New York: Adventures in the Snow, Day 4

We began our day on Monday getting ready to head home–or so we thought!

Breakfast at the Washington Square Hotel, then on to see the film “A Single Man” directed by Tom Ford based on the Christopher Isherwood novel.  Colin Firth gave a very fine, restrained, complex Oscar caliber performance.  The scene where he gets a phone call with the news of his longtime partner’s death and is told the services are “family only” and that he can’t attend is an amazing piece of acting.  Julianne Moore was also quite good in a small part that may net her another Oscar nomination as a supporting player.  The set direction and cinematography are also amazing.

The film is set in 1962 and can’t help but make us think of “Mad Men”.  It is quietly devastating in its portrayal of how invisible gay people were, and had to be, at that time and how society-and even friends-did not recognize the validity of their relationships.  It also is very clear how these relationships were an oasis in a hostile world.  People forget what it was like for gay people before Stonewall and “Will and Grace.”  Some of us never will…I hope this film comes to Greensboro.

We then had a quick lunch before checking out of the Hotel and hoping in a cab to the airport.

About 10 minutes into the trip, my cell phone went off in the cab with a recorded message from USAirways telling us our flight was canceled due to weather.  With clear skies from Greensboro to New York two hours before the flight?  Words do not exist to describe how much I hate USAirways.

As much as I complain about cell phones, this was one scenario where I don’t know what we would have done without them.  We were in the back of the cab with Steve on his phone trying to get us a hotel room while I was on mine trying to get through to USAirways, to a real person, to arrange alternate travel arrangements.  All while heading toward La Guardia.

After 20 minutes or so, they finally told us the best they could do was to get us back on Wednesday, the 23rd at 10:0o at night on one of the little planes that gets canceled all the time.  I took it, but called them later, turned on the Southern charm, and got better arrangements.  We are supposed to leave in the morning at 7:00 on the Shuttle to DC, which is almost never canceled, then on to Greensboro arriving by 11:00 am.  Amtrak was booked through Christmas also, so this was the best we could do.  Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

We returned to the city after a wasted $75 cab ride and checked into the Hotel Newton on the upper West Side.  I love the Hotel Newton.  We’ve stayed here many times.  It’s on Broadway between 94th and 95th Street.  The subway is almost at the front door, so you can be in mid-town at the theatres in about 15 minutes.  The Hotel is hardly the Plaza, but it is clean, safe, comfortable and very reasonable.  I cannot recommend them highly enough.  Due to the circumstances, they even gave us a special rate of $150 a night–which is unheard of in Manhattan.  I love New York and New Yorkers!

After we were settled, we decided to make the best of it and head out to see a show.  We got great seats for “Hair” at 40% off at TKTS.  Orchestra, aisle seats about half way back.

“Hair” was truly a tribal musical and it was just what we needed to end a stressful day.  It was just phenomenal.  Beautifully directed and performed with so much youth and positive energy.  It was the replacement cast, but they were just great.

However, while sitting there watching this show about youth in the 1960’s, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would take to rile up today’s young people to take to the streets to protest unnecessary war and social injustice.  I can’t imagine anything that would pull them away from the TV and the Internet.  They seem so passive and disengaged to me.  I hope it is a misperception.

Of course, in the 60’s you had the draft forcing people, who did not have rich daddies, to go to war against their will.  Now, it is “voluntary” even if the army is the only way some  poor kids can get out to get a job and an education.

Enough politics…I’ll save the soapbox for later.

More to come…