Select Tours NYC

10/20/2024

Save the Date! October 28 at 8 PM!

Join me for an unforgettable evening of virtual storytelling where scandal, intrigue, and the bizarre come to life!

🔍 What to Expect:
- Meet a self-made brothel keeper who entertained mobster Dutch Schultz, Duke Ellington, and even FDR!
-Discover the shocking lengths a Colonial descendant went to for her inheritance.
- Dive into a Jazz Age romance that was anything but ordinary.
- Unravel the tragic story of Alexander Hamilton’s great-grandson.
- Witness a very public affair between a newspaper mogul and his movie star lover.
- Learn about a murderer who used the most unconventional weapon!

💵 Just $12 for 90 minutes of captivating tales from the comfort of your couch!

👉 Register for “Scandalous Tales from Early 20th-Century Upper West Side & Harlem” here:
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/scandalous-tales-from-early-20th-century-upper-west-side-harlem-webinar-registration-1021720642947/

10/19/2024

I didn’t think it would happen but I went back to the Kit Kat Club to see Cabaret. I had seen it with its original cast it this past April and really didn’t like it.

Because my friend, Marty, having seen the show several times in the past, was undecided but decided to get a ticket, I elected to join him because Adam Lambert moved into the role of Emcee and I was curious. I’m so glad I did. Lambert has such a beautiful singing voice and inhabited the role in an appropriately decadent and sinister manner. Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, which I love, was a satisfyingly angry and defeated Sally Bowles. I really hope she does more musical stage work in the future. The supporting cast, including Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, are all very good.

I appreciated the pre-show arrangement downstairs more this time, despite being deprived of the free shot of schnapps. It’s fun being so close to the hunky, scantily-clad dancers and musicians (Marty and I wondered if klezmer music was actually a thing in 1930 Berlin club culture). They sure do a lot of work before the show even begins.

I’m glad to say I recommend seeing Cabaret. Go see it!

Photo notes: I love the shot of me in the alley before we entered the theater - no photos allowed inside!

09/26/2024

Over the course of her career, Mia Farrow acted on Broadway a total of four times, including the current production of The Roommate with Patti LuPone. The prior time was in 2014.

The arrival of new roommate, Robyn (LuPone) to her house in Iowa, proves to be the trigger that sets Farrow’s character, Sharon, aged 64, on a journey of extreme change. Mia does all of the heavy lifting here playing Sharon as she bounces off of Robyn and evolves in unexpected way. She’s funny, slightly ditzy, and powerful. My friend and I were very impressed with her acting skills, particularly given her lack of stage work. We know Patti LuPone is super comfortable on stage and it shows.

If you want to see a pair of pros doing their thing, you have until December to see this. We found our tickets at TKTS.

P.S. I’ve never seen a dog in the audience of a play. This little one in the photo was in the row in front of us and never made a peep.

08/24/2024

While watching Suffs earlier this week, it occurred to me that it did the same thing Hamilton did several years back. Suffs is a refreshingly original piece based on an historic true story with a good book and really good songs, both written by Shaina Taub.

Taub also plays Alice Paul, the young upstart *third* generation leader of the women’s suffrage movement in the nineteen-teens (another similarity to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s portrayal of A. Hamilton). Having seen the excellent PBS two-parter about the women’s suffrage movement, I am familiar with the story, and was impressed with Taub’s skill in distilling the salient points of a very long fight into a two hour show. I haven’t yet seen The Outsiders, but I feel that this should have won the Tony Award for Best Show.

This is an important story and it’s an entertaining way to consume it.

I suggest watching The Vote for the extended story. It’s available for subscription on PBS but might re-air at some point.

Photo #3 is kind of fun - I managed to isolate (not intentionally) the conductor’s face during the bows.

Suffs Musical

08/07/2024

A bucket list tour of the at her pier in Philadelphia. A relic of a more graceful era in transportation, she is America’s last ocean liner, the fastest ever, and built to military specifications.

The interiors are stripped but the hull is sound. The SSUS Conservancy needs to find a new home pier before 9/15 (they’re trying to get an extension to December due to hurricane season). The alternative is scrap or sinking as a dive wreck in Florida. SS United States deserves better. SOS!

07/23/2024

Fun evening at the Lambs a few nights ago. We saw an homage to Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 dystopian political novel/play “It Can’t Happen Here” with current writing by Wesley Savick, James Carroll, and Rachel DeWoskin for Writers for Democratic Action.

The original hit the stage right before the presidential election of that year. The reading on Friday was mimicked at the same time in 74 different locations.

It struck me how cool it was to sit less than ten feet away from five professional actors doing what they do best: , Timothy Jerome, Dave Rappaport, , . Great experience.

07/06/2024

A very hot, muggy tour in the north end of Central Park this morning for . The park, of course, was as beautiful as ever and full of Pokémon-ers!

07/04/2024

Boisterous, exuberant, loud, colorful, joyful, beautiful, and GAY! 🌈

This is the CATS that I not simply sat through but really enjoyed. The original show is a bunch of songs written to poetry with no real story. This version of the Jellicle Ball presents the songs masterfully and frames them around ballroom culture (see Madonna’s Vogue, Paris Is Burning or Pose). It doesn’t need a narrative, just brilliant performers, who are more cat-ish than cats, and costuming, which it has in spades. The audience is encouraged to participate and cheer - a really fun evening.

The Perelman Arts Center - hoo boy, what a weird, Byzantine place. All stairs and one long corridor around the outer perimeter of the building. It’s so confusing, staff needs to be stationed throughout the interior to help guide people to their seats and bathrooms. Bonus points for many bathroom stalls in the women’s room and gender neutral bathrooms.

***r

06/16/2024

I managed to catch another Tony-nominated musical prior to tonight’s awards. The strongest aspects of Water For Elephants are its performers and the production.

The leads and supporting cast are all very strong - I think , who played ringmasters in both the past and present day, made the strongest impression. I was happy to see , late of Glee (mean prep school guy) and The Flash (superhero), in the lead role - he has a lovely singing voice and us a fine actor, as is versatile .

The production is really the star - great puppetry and fantastic acrobats including tumblers and ribbon and rope workers. The circus numbers were, by far, my favorites, both musically and choreographically. There were two really nice moments when the roustabouts sing a capella while pounding a tent stake into the ground.

It’s an enjoyable evening at the theater. I wish all the best to everyone associated with this show at the Tonys tonight!

06/04/2024

I was near Toledo, OH a few weeks ago for a long weekend of birding (fun!) and had to stop by this important M*A*S*H landmark. Max Klinger would be proud.

MASH TV Show Loretta Swit Tony Packo's

06/01/2024

Post-tennis gelato. Trying to find a coach but I might have someone to hit around with at least. 🎾🍦

05/29/2024

Post-bus tour dinner courtesy of the ! 😁 This old school place uptown has the best pastries.

05/15/2024

I’m leading a tour of the north end of Central Park for Bowery Boys Walking Tours this Thursday, May 23 where the secrets of this enchanting lesser-known part of the park will be unveiled. Join me in the gardens and trails that hold a wealth of interesting history waiting to be discovered!

https://www.boweryboyswalks.com/walking-tours/central-park-north/

05/12/2024

05/11/2024

If you enjoy theater, go see Lempicka. Three experienced theater-going friends and I all really enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed this more than the two revivals I saw recently. It suffered from inexplicably brutal reviews and will close on May 19.

This is unfair because:
1. Lempicka is a new show - it’s not a revival, based on a movie/TV show, or a jukebox musical. It’s a unique story.
2. The show is about Terese Lempicka, a real person, a brilliant Art Deco artist, who led an interesting life.
3. All of the main performers were terrific. Two earned Tony nominations (Eden Espinosa & Amber Iman); I think another two George Abud & Natalie Joy Johnson)should also have been nominated.
4. Cool stage design. Also earned a Tony nomination.
5. It was very well-received by an enthusiastic *young* audience.

Please support original theater. It’s a great night out.

05/06/2024

Imagine walking down the street and seeing many familiar faces, but not a one happens to see you. This is speculated to be the state that ghosts find themselves in, as they are not aware that they have passed, and we all wonder why they are so mean sometimes.

04/30/2024

A pair of last-minute tickets became available to The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers so I headed down to West 50th Street last night. What a fun show! I was past the demographic for Summers’ TV show, Double Dare, on the then-new Nickelodeon network. This show draws on the format and fun of Double Dare (audience participation and on-stage DD games) but not having watched it didn’t detract from the evening’s experience.

Summers led quite a TV career starting on 1970s game show productions on to Nickelodeon shows and beyond, all while dealing with OCD and other issues. All told with endearing self-deprecating bonhomie.

Speaking of audience participation, audience members were offered the option to write their names on slips of paper for random selection for the games. I chose not to but no matter, I was plucked from my seat for a little skit on stage as Marc’s dinner date! That was unexpected and fun.

The show closes on June 2. If you want to spend a really entertaining 90 minutes, go see this!

04/29/2024

Stretching 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon, the famed Oregon Trail is America’s symbol of social and economic expansion, covering the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho. Today, it presents the perfect road trip for history buffs.

04/26/2024

New blog by The Bowery Boys: New York City History!

The story of a filthy and dangerous train ditch that became one of the swankiest addresses in the world — Park Avenue.  For over 100 years, a Park Avenue address meant wealth, glamour and the high life. The Fred Astaire version of the Irving Berlin classic “Puttin’ on the Ritz” revised the ...

04/25/2024

Before seeing a show this week, my friends and I enjoyed a really delicious dinner at Azalea Ristorante on West 51st Street in the theater district. My branzino was excellent as were the pasta and salad dishes. The owner is also good friend to as well. Highly recommended for a pre-theater meal!

04/22/2024

Some people enjoy making a note of each ghost tour they’ve gone on, so that they can tick off various tours as they go along and keep track of their progress.

04/19/2024

On my way back home. I will miss Wales and all of the fun I had in Portmeirion and in Trefriw. Wonderful country.

04/16/2024

It was really, really windy at the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno (the town just past my right shoulder). I wanted to take the photo at the trig point (the very top) but I was afraid I’d look like the nannies who were competing for the job to care for the Banks kids in Mary Poppins.

04/15/2024

Growing up in a depressed area, Dolly Parton created Dollywood to give back to the community. Today, Dollywood is the most popular ticketed attraction in Tennessee, welcoming about three million visitors every year.

04/15/2024

The weather has been fairly dire here in Wales but I’m actually wearing sunglasses for a change!

☀️ Portmeirion