The Meisner technique is an acting technique developed by the American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner.[1] The most fundamental exercise in Meisner training is the Repetition exercise.[2] Two actors face each other and repeat their observations about one another, back and forth. An example of such an exchange might be: "You're smiling." "I'm smiling." "You're smiling!" "Yes, I'm smiling." Actors observe and respond to the other's behavior and the subtext therein. If they can "pick up the impulse"—or work spontaneously from how their partner's behavior affects them—their own behavior will arise directly from the stimulus of the other.
Later, as the exercise evolves in complexity to include "given circumstances," "relationships," actions and obstacles, this skill remains critical. From start to finish—from repetition to rehearsing a lead role—the principles of "listen and respond" and "stay in the moment" are fundamental to the work.
(Excerpt from Wikepedia)
The exercise explained above is what I experienced at the Ted Bardy Acting Studio on Thursday night. I should have signed up for this class at the very beginning of the summer because then I would have been able to do the six week summer intensive program. But, coulda, shoulda, woulda... I'm glad I got to experience at least one class.
I worked at Cranky's on Thursday and then met up with Ashley, Charles and Maxwell for dinner at Blockhead's on 50th between 8th and 9th. I had to leave early so I could make it to my much anticipated acting class. However, it never fails...I was late. I walked in and the class had already started so I got some good stares and then said "Hi, I'm here to audit the class" and then shyly smiled. Ted Bardy, the teacher, responded with "Did you have trouble finding the place?" Of course I said "yeah I did a little" but really I was just having too much fun with the San Antonio gang to leave when I was supposed to.
I was intrigued with what I saw. The class started with a warm up of repetition and two people went back and forth saying the same things over and over. I was so confused but apparently that's the Meisner Technique. Some students were really good and others were new to this method like me.
I was given the opportunity to "Warm up" with the repetition exercise. Ted was really nice and explained everything to me but I'm not gonna lie it, was awkward. My partner for the exercise and I repeated "Blue Jeans" back and forth about 20 times. Ted said to say something about what I was wearing and that's what my partner chose. When other people were warming up they would change what they were repeating from "Yeah I'm smiling" to "You seem confused." How they were able to change the repetition I was still clueless.
After the warm-ups we did something called "coming to the door." This is where one person sits at a table and does an independent activity. Someone else knocks on the door. The person sitting at the table has to answer the door and go back to what they are doing. As soon as the door is answered the repetition begins and continues until Ted says"okay stop" and then critiques the responses to the repetition. I know, it sounds so confusing and believe me it is.
At the break Ted and I talked for a few minutes. He explained the method to me a little bit more and then said I could sign up for classes that night because they just began another six week program. I was so sad because I had to tell him I was leaving in a week and wouldn't be able to. Then he said "Well auditing this class is for people who want to sign up for the program so you really don't need to stay unless you want to." I said "Well, I would really like to see what else you do because this is very interesting." So, I stayed for the rest of the class.
After the break Ted let me try the independent activity and I had to build a house of cards while someone was repeating at me. I had to respond quickly without thinking. If I didn't respond fast enough Ted would snap his fingers. Whew, it was a whirlwind of an exercise but it was, again, very interesting.
All in all the class was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it was awkward and confusing but the whole method was very intriguing to me. I am adding the Meisner Technique acting classes to my list of things to do when I get home.
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan,
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan,
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan....
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Never Let Anyone Steal Your Rock & Roll
Memphis...what can I say about this musical except that, once again, it rocked my face off! I laughed, I cried, I wanted to get up and dance and I just loved it! Watching musicals always stirs up excitement in my soul and I loose myself in the story, in the music and in the performance.
I saw this musical on Wednesday night. I had my awful audition that morning and then went to Central Park hoping to get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park's performance of All's Well that Ends Well. The line was ridiculously long and when I finally made it to the front they were only handing out vouchers. The tickets were sold out for the evening. I had already made up my mind that I was going to see a show that night so I hung out around town in a coffee bar called Aroma Espresso Cafe until about 4ish and then went to the TKTS booth and bought my ticket for Memphis. The coffee bar was cute but sort of mainstream and the coffee wasn't my favorite. I've had some good mocha's in the city but to be honest, none can compare with Local Coffee's Peppermint White Mocha in San Antonio. Just sayin'.
After I bought my ticket I met up with Charles Barksdale for a nice dinner at Don Giovanni's on 44th street. We chatted, enjoyed sangria and pasta until it was time for us to part ways. He and Maxwell headed to Masterclass and I headed to Memphis and then it was a lovely evening at the theatre.
I leave you with the lyrics to the final song "Never Let Anyone Steal Your Rock and Roll" 
HUEY
I listened to advice from folks smarter than me,And I ignored it.
I listened to hatred from folks richer than me,
And I deplored it.
I listened to music from folks darker than me,
And you know I adored it!
FELICIA/COMPANY
First come's a point in everybody's life
When they gotta stand up and face a fight.
There comes a point in everybody's life,
When they gotta wonder if they done right.
I swallowed my fear, followed my heart right here,
And through it all one almighty thought stood clear-
Listen to the beat, listen to the beat
Play it, obey it, love it with, love it with your feet.
HUEY
Oooh oh oh
Listen to your soul, listen to your soul,
Heed it,
FELICIA
Heed it
HUEY
Ya need it
FELICIA
Ya need it,
HUEY
Let it make/ let it make you whole.
And if ya listen to the beat
And hear what's in your soul-
You'll never let anyone steal your rock 'n roll!
HUEY/FELICIA/COMPANY
Listen to the beat, listen to beat
Play it, play it
Obey it, obey it
Love it with/love it with your feet!
Listen to your soul/listen to your soul
Heed it, heed it
Ya need it, ya need it
Let it make you whole!
And if ya listen to the beat and hear what's in your soul-
You'll never let anyone steal your rock 'n roll!
Listen to the beat and hear what's in your soul-
You'll never let anyone steal your rock 'n roll.
Listen to the beat, listen to the beat
Play it, obey it
Love it with your feet!
Listen to your soul
Heed it, heed it
Ya need it, ya need it
Let it make/let it make you whole!
And if you listen to the beat
And hear what's in your soul-
You'll never let anyone/ never let anyone/
Never let anyone steal your rock 'n roll!
Love,
The lover of musicals, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
The Accordion, My New Favorite Instrument
I just have to say I have a new appreciation for the accordion. I've always thought it was such a cheesy instrument that sounds annoying. My mind was changed by a Brazilian accordion player on Tuesday night.
I went out to dinner with my new friends Jonathan and Brandy because it was Jonathan's birthday. Brandy is a stage actress and the children's minister at Trinity Grace and Jonathan is my crazy karaoke friend. We had a lovely dinner at this place called Merchant House in Battery Park City. It was like a little escape because it was on the water with a nice cool breeze and it was quiet. Quiet is very rare in the city.
We were sitting outside at first because of the breeze and the view. All of a sudden the wind picked up and literally blew glasses and plates off the tables outside. We were relocated very quickly inside and then rain just started pouring down. It only lasted about 10 minutes but we were thankful we weren't out there. Dinner was so good and I enjoyed the great company.
After dinner we headed to a bar called Bar 55 in the West Village because Jonathan's friend was playing there. Okay...I had no idea how amazing this band would be. There really are no words to describe them because they were just so cool! It was a combination of bluegrass and world music and it consisted of incredible musicians, incredible performances, incredible lyrics and an incredible accordion player. I never really thought the accordion was cool because I've only ever heard it in Tejano music and that does nothing for me. But the accordion player named Rob played this instrument in such a way that I forgot it was an accordion. The lead singer was also so awesome! He felt every lyric is his soul and conveyed that to the us in the audience. He captured our attention every time he sang. At one point the whole band grabbed a percussion instrument and marched around the bar in a line while we sang part of a song they taught us. It was such an intense musical moment and I loved it.
I love New York and Bar 55 and Matuto Music. Check out their website http://matutomusic.com/ because these guys are incredible!
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I went out to dinner with my new friends Jonathan and Brandy because it was Jonathan's birthday. Brandy is a stage actress and the children's minister at Trinity Grace and Jonathan is my crazy karaoke friend. We had a lovely dinner at this place called Merchant House in Battery Park City. It was like a little escape because it was on the water with a nice cool breeze and it was quiet. Quiet is very rare in the city.
We were sitting outside at first because of the breeze and the view. All of a sudden the wind picked up and literally blew glasses and plates off the tables outside. We were relocated very quickly inside and then rain just started pouring down. It only lasted about 10 minutes but we were thankful we weren't out there. Dinner was so good and I enjoyed the great company.
After dinner we headed to a bar called Bar 55 in the West Village because Jonathan's friend was playing there. Okay...I had no idea how amazing this band would be. There really are no words to describe them because they were just so cool! It was a combination of bluegrass and world music and it consisted of incredible musicians, incredible performances, incredible lyrics and an incredible accordion player. I never really thought the accordion was cool because I've only ever heard it in Tejano music and that does nothing for me. But the accordion player named Rob played this instrument in such a way that I forgot it was an accordion. The lead singer was also so awesome! He felt every lyric is his soul and conveyed that to the us in the audience. He captured our attention every time he sang. At one point the whole band grabbed a percussion instrument and marched around the bar in a line while we sang part of a song they taught us. It was such an intense musical moment and I loved it.
I love New York and Bar 55 and Matuto Music. Check out their website http://matutomusic.com/ because these guys are incredible!
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Whoa! I Need New Audition Songs....
Have I mentioned this before? I hate auditions! I don't know why I do it! Wait, I do know why...It's because I love the stage and performing so I take the good with the bad.
I went to the Equity Principal audition for Empire and wasn't seen so I attended the "female singers who move well" chorus call on Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM. I walked into the holding room where, once again, I was overwhelmed with girls who were dressed in absurd dresses..most of them too short, with bright red lipstick and were, of course, watching themselves in the mirror.
I really only have one song perfected for auditions so I just thought I would do the same one that I did for Mary Poppins. BIG MISTAKE!!! At around 12:15 they called all the non-equity members to line up for the audition. I was excited but I always get a little nervous and my heart beats a little faster when I get closer to the door. It also doesn't help my nerves when I can hear all the girls in front of me belting out their 16 bars from a contemporary musical.
I was giving myself a good little pep talk as I was waiting. I was ready until I walked in the audition room and saw the same casting director that was there for my Mary Poppins audition except there was a new guy in there. At that moment I knew I had blown it. She already heard me sing the same song! I gave my song to the accompanist, we figured out the tempo and then I told them what I was singing. The girl that had already heard me once before sort of gave me a look like "really? you already did this." It was like we had a moment because it was clear we were both thinking the same exact thing....I NEED NEW MUSIC!!!!! I sang my song and I totally sucked! I sang like I was five years old, I gave the accompanist the wrong tempo b/c I can never figure that part out and I had already given up when I saw the casting director.
I'm making a list of things to work on for next summer and one of them is finding contemporary musical songs that fit my voice. That's what all the auditions have required and I have one song. That's sort of a problem. Alas, once again I chock this up to experience and will do better next time.
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I went to the Equity Principal audition for Empire and wasn't seen so I attended the "female singers who move well" chorus call on Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM. I walked into the holding room where, once again, I was overwhelmed with girls who were dressed in absurd dresses..most of them too short, with bright red lipstick and were, of course, watching themselves in the mirror.
I really only have one song perfected for auditions so I just thought I would do the same one that I did for Mary Poppins. BIG MISTAKE!!! At around 12:15 they called all the non-equity members to line up for the audition. I was excited but I always get a little nervous and my heart beats a little faster when I get closer to the door. It also doesn't help my nerves when I can hear all the girls in front of me belting out their 16 bars from a contemporary musical.
I was giving myself a good little pep talk as I was waiting. I was ready until I walked in the audition room and saw the same casting director that was there for my Mary Poppins audition except there was a new guy in there. At that moment I knew I had blown it. She already heard me sing the same song! I gave my song to the accompanist, we figured out the tempo and then I told them what I was singing. The girl that had already heard me once before sort of gave me a look like "really? you already did this." It was like we had a moment because it was clear we were both thinking the same exact thing....I NEED NEW MUSIC!!!!! I sang my song and I totally sucked! I sang like I was five years old, I gave the accompanist the wrong tempo b/c I can never figure that part out and I had already given up when I saw the casting director.
I'm making a list of things to work on for next summer and one of them is finding contemporary musical songs that fit my voice. That's what all the auditions have required and I have one song. That's sort of a problem. Alas, once again I chock this up to experience and will do better next time.
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Holding Room...
Waiting all day in an audition holding room can be a very long, boring day. However, it is definitely a great place for people watching. I have to say that these singers/actors are very interesting and super vain. I mean, I'm not exempt from vanity because I definitely suffer from it sometimes but gees, these people sit facing the mirror and literally watch themselves for hours. I really get a kick out of it. Not only do they sit and watch themselves for hours but they primp, put makeup on, curl their hair, put it up and take it down several times until it's just right. They straighten their clothing as if they didn't really get ready at home. They watch themselves walk into the room and out of the room, and they watch themselves talk to the person next to them. Sometimes there will be crazy girls who walk in and start singing loudly and change clothes in front of everyone and of course in front of the mirror that everyone is watching themselves in. It was just hilarious to me as I looked around the room and watched all these beautiful men and women make sure they looked okay.
This holding room I speak of was my home for today. I planned on going to two auditions. The first one was an equity chorus call for The King and I but I missed that one because I couldn't get out of bed. The chorus call for singers was at 9:30 and I did not get there till 11:30 which was just in time for the dancers call. Then I went across the street to the Equity Principal Audition for Empire, a musical about the construction of the Empire State Building. I have had the Empire audition in my phone calendar for weeks because I think it sounds like a great show! I was really excited when I walked in and was allowed to sign up on the non-equity list. The monitors said it was moving pretty fast and a lot of the equity performers weren't showing up in the morning so it looked promising that I would be able to audition.
Well, after lunch everyone must have woken up because tons of people were showing up at this audition and bumping the non-equity people off the list. It was a sad day when 4:00PM rolled around because the monitor said "The directors will not see any more non-equity today. There just isn't enough time. If you want to leave your headshot and resume they will look at those."
That's the joy of auditioning. You never know if you will be seen or not , but you hope with all your heart that you do get the chance. When it doesn't happen there is always another audition around the corner. I will be auditioning for the chorus on Wednesday....hopefully.
Love
A hopeful, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
This holding room I speak of was my home for today. I planned on going to two auditions. The first one was an equity chorus call for The King and I but I missed that one because I couldn't get out of bed. The chorus call for singers was at 9:30 and I did not get there till 11:30 which was just in time for the dancers call. Then I went across the street to the Equity Principal Audition for Empire, a musical about the construction of the Empire State Building. I have had the Empire audition in my phone calendar for weeks because I think it sounds like a great show! I was really excited when I walked in and was allowed to sign up on the non-equity list. The monitors said it was moving pretty fast and a lot of the equity performers weren't showing up in the morning so it looked promising that I would be able to audition.
Well, after lunch everyone must have woken up because tons of people were showing up at this audition and bumping the non-equity people off the list. It was a sad day when 4:00PM rolled around because the monitor said "The directors will not see any more non-equity today. There just isn't enough time. If you want to leave your headshot and resume they will look at those."
That's the joy of auditioning. You never know if you will be seen or not , but you hope with all your heart that you do get the chance. When it doesn't happen there is always another audition around the corner. I will be auditioning for the chorus on Wednesday....hopefully.
Love
A hopeful, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Every Sunday, A Little Taste of Heaven..
I have to be honest and say that this week was a really hard, emotional week for me. I cried almost every day just because I know my time is short here and I had a few hard decisions to make as well. Every time someone asked me about leaving I just burst into uncontrollable tears. I can't handle it really. I also cried because I just had a huge fear of the what ifs? What if I don't come back next summer? What if this isn't really the path for me? What if I meet someone and want to follow him wherever he goes and this part of my life isn't included in his life? I would be devastated if that happened! I know that's stupid to think about but I couldn't help it. So I sat in my sweaty bed, (because it has been miserably hot and I have no freaking AC!!!) on Saturday morning and just prayed and laid it all out before God and felt so much better. I was still so sad and my eyes were puffy and swollen from all the tears that were shed the past few days.
I finally got myself together and had a very nice evening with a friend. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, ate at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and then trekked to Roosevelt Island just in time to catch the ending of the new Star Trek movie. It was a fun evening but Sunday was even better.
I didn't know if I was gonna go to Trinity Grace Sunday morning or if I was just gonna go to Hillsong NYC that night. My alarm went off at 9:03 and I popped out of bed so I went to Trinity Grace and I'm so glad I did. The sermon was perfect. I love how the Lord has taken care of me, reafirmed everything in my life, eased my worries and given me answers. The sermon was on Psalm 37 and this is the Psalm where my most favorite verse in all of life is found. Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
The speaker started out the sermon with these words. "People come to New York City to pursue their dreams but then it becomes an idol and we overlook our values. This is where Psalm 37 speaks into the essence of our lives as New Yorkers." Of course, I consider myself a New Yorker...at least for a few more weeks. After that statement he laid out several points on how to live out Psalm 37 and not make our dreams Idols. The points he made are as follows:
*God is a God of Justice
*God is our Guide (this is the one that was like yes!! I needed that!)
-God directs us, he doesn't control us. We know what to do because the close relationship we have with him.
-Decision making has become stressful to most people because we either give God to small of a role in our decision making or too big of a role.
-God always uses the small to do something big
-Prayers is central! Surrender dreams to God so we don't fall into idolatry.
-Psalm 37:5 Commit Everything to the Lord
*God is our Provider..I know this to be 100% true. I have experienced his provision in miraculous ways this summer!
-Who are you really trusting to provide? Man this question hit me like a ton of bricks because I just spent yesterday crying over the what ifs.
-Genuine trust comes from humility
-What happens when dreams are unfulfilled in our lives? Patience is the key to Gods provision. V. 8
-Trust, humility and patience come by prayer because we don't have the power to give those to ourselves.
That is my jumble of notes that I jotted down during the sermon but man, those were words and points that seemed to come directly from God's mouth to my ears. Reason #1 why Sunday is a little taste of heaven.
After Trinity Grace I went to explore the Upper West Side, had a cup of joe at Joe's Coffee Shop and then ate a tasty lunch at Cafe Duex Margot. I came home practiced for a bit and then headed down to Union Square for church at Hillsong NYC.
This week the line was almost triple in length from last week. I still had to stand in the balcony but it didn't matter. This is reason #2 why Sunday is a little taste of Heaven. The music is incredible at Hillsong. Everytime we sing I just feel the Lord's presence in that place. The sounds of people singing and praising is what I like to call a Holy Chatter that continues throughout the worship time and even after the music is over. When that happens I can picture all of us in heaven doing the exact same thing in the presence of our Savior!!! What precious moments those are.
The sermon at Hillsong also spoke to my heart just like the sermon at Trinity Grace did. The pastor spoke about humility and fighting for our dreams and not giving up. He quoted Isaiah 55:8-9 that says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The pastor paraphrased it like this "You don't know what God is up to so start fighting again."
What I got out of Sunday's sermons was what I have known all along. The Lord is in control of my life. He provides opportunitys and he will fullfill the dreams I have if I hand them over and let him take care of them. He knows better than I do. Patience is a virtue and humility is a necessity.
Even though the week was rough and I cried lots of tears I loved getting a glimpse of heaven and spending time in the presence of the Lord.
Love
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I finally got myself together and had a very nice evening with a friend. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, ate at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and then trekked to Roosevelt Island just in time to catch the ending of the new Star Trek movie. It was a fun evening but Sunday was even better.
I didn't know if I was gonna go to Trinity Grace Sunday morning or if I was just gonna go to Hillsong NYC that night. My alarm went off at 9:03 and I popped out of bed so I went to Trinity Grace and I'm so glad I did. The sermon was perfect. I love how the Lord has taken care of me, reafirmed everything in my life, eased my worries and given me answers. The sermon was on Psalm 37 and this is the Psalm where my most favorite verse in all of life is found. Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
The speaker started out the sermon with these words. "People come to New York City to pursue their dreams but then it becomes an idol and we overlook our values. This is where Psalm 37 speaks into the essence of our lives as New Yorkers." Of course, I consider myself a New Yorker...at least for a few more weeks. After that statement he laid out several points on how to live out Psalm 37 and not make our dreams Idols. The points he made are as follows:
*God is a God of Justice
*God is our Guide (this is the one that was like yes!! I needed that!)
-God directs us, he doesn't control us. We know what to do because the close relationship we have with him.
-Decision making has become stressful to most people because we either give God to small of a role in our decision making or too big of a role.
-God always uses the small to do something big
-Prayers is central! Surrender dreams to God so we don't fall into idolatry.
-Psalm 37:5 Commit Everything to the Lord
*God is our Provider..I know this to be 100% true. I have experienced his provision in miraculous ways this summer!
-Who are you really trusting to provide? Man this question hit me like a ton of bricks because I just spent yesterday crying over the what ifs.
-Genuine trust comes from humility
-What happens when dreams are unfulfilled in our lives? Patience is the key to Gods provision. V. 8
-Trust, humility and patience come by prayer because we don't have the power to give those to ourselves.
That is my jumble of notes that I jotted down during the sermon but man, those were words and points that seemed to come directly from God's mouth to my ears. Reason #1 why Sunday is a little taste of heaven.
After Trinity Grace I went to explore the Upper West Side, had a cup of joe at Joe's Coffee Shop and then ate a tasty lunch at Cafe Duex Margot. I came home practiced for a bit and then headed down to Union Square for church at Hillsong NYC.
This week the line was almost triple in length from last week. I still had to stand in the balcony but it didn't matter. This is reason #2 why Sunday is a little taste of Heaven. The music is incredible at Hillsong. Everytime we sing I just feel the Lord's presence in that place. The sounds of people singing and praising is what I like to call a Holy Chatter that continues throughout the worship time and even after the music is over. When that happens I can picture all of us in heaven doing the exact same thing in the presence of our Savior!!! What precious moments those are.
The sermon at Hillsong also spoke to my heart just like the sermon at Trinity Grace did. The pastor spoke about humility and fighting for our dreams and not giving up. He quoted Isaiah 55:8-9 that says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The pastor paraphrased it like this "You don't know what God is up to so start fighting again."
What I got out of Sunday's sermons was what I have known all along. The Lord is in control of my life. He provides opportunitys and he will fullfill the dreams I have if I hand them over and let him take care of them. He knows better than I do. Patience is a virtue and humility is a necessity.
Even though the week was rough and I cried lots of tears I loved getting a glimpse of heaven and spending time in the presence of the Lord.
Love
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Good Times and Bad Times
Being a waitress/barista is not glamorous by any means and Saturday was no exception. I was so tired from working Wednesday through Friday and I volunteered to pick up a shift on Saturday. Saturday is the busiest day of the week so there is no time to stop or eat. There were four of us working and all four of us were running around like crazy taking care of tables and making sure everyone was okay. I dropped things so many times, broke two glasses and then this is killer... I lost a credit card slip. When it was time for me to cash out for the day I went to the credit card machine and accidentally settled all the credit card accounts before another waitress, Hannah, had settled her tips. Because I pressed the wrong button looking for my credit card slip Hannah was not going to be able to put in her tips. Basically she wasn't getting paid for all of her hard work that day. Of course, I had no idea I did anything wrong until Mina saw the slip of paper and said in the calmest, quietest voice with her french accent "Oh no..who did this? Someone settled all the accounts!" I just went about my business because I had no idea who did it. Then I finally looked back and saw the piece of paper and said "Oh Mina, I'm sorry it's my fault. I did that." She said "well, why?" I said "I pressed the wrong button and had no idea what it was." So then she was still very calm and said "well because you did this Hannah won't get her tips." So I said "okay I'll give her mine." Of course there is more to the dialogue because at this point I'm feeling so awful and really sorry that I'm so not with it sometimes. Mina said "Okay Hannah calculate your tips." So Hannah calculated her tips and I'm thinking "well crap I just made a ton of money and now I'm gonna have to give all of my tips to her. But that's what happens when you make a mistake I've gotta make it right." So Hannah told me how much she would have made and it was $40.00 so I gave her $40 and she said "I'm not gonna take this I feel so bad." I said "Hannah don't be crazy. If you don't take it then you just worked for nothing. " So that was my day. I cried a few tears because I was just ready to eat and get out of there and my friend Noel came to visit me and I wanted to visit with him. I finally clocked out at like 4:45 and I was supposed to get off at 4:00. Mina and I hugged it out and everything was all better.
I was finally able to sit with Noel to eat for the first time all day and visit. Noel's friend Jonathan came in to visit so all three of us sat in Cranky's and talked for a while. Jonathan is CRAZY but so hilarious. He's an actor in the city and grew up in South Carolina and is a true southern gentleman. You can't find those around these parts anymore so it was refreshing to be treated like a lady.
After the visit with those two crazy boys at Cranky's we all headed down to Nolita and ate a this cute and super yummy pizza place. I have no idea what the name of it was but if I saw it again I would know it. After dinner we went to a frozen yogurt place called Pinkberry and enjoyed dessert.
I had to leave after that because Sandra was coming to visit!!!! I still needed to clean my place and get everything in order. It was okay though because she didn't arrive till about 10 PM.
I came home real fast (but keep in mind real fast anywhere here is like 30-45 min or longer) cleaned up my place a little bit, called some friends and then Sandra was finally here! YAY!!!!! We talked for a bit and then walked down a ways to get Sandra some food and then went to sleep because we had busy days ahead of us.
Sunday Sandra and I slept in and grabbed brunch at this cute place on 112th street called Community Food and Juice. It's right by Columbia University and St. John the Divine Cathedral so it was a really cute area. The food was also quite tasty. I have to say that if I didn't walk almost everywhere and trek up and down six flights of stairs I would be soooo fat! I eat like a queen here. It's almost ridiculous. Anyway, after our Brunch we walked to the Cathedral so we could look inside. This Cathedral is the one I stumbled upon my first few days here. After taking pictures we went down to SoHo for a day of fun shopping. We spent tons of time in H&M and then went down to Spring Street for an afternoon snack at Rice to Riches, a rice pudding place. After our snack we headed to Union Square for church at Hillsong NYC. This is my new favorite place. We had to wait in line to get in and there was still only standing room.
The service at Hillsong was amazing! There was no sermon although they planned on one. Instead it was a night of praise and worship through song with several encouraging words from scripture thrown in. It was exactly what my heart needed and I just loved it. My favorite quote was "Let go and let God." It's so cliche but so true and such confirmation from the Lord about handing my dreams over to him. Jeremiah 33:2-3 was the scripture focus for the night and it says "This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it-the Lord is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' It was perfect! That's what I needed to hear and the songs just spoke to my heart. I kinda love Hillsong NYC.
After church Sandra and I met up with Jonathan from South Carolina at Brother Jimmy's BBQ for a night of Karaoke. Oh man! This was a crazy, hilarious and awesomely fun place. Jonathan is a regular there and he knew everyone in the place. The Dj was hilarious and since it was a bar, there were girls dancing on tables and crazy things happening all over the place. Sandra and I were laughing all night long. The evening of karaoke ended around 1AMish with Bohemian Rhapsoday led by a hilarious couple and sung by the whole restaraunt. Such a fun time!
Monday Sandra and I were so tired but we got up around 9am and made it to Cranky's for a nice brunch. I just love Cranky's! After that we went to the park in Long Island City and then headed to Grand Central Station. We wandered around Grand Central for a while window shopping and enjoying the AC. We had originally planned to go to the art exhibit of Linda McCartney's photos she took of the Beatles and other bands but while we were at Cranky's the website said they were closed on Mondays so we really just roamed around all day until finally we decided to call and see if they were open and YAY they were! So we went to the Bonni Benrubi or something like that and looked a the photo exhibit in a tiny art gallery. It was really pretty cool and we both loved it. After that we went to the TKTS booth and bought tickets to go see the longest running Off- Broadway show ,The Fantasticks. We of course had to have a fancy dinner before we went so we decided on Trattoria Dopo Teatro which happened to be right by my favorite New Years Eve place Cafe Un Deux Trois. The food at Trattoria was sooooo good and a perfect meal before the show.
The Fantasticks was really precious. All of the actors were so good and Luisa could not have been more perfect. She was so adorable and her voice was really nice. As always, I love shows and think they are the best ever but I really enjoyed this one. After the show Sandra and I had to have dessert so we went to Junior's for some chocolate swirl cheescake. I definitley think Junior's rivals Carnegi Deli's cheescake.
Tuesday was Sandra's last day in town but we had time to do some other things before we left. We went to one of the cutest breakfast places ever called Good Enough to Eat. Oh man, this place was again, so good. The bacon was probably some of the best bacon I've ever had in my life. The waiter even said the bacon is the reason they have a line out the door on Saturday mornings. I believe it. They cook and cure it themselves at the place and it was amazing. After that we strolled through Central Park because wether you've never been to NYC or you've been a million times it's just something you do. We loved it and it the weather was so nice in the shade. After about an hour or so we headed back to my apartment so she could finish packing and catch the train to the airport. Of course it was sad to see her go but we had a great fun weekend.
Love
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I was finally able to sit with Noel to eat for the first time all day and visit. Noel's friend Jonathan came in to visit so all three of us sat in Cranky's and talked for a while. Jonathan is CRAZY but so hilarious. He's an actor in the city and grew up in South Carolina and is a true southern gentleman. You can't find those around these parts anymore so it was refreshing to be treated like a lady.
After the visit with those two crazy boys at Cranky's we all headed down to Nolita and ate a this cute and super yummy pizza place. I have no idea what the name of it was but if I saw it again I would know it. After dinner we went to a frozen yogurt place called Pinkberry and enjoyed dessert.
I had to leave after that because Sandra was coming to visit!!!! I still needed to clean my place and get everything in order. It was okay though because she didn't arrive till about 10 PM.
I came home real fast (but keep in mind real fast anywhere here is like 30-45 min or longer) cleaned up my place a little bit, called some friends and then Sandra was finally here! YAY!!!!! We talked for a bit and then walked down a ways to get Sandra some food and then went to sleep because we had busy days ahead of us.
Sunday Sandra and I slept in and grabbed brunch at this cute place on 112th street called Community Food and Juice. It's right by Columbia University and St. John the Divine Cathedral so it was a really cute area. The food was also quite tasty. I have to say that if I didn't walk almost everywhere and trek up and down six flights of stairs I would be soooo fat! I eat like a queen here. It's almost ridiculous. Anyway, after our Brunch we walked to the Cathedral so we could look inside. This Cathedral is the one I stumbled upon my first few days here. After taking pictures we went down to SoHo for a day of fun shopping. We spent tons of time in H&M and then went down to Spring Street for an afternoon snack at Rice to Riches, a rice pudding place. After our snack we headed to Union Square for church at Hillsong NYC. This is my new favorite place. We had to wait in line to get in and there was still only standing room.
The service at Hillsong was amazing! There was no sermon although they planned on one. Instead it was a night of praise and worship through song with several encouraging words from scripture thrown in. It was exactly what my heart needed and I just loved it. My favorite quote was "Let go and let God." It's so cliche but so true and such confirmation from the Lord about handing my dreams over to him. Jeremiah 33:2-3 was the scripture focus for the night and it says "This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it-the Lord is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' It was perfect! That's what I needed to hear and the songs just spoke to my heart. I kinda love Hillsong NYC.
After church Sandra and I met up with Jonathan from South Carolina at Brother Jimmy's BBQ for a night of Karaoke. Oh man! This was a crazy, hilarious and awesomely fun place. Jonathan is a regular there and he knew everyone in the place. The Dj was hilarious and since it was a bar, there were girls dancing on tables and crazy things happening all over the place. Sandra and I were laughing all night long. The evening of karaoke ended around 1AMish with Bohemian Rhapsoday led by a hilarious couple and sung by the whole restaraunt. Such a fun time!
Monday Sandra and I were so tired but we got up around 9am and made it to Cranky's for a nice brunch. I just love Cranky's! After that we went to the park in Long Island City and then headed to Grand Central Station. We wandered around Grand Central for a while window shopping and enjoying the AC. We had originally planned to go to the art exhibit of Linda McCartney's photos she took of the Beatles and other bands but while we were at Cranky's the website said they were closed on Mondays so we really just roamed around all day until finally we decided to call and see if they were open and YAY they were! So we went to the Bonni Benrubi or something like that and looked a the photo exhibit in a tiny art gallery. It was really pretty cool and we both loved it. After that we went to the TKTS booth and bought tickets to go see the longest running Off- Broadway show ,The Fantasticks. We of course had to have a fancy dinner before we went so we decided on Trattoria Dopo Teatro which happened to be right by my favorite New Years Eve place Cafe Un Deux Trois. The food at Trattoria was sooooo good and a perfect meal before the show.
The Fantasticks was really precious. All of the actors were so good and Luisa could not have been more perfect. She was so adorable and her voice was really nice. As always, I love shows and think they are the best ever but I really enjoyed this one. After the show Sandra and I had to have dessert so we went to Junior's for some chocolate swirl cheescake. I definitley think Junior's rivals Carnegi Deli's cheescake.
Tuesday was Sandra's last day in town but we had time to do some other things before we left. We went to one of the cutest breakfast places ever called Good Enough to Eat. Oh man, this place was again, so good. The bacon was probably some of the best bacon I've ever had in my life. The waiter even said the bacon is the reason they have a line out the door on Saturday mornings. I believe it. They cook and cure it themselves at the place and it was amazing. After that we strolled through Central Park because wether you've never been to NYC or you've been a million times it's just something you do. We loved it and it the weather was so nice in the shade. After about an hour or so we headed back to my apartment so she could finish packing and catch the train to the airport. Of course it was sad to see her go but we had a great fun weekend.
 |
| CRANKY'S |
 |
| Rice to Riches....cheescake rice pudding with graham cracker crumble |
 |
| TIMES SQUARE |
 |
| Good Enough to Eat |
Love
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Practically Perfect
I daydream a whole lot so after a few days of preparation and finally practicing and deciding to go for it, a day of auditions on Friday went something like this in my head....
I woke up, was totally prepared to audition for The Fantastiks, Camelot and Mary Poppins. There was no need for convincing me. I was ready to go for it!!! I had it mapped out on what audition to go to first and second and third because two were at Pearl Studios and the other was at the Actors Equity building. My plan was to go to work, leave right at 3:30 when I got off and then head to the Camelot audition first because it was an open audition and I would for sure get to audition. Then I was going to go to Mary Poppins because the call closed at 5:30 and since it was an Equity Principal audition I, of course, was taking my chances. Then I was going to go to The Fantasticks audition.
A day of auditions on Friday actually went something like this.....
I woke up, was totally prepared to audition for all three shows. I didn't have to be convinced to do it so I knew that I had to get all of my stuff together and take it to work with me. That meant I needed to bring a dress and heels to change into, dance clothes in case I had to dance and all of my music. I got that all together and headed to work. It was a ridiculously busy day at work so I did not make it out of Cranky's until almost 4:00. So I rushed over to Pearl Studios like I had origianally mapped out and planned on going to the Camelot audition first. When I got to the 12th floor there was no one left at the open call so I completely missed that one. Sad day. Then I asked the people working the front desk "What about Mary Poppins? Is that still happening?" One of them responded with "I don't really know. We just rent out the rooms but the holding room is right back there, you can go check if you'd like." I definitley went to check and when I walked into the room there was only one person in there. I said "Is this the audition for Mary Poppins?" He replied with "Yeah it is." Then I asked a stupid question...Are you Equity? His response came with a little attitude and said "Um yeah are you not?" I said "No, do you know if they are going to see non-equity?" He said again with a little snootiness "Yeah probably this is the last day of 3 days of auditions so I don't see why not..The Monitor is outside if you want to talk to him." So I said thanks and waited for the Monitor at the door.
As soon as the monitor started walking towards the door I said "Hi are they seeing non-equity today?" He said with a huge smile "well of course, you'll be in the last group at 4:50. Just sign your name on the paper and then give me your headshot and resume." So I signed my name up on the list sat down for a few minutes, listened to my song on my iphone with piano accompaniment and then looked up the requirements for the audition one last time to make sure I was completely prepared. When I looked on the website I saw that it said 'Sing a short piece from a contemporary musical.' Well, crap! I only had 25 bars of a song ready to go. But I figured it was no big deal because those 25 meausures are the best in the whole song.
At 4:40 the monitor asked for my headshot and resume and then said, "okay you guys follow me." There were only three of us, two equity members (a boy and a girl) and me. The boy went first and then I was very very last for the three days of auditions. When I went into the room I was nervous but not too nervous because I felt good about my song. I was lucky enough to have a little help from a friend on my song a few nights before. So I went into the room, handed my music to the accompanist and then said to the person listening to the auditions "Hi I'm Crystal, I'll be singing The Beauty is from The Light in the Piazza." And then the accompanist started, I sang and before I knew it the audition was over! I thought to myself....see it's not so bad.
I walked out feeling good but knowing that this is just really good experience. Here is one thing, though, I was super impressed with. The accompanist! Most auditions I'm always so nervous because I don't know how the accompanist will play the song I've chosen. Will he be good? Will he be able to sight read this song? Will he follow me? All these things I always worry about but as soon as this accompanist started playing I knew I could sing the song however I wanted because he would follow me and he played extremely well. So I took some liberties with the music that I don't normally do and felt like I was successful even though I didn't sing a whole song. I sure did pretend like 25 bars was all I was supposed to sing though.
After that audition I headed to The Fantasticks audition. According to my Iphone and my Hopstop app it would only take 15 minutes to get there. That meant I would be there by 5:15. Fifteen minutes before the call was closed. I walked the whole way and when I got there I was really hoping it wasn't too late. But, alas, it was. The building where the audition took place was the Actors Equity Association and apparently it's really for members only. I walked in and looked around and didn't see anyone who could help so I stepped foot into the lounge area. As soon as I did a lady sort of snapped at me and said "are you an equity member?" I said "no" and then started to feel like I was five years old because she was about to reprimand me. Then she said "you're not allowed in the lounge if you're not an equity member." Geez lady, I don't know these things I'm new at this is what went through my head at the moment. Then I said "I'm sorry I'm just wondering if the Fantasticks audition is over or if they are seeing non-equity?" The lady once again snapped at me never once looking me in the eye and said "Nope sorry everything is closed for the day."
After that experience I learned that the Equity lounge is for members only and the Equity members that hang out there are pretty snooty. That's just my first impression.
I was a little dissappointed that I wasn't able to audition for Camelot or The Fantasticks but was very happy I was able to audition for Mary Poppins. It was practically perfect in every way...well almost. I have a lot more preparing to do because I have My Fair Lady auditions and the Phantom of the Opera auditions coming up soon plus some others that I can't think of right away but I'm off to practice and then play the weekend away!
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I woke up, was totally prepared to audition for The Fantastiks, Camelot and Mary Poppins. There was no need for convincing me. I was ready to go for it!!! I had it mapped out on what audition to go to first and second and third because two were at Pearl Studios and the other was at the Actors Equity building. My plan was to go to work, leave right at 3:30 when I got off and then head to the Camelot audition first because it was an open audition and I would for sure get to audition. Then I was going to go to Mary Poppins because the call closed at 5:30 and since it was an Equity Principal audition I, of course, was taking my chances. Then I was going to go to The Fantasticks audition.
A day of auditions on Friday actually went something like this.....
I woke up, was totally prepared to audition for all three shows. I didn't have to be convinced to do it so I knew that I had to get all of my stuff together and take it to work with me. That meant I needed to bring a dress and heels to change into, dance clothes in case I had to dance and all of my music. I got that all together and headed to work. It was a ridiculously busy day at work so I did not make it out of Cranky's until almost 4:00. So I rushed over to Pearl Studios like I had origianally mapped out and planned on going to the Camelot audition first. When I got to the 12th floor there was no one left at the open call so I completely missed that one. Sad day. Then I asked the people working the front desk "What about Mary Poppins? Is that still happening?" One of them responded with "I don't really know. We just rent out the rooms but the holding room is right back there, you can go check if you'd like." I definitley went to check and when I walked into the room there was only one person in there. I said "Is this the audition for Mary Poppins?" He replied with "Yeah it is." Then I asked a stupid question...Are you Equity? His response came with a little attitude and said "Um yeah are you not?" I said "No, do you know if they are going to see non-equity?" He said again with a little snootiness "Yeah probably this is the last day of 3 days of auditions so I don't see why not..The Monitor is outside if you want to talk to him." So I said thanks and waited for the Monitor at the door.
As soon as the monitor started walking towards the door I said "Hi are they seeing non-equity today?" He said with a huge smile "well of course, you'll be in the last group at 4:50. Just sign your name on the paper and then give me your headshot and resume." So I signed my name up on the list sat down for a few minutes, listened to my song on my iphone with piano accompaniment and then looked up the requirements for the audition one last time to make sure I was completely prepared. When I looked on the website I saw that it said 'Sing a short piece from a contemporary musical.' Well, crap! I only had 25 bars of a song ready to go. But I figured it was no big deal because those 25 meausures are the best in the whole song.
At 4:40 the monitor asked for my headshot and resume and then said, "okay you guys follow me." There were only three of us, two equity members (a boy and a girl) and me. The boy went first and then I was very very last for the three days of auditions. When I went into the room I was nervous but not too nervous because I felt good about my song. I was lucky enough to have a little help from a friend on my song a few nights before. So I went into the room, handed my music to the accompanist and then said to the person listening to the auditions "Hi I'm Crystal, I'll be singing The Beauty is from The Light in the Piazza." And then the accompanist started, I sang and before I knew it the audition was over! I thought to myself....see it's not so bad.
I walked out feeling good but knowing that this is just really good experience. Here is one thing, though, I was super impressed with. The accompanist! Most auditions I'm always so nervous because I don't know how the accompanist will play the song I've chosen. Will he be good? Will he be able to sight read this song? Will he follow me? All these things I always worry about but as soon as this accompanist started playing I knew I could sing the song however I wanted because he would follow me and he played extremely well. So I took some liberties with the music that I don't normally do and felt like I was successful even though I didn't sing a whole song. I sure did pretend like 25 bars was all I was supposed to sing though.
After that audition I headed to The Fantasticks audition. According to my Iphone and my Hopstop app it would only take 15 minutes to get there. That meant I would be there by 5:15. Fifteen minutes before the call was closed. I walked the whole way and when I got there I was really hoping it wasn't too late. But, alas, it was. The building where the audition took place was the Actors Equity Association and apparently it's really for members only. I walked in and looked around and didn't see anyone who could help so I stepped foot into the lounge area. As soon as I did a lady sort of snapped at me and said "are you an equity member?" I said "no" and then started to feel like I was five years old because she was about to reprimand me. Then she said "you're not allowed in the lounge if you're not an equity member." Geez lady, I don't know these things I'm new at this is what went through my head at the moment. Then I said "I'm sorry I'm just wondering if the Fantasticks audition is over or if they are seeing non-equity?" The lady once again snapped at me never once looking me in the eye and said "Nope sorry everything is closed for the day."
After that experience I learned that the Equity lounge is for members only and the Equity members that hang out there are pretty snooty. That's just my first impression.
I was a little dissappointed that I wasn't able to audition for Camelot or The Fantasticks but was very happy I was able to audition for Mary Poppins. It was practically perfect in every way...well almost. I have a lot more preparing to do because I have My Fair Lady auditions and the Phantom of the Opera auditions coming up soon plus some others that I can't think of right away but I'm off to practice and then play the weekend away!
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Saturday, July 16, 2011
As Time Goes By
It's always sad when you realize time goes by too fast. I feel like I'm finally settled here but yesterday I realized that my time here in NYC is almost over. Lindsey at Cranky's asked if I was staying here for good and as much as I wanted to say yes, I told her I would be leaving August 9th and it seriously broke my heart to say that. I have cried tears about leaving already and I haven't even bought my ticket home yet. (I should probably get on that) There is still so much I want to do and experience but there is just not enough time for it.
Monday I had the day off and I literally spent most of my day looking up all the auditions that I wanted to do. They are all equity so of course I take my chances because there is no quarantee I'll be seen but here are the auditions I would like to do: Mary Poppins, Camelot, The Fantastiks, The Phantom of the Opera, Bonnie and Clyde, and My Fair Lady, just to name a few.
I have finally started practicing every day but I have found that I need new music. A lot of the auditions require contemporary theatre songs and all of my repetoire consists of all the old school theatre songs like, Rogers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Meredith Wilson etc. I have been to the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center looking through music to see if I could find anything good. The answer is yes, I have found good music but I don't feel like I have enough time to learn it before some auditions so that I feel comfortable with it. Alas, I will do my best.
Tomorrow I have three auditions listed to go to. One is an open call for Camelot. The other two are The Fantastiks off-Broadway production and Mary Poppins, the touring cast. Hopefully, I will make it to all three but I have to work and I won't get off till 3:30 and most of the calls are over at 5:30. Again, I will be taking my chances but I'm not talking myself out of them. I will be trying to make it to them all. Too bad they are not all in the same place.
Like I said in the beginning I wish I could stay here forever and that summer did not have to end. Thankfully, I have a few more weeks so I am going to make the most of them and soak in the people, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the shows and the auditions.
Love,
A very sad about leaving but happy it's not over yet, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Monday I had the day off and I literally spent most of my day looking up all the auditions that I wanted to do. They are all equity so of course I take my chances because there is no quarantee I'll be seen but here are the auditions I would like to do: Mary Poppins, Camelot, The Fantastiks, The Phantom of the Opera, Bonnie and Clyde, and My Fair Lady, just to name a few.
I have finally started practicing every day but I have found that I need new music. A lot of the auditions require contemporary theatre songs and all of my repetoire consists of all the old school theatre songs like, Rogers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Meredith Wilson etc. I have been to the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center looking through music to see if I could find anything good. The answer is yes, I have found good music but I don't feel like I have enough time to learn it before some auditions so that I feel comfortable with it. Alas, I will do my best.
Tomorrow I have three auditions listed to go to. One is an open call for Camelot. The other two are The Fantastiks off-Broadway production and Mary Poppins, the touring cast. Hopefully, I will make it to all three but I have to work and I won't get off till 3:30 and most of the calls are over at 5:30. Again, I will be taking my chances but I'm not talking myself out of them. I will be trying to make it to them all. Too bad they are not all in the same place.
Like I said in the beginning I wish I could stay here forever and that summer did not have to end. Thankfully, I have a few more weeks so I am going to make the most of them and soak in the people, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the shows and the auditions.
Love,
A very sad about leaving but happy it's not over yet, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Friday, July 15, 2011
A week in review
I have to say I feel like this past week was more eventful than most of the others. Here's a rundown of my weekly activity...
Monday was the Fourth of July and I hung out with Phil and Susan on a rooftop in Long Island City and saw the Battery Park fireworks through the New York Syline. Amazing!!
Tuesday I went to my first ballet class at the Broadway Dance Center. It was so much fun but so hard all at the same time. The teacher was pretty amazing but the people in the class have been taking ballet for years so they knew every thing she was saying. I am a good follower so I didn't feel too out of the loop. There were also people there filming our class for a documentary they were doing for something. There is never a dull moment in NYC.
Wednesday was the day my mouse died and the Aspects of Love audition where I wasn't seen. Wednesday night was really fun because I went to a beer tasting at Cranky's just to learn about the different kinds of beer we sell there. I don't really like beer but the ones we all tasted were pretty good. I learned a whole lot and enjoyed the company of my fellow Cranky's teammates. After the beer tasting I met up with David Davila and Stephanie Sosa at a cute place for dinner and drinks. I have never really hung out with David even though we lived in SA together for years and have done a few shows together. But he is so fun and I loved hanging out with them.
Thursday I went to work and had the Godspell audition.
Friday I went to work and then called it a day and came home early.
Saturday was my favorite day because it started out with a Drums Alive class in Central Park in Sheep Meadow. It was a perfect day for a class out there. The wind was blowing a nice cool breeze and it was early enough that not too many people were out there yet. This class was conducted by my friend from San Antonio, Naomi Phillips, who was in town to visit her daughter. I thought it was going to be a class where we actually bang on drums and make music but what it really was, was an excersice class with drumsticks on those big blow up balls. It was actually really fun! But, leave it to me to be unprepared for excercising! Everyone came in their athletic/workout clothes with tennis shoes and I show up with my cute outfit on for the day and flip flops. I didn't really care but found it so like me to do that. After the class was over I met my new friend from church named Noel in Brooklyn for the rest of the day. Noel is exactly like my friend Aruna so I feel right at home when I hang out with him. We ate at this really cool hipster place in Ft. Greene called Habana and then headed to the famous Brooklyn Flea Market. Noel was on a mission to find a gift for his friend so we had to have a plan on how to go about looking at everything. He made this plan up after I darted randomly from stand to stand in excitement. He kept me on track because I'm sort of ADD when it comes to things like flea markets. We met up with some other people from Trinity Grace and they were all from San Antonio too! It really is such a small world when you think about it. We finished looking through the flea market and then all hung out on the steps and drank horchata and visited. Everyone parted ways, so Noel, Ivana and I went to this amazing chocolate/coffee shop in Park Slope. Oh man it was so tasty!!! Then we went to Gorilla Coffee so I could try their coffee too. I'm really addicted to coffee and I just love to go to coffee shops so I can compare them to other places and find my favorite. Ivana also goes to Trinity Grace church and she was so nice and so fun. We had good conversation and made fun of Noel the whole time. It was a great day.
Sunday I went to church at Trinity Grace and then went shopping on the Upper East Side for a bit. I only window shopped though and found a ton of things that I wanted. I came home did my laundry and then decided to try the new Hillsong Church. I enjoy Trinity Grace and it's the closest church to me but I was craving some really amazing worship through song and I knew Hillsong would be the place. I was also just wanting to hear a good, passionate sermon with a good word from the Lord so I got it in my head that Hillsong was the place to go.
I was so right about the Hillsong Church. It was pretty much amazing! It is located in Union Square inside this beautiful theatre. I walked to the doors and saw tons of people talking and hanging out and then I went through the doors and everyone was so. The greeters were very helpful and I knew it was going to be good when I heard the sounds of clapping and loud music. I walked upstairs and was a little culture shocked at first because, a church is not in a theatre with chandeliers and a full set of stage lights. It should be a sanctuary with a choir loft and a pulpit. At least that's what I've grown up with my whole life. But in this day and age it is actually a beautiful place of worship and it's the perfect place for Hillsong. Anyway, I walked in and there was standing room only in the balcony so I stood the whole time, sang amazing music and heard an incredible preacher talk about being fishers of men. I loved it and it was exactly what I needed. I will definitely be going back this week.
I had a great week and am looking forward to all the things to come in the next week.
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Monday was the Fourth of July and I hung out with Phil and Susan on a rooftop in Long Island City and saw the Battery Park fireworks through the New York Syline. Amazing!!
Tuesday I went to my first ballet class at the Broadway Dance Center. It was so much fun but so hard all at the same time. The teacher was pretty amazing but the people in the class have been taking ballet for years so they knew every thing she was saying. I am a good follower so I didn't feel too out of the loop. There were also people there filming our class for a documentary they were doing for something. There is never a dull moment in NYC.
Wednesday was the day my mouse died and the Aspects of Love audition where I wasn't seen. Wednesday night was really fun because I went to a beer tasting at Cranky's just to learn about the different kinds of beer we sell there. I don't really like beer but the ones we all tasted were pretty good. I learned a whole lot and enjoyed the company of my fellow Cranky's teammates. After the beer tasting I met up with David Davila and Stephanie Sosa at a cute place for dinner and drinks. I have never really hung out with David even though we lived in SA together for years and have done a few shows together. But he is so fun and I loved hanging out with them.
Thursday I went to work and had the Godspell audition.
Friday I went to work and then called it a day and came home early.
Saturday was my favorite day because it started out with a Drums Alive class in Central Park in Sheep Meadow. It was a perfect day for a class out there. The wind was blowing a nice cool breeze and it was early enough that not too many people were out there yet. This class was conducted by my friend from San Antonio, Naomi Phillips, who was in town to visit her daughter. I thought it was going to be a class where we actually bang on drums and make music but what it really was, was an excersice class with drumsticks on those big blow up balls. It was actually really fun! But, leave it to me to be unprepared for excercising! Everyone came in their athletic/workout clothes with tennis shoes and I show up with my cute outfit on for the day and flip flops. I didn't really care but found it so like me to do that. After the class was over I met my new friend from church named Noel in Brooklyn for the rest of the day. Noel is exactly like my friend Aruna so I feel right at home when I hang out with him. We ate at this really cool hipster place in Ft. Greene called Habana and then headed to the famous Brooklyn Flea Market. Noel was on a mission to find a gift for his friend so we had to have a plan on how to go about looking at everything. He made this plan up after I darted randomly from stand to stand in excitement. He kept me on track because I'm sort of ADD when it comes to things like flea markets. We met up with some other people from Trinity Grace and they were all from San Antonio too! It really is such a small world when you think about it. We finished looking through the flea market and then all hung out on the steps and drank horchata and visited. Everyone parted ways, so Noel, Ivana and I went to this amazing chocolate/coffee shop in Park Slope. Oh man it was so tasty!!! Then we went to Gorilla Coffee so I could try their coffee too. I'm really addicted to coffee and I just love to go to coffee shops so I can compare them to other places and find my favorite. Ivana also goes to Trinity Grace church and she was so nice and so fun. We had good conversation and made fun of Noel the whole time. It was a great day.
Sunday I went to church at Trinity Grace and then went shopping on the Upper East Side for a bit. I only window shopped though and found a ton of things that I wanted. I came home did my laundry and then decided to try the new Hillsong Church. I enjoy Trinity Grace and it's the closest church to me but I was craving some really amazing worship through song and I knew Hillsong would be the place. I was also just wanting to hear a good, passionate sermon with a good word from the Lord so I got it in my head that Hillsong was the place to go.
I was so right about the Hillsong Church. It was pretty much amazing! It is located in Union Square inside this beautiful theatre. I walked to the doors and saw tons of people talking and hanging out and then I went through the doors and everyone was so. The greeters were very helpful and I knew it was going to be good when I heard the sounds of clapping and loud music. I walked upstairs and was a little culture shocked at first because, a church is not in a theatre with chandeliers and a full set of stage lights. It should be a sanctuary with a choir loft and a pulpit. At least that's what I've grown up with my whole life. But in this day and age it is actually a beautiful place of worship and it's the perfect place for Hillsong. Anyway, I walked in and there was standing room only in the balcony so I stood the whole time, sang amazing music and heard an incredible preacher talk about being fishers of men. I loved it and it was exactly what I needed. I will definitely be going back this week.
I had a great week and am looking forward to all the things to come in the next week.
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
 |
| Drums Alive in Central Park |
 |
| Hillsong NYC |
 |
| Brooklyn is so cute!!! |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Prepare ye the way...Godspell
Mark this down in the history books of Crystal Gulley....My very first Broadway audition was 7-7-11! I tried to talk myself out of it like I always do but I'm glad I did it because it was for sure an experience.
I went to an equity chorus call earlier in the week for Aspects of Love. I walked in and asked if they were going to be seeing non-equity people and the monitors said "They are going to try to see everyone." I put my name on the list and waited in a room full of girls who were overly made up and obnoxious. I just sat there and people watched for two hours and met a nice girl named Desiree that has auditioned about 150 times for things. I found that very interesting.
After the third round of Equity auditions the monitors asked for the non-equity headshots and resumes. Then the other monitor said the directors will be "typing you" to decide who they want to see. Needless to say I wasn't the type they were looking for so I was sent home. I was almost relieved because I wasn't ready. I guess I'll never truly be ready for an audition but I digress.
On Thursday 7-7-11 I woke up for work super early and headed to Cranky's. Here's the deal, I knew there was an open call audition for Godspell all week long. Somehow, once again, I really tried to talk myself out of auditioning. As I was getting ready I was going through all these scenarios on how to get out of going to the audition. I put on my work clothes and didn't bring anything nice to change into for the audition and I almost didn't bring my music binder with my headshot and resume because I just thought I wouldn't make it to the audition. I also didn't have a pop/contemporary song to sing that I felt comfortable with so I really wasn't planning on going to the audition.
My mind was all over the place at work. I kept thinking should I do it? What if I don't do it? How long is the line gonna be? Will I have to wait for hours? Will I even be seen? Is my headshot too outdated? Does my resume look okay? What song will I sing? Will I make it in time? I can't audition because I don't have anything good to change into! I can't audition because I'm so not prepared! It was so nerve racking to think about those things all day long. After some convincing by Clare and the what if question I would have to answer to later I decided to go.
I got off work at 3:45ish and the call ended at 5:00. If I hurried I had time to go look for a cute outfit or at least some accessories so I would look presentable for the audition. I got off the subway at Bryant Park and sat down for a few minutes so I could figure out where the audition was. All of a sudden I heard a very friendly girl says "I like your hair." I looked up and smiled and saw that she had curly hair too so I responded with a laugh and "I like your hair too." Then we started talking and we ended up talking for 20 minutes because we had a lot in common. They were on a mssion trip with her church from Houston so we were sharing mission trip stories. It was a lovely conversation and a nice distraction. So nice that I thought it was going to save me from going to the audition but then I thought that was silly and decided to head toward the audition I didn't have time to go get jewelry or a cute outfit but once I got there I realized it was no big deal.
At first I couldn't find the audition because I got lost in a crowd that was waiting for "The Book of Mormon" lottery. Then I saw a group of people accross the street but they all looked like teeny boppers and I thought for sure that couldn't be it. Well, yep, it sure was. I felt old but looked nicer than most of the people in line because my bra straps weren't hanging out and my jeans weren't too tight and I didn't have a skirt on that didn't cover my butt and you get the idea. However, I could tell this was going to be an interesting audition. I made it to the line at about 4:58 and I asked the person manning the line if it was too late and she said "no but the cut off point is right before those trees so there is no guarantee that you'll be seen but you'll never know if you don't stay" Of course, I stayed I had already tried to talk myself out of it more than once but I was already in line. I wasn't leaving now. I had chosen to sing Seasons of Love from Rent but I just pulled that out of nowhere because I've never sung it before in my life except maybe the shower or my car but never in front of anyone.
So I'm freaking out as I'm waiting because I hate auditions. I need to learn how to do some positive self talk right before I go into an audition because all I ever think about is "Oh my gosh I'm gonna suck cause I hate this so much" I'll work on that.
Every few minutes the line monitors announce to all of us standing in line that we will only sing 8 bars of our song and everyone will have a chance to audition. We were also informed that the church space the producers were using was only available till 6:00, after that we were going to have to walk across the street to audition. I'm trying to go over the song in my head from memory and pick the best part of the song I know and then it's my turn to walk across the street. Once we walked across the street we were in a tiny space and I could hear all the people going before me. They were belting out their songs with fierceness and I was once again freaking out. I'm not a belter, never have been, never will be so I was like OMG I can't do this....(see, I really need to have some good positive thinking before I audition)
The Broadway auditioner, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
I went to an equity chorus call earlier in the week for Aspects of Love. I walked in and asked if they were going to be seeing non-equity people and the monitors said "They are going to try to see everyone." I put my name on the list and waited in a room full of girls who were overly made up and obnoxious. I just sat there and people watched for two hours and met a nice girl named Desiree that has auditioned about 150 times for things. I found that very interesting.
After the third round of Equity auditions the monitors asked for the non-equity headshots and resumes. Then the other monitor said the directors will be "typing you" to decide who they want to see. Needless to say I wasn't the type they were looking for so I was sent home. I was almost relieved because I wasn't ready. I guess I'll never truly be ready for an audition but I digress.
On Thursday 7-7-11 I woke up for work super early and headed to Cranky's. Here's the deal, I knew there was an open call audition for Godspell all week long. Somehow, once again, I really tried to talk myself out of auditioning. As I was getting ready I was going through all these scenarios on how to get out of going to the audition. I put on my work clothes and didn't bring anything nice to change into for the audition and I almost didn't bring my music binder with my headshot and resume because I just thought I wouldn't make it to the audition. I also didn't have a pop/contemporary song to sing that I felt comfortable with so I really wasn't planning on going to the audition.
My mind was all over the place at work. I kept thinking should I do it? What if I don't do it? How long is the line gonna be? Will I have to wait for hours? Will I even be seen? Is my headshot too outdated? Does my resume look okay? What song will I sing? Will I make it in time? I can't audition because I don't have anything good to change into! I can't audition because I'm so not prepared! It was so nerve racking to think about those things all day long. After some convincing by Clare and the what if question I would have to answer to later I decided to go.
I got off work at 3:45ish and the call ended at 5:00. If I hurried I had time to go look for a cute outfit or at least some accessories so I would look presentable for the audition. I got off the subway at Bryant Park and sat down for a few minutes so I could figure out where the audition was. All of a sudden I heard a very friendly girl says "I like your hair." I looked up and smiled and saw that she had curly hair too so I responded with a laugh and "I like your hair too." Then we started talking and we ended up talking for 20 minutes because we had a lot in common. They were on a mssion trip with her church from Houston so we were sharing mission trip stories. It was a lovely conversation and a nice distraction. So nice that I thought it was going to save me from going to the audition but then I thought that was silly and decided to head toward the audition I didn't have time to go get jewelry or a cute outfit but once I got there I realized it was no big deal.
At first I couldn't find the audition because I got lost in a crowd that was waiting for "The Book of Mormon" lottery. Then I saw a group of people accross the street but they all looked like teeny boppers and I thought for sure that couldn't be it. Well, yep, it sure was. I felt old but looked nicer than most of the people in line because my bra straps weren't hanging out and my jeans weren't too tight and I didn't have a skirt on that didn't cover my butt and you get the idea. However, I could tell this was going to be an interesting audition. I made it to the line at about 4:58 and I asked the person manning the line if it was too late and she said "no but the cut off point is right before those trees so there is no guarantee that you'll be seen but you'll never know if you don't stay" Of course, I stayed I had already tried to talk myself out of it more than once but I was already in line. I wasn't leaving now. I had chosen to sing Seasons of Love from Rent but I just pulled that out of nowhere because I've never sung it before in my life except maybe the shower or my car but never in front of anyone.
So I'm freaking out as I'm waiting because I hate auditions. I need to learn how to do some positive self talk right before I go into an audition because all I ever think about is "Oh my gosh I'm gonna suck cause I hate this so much" I'll work on that.
Every few minutes the line monitors announce to all of us standing in line that we will only sing 8 bars of our song and everyone will have a chance to audition. We were also informed that the church space the producers were using was only available till 6:00, after that we were going to have to walk across the street to audition. I'm trying to go over the song in my head from memory and pick the best part of the song I know and then it's my turn to walk across the street. Once we walked across the street we were in a tiny space and I could hear all the people going before me. They were belting out their songs with fierceness and I was once again freaking out. I'm not a belter, never have been, never will be so I was like OMG I can't do this....(see, I really need to have some good positive thinking before I audition)
 |
| The audition room for Godspell |
I felt like I was at an American Idol audition. We had to sing our 8 bars of music a capella and that's just crazy. We also had to walk in and just start singing. When it was my turn I walked in, started singing, messed up the words AND changed keys a few times. My 10 seconds in front of the producer sucked and I sort of giggled on my way out because I knew it was an awful audition. However, I do have to say I'm glad I did it because now I know what to expect and I can just chock this one up to experience. I will be doing a few more auditions before I leave so I have made sure to practice so I will be a little bit more prepared.
Love,The Broadway auditioner, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Moment of Silence...
Let's all pause for a moment of silence....my poor little mouse whom I have co-habitated with since day one is now dead and gone. It was a traumatizing experience for the little mouse and for me as well! I will never ever forget this day as long as I live.
Here's the story: I finally decided to set out more sticky traps once Heather left. The mouse had eaten her coconut M&M's and nibbled on a bunch of the snacks Mama and Papa sent me. I just couldn't take it any longer so I set out four traps. I put two in the kitchen and two in the living room. I noticed that the one I put by the piano had little mouse prints in it so I know it stepped on it but somehow got away. Smart little mouse I must say. The next night I sort of moved them around a little bit but still to no avail. Last night I put a sticky trap that was by the heater in the living room next to the mirror right next to the opening in the hallway. I'll show you....![]()
I have seen the little mouse cross this way almost every day so I figured it would be a really good place for it.
Well, it was the perfect place for it because I woke up this morning to find a tiny little mouse stuck on the trap. I thought it was dead so I just stared at it for a minute and almost cried. Those sticky traps are just awful!!! I know it's a mouse and it has eaten my food but a sticky trap? What was I thinking?!!! Never again. Here's why...after I had taken a shower and gotten ready for the day of course I had to tell my family that I caught it but when I looked at it again I could see it's little tummy moving really fast. DANG IT!!!! I thought it was DEAD!!!! So now I feel awful and really don't know what to do! Then I see it pick it's head up and then wimper! GEEZ now i'm feeling like the worst, inhumane person in the whole world. I'm still on the phone with my parents and they are laughing at me now because we all know how dramatic I can be but this situation really called for that reaction. Papa just told me to pick up the trap and stick it in a plastic bag, seal it up and throw it away. Well, I thought that should be easy enough but noooooo, of course not!
When I went to pick up the trap that poor little mouse started wiggling and was trying to get off the sticky pad because he knew what I was about to do. I start screaming bloody murder and shaking all over, but I finally got it in the bag, tied it up and threw it in the dumpster.
Man oh man! That was the worst feeling in the world. I tortured a poor mouse and it tortured me in return because now I have to live with that memory forever! The moral of this story is: Don't sublet from a dirty, nasty boy that doesn't ever clean and don't ever, ever, ever, ever, use sticky traps if you are trying to catch a mouse. Use the old fashioned kind that snap.
The END
Love,
A traumatized forever, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Here's the story: I finally decided to set out more sticky traps once Heather left. The mouse had eaten her coconut M&M's and nibbled on a bunch of the snacks Mama and Papa sent me. I just couldn't take it any longer so I set out four traps. I put two in the kitchen and two in the living room. I noticed that the one I put by the piano had little mouse prints in it so I know it stepped on it but somehow got away. Smart little mouse I must say. The next night I sort of moved them around a little bit but still to no avail. Last night I put a sticky trap that was by the heater in the living room next to the mirror right next to the opening in the hallway. I'll show you....
I have seen the little mouse cross this way almost every day so I figured it would be a really good place for it. Well, it was the perfect place for it because I woke up this morning to find a tiny little mouse stuck on the trap. I thought it was dead so I just stared at it for a minute and almost cried. Those sticky traps are just awful!!! I know it's a mouse and it has eaten my food but a sticky trap? What was I thinking?!!! Never again. Here's why...after I had taken a shower and gotten ready for the day of course I had to tell my family that I caught it but when I looked at it again I could see it's little tummy moving really fast. DANG IT!!!! I thought it was DEAD!!!! So now I feel awful and really don't know what to do! Then I see it pick it's head up and then wimper! GEEZ now i'm feeling like the worst, inhumane person in the whole world. I'm still on the phone with my parents and they are laughing at me now because we all know how dramatic I can be but this situation really called for that reaction. Papa just told me to pick up the trap and stick it in a plastic bag, seal it up and throw it away. Well, I thought that should be easy enough but noooooo, of course not!
When I went to pick up the trap that poor little mouse started wiggling and was trying to get off the sticky pad because he knew what I was about to do. I start screaming bloody murder and shaking all over, but I finally got it in the bag, tied it up and threw it in the dumpster.
Man oh man! That was the worst feeling in the world. I tortured a poor mouse and it tortured me in return because now I have to live with that memory forever! The moral of this story is: Don't sublet from a dirty, nasty boy that doesn't ever clean and don't ever, ever, ever, ever, use sticky traps if you are trying to catch a mouse. Use the old fashioned kind that snap.
The END
Love,
A traumatized forever, Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Friday, July 8, 2011
God Bless America
 |
| A view from the 36th floor |
Happy Fourth of July!
Today was amazing! I slept in after a wonderful weekend with my sister and then caught up on writing my blogs. I had originally been scheduled to work at Cranky's from 3 till close but my favorite regular, Kevin, informed me that he stopped by to say hi. I said I didn't work till 3 and he said that Cranky's is closing at 4:00 today. I immediately called Lyndsey, the manager and asked about that. She said "Yeah you don't need to come in." I said "but I was scheduled till close tonight." She said "Yeah I don't know how that happened. I'm so sorry." I said no big deal and then started thinking about all the things I could possibly do now that I didn't have to work. Literally, about 5 minutes later Phil called me and said "what are you doing tonight? Come with me and Susan to Dave Cooks house for a Barbeque." He didn't have to ask me twice. I thought it was the perfect way to
Today was amazing! I slept in after a wonderful weekend with my sister and then caught up on writing my blogs. I had originally been scheduled to work at Cranky's from 3 till close but my favorite regular, Kevin, informed me that he stopped by to say hi. I said I didn't work till 3 and he said that Cranky's is closing at 4:00 today. I immediately called Lyndsey, the manager and asked about that. She said "Yeah you don't need to come in." I said "but I was scheduled till close tonight." She said "Yeah I don't know how that happened. I'm so sorry." I said no big deal and then started thinking about all the things I could possibly do now that I didn't have to work. Literally, about 5 minutes later Phil called me and said "what are you doing tonight? Come with me and Susan to Dave Cooks house for a Barbeque." He didn't have to ask me twice. I thought it was the perfect way to
 |
| NYC from Long Island City |
spend the Fourth of July.
I thought it might be awkward because there would be all these married couples there but it wasn't. I enjoyed the evening very much. Dave and his wife have a beautiful apartment with a huge patio. This isn't very common. We were able to see a very impressive view of the city and we had delicous food and good conversations. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and then once it turned dark we looked out into the sky and saw fireworks going off everywhere. It was the best fireworks show I've ever seen. When the celebration began at Battery Park we could see the fireworks through the Chrysler Building and the Met Life Building across the river. It was sooo cool. I was very thankful to spend the evening with the Oettles and the Cooks. What a great Fourth of July!
I thought it might be awkward because there would be all these married couples there but it wasn't. I enjoyed the evening very much. Dave and his wife have a beautiful apartment with a huge patio. This isn't very common. We were able to see a very impressive view of the city and we had delicous food and good conversations. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and then once it turned dark we looked out into the sky and saw fireworks going off everywhere. It was the best fireworks show I've ever seen. When the celebration began at Battery Park we could see the fireworks through the Chrysler Building and the Met Life Building across the river. It was sooo cool. I was very thankful to spend the evening with the Oettles and the Cooks. What a great Fourth of July!
Love,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
On a Bicycle Built for Two and Many Other Adventures
This weekend was so much fun! Mama and Papa sent my sister Heather to NYC for a visit for her birthday. She had never been here before so I had the privilege of showing her my favorite city and I loved every minute of it.
Heather came in on Wednesday at 7:35PM. I didn't want Heather to get here and not know what to do so I hailed a cab and met her at the Newark Airport. My cab driver was hilarious. He explained to me how the fare meter works and then invited me to something in Astoria Park. He also jerked me around a bit because he kept hitting the brakes every five seconds. Cab rides can be such an adventure!
I met my sis at baggage claim and I was so happy to see her. We headed back to the Heights and Heather's first cab ride into the city was so cliche! This cab driver was a character. He had Baliwood music playing at an absurd level and my sister and I were literally swaying side to side because of how fast this man was changing lanes. Heather's seatbelt locked within a minute and she was pinned against the seat. We were laughing so hard. The ride gave us time to take in a great view of the NYC skyline. It was a relief when we finally made it to my place.
Once we got here I took her on a tour of my apartment and once she got settled we went to the subway and headed to Carnegie Deli. We ordered the Turkey Sandwich and it was MASSIVE!!!!! However, we made a pretty good dent in it. We couldn't leave without having cheesecake so we ordered the cherry cheesecake and enjoyed every bite. After Carnegie Deli I wanted Heather to see Times Square at night because it's amazing. So we walked down and sat on the big red stairs and soaked in the view of all the lights and billboards. Then we went to Radio City Music Hall, snapped a few pictures and headed home. We made a plan for the next day and headed to bed.
Day 1.
We decided to sleep in a little bit on Thursday because we knew we were going to have to wake up early the next few days to get everything in. We started off the day with a visit to Cranky's for brunch. I just love it there. We shared a breakfast burrito and the pesto pasta and enjoyed my new favorite fruit drink called MASH. We also had the pleasure of meeting the celebrity dog named Rocky. He was soooo cute and the owner came over and told us the story of how he found Rocky. Hilarous. We totally had the owner all figured out.After, Cranky's we headed to Central park to ride a tandem bike. I looked online for a bike company and checked out their prices. For 3 hours it was going to be $17.00 per person and we thought that was a great deal. I had no idea where the company was so I said we should just get out at Columbus Circle and find the best deal that way. There are always people holding signs and trying to get people to rent bikes. So that's what we did. We bargained with two companies. The first one was easy to walk away from because it was 30 bucks per person! The second company was really funny. I told them about the company with the rate of $17.00 and he said, "okay lady money is no problem for us" with a thick Indian accent. He kept saying that until finally I said "If we do not find a better price we will come back to you. I promise" They were also going to make us walk to get the bike and not bring it to us. Then we walked across the street and found a nice man that was easy to bargain with and he brought us the bike. However, we still had to walk to the company because it is illegal to take money on the street. So once the man brought out the bike he made us walk back to the company anyway and took us to a corner and said cross this line and pay me. So we payed him $40 total and it felt like some sort of shady deal. It was funny. Then we walked the bike into the park, took pictutres with it and then a nice man gave us some really helpful tips on how to ride tandem.
Leave it to me to make a scene. Even after the helpful tips from the nice man we couldn't get going and once we did I started screaming because we were on a little path and people were just standing right in the middle of it!!!! I couldn't believe it so I screamed some more and then we were stopped by the park police. They said you can't ride on the walking paths or you will be ticketed. So then we walked the bike to the outer circle and started our ride through Central Park. We stopped at the Bethesda Fountain first and then heard street musicians under the bridge. A man in boxers joined them randomly and played his water bottle and added some vocal harmony to the beautiful music. A wonderful New York moment for sis. LOL!!!
Then we figured out how to start easily on our tandem bike. We lined it up with a curb, put our feet on the pedal, counted to three and then off we went. We did not follow any of the road rules because if we did it would be disastrous. Since I was in front I had to talk to the people walking by or running or in my way with things like...."Don't cross now", or "OH MY GOSH WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" or "On your right".....You know things that would prevent us from having an accident.
We made a few other stops, took pictures and then made it back to Columbus Circle by 5:30. Keep in mind by this time we are exhausted, our bodies are hurting already, I can't lift my leg over the seat anymore and we just can't make it up the hills without walking the bike. But, it was so much fun and one of my favorite things I've done. Great idea, sis!
Day 2.
Friday was a super busy day. The original plan was to go to the Statue of Liberty at 9:00AM and then go to the Circle Tour that takes us on a tour by boat of the whole Island of Manhattan for 3 hours at 12:30 Then we were to see the Empire State Building for the sunset. However, that didn't quite work out so here's how the day actually unfolded. We woke up at 6:30 because we bought tickets in advance for the Statue of Liberty at 9:00AM. We didn't have to wait in any line so we just hopped on the boat. We got to Liberty Island snapped a few pics and grabbed lunch really fast because we wanted to make it back in time to catch the 12:30 boat tour. Alas, the trip back to the boat tour was longer than expected so we ended up missing it. We had to regroup so I suggested Dean and Deluca because I was so desperate for coffee. I hadn't had any and I was beginning to be grumpy. Heather gladly agreed. I got my coffee and was immediately happy and she got a pretzel from the street vendor and she was happy. Once we made new plans we were off. First stop was Ground Zero. We went into the memorial, a few blocks away and no matter how many times I've been there it's always a moving experience. After that we went to the fire station right next to the visitors center and the door was closed so we kept waiting to see if they would open it. The firemen didn't want to be seen I guess. After Ground Zero we went to the Financial Distict and checked out Wall Street, Trinity Church, and The New York Stock Exchange. We did all of that so quickly because we really wanted to make it to the Brooklyn Bridge so we could walk across it into Brooklyn before the sun set. That was also one of my most favorite things we did. The bridge is so beautiful and we got an amazing view of the city. Once we crossed into Brooklyn we ate at the original Grimaldi's Pizza. We waited in line for at least an hour but it was worth it. We devoured a small pizza and then headed down to the barge down the street where we could view both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge side by side. The area we were in is called DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan, Brooklyn Underpass). The view was gorgeous which made for amazing pictures. We were very satisfied with our day and the fun we had so we headed home with sore feet and a full stomach. As you know I get lost all the time so we couldn't find the subway even though I have apps on my phone that tell us where to go. Thankfully, a nice man came our way and asked if we were lost. So I said yes we are trying to find the subway. He was so nice! He gave us a nice little tour of Brooklyn Heights and walked us to the entrance of the subway station. He was truly a God Send. Grand Central Station was going to have to wait until the next day. We fell asleep on the A train but when we got home Heather was formally introduced to my mouse because she saw it walk across the kitchen floor and found that it had eaten her coconut M&M's from the M&M store. When we were through fuming about the mouse we propped our swollen and tired feet up on pillows and had sweet dreams of NYC.
Day 3.
Saturday we woke up early at 6:30 again to go on the Circle Tour around the island of Manhattan. We decided that the 10:00 tour would be the best so we had to get there at 9:00ish to board the boat and get a seat. The tour was really cool and Heather got some great pics. However, I am so lame and a bad hostess because I totally fell asleep hard core while we were on the boat. I blame it completely on the gentle rocking of the boat as we rode around the Island. After the boat tour and my little nap we went to Chinatown for lunch at Wo-Hop and of course some good shopping and bargaining. Lunch was so yummy. Once our tummies were full we were ready to hit the streets of Chinatown full force. The sounds of "You want Gucci, Prada, Looey Ton, Coachy" is really music to my ears. Of course, I am a sucker for fake Coach bags but we told the first few people who approached us with those musical words "no". Instead we popped in and out of stores asking the owners to lower their prices and walking away when it wasn't low enough. (Thanks Kat for teaching me how to bargain) Finally, someone approached us and asked "You want Coachy?" I said "yes where?" This lady took us to the side of the street to show us pictures and I was like "what? where are the bags? I want to look at them and hold them in my hand." So she took us down the street a few blocks and kept saying "right here, right here" when I kept asking how much further. I, of course, made this woman mad who was leading us to the purses and she got fiesty. We finally made it into the room where all the bags were but I was not impressed and neither was Heather so we left empty handed. When we were walking away the lady that led us to the secret store started talking about us in her foreign tongue and then proceeded to make ugly faces and talk about us to all the other people working on the streets. They were all clearly working for the same people because as we were walking back we saw a huge group of people standing on the corner looking at the pictures we looked at. It was all very interesting and entertaining as well. We made several purchases in Chinatown and then walked across the street to Little Italy. Heather liked Little Italy much better and I have to agree. Chinatown is usually my favorite but I was very happy to be in Little Italy. We did a little shopping and then had more amazing food and refreshing sangria at this place called Cafe Napoli. We indulged and ate every last bite of bruschetta that we ordered and then shared 3 mini canolis! It was all so delicious.
We still had lots on our to-do list for the day so we headed to The Empire State Building so we could see the sunset. Here is an amazing story for you. The sun doesn't set till around 8:30 and we got to the ESB around 7:00 and I spotted the FlatIron building that Heather had not yet seen. We figured we had time to walk down a few blocks to look at it a little closer and take some pics. By the time we got back to the ESB it was now about 7:15. All these people were downstairs trying to sell express passes for 42 more dollars so we could bypass all the lines and make it up to the top a little faster. They were saying the wait was at least 45 minutes to an hour to get to the elevators even if you already had a ticket. I told Heather there is no way the line is that long. We are not buying the upgrade. Well, the people downstairs were right. The line was ridiculously long and we were going to miss the sunset. However, becuase we both had sangria we legitimately had to use the bathroom. Once we got inside and near a guard we asked where the nearest bathroom was. The guard said "it's past security but I don't see why you can't go ahead and go now." So we basically skipped the whole entire line, made it through security in less than five minutes and found a bathroom. But the line wasn't finished so when we got to the bathrooms we asked another guard where they were and he said around the corner and then Heather asked "What do we do when we are finished?" The guard said in a creepy way "Well I guess you just join the line." Basically Heather and I bypassed the whole line and made it up to the top by 8:15, just in time to see the sunset and view the ESB in the day and in the evening. It could not have been more perfect! It seemed that everything on this trip was falling right into place. God is so good which is no surprise at all.
![]()
Love, A very thankful little sister,
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Heather came in on Wednesday at 7:35PM. I didn't want Heather to get here and not know what to do so I hailed a cab and met her at the Newark Airport. My cab driver was hilarious. He explained to me how the fare meter works and then invited me to something in Astoria Park. He also jerked me around a bit because he kept hitting the brakes every five seconds. Cab rides can be such an adventure!
I met my sis at baggage claim and I was so happy to see her. We headed back to the Heights and Heather's first cab ride into the city was so cliche! This cab driver was a character. He had Baliwood music playing at an absurd level and my sister and I were literally swaying side to side because of how fast this man was changing lanes. Heather's seatbelt locked within a minute and she was pinned against the seat. We were laughing so hard. The ride gave us time to take in a great view of the NYC skyline. It was a relief when we finally made it to my place.
Once we got here I took her on a tour of my apartment and once she got settled we went to the subway and headed to Carnegie Deli. We ordered the Turkey Sandwich and it was MASSIVE!!!!! However, we made a pretty good dent in it. We couldn't leave without having cheesecake so we ordered the cherry cheesecake and enjoyed every bite. After Carnegie Deli I wanted Heather to see Times Square at night because it's amazing. So we walked down and sat on the big red stairs and soaked in the view of all the lights and billboards. Then we went to Radio City Music Hall, snapped a few pictures and headed home. We made a plan for the next day and headed to bed.
Day 1.
We decided to sleep in a little bit on Thursday because we knew we were going to have to wake up early the next few days to get everything in. We started off the day with a visit to Cranky's for brunch. I just love it there. We shared a breakfast burrito and the pesto pasta and enjoyed my new favorite fruit drink called MASH. We also had the pleasure of meeting the celebrity dog named Rocky. He was soooo cute and the owner came over and told us the story of how he found Rocky. Hilarous. We totally had the owner all figured out.
Leave it to me to make a scene. Even after the helpful tips from the nice man we couldn't get going and once we did I started screaming because we were on a little path and people were just standing right in the middle of it!!!! I couldn't believe it so I screamed some more and then we were stopped by the park police. They said you can't ride on the walking paths or you will be ticketed. So then we walked the bike to the outer circle and started our ride through Central Park. We stopped at the Bethesda Fountain first and then heard street musicians under the bridge. A man in boxers joined them randomly and played his water bottle and added some vocal harmony to the beautiful music. A wonderful New York moment for sis. LOL!!!
Then we figured out how to start easily on our tandem bike. We lined it up with a curb, put our feet on the pedal, counted to three and then off we went. We did not follow any of the road rules because if we did it would be disastrous. Since I was in front I had to talk to the people walking by or running or in my way with things like...."Don't cross now", or "OH MY GOSH WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" or "On your right".....You know things that would prevent us from having an accident.
We made a few other stops, took pictures and then made it back to Columbus Circle by 5:30. Keep in mind by this time we are exhausted, our bodies are hurting already, I can't lift my leg over the seat anymore and we just can't make it up the hills without walking the bike. But, it was so much fun and one of my favorite things I've done. Great idea, sis!
After we were good and tired from riding our awesome tandem bike we headed to the TKTS booth and bought tickets for Sister Act. We killed time by eating a hot dog from a corner vendor and looking around the M&M store. We bought some goodies and then headed to the theatre.
Sister Act was so good! I am so glad that is the show we were able to see. The music was nothing like the movie and the story line was a little different. But I love a good show and that one was awesome. After the show we headed home for a good nights rest.Day 2.
Friday was a super busy day. The original plan was to go to the Statue of Liberty at 9:00AM and then go to the Circle Tour that takes us on a tour by boat of the whole Island of Manhattan for 3 hours at 12:30 Then we were to see the Empire State Building for the sunset. However, that didn't quite work out so here's how the day actually unfolded. We woke up at 6:30 because we bought tickets in advance for the Statue of Liberty at 9:00AM. We didn't have to wait in any line so we just hopped on the boat. We got to Liberty Island snapped a few pics and grabbed lunch really fast because we wanted to make it back in time to catch the 12:30 boat tour. Alas, the trip back to the boat tour was longer than expected so we ended up missing it. We had to regroup so I suggested Dean and Deluca because I was so desperate for coffee. I hadn't had any and I was beginning to be grumpy. Heather gladly agreed. I got my coffee and was immediately happy and she got a pretzel from the street vendor and she was happy. Once we made new plans we were off. First stop was Ground Zero. We went into the memorial, a few blocks away and no matter how many times I've been there it's always a moving experience. After that we went to the fire station right next to the visitors center and the door was closed so we kept waiting to see if they would open it. The firemen didn't want to be seen I guess. After Ground Zero we went to the Financial Distict and checked out Wall Street, Trinity Church, and The New York Stock Exchange. We did all of that so quickly because we really wanted to make it to the Brooklyn Bridge so we could walk across it into Brooklyn before the sun set. That was also one of my most favorite things we did. The bridge is so beautiful and we got an amazing view of the city. Once we crossed into Brooklyn we ate at the original Grimaldi's Pizza. We waited in line for at least an hour but it was worth it. We devoured a small pizza and then headed down to the barge down the street where we could view both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge side by side. The area we were in is called DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan, Brooklyn Underpass). The view was gorgeous which made for amazing pictures. We were very satisfied with our day and the fun we had so we headed home with sore feet and a full stomach. As you know I get lost all the time so we couldn't find the subway even though I have apps on my phone that tell us where to go. Thankfully, a nice man came our way and asked if we were lost. So I said yes we are trying to find the subway. He was so nice! He gave us a nice little tour of Brooklyn Heights and walked us to the entrance of the subway station. He was truly a God Send. Grand Central Station was going to have to wait until the next day. We fell asleep on the A train but when we got home Heather was formally introduced to my mouse because she saw it walk across the kitchen floor and found that it had eaten her coconut M&M's from the M&M store. When we were through fuming about the mouse we propped our swollen and tired feet up on pillows and had sweet dreams of NYC.
Day 3.
Saturday we woke up early at 6:30 again to go on the Circle Tour around the island of Manhattan. We decided that the 10:00 tour would be the best so we had to get there at 9:00ish to board the boat and get a seat. The tour was really cool and Heather got some great pics. However, I am so lame and a bad hostess because I totally fell asleep hard core while we were on the boat. I blame it completely on the gentle rocking of the boat as we rode around the Island. After the boat tour and my little nap we went to Chinatown for lunch at Wo-Hop and of course some good shopping and bargaining. Lunch was so yummy. Once our tummies were full we were ready to hit the streets of Chinatown full force. The sounds of "You want Gucci, Prada, Looey Ton, Coachy" is really music to my ears. Of course, I am a sucker for fake Coach bags but we told the first few people who approached us with those musical words "no". Instead we popped in and out of stores asking the owners to lower their prices and walking away when it wasn't low enough. (Thanks Kat for teaching me how to bargain) Finally, someone approached us and asked "You want Coachy?" I said "yes where?" This lady took us to the side of the street to show us pictures and I was like "what? where are the bags? I want to look at them and hold them in my hand." So she took us down the street a few blocks and kept saying "right here, right here" when I kept asking how much further. I, of course, made this woman mad who was leading us to the purses and she got fiesty. We finally made it into the room where all the bags were but I was not impressed and neither was Heather so we left empty handed. When we were walking away the lady that led us to the secret store started talking about us in her foreign tongue and then proceeded to make ugly faces and talk about us to all the other people working on the streets. They were all clearly working for the same people because as we were walking back we saw a huge group of people standing on the corner looking at the pictures we looked at. It was all very interesting and entertaining as well. We made several purchases in Chinatown and then walked across the street to Little Italy. Heather liked Little Italy much better and I have to agree. Chinatown is usually my favorite but I was very happy to be in Little Italy. We did a little shopping and then had more amazing food and refreshing sangria at this place called Cafe Napoli. We indulged and ate every last bite of bruschetta that we ordered and then shared 3 mini canolis! It was all so delicious.
We still had lots on our to-do list for the day so we headed to The Empire State Building so we could see the sunset. Here is an amazing story for you. The sun doesn't set till around 8:30 and we got to the ESB around 7:00 and I spotted the FlatIron building that Heather had not yet seen. We figured we had time to walk down a few blocks to look at it a little closer and take some pics. By the time we got back to the ESB it was now about 7:15. All these people were downstairs trying to sell express passes for 42 more dollars so we could bypass all the lines and make it up to the top a little faster. They were saying the wait was at least 45 minutes to an hour to get to the elevators even if you already had a ticket. I told Heather there is no way the line is that long. We are not buying the upgrade. Well, the people downstairs were right. The line was ridiculously long and we were going to miss the sunset. However, becuase we both had sangria we legitimately had to use the bathroom. Once we got inside and near a guard we asked where the nearest bathroom was. The guard said "it's past security but I don't see why you can't go ahead and go now." So we basically skipped the whole entire line, made it through security in less than five minutes and found a bathroom. But the line wasn't finished so when we got to the bathrooms we asked another guard where they were and he said around the corner and then Heather asked "What do we do when we are finished?" The guard said in a creepy way "Well I guess you just join the line." Basically Heather and I bypassed the whole line and made it up to the top by 8:15, just in time to see the sunset and view the ESB in the day and in the evening. It could not have been more perfect! It seemed that everything on this trip was falling right into place. God is so good which is no surprise at all.
After enjoying the beautiful view of the city from North, South, East and West we made our way back down to the bottom, got some Starbucks and sat outside to tell our amazing line story to Heather's video camera. Then we got on the subway for one last stop before we headed home...Grand Central Station. It was beautiful but we didn't stay long because once again we were so tired so we headed home for some much needed rest.
Day 4.
Sunday was a bittersweet day. It was Heather's last day here and we still had lots to do and see. We woke up early one more time and headed to breakfast at Magnolia Bakery! It was so good but it was a nasty, rainy, wet day so we didn't make it back to Central Park like Heather wanted and she had to buy an umbrella so we didn't have to share. After our breakfast we quickly fit in Rockefeller Center, St. Patricks Cathedral, FAO Schwartz, and the Lego Store before noon so she could come back, pack and head home. As Heather was packing I discovered that my mouse had a hayday in the kitchen with all my snacks my parents sent me so I decided to finally set out more traps once Heather left. She wrote a few postcards and amazingly fit all her stuff except two small items in her suitcase and headed out to the street by 1:30. I hailed a cab for her and made sure he was not going to charge her more than eighty dollars and then we said our goodbyes. I was sooooooo sad to see my sister leave. It was the taste of home I needed and I loved sharing the city with someone that I love so much.Day 4.
I cannot express how much it meant to me that Mom and Pop sent her here and that she was able to spend a good amount of time here with me. I love you sis and treasure all the memories we made! Especially the tandem bikes in Central Park!
 |
| Rocky-Long Island City's Celebrity Dog |
 |
| The Brooklyn Bridge at Sunset |
 |
| Yummy...The Original Grimaldi's |
 |
| A very happy Crystal with a big fat Mocha from Dean and Deluca |
 |
| A very happy Heather with a big fat pretzel from a street vendor |
 |
| YAY!!! Bryant Park...My favorite |
 |
| The New York Stock Exchange |
 |
| Self take on the Brooklyn Bridge |
 |
| A brief encounter with Spiderman in Times Square...I clearly won!! |
 |
| Carnegie Deli=Delicious |
 |
| We are well prepared for our tandem ride in Central Park. Look at those helmets. They are so flattering! |
 |
| The Empire State Building through the Brooklyn Bridge |
 |
| Cafe Napoli in Little Italy |
 |
| A bicycle built for two. Perfection! |
 |
| Bethesda Fountain in Central Park |
Miss Gulley in Manhattan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)