What began over two decades ago has become an annual event to which I eagerly look forward for the whole year: Mother’s Day weekend with Mom. Despite mixed weather forecasts signaling rain and storms, we somehow managed to mostly avoid the wet stuff as we navigated our way through three shows, three dinners, and some decent shopping in New York over Mother’s Day weekend. Happily, each of the shows surpassed our expectations (reviews to come) and the dinners and meals (more loosely scheduled than in years past) worked out well too.
It began with the train ride into the city. Traveling along the Hudson, we passed spots of rain, patches of clouds, and brilliant glimpses of sun-dappled forest. As one who thrives on extremes (of mood, of dress, of design) I always thrill at going from the tranquil, natural state of the trees and river then emerging from the train station into the concrete metropolis in a matter of minutes.
This time around we stayed at the Warwick Hotel, a historic piece of the city that proved more than amenable to our comfort requirements. (A dapper little bear at the front desk did his greeting duty with practiced aplomb.) Our suite had a charming entry-way, then a lovely sitting room (which we never quite utilized as much as we should have) a decent-sized bedroom (by city standards) and an adequate bathroom (read: small). Still, when staying in New York it’s not the hotel room that matters, but what you do outside of it.
That first night we kept things traditional and old-school: a pre-theater dinner at P.J. Clarke’s. We’d never been, but it’s a bit of an institution: the building standing alone in the midst of all those skyscrapers, the dessert specials written out on a chalk-board, and the red-and-white checkered tablecloths reminiscent of picnics from the past.
After that we returned to the room for a quick siesta before taking in our first show: ‘The Boys in the Band’. A full review will be posted once it officially opens, so I’ll simply say it went wildly beyond our expectations in the best possible ways. (And Jim Parsons didn’t trip until a couple of days after our performance.)
We walked back to the Warwick, found its warm comforting light, and retired for the evening. A full day of shopping, dining, and theater-going was one the agenda for us…
