NYC Feb 2025, Encore!

 The show was so good we went again!

We knew this show was going to have a short run, so we wanted to see it again before it closed.

Just the two of us, but made friends with our seat neighbor, Barbara.  We took her back stage to meet James and she was thrilled!  In a first, we went to his room instead of the stage-interesting!!

We stayed at the same funky hotel, the Paramount Times Square, where the lobby was always packed full of people coming and going.  Plush couches, dark wall hangings, a fake fireplace, and a nice bar.  

The main branch of the New York Public Library has a large museum. I continue to be drawn to the fibar arts displays.

an embroidered cover

A display of miniature items

Then a quick trip to Grand Central station

We went specifically to visit Jacques Torres' chocolate shop.  It was tiny, but packed with so many things!

They were even giving out freebies that were an MTA collaboration-adorable and delicious.

The Cooper Hewitt!  It has been forever since we visited the design museum.  The exhibits were all based around the idea of 'Home'.  Lots of discussions about wallpaper that I failed to photograph.

I did manage to photograph all the biotech based exhibits.

Feels like a lab, but it is also very pretty, all neat and organized.

Yup, it is cold in the winter.

We did a bit of the nostalgia tour, but due to heightened security, only students were allowed on campus.

I settled for a photo at the subway stop!

Love sweet potato fries

At Columbus Circle.  Museum of Arts and Design had a Barbie exhibit, since the movie was having a moment.  One of the better gift shops I've seen.  After this we flew to Grand Cayman and had a dive vacation!

NYC Dec 2024

NYC Nov 2024 to see A Wonderful World

This is one of those musicals that will likely only been seen on Broadway, so we made a special trip with Delicate Flower and Bike Guy to see our friend James as Louis Armstrong.  The show was amazing.  He was married 4 times, so they found 4 strong female singers in addition to giving James special training to not ruin his voice.  It is hard to find cheap hotel rooms, so we ended up with double bunk beds in a tiny room.  Memorable!!  Also, our Uber driver had a fender bender just as he was dropping us off?  We paid and got out of that situation ASAP!

We decided to go all in on Broadway and get more tickets from TKTS.  It was really cold and we stood out there for at least an hour.  Worth it!  The Book of Mormon was amazing-it had been a at least a decade for us, and was new to the others.

We also went to Back to the Future.  It was not amazing.  The songs were unremarkable and nothing was added to the plot.  Even the costumes looked bad.  And yet people loved it.  The car was cool, yes, but I never need to see that again.

It was so cold.  I took any opportunity to duck inside and warm up.  Wandered into this interesting fiber art display.

We ate a ton of good food on this trip.  A bunch of $2 pizza slices, fantastic bagels, giant cookies, and this delicious breakfast sandwich!  We also found good tacos in New York City, something we Californias did believe existed.  A small chain, Los Tacos No.1 turned out to be amazing.  They were cooking the tortillas as fast as they were being eaten.  So fresh!

We visited the NYC Nintendo store! Right around the corner from Lincoln Center and tree.  This close to Xmas it was packed-quite the struggle to get this photo without random people.

They have the tiniest museum-one display case filled with info and examples of the older gaming stations.

The DS series has a special place in our hearts-so much Bomber Man! 

The cutest Pokemon pjs

Not sure where along the trip we picked these up, but they were unexpectedly delicious.

Grand Cayman dive trip, Feb 2025

 Diving Trip!

I don't do underwater photography, so this is a picture of a Cathy Church photo.  You'll just have to trust that I saw amazing wildlife under the water :)

We stayed at Sunset House, our first time at a dive resort.  I really loved it.  The dive instructors and staff were excellent, the equipment was in good shape, and the whole process was organized and clear.  When we needed a doctors note, they had several close clinics and the process was easy.  Would happily come back.

Sunset from Sunset House.

I saw them cleaning the boat and was impressed with the efficiency and completeness.  They stay anchored just off the beach and when they need one, they swim out to it.  I bet that is normal, but new to me!

If you want to dive, you can just enter the water in this protected area.  I see why divers love dive resorts!

A great map of the dive site.

A photo of what to expect.

When you are not diving, it is still a great resort.  

Sunset House is also known for its ocean side bar/restaurant.  We ate here at least once a day and it was fantastic.  A big menu, so something for everyone, great staff, good drinks.

Free bikes for us to use.

A view of the cruise ships that dock, so you can decide if you want to go into town with tons of people, or not.

Got to have island chickens 

We took the bikes for one meal at a restaurant in the outdoor mall.  The weather was hot and sticky, the bikes were heavy and slow.  And it was totally worth it!

This is the fancy mall on the other side of town from us.  It was mid day and the stores were not busy. 

Seems like the economics of the place is a little odd.  There is the obvious tourism, but Grand Cayman is also a tax haven/ business incorporation place, so there are some accountants and finance people who account for a big portion of the population.  Interesting!