Another new home!

I'm delighted to report that I've found a new home in NYC, too. After deciding that I really didn't want to leave Manhattan for the wilds of Brooklyn or New Jersey I was fortunate enough to find a sublet right up at the very tip of the island--Inwood. Thus far I've only seen photos of the apartment but it's very nice and I'll be seeing it next week before I move in sometime in October. But I thought I'd catch the subway uptown and find the actual street today just to acclimatise myself. TT and I have visited here before and walked through beautiful Inwood Park so I thought I'd start in familiar territory and have lunch at the Indian Street Cafe on the park.

I suspect this will be my local.

This is the view from the top of my street. It ends in a cul de sac

Then you can walk to the subway and shops through this little park

Or you can take the steps further down the street leading to Broadway

I was pleased to see that the shops include a liquor store with a sense of humour

and emergency supplies for all occasions.

What A Difference A Day Makes

(tt)  The movers came at 7 and by 8.30 all the chattels were in. By the end of the day I have a workable kitchen and a passable bed!!

We sound like a law firm

Schwartz and Sheldon help Magnormos expand in 2013

28th August, 2012 | Written by: Erin James   |

Award winning Melbourne theatre company Magnormos turns ten this year, and even while celebrating the success of the past decade, the company remains focused on the future.

Flowerchildren will play a commercial season at the Comedy Theatre in 2013

Well known as the founder of OzMade Musicals in 2003 with a strong emphasis on the development of new Australian musicals, Magnormos’ 2012 OzMade Musicals presentation at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre last night was filled with nostalgia and progress in equal parts.
In the first act, OzMade Musicals featured two works ‘on the drawing board’ from writers Peter Fitzpatrick (flowerchildren), Anthony Constanzo (Life’s A Circus) and Pratt Prize winner Matthew Robinson (Metro Street). Scenes from Fitzpatrick and Costanzo’s new musical Partners and Robinson’s latest work Happy People received enthusiastic responses from the crowd, and excerpts from existing musicals Gobsmacked by Jamie Burgess and Nikki Aitken and Dreamsong by Robert Tripolino and Hugo Chiarella were also well received.
Some exciting developments were announced for 2013, including news that Magnormos will be presenting a Stephen Schwartz triptych in 2013.
Stephen Schwartz, the celebrated American composer of Godspell, Wicked and Pippin, was officially named the International Patron of Magnormos, and will be making a trip down under during the tryptich of his work next year.
Australia’s own Tony Sheldon was named the National Patron and it was also confirmed that the highly successful musical Flowerchildren - The Mamas and Papas Story, presented by OzMade in 2011 will enjoy a commercial season at the Comedy Theatre in 2013.
Act two retrospectively celebrated 10 years of Magnormos’ work, with highlights from their very first production (Stephen Schwartz’s Working), and others including Mary Bryant, Life’s A Circus, The Hatpin, [title of show] and Flowerchildren.
Magnormos was recently awarded a special Green Room Award for Outstanding Commitment to Australian Musical Theatre, and is recognised nationally and internationally for its unique and ground-breaking commitment to the advancement of Australian musical theatre.

The Ladies Who...

Running until february 17, 2013 is the wonderful exhibition LUNCH HOUR at the New York Public Library

A history of midday eating in New York the history covers everything from the introduction of school lunches to the personality differences between apple sellers and pretzel vendors at the turn of the century to the Algonquin Round Table whose famous participants were often so broke that they nursed a cup of tea all afternoon and stuffed themselves with the complimentary celery sticks and popovers until management caught on and stopped providing them.

There are menus and recipes a-plenty from exclusive restaurants to the Automat. I'm delighted to discover I've been using Horn & Hardart's baked bean recipe for years and I made it up!

I felt a glow of pride at the tribute to Sardi's

There is a film loop of movies with scenes in the automat from Joan Crawford in SADIE MCKEE to Marlo Thomas in THAT GIRL

and a replica of the automat although sadly without food. I saw the exhibition on an empty stomach and was ravenous after twenty minutes.

There were books teaching food history and the myriad uses of Jello

 

The most shocking news to me was that lunch at the Plaza was men only until 1969. Betty Friedan organised the National Organisation of Women (NOW) to march in protest outside the hotel wearing their mink coats (to indicate their respectability) and Betty wearing sunglasses to conceal the black eye her husband gave her that morning to prevent her attending. A group then entered the Oak Room where they sat and waited to be served. They were ignored until finally the waiters physically removed the table and left the women sitting in a circle. The women left quietly having lost the battle but within months the Plaza changed their policy without fanfare. And Friedan got a divorce.

So much fascinating material and I'm going back for a second viewing because there was too much to take in.
By the way, I saw Petula Clark wafting around the grocery stores again yesterday wearing exactly the same clothes. I think she might be a ghost.

ah luxury

(tt) I caught the 11.18 pm from Central and arrived at Katoomba at 1.20. Sat on the train and practised getting the right keys out in case it was pitch black outside. What a good idea that was. The movers come in at 7 and I have had about 2 hours sleep. I wonder why,
But today's plan is to get the kitchen in some sort of order and make my proper little bed with tables and lamps on the side, create a makeshift wardrobe and computer station in here and forget the rest for another day! This really is going to be great fun!!!

Window Shopping on Central Park South

I guess there's plenty more where these came from...

the next home improvement guru

(tt)  Today I was plunged into the world of painting and decorating by my wonderful photography teech, Alison.
She taught me the basics of scrape, sand, wash, dry and prime as well as the fine art of hole plugging. Here is her photo doc my feeble attempts.
Scraping? Not a problem with a scraper and lots of elbow grease

 Look, Ma I'm plugging!

I can pull out pesky nails and splinters

That needs a pair of bolt cutters

Can't beat this old handyman

Gotcha you little pest

 Now no-one can use my soon to arrive front loader

Only I know the combination  4 7 1

A neighbour is fascinated by the proceedings

Time for the sugar soap and a smile

 Shake that primer

And whack it on.

This is going to take about a fortnight to prep this one room. I have the rest of my life!!!

Roz's Progress

Such Good Mates

Darling Aussie singer/dancer Amy Edwards is in town because her long-time boyfriend Andile is opening on Broadway next week as Simba in LION KING having already played the role for SIX YEARS in London!!! Not counting the two years he was in the chorus before that. Amy was our magnificent dance captain on PRISCILLA in London and now she's based in L.A. so she and Andile will be sharing the long distance love experience for the next twelve months.

Hopefully I'll see her gorgeous face again before she returns to the West Coast.

Then at 5pm it was cocktails at the home of Jim Broschu and Steve Schachtlin, the  clever imps behind two Off-Broadway hits, THE BIG VOICE: GOD OR MERMAN? and ZERO HOUR, Jim's one man show about the great Mr. Mostel. The occasion was Charles Busch's birthday(above left).   Charles had only just returned from a smash appearance in Provincetown with his new cabaret act. Other guests included Harvey Evans (centre), veteran of 17 Broadway shows since 1957 and one of the most loved figures in New York; a funny and charming performer named Richard whose second name I didn't catch, and Charles' wig assistant Kathy who started out as his stage manager 30 years ago and became indispensable to him.

Because everyone knew EVERYONE we spilled the dirt on every performer who had ever graced the stages of Australia and America and too many stories were told for me to remember. But Jim (above left) did put up a spirited defence of  Joan Crawford (and a scathing dismissal of daughter Christina) because his dad almost married Crawford after Alfred Steele's death! Then Charles, Kathy and I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Joe Allen, a joyous end to a lovely day. Oh, and I stood next to Petula Clark in the fruit and veg section of the supermarket!!! I didn't stalk her but I did walk around myself in circles like a dog chasing its tail with a huge smile on my face so I'm sure she feared for her life.

Oh frabjous day calloo callay!!!

(tt)   Well the day has dawned and I am the proud owner of a piece of Lurline Stroit. (The locals say "Lur-eye-n" but she'll always be Lurleen ter me.  Maureen, from Century 21, presented me with an ice bucket of goodies and took this photo of my first step over the threshold as a legitimate landlord.

Some token items I carried with me to start the beautification of this little gem

  Sheldon gave me these wonderful cards you can join together to make your own fantasy version of New York streetlife.

  An indeed he gave me the bestest card to let me know the Three Sisters can't wait to say hello

 A book Lol chucked of things to make a home work in spit spot fashion like how to get spots of spit out of the shag.

  A Beardsley flash just in case there is the call to revive "Earnest" next year. Rumours are flying.

 And two of Lamond's exquisite deco cushions that will have pride of place on my Mum's soon to arrive sofa.

I chortle in my joy!