By Shannon Dunlap
December 4, 2006

 

The Mid-Winter Slump loomed dangerously close as the calendar hit that unimpressive time between Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July.  No presents.  No barbecues.  Nothing to break the monotony.  But there was a cure.

 

My friend and I decided on a proactive approach.  We booked our flight to the Big Apple and scheduled enough candy-coated activities to shock our sleepy systems awake.  No educational museums or typical tourist buses allowed.  It would be Broadway and pop culture all the way. 

 

A trip to New York is good for more than cold weather ailments.  It’s also a great booster shot for the I-miss-getting-a-summer-vacation blues or the How-am-I-this-close-to-forty funk.  It is notoriously expensive, but there are several shortcuts.  (AirTran provided a cheap roundtrip for roughly $150.)  Traveling midweek guaranteed a cheaper ticket price.  We arrived early Wednesday morning and flew out Thursday night.  Who could afford more? But we packed those two days with enough good times to last us through the bleak months ahead.  Booking a cost-conscious hotel within walking distance of all our planned activities also padded our bank accounts.

 

First Stop: The Wax Works

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum seemed a little touristy, but the place grew on me.  I expected famous figures standing behind velvet ropes, with signs that said, “Touch and You Die.”  On the contrary, Tussaud’s created clever scenarios with their famous wax works.  A Hollywood party met us at the elevator doors with music and strobe lights pulsing.  Jennifer Aniston posed for the paparrazi and George Clooney sat at a table with an engagement ring.  The seat across from him was vacant for whoever felt like the lucky fiancée.  Great picture ops abounded.

 

Other setups with political and musical themes followed, but the most ingenious was their American Idol area.  It boasted a stage, complete with our fellow tourists singing bad karaoke.  Simon sat on a couch in the corner.  If his wax lips could move, you could just hear him using phrases like “Absolutely horrible” and “I’m not being rude, but …”

 

Second Stop:  Broadway Bound

No trip to New York is complete without heading to Broadway.  We squeezed in two shows by attending a matinee in the afternoon and a primetime performance in the evening.  There are several ways to obtain cheaper tickets.  The most well-known is the discount TKTS booth in Times Square, but this option leaves you at the mercy of long lines, bad weather, and no guarantee that they will have the show you want.  (Also, they only accept cash or traveler’s checks.)  A way to ensure savings ahead of time is through the Internet.  We skipped all the hassle, and our tickets cost about $20 less than average because we ordered them in advance through www.BroadwayBox.com.  This avoided the weary waiting and got us into a show that was sold out by the time of our actual trip.

 

Broadway shows do not come with ratings like a movie.  It’s good to do the research so you are not stuck in something unsavory.  Revivals of the older shows are often a safer bet.

 

Third Stop:  On With the Show

The next morning found us outside the ABC studios. Instead of staying in our nice, warm hotel room to watch Live with Regis and Kelly, we chose to be a part of the show.  The whole process was confusing to say the least.  No signs marked the ticket holders line from the standby line and the sentinel at the door kept changing his story when people asked questions. 

 

We had ordered our tickets by snail mail weeks earlier, but somehow the standby line seemed to wind up with the good seats.  Despite the obstacles, we managed to claim a spot in the nosebleeds and cheered wildly on national television.  Regis and Kelly graciously walked among the audience during commercial breaks to take pictures, accept homemade gifts, and crack a few jokes.  (They also popped quite a few Altoids.)

 

Fourth Stop:  Freaky Food

Making enough noise to satisfy television producers proved to be exhausting.  After an hour-plus of clapping and hooting, we were ready for lunch.  It was on to Serendipity 3, the centerpiece of the 2001 movie Serendipity, with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. 

 

Puppets, butterflies, and bullhorns hung from the ceiling. The kitschy décor suggested a secluded little hole-in-the-wall, but the line stretching outside the door belied that impression.

 

The eclectic menu offered unusual items like Fried Parsnips and Humble Pie, but they made concessions for those of us with boring stomachs who like hot dogs and nachos. The meal itself was not worth the wait, but the scrumptious dessert lived up to its reputation. Their smooth signature drink, Frozen Hot Chocolate, wrapped itself around your tongue like a rich cocoa fog.

 

A windy walk brought us back to the hotel.  The shuttle picked us up late, due to another passenger.  She apologized sweetly, and we arrived at the terminal in plenty of time to find our flight was delayed.  Reality returned, but the pleasant buzz of two blissfully packed days in the big city relaxed our weary bodies in the unforgiving, plastic chairs of the La Guardia airport.  New York offers a ton of fun to those who are willing to cram it into a quick, caffeine-crazed trip.

 

If You Go

 

                        Super 8-Times Square

59 W. 46^th Street

212-719-2300 or 1-800-800-8000

Rates:  $89.99-139.99 per night (not including taxes and services fees)

 

                        Super Shuttle

                        $15 to or from the airport

                        (shared ride with other passengers)

 

                        Madame Tussaud’s

                        234 W. 42^nd St.

                        Tickets:  Adults— $29   Kids— $23

AAA Discount

 

Serendipity 3

225 E. 60^th St.

For Reservations: (212) 838-3531

 

"Live with Regis and Kelly" Tickets
Ansonia Station
P.O. Box 230-777
New York, NY 10023-077

 

ninetyandnine.com

 

Ó 2006, Shannon Dunlap

 

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Shannon Dunlap received her M.A. in Journalism from Regent University and now lives in her beloved hometown of Norfolk, VA.  She writes for a local newspaper and is finishing up a book on her travels called Jet-Lag Ramblings.  She likes to listen to Sinatra, read sappy stories, and eat too many doughnuts.