Billi Pod Blogs: Update on Sandy and Billi Pod’s AWESOME Adventure

Saturday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, you can take a deep breath and relax because your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, is now in a position to share with you the awesome details of his just-concluded adventure with Sandy Mullon aka Island Girl of Anna Maria, FL.

Sandy arrived on Tuesday morning and this morning, Saturday, she is heading back to Florida. We had a wonderful time together and for the most part the weather cooperated and that was good because our plans included some extensive walking and wandering time.

So ... in a kinda summary form ... let’s get started ...

Tuesday - Sandy arrived at PHC around 11:45am and we spent some time doing some major catching up. Her last visit here was way back in September 2013.

In the early afternoon we rather leisurely walked South down to the 30th Street entrance to The High Line and walked the entire length of the “park.” The weather was great and it wasn’t too crowded and that was nice.

For those of you loyal and faithful readers and followers who live out there in the boondocks, wastelands and hinterlands ... “The High Line is an approximate 1-mile linear park built on a 1.45-mile section of the former elevated New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan - it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial green way.”

When we left the High Line we subwayed back to my ‘hood and basically just chilled until it was time for our next event ...

5:00pm==>meeting up with Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Whatever and his boyfriend, Robert, at our favorite Ethiopian Restaurant, Meske, located on West 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

We had a great meal and a great time together talking about a lot of things and stuff.

When dinner was over Marty and Robert split and Dian, Sandy and I walked down to The Signature Theater Complex on West 42nd Street for our next entertainment event, compliments of My Lady ... the Off Broadway musical ...

PIECE OF MY HEART: The Bert Berns Story, this new musical is based on the life and songs of legendary songwriter Bert Berns, who died tragically at the age of 38, leaving behind his children, his legend, and music that would live on forever, including “Twist and Shout,” “I Want Candy,” “Hang on Sloopy,” and the immortal title song, “Piece of My Heart”==>A<==this is the same grade it received the two previous times I saw it. Well-performed, entertaining and emotionally involving.

As many of you loyal and faithful readers and followers know, the Executive Producer of this show, Jack Thomas, is a friend of mine. Before the show I spotted him and he came over and I introduced him to Sandy and Dian and that was nice.

Yes, this was a great start to Sandy’s Big Apple Adventure.

Pedometer mileage for the day==>6.43 miles (or 14,050 steps)

Wednesday - after reading the 3 daily papers and having breakfast, around 10:30am we subwayed down to Astor Place so we could meet up with John Scott Reed aka Fabson for a tour of the new headquarters of FacebookNY, located at 770 Broadway.

We were a bit early so I was able to give Sandy a brief tour of the St. Marks Place area.

At noon we met up with Scott to begin an awesome time in the new headquarters. He gave us a tour and then we had lunch with tons of food and stuff.

Of course Sandy signed The Facebook Wall and, of course, Scott gave her a box of Facebook thingys ... including a very nice blue Facebook hoodie. Ahem ... and Billi Pod received???? Oh well ... WTF.

Anyway ... it was a great time and I remain in awe of the positive vibe in that space coming from a mass of young people who are obviously totally happy with what they are doing.

So==>Thank You, Fabson, and the rest of your team, for making this an enjoyable experience.

It was around 1:30pm when we left FacebookNY. The weather was great so we proceeded with the next part of Sandy’s Adventure ...

We subwayed down to the City Hall Station where we walked over The Brooklyn Bridge to the outer Borough known as Brooklyn. I was surprised to learn that walking the bridge was a first for Sandy.

It was breezy but nice. Sandy took tons of pictures along the way. It was crowded but not nearly as crowded as it would have been on a weekend.

When we reach the Brooklyn exit we opted to subway back to the apartment.

Had time for a brief rest and a pre-theatre snack, fruit and cheese plate, and then it time to head up to 54th Street for the next part of the adventure ... the well-reviewed Broadway musical ...

8:00==>CABARET - “Alan Cumming reprises his Tony-winning performance as the Master of Ceremonies at the seedy Kit Kat Klub in 1931 Berlin. The show revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.”==>A+<==Cumming is absolutely incredible and the story line is both emotionally involving and emotionally draining, particularly the very last scene that foretells The Holocaust.

Our discounted seats were excellent, in the front mezzanine

When the show was over, it has a 2:30 running time, with intermission, we leisurely walked back to my ‘hood where we had great burgers at 5 Napkin Burgers at 45th and 9th.

It had been a terrific day.

Pedometer mileage for the day==>8.95 miles (or 19,556 steps)

Thursday - this was going to be a major museum day ... and ... trust me on this ... it was.

After the papers and breakfast we headed out. We walked up to 43rd Street and then East on 43rd to 5th Avenue where we then walked North up to Rockefeller Center so Sandy could see...

The Jeff Koons work called Split-Walker, a “spectacular planted form that towers over 37 feel high and features over 50,000 plants. It was first exhibited at Palais des Papes, Avignon in 2000.”

We then walked over to THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART on West 53rd Street.

It was about 1:00pm when we arrived at MoMA

After she retired from The Department of Children’s Services, Sandy taught art history at State College of Florida. Her background makes our visits to museums and art galleries etc. even more enjoyable. It is like having my own private tour guide.

We had an awesome time at MoMa.

We left MoMA around 4:00pm and subwayed back to PHC where we chilled and had my usual pre-theater snack, a fruit and cheese plate.

Then it was time to head out to our next entertainment event ... a Broadway play in early previews ...

8:00==>THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - “Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor's dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.”==>A<==great acting from Alexander Sharp as Christopher, totally incredible staging and special effects and a thought-provoking story line.

The show is in early previews, having transferred to Broadway after an award-winning run in London. Our discounted TDF seats were in the rear mezzanine but no problem ... in fact ... it made the special effects even more awesome.

When the show was over we walked back to the apartment, stopping along the way for a slice of pizza and a diet coke.

Yeah ... another great day here in The Big Apple.

Pedometer mileage for the day==>7.15 miles (or 15,623 steps)

Friday - this was an incredible ending to Sandy’s Big Apple Adventure.

After the usual breakfast and papers we subwayed up to the 103rd Street Station where at noon we met my friends Lenny Gordon and Marie Taylor for an awesome lunch at a French bistro called Cafe du Soliel at Broadway and 104th Street.

Lenny, a retired Columbia University professor, and Marie, a real estate broker, are my seat-mates at one of my New York Philharmonic series. They took me out to The Hamptons this summer to their waterfront property in Sag Harbor.

We had a great time and the food was excellent.

When we were finished we went with Marie over to The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave @ 112th.

Why there? Well, there is an incredible installation by the contemporary Chinese artist Xu Bing called “Phoenix,” composed of two birds, a male called Feng and a female called Huang. Feng and Huang - together weigh 12 tons and measure 90 and 100 feet long, respectively. They are composed entirely of retrieved items from the trash.

After taking lots of pics we then took the bus with Marie over to the Eastside, getting off at 86th Street and 5th Avenue.

Marie went to an open-house and Sandy and I went to the Neue Galerie, a museum for German and Austrian art.

Sandy wanted to see a painting called “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907) by Gustav Klimt.

When we finished there we then leisurely walked South on 5th Avenue, next to Central Park, down to 59th Street, a distance of 1.5 miles, where we then subwayed back to the apartment.

Had the usual fruit and cheese plate and then it was time for the next entertainment event ... a highly anticipated Broadway play, in early previews ...

8:00==>IT’S ONLY A PLAY - “Terrance McNally’s comedy about cast and creatives awaiting reviews of a show fatefully titled ‘The Golden Egg.’ The cast is: Nathan Lane; Matthew Broderick; Rupert Grint (of Harry Potter fame); Stockard Channing; Megan Mullay; F. Murray Abraham; and, newcomer Micah Stock.”==>A<==very funny, filled with insider-theater references, well acted and totally enjoyable.

Our expensive tickets were in the rear orchestra, house right. I understand that the show has totally sold-out its run that ends on January 4, 2015.

Yeah, we left the theatre with big smiles on our faces. We walked back to apartment where we had a final dinner at The Theatre Row Diner, located on my West 42nd Street block.

It had been a wonderfully exciting day for us here in The Big Apple.

Pedometer mileage for the day==>7.61 miles (or 16,628 steps)

Total mileage for Sandy’s 4 days in The Big Apple==>30.14 miles (average 7.54 miles per day).

Saturday (this morning) - well, as “they” say, all good things must come to an end, and this morning marked the end of Sandy’s all-too-brief Big Apple Adventure. She left PHC around 7:15am and caught a cab out to LGA. I am happy to report that as I am preparing this posting at noon her flight to Tampa is in the air.

So ... Miz Mullon==>PLEEZE PLEEZE come back soon.

Now ... moving on to other stuff ...

Your favorite blogger intends to have a total Sports Saturday, beginning with ...

1:05pm==>YANKEES /ORIOLES in Baltimore. On the mound for The Yankees (75-71) will be the rookie Shane Greene (4-3) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (9-7) for The Birds (88-59).

We lost a doubleheader yesterday to The Orioles and our playoff hopes are virtually gone as the Fat Lady is getting ready to sing.

Then, for the evening Billi Pod will stay in to watch the 7:30pm Gators/Wildcats game from The Swamp, carried on the SEC Network. We are favored by 18 points.

So, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, you are now up-to-date.

I do have to close this posting by also noting that Billi Pod has started the laborious process of converting PHC back to an all-male lifestyle, which includes, of course, bringing in the exterminator to rid the place of cooties ... awwwww ... come on ... everyone knows that females bring cooties with them wherever they go.

This fact has been known by the male sex from the beginning-of-time and is passed down from father-to-son, generation after generation. Need further proof? Check out this website ... Calvin is never wrong ...

http://www.wanorrisjr.blogspot.com/2011/05/billi-pod-calvin-sayfemales-cooties.html

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!