I was willing to pay. Since this was MY trip, I chose to see a musical I have already seen five times over the years (four times in Toronto and once in Hamburg, Germany). I love ABBA, loved the movie (Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan are stellar), and truly consider Mamma Mia to be my favourite. I had never seen it on Broadway - so now was the time for my perfect weekend. I chose third row center. When Stephanie later decided to join me, I got her a seat very close (at least we could see each other). As an aside, I still think Colleen Zenk would be perfectly cast as Donna Sheridan. So, that would be Saturday night. Stephanie arranged her flight from Chicago so that it coincided perfectly with my arrival at LaGuardia and then we would take a taxi into Manhattan. We would arrive in the city in mid afternoon and then have time to check in, get settled and take the subway down to Fifth Avenue (for a little window gazing and a little shopping). After that we would have dinner and then head down to the theatre district and Times Square.
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| At the airport |
Well I must say, that it all worked out perfectly. Stephanie was waiting for me when I landed, we hugged (as fb sisters should do) and then began our adventure. We took a cab from the airport to the B&B and were lucky that it only took a little while. The room was perfect (it was a renovated apartment with a full kitchen - beautiful). We were quite pleased wth the choice and hoped that everything would go as smoothly. Our innkeeper recommended Kennedy's on 57th st for dinner. He said that the Police Commissioner of NY often ate there with his friends. We took the subway down to 59th walked over to 5th Avenue and did some awesome window shopping.
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| Kennedys |
We went into Bloomingdales and other more 'touristy' shops, bought a couple of pieces that we liked and then decided we were hungry. We took the advice we were given and went to Kennedys for dinner. It was lovely decor, good food and very reasonably priced for NYC. However, we didn't see any celebrities I think they sit in one of the back rooms. After dinner, we slowly made our way down to Times Square. The weather was perfect, bright blue sky leading to a a nice sunset, surrounded by skyscrapers and neon lights. On our way past Rockefeller Centre, we came across Cookie Monster just passing by, so I decided to ask him about his favourite cookie. He did confess that it would have to be chocolate chip.
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| Cookie Monster |
The bright lights of Times Square were so inviting. We were in the Big Apple. I had seen it before and yet I still didn't think it was gaudy - it was just the charm and excitement of New York City. It was almost time for Mamma Mia, so we headed over to the Wintergarden Theatre. Of course, the show was as good as I expected it to be even though the lead role was being played by the understudy for that evening. How I wished it could have been Colleen Zenk. Well, maybe the next time I go to NYC, it will be. In any case, I was pleased that Stephanie enjoyed it - she had never seen it before. Mamma Mia is a show about strong women, love, family and fun. And, of course ABBA songs are so uplifting and part of MY youth. And Stephanie was so gracious wih me. Although she had never been to NYC before, she let me do all the things that I wanted to do. You will see what I am talking about when I describe the next day.
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| On Broadway |
So far, we had been in the Big Apple for about eight hours, but were truly enjoying our time together and the whole New York experience. It was also 'cool' to be without our husbands for the first time - ever. It was really 'girly-girly' fun. We walked around Times Square, went into a Broadway shop where I picked up a souvenir for my Drama teacher son, and then happened upon the theatre where 'How to Succeed...' was playing. We walked up to the stage door where we saw someone signing autographs. At firt I thought it might be Michael Park, but this man was much taller. It was John Laroquette. He was quite close to me, but had just finished, said, "Goodnight" and left. He seemed to be very nice to his fans for the brief moment we saw him. We asked about Michael Park but were told that he had already left.
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| Cafe Lalo |
It was now after 11:00pm but the streets were filled with tourists and New Yorkers. We hailed a taxi and drove to the Upper West side to Cafe Lalo where we had dessert and a delicious fruit drink. Now, I have to explain something here. My favourite movie is 'You've Got Mail' and this little cafe is where Meg Ryan meets Tom Hanks (not realizing that he is her internet friend). It was a great thrill to, not only re-visit a favourite location but it was a beautiful night, even a little warm and we were truly having a great time. It was after midnight, but the place was packed. It was open until 4:00am. Stephanie and I felt like we were part of the New York 'scene'. It was fun. And the wait staff and the patrons were all so friendly. Starting (and I mean just 'starting') to get tired, we took a cab back to the Upper East side, going through Central Park, to the B&B. My lil' sis (that's what I call Stephanie) and I had some fun 'girl talk' before we went to sleep. It had been a long but fantastic day. I was a little happy that I also got an extra hour of sleep because of the time change - Stephanie got two hours because she is from Chicago.
Sunday morning, we met one of Stephanie's friends from Team Colleen for breakfast at Rue 57. They had been friends for over a year, but had never met face to face. It was a sweet meeting, full of stories and exciting thoughts about Colleen's show in the evening.We had a lovely breakfast before we separated and Stephanie and I headed out for a day on the Upper West side, following a few places that I wanted to revisit. We passed by the fences and even police with riot gear that were set up around Central Park for the marathon (which had already started). I figured that by staying on the Upper West Side, we would not encounter too much traffic or interference from the marathon. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that our true adventure began.
As I said before, my favourite movie of the last 20 years, is You've Got Mail. Poor Stephanie was dragged to the building (now a small cafe) that was the bookstore, then north on Broadway and Columbas Ave to Zabars (the grocery store) and then to Grays Papaya (for their famous hot dog). At least I didn't drag her all the way to 97th Street Riverside Park (the final scene of the movie). It was a glorious day - warm, bright blue sky and I was very warm in my winter coat. By pure luck, we happened upon a flea market that had unique items, vintage clothes, and antique books. Of course I bought on for my husband, (the book collector). Iit was a first edition for $6.00. They had so many ecclectic and interesting items - not junk, just treasures. 
By 4pm, we wanted to get to the East side, but Central Park was completely blocked with the finish line of the marathon. By the time we realized that all the runners would probably want taxis, and that it might be a problem to get back to the B&B to get ready for Colleen Zenk's show, we were starting to get pressed for time. We walked several blocks further west and then several blocks north in order to try to grab a cab, but had to wait for half an hour before we were lucky. And then, the poor driver couldn't get across to the east side. He finally let us go, and we had to walk and walk and walk. But we did it. Stephanie had taken off her shoes and was walking in her socks. When we finally grabbed a cab on the east side, we were still 14 blocks away. We made it back and had twenty minutes to get ready to go to Feinsteins. It didn't matter. we were so excited that we were very happy that we had had an adventure . 
We arrived at Feinsteins just after 6pm and met with other friends of Stephanie's. It was nice to see Team Colleen together to enjoy the show. We had a lovely dinner. Phillip Katz (Colleen's publicist) came to the table and talked with us for a while. He is a very nice, gentle man. I got the impression that he was excited about the future. Trent Dawson sat at a table near us and I also saw Christopher Goutman, Damon L. Jacobs and Roger Newcomb. I was determined that I would speak to Roger Newcomb about my feelings and gratitude for the DVD sets. When Colleen Zenk came on stage, the whole room was immediately surrounded with the love and joyous adoration of the audiencefor a true 'star'.
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| Colleen Zenk |
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| Trent Dawson (Henry Coleman) |
After an encore and a great deal of applause, Colleen Zenk left the stage and was speaking to her friends in the audience at the other side of the room. Trent Dawson was sitting quite close to me, so I summoned up all my courage, and went over to his table. I introduced myself to him and told him that I had been a fan of ATWT for 50 years. Trent Dawson's eyes widened as he said, "Oh my" almost as if he didn't believe me, but I continued to tell him how much I enjoyed his performance as his character, Henry Coleman. I was immediately taken with this charming man's smile and graciousness. I talked with him about his role as Henry and he recounted how much he enjoyed his time on ATWT and his relationships with the other cast members. He talked about how very pleased he was that the writers had decided to pair him with Colleen Zenk as his love interest. I could see the sincere love he had for Colleen, not to mention that he has a great voice when he performed a duet with her. It was lovely. I am a very shy person; and Trent made me feel so comfortable. I hope he has an awesome future as an actor - however, there will never be another Henry Coleman, unless he is played by Trent Dawson. After I left, Christopher Goutman went over to Trent and talked for a bit.
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| Roger Newcomb |
It was absolutely thrilling that I also had the opportunity and honour to meet Roger Newcomb, editor of We Love Soaps and also the directorial editor of the soapclassics As The World Turns DVDs. I am so grateful to this young man for all he has done to preserve the memories of the only soap I watched for 50 years. I noticed that he had stood up and was getting ready to leave, so once again I put on my brave face and went over to him. I was a bit surprised when he instantly knew who I was when I introduced myself to him. He actually hugged me. I told him how happy and very grateful I was that he had been responsible for the DVDs. We talked for several minutes and I was so pleased when his big smile led to the confession that he had watched ATWT with his grandmother and that he had very fond memories of it. He told me that if sales go well, then the future will see many more sets as well as the on-line streaming. I had spent one year trying to get respect and honour for ATWT; and Roger Newcomb was making it all possible. I really, really liked him. He was so genuine and sweet.
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| Colleen Zenk |
Apparently, while I was talking to Roger Newcomb, Colleen Zenk had come over to the table, looking to meet me. When I returned, Colleen was speaking to someone else, but when she came back, I was immediately taken with her her smile and of course her eyes. I stammered something like, "I have known you as Barbara for over thrirty years", I don't know what else I should have said, but she made me feel very comfortable and at ease- as though I was talking to a friend. However, as always the case when you meet a celebrity, I forgot to say how I felt, especially how much I admired her for the way she beat cancer. I also didn't get the chance to say how I loved the way she was able to portary all the different personifications of Barbara Ryan's very interesting character - from young igenue and victimized wife to controlling mother and vindictive 'bitch' , to cancer survivor and finally to vulnerable but strong 'cougar'. We talked for several minutes about the show and the fact that she was moving to Manhattan. She also talked about the ATWT DVDs and promised a surprise in the near future. It was such a pleasure to meet this lovely lady. It was a night to remember.
After we left Feinsteins, I had a feeling of 'it's over' but it was more like a 'goodnight, not a goodbye'. Now that I had made a connection, I felt at ease and full of happiness. It had been a wonderful experience and one I would always cherish. Stephanie and I went to Rue 57 for a scrumptuous piece of cake and then walked around New York City before hailing a taxi and going back to the B&B. Of course, we had another 'girl-talk' session before turning in. Stephanie and I had become good friends over the internet; and now had shared a lovely time in New York City. Monday morning, we did a bit more shopping -touristy things for my grandchildren from FAO Swartz and the American Girl store for Stephanie's daughter. It was fun. Just before we headed to the airport, we spent some time in Central Park.
Who could ask for a more perfect ending to our NYC adventure then going to Central Park. It was a lovely fall day and we had hot dogs and a very stale soft pretzel. We sat on a bench and reflected on our experience. It was a little bittersweet, because we both knew that this was a once in a life-time trip, but we are also determined to do it again, sometime. And we will. I wonder if the next time we will see Eileen Fulton, Martha Byrne or Michael park. And of course, I would love to go back to New York to see Colleen Zenk in Mamma Mia. Until we meet again, "goodnight, not goodbye".
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| Angie in NYC |
Love this Soooo much! Thank you so much for taking me into your heart & bringing me along for the adventure of a lifetime. Xoxo
ReplyDeleteLooks and sounds like you had a fun trip.
ReplyDeleteYour son
What an awesome trip and experience... wow. Wish I could have joined you. :)
ReplyDeleteTremedous!
ReplyDelete