First I woke up earlier than I expected (7:30 ish) and decided to head back one more time to the Ashtanga Yoga New York Shala. I knew it would take me about a half hours time of traveling, so I was able to prepare accordingly. I arrived abbout 8:30am, Chant was done prompy at 8:45am, and I got another full Primary Series practice in. This time Guy gave me a few more adjustments, and they were really good like yesterday. He noticed the subtlety about my breath too, and how it was not coming from the throat on the inhale like it should in an Ujjayi breath. I made the subtle adjustment and immediately felt a deeper connection! He seems to be systematic in how he works the room too - giving almost everyone assistance in utthita hasta padangusthasana pose and supta kurmasana. I finished with plenty of time to spare, and afterwards he had a short pranayama & yoga sutra study class. I couldn't attend though because I was on a schedule today to meet a friend for lunch!
Sorry about all that for my non-Yoga-crazed friends - thanks for bearing with me :-)
So I finished practice, said goodbye and thank you to Guy, then walked back to the Subway and back to the hotel. I showered and got ready for Sean to meet me at my hotel, and we then walked to this nice casual cafe / restaurant called Josie's East ( http://www.josiesnyc.com/josie_east/josie_east.html ) to meet with my friend Alexis! She lives in the city and I haven't seen her since high school - some 14-15 years ago, so I was really excited! When we hugged, it was like things never changed - we're both older now, more experienced in the world of course, a bit wiser, but she's still the same sweetheart that I remember :-) Sean indulged us while we reminisced about high school, college, boys, career, travel, animals, and everything in between. Sadly, I got so wrapped up in things I forgot to get a picture with her! Oh well, perhaps the next time I visit I can be sure to get one. Lunch itself was really good - they had a number of vegetarian options, which made this a good choice for all of us. Everyone had some sort of burger, mine was a soy/veggie burger with vegan cheese and fries - it was good stuff! Very filling though - I didn't eat anything until dinner again...
Then Sean and I walked over to Times Square where we stood in line for TKTS ( http://tkts.com/ ) to see what Broadway shows were available for us to see this evening. Without going into a lot of detail about TKTS (and I didn't even know about it until recently), it's basically a service that lets you get tickets for a select number of shows for 50% off (give or take)! And you get really good seats too, well you CAN get good seats - I think you do most of the time. The tickets are usually for the day of the show though, and you can't get tickets for the really hot items (i.e. right now that would be The Book of Mormon, for example). That means you may have to wait a little bit.
Here are some pictures of Times Square and the wait in line for TKTS:
While you wait in line, you are hit with a throng of hecklers trying to get you to buy tickets to their show they represent. They disguise themselves as general helpers willing to answer any questions about any show, but I wasn't buying it. The real TKTS people were wearing Red Jackets, so I would have asked them a question first before some random person trying to hand me a flyer telling me their show is the one I should see. So we finally decided on seeing Mary Poppins The Musical! We got the tickets for half off and got Orchestra Seats - 8 rows from the front! I know a number of people who have seen the show, all rave about it and say it is wonderful, so I was looking forward to it!
Next, Sean wanted to go Downtown to the World Trade center area where he could pickup some eyeglasses that he ordered from his eye doctor. It would also give me a chance to see the progress that has been made at the World Trade Center complex since the 9/11 attacks. They certainly did make a lot of progress in the 5 years that have passed since my last visit! There are at least 2 skyscrapers being constructed (maybe 3), but nothing was open to the public as of yet. At night though you can see the new towers and they are really brilliant - it should be a magnificent complex when they are done with it (supposedly later this year, maybe close to the 9/11 anniversary). Here's a pic of the tallest tower under construction:
Also cool for me to experience - all the wall street brokers, stock traders, finance guys had just gotten off work and were rushing home (it was around 5pm at the time, and it's Friday). Cool to see all the business men and women in their suits, yappin on their cell phones, powerwalking across the street and sidewalks - many going to the PATH train to New Jersey where they live, since Manhattan is so expensive. I fantasized about what life must be like for them and if I could ever live such a life - the grass is always greener though, and I'm quite happy with my life now...
By the way - I did bring my actual camera (not just iPhone which has been used for the pictures in my previous posts), and Sean took some pictures of me in front of the Wall Street complex. However, as I write this now, I have no way to transfer them off the camera because I forgot the stinkin cable at home! I might need to run to Radio Shack tomorrow to see if I can find some kind of replacement cable - I hope I can, otherwise I might not be able to post any pictures other than what I take with my phone!!!!
So by now, Sean and I are getting hungry, so we head back to the hotel and chill for a few minutes. We then decide, 2 hours before the show, to ask the hotel concierge about his recommendation for a good Indian restaurant that's within walking distance to Times Square. He recommends a place called Jewel of India ( http://jewelofindianyc.com/food-delivery-TW/jewel-of-india-new-york-city.2490.r?QueryStringValue=buBLlr0lmgT3Qgb93XhUzw== ) - that web link is the best one I could find for the restaurant. We say perfect, have the concierge make the reservation, and head over there. Only a few blocks - we can walk it! I'm starting to feel like a New Yorker, being able to discern what can be walked, how long it will take, and I even cross the street with less hesitation now (is that a good thing or a bad thing? LOL)...
We have dinner at the restaurant, and it's pretty damn good! Expensive, but good. I had Dum Aloo Kashmiri with Peshwari naan bread & Rice, while Sean had Chicken Tikka Masala with Garlic Naan and rice. We were STUFFED afterwards - but it was sooo good!
We then walked over to Times Square and to the Amsterdam Theatre where Mary Poppins was playing. Here's a few pics of the Theater and the initial stage:
The show was REALLY good - you know most of the story, but I'm told it follows the book closer than the original Disney movie with Julie Andrews. So some of the story line is different, but a lot you will recognize. The choreography for Step in Time was amazing, the renditions of Feed the Birds moving, and the Characters very well played. I highly enjoyed it!
Afterwards, Sean and I walked back towards my hotel, but he got on the subway to go back home to New Jersey. Tonight was the last time I would see him for my New York trip (as he has to work tomorrow), but I'm grateful for the time I got to spend with him. Here's our parting shot:
Now to rest! Tomorrow should be an easy day - need to do some laundry, would like to have brunch with my friend Dana if I can connect with her, want to stop by Radio Shack too for the camera cable...
Good night and Namaste and Love from NYC :-)
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