It's Always An Adventure

Times Square on a Saturday Night

NYC is a glamorous city.  It is the city that never sleeps… entertainment is offered on every corner.  There are fabulous bars, restaurants, museums, plays, concerts, sporting events, art openings and the list goes on and on and on.  There is always something to do every day, every hour of the day, so much so that is can become overwhelming.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. It is one of the things I love most about this city. Manhattan is alive with energy, spontaneity, freshness- things happen here.  But it can be a little bit daunting if you just want to go out for an evening on the town with your spouse.

First of all there is that little thing called a babysitter. Babysitters are not cheap in Manhattan.  The going rate is $15.oo an hour (minimum 4 hours) and that doesn’t include the cab fare to get your sitter home safely. Also, good sitters are like gold. Once you have a wonderful caregiver, treat them well because it can be hard to find one that both you and your children love. Once you have found the sitter it is now time to figure out what to do.

On Saturday night, Ron and I had the opportunity to be fortunate enough to acquire a sitter (sometimes getting a sitter feels like winning the lottery) and we were also generously given theatre tickets to see the show “Lombardi” , on Broadway. DATE NIGHT- wooohooo!!! Our big decision of the evening would now have to be where we would go for dinner.  Believe it or not, this question has been causing tension lately.  There are a gazillion restaurants to go to in Manhattan, but that can make it extremely difficult to choose just one.  Especially when there are numerous websites such as Yelp, Open Table and Zagat that offer customer reviews, critic reviews as well as menus and photos. Choosing a restaurant can become almost as stressful as finding an elementary school (I know, bad joke!) Ron and I poured through reviews of restaurants in the Theatre District until they all started sounding the same and the only thing that I was really sure of was that I was starving. Our eventual choice was a Cuban restaurant called Victor’s Cafe. Finally, our date night arranged, we left pajama clad children happily watching a movie and jumped onto the subway and headed to Times Square for a little night out on the town.

Every time I have a grown up night out I am struck by two thoughts.  One, I really enjoy my husband’s company.  And two, we should really find the time to do this more often as I always feel rejuvenated after an evening of good food, culture and excellent company.  Our dinner at Victor’s Cafe was an extremely enjoyable experience.  The restaurant ambience was warm and inviting and the pre-show service was efficient but not rushed.  The real treat was the food.  The numerous Cuban dishes were tasty and creative.  We left the restaurant pleasantly full with plenty of time to spare to get to the Circle In the Square Theatre where “Lombardi” was playing.

"Lombardi" on Broadway (Circle in the Square Theatre)

To say that Ron and I enjoyed “Lombardi” by Eric Simonson would be a gross understatement.  We were both swept away by this incredible play.  It is staged in the intimate “theatre in the round” style and from the moment the magnificent Dan Lauria walks on stage as Vincent Lombardi you are carried away into the story of the complex and fascinating man and football coach.  There was not a weak moment or actor in the show.  Judith Light as Lombardi’s wife, Marie and Keith Nobbs as the reporter, Michael McCormick gave emotional, heart felt performances.  The rest of the small supporting cast delivered powerful performances and there was not a single time in the show where I felt like I wasn’t totally engrossed in what was going on. Whether you are a football fan or not you will be entranced by the power of this incredibly raw human story of strength and relationships.  It was a magical night for both of us, a great night of theatre.

"Lombardi" Theatre Lobby

I’d like to say that after the theatre we went to a crazy all night bar and danced the night away but hey, let’s not push it. The meter was running on the babysitter, we were fully aware that the kids would have us up at the crack of dawn the next day and we were yawning.  A night of intense theatre, great food and fascinating conversation will do that to you 😉  Like any good New York married couple with kids on a date night we snuggled on the subway home, stopped at the bank to get cash for the babysitter, passed another couple in the elevator coming home from their date night, walked the sitter to the cab, checked on the kids and hopped into bed with the reassuring sound of the hissing radiator, the glow of the street lights and the firetruck sirens lulling us to sleep.  Ahh, the romance… =)