Shelly and the Big Apple!

Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Wow! Ten days in New York City and I have to admit that my ears are still ringing with the blasts and sounds of a big city! During my visit, (my sixth trip to NYC, the first one being in 1965!)...this time I manage to put my feet down in Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem and, of course, Manhattan! While I walked through the different areas, I spent most of my time in Brooklyn as I rented an apartment there with my sons, Cameron and Luke and Luke's girlfriend, Julie and her sister, Allie. We were right across the street from the Brooklyn Museum, an awesome looking building, in a neighbourhood that seems very safe and for NYC standards, clean as well. While the Big Apple has a very shiny skin in some ways, there are some parts that are rotten to the core, and garbage control is one of them. But more on that later...let's talk about the shiny parts! NYC people are friendly and very helpful, most of them that I met anyway. Many times I had people offer me directions on subways, street corners, coffee shops and even offering me the use of cell phones. Friendliness to a growing factor in the city. The lights are bright and the history is old and fascinating. I loved hearing or reading about the history of many of the buildings and even better, the jazz clubs. I checked out Village Vanguard, Birdland and Dizzy's, where I heard a great show with Ernestine Anderson and Houstin Person. Yes, she still has it and Ernestine had fun sharing her talents with us. On the way out I bumped into Lou Donaldson! Life is good! Broadway shows are a must for anyone visiting NYC and I took in two! Fela is fabulous, rich in history and outrageous in music and dancing. It is the story of Fela, father of Afrobeat and strong political activist in Nigeria. My second show was an awesome production of Hair, and the best part of the show was the lead - Saskatoon's own, Kyle Riabko. Kyle is right at home in NYC and on the Broadway stage! At the end of the show the cast invites the audience on stage for the final peformance of Let The Sun Shine! I jumped uo for the opportunity, soon dancing with many others on a Broadway stage. As live has it, Kyle saw me and soon we were meeting by the stage door for photos and Saskatoon hugs! New York City, wouldn't want to live there, but what a great place to visit!   Next city, Montreal in July for the Montreal International Jazz Fesitival. Stay tuned to Jazzavenue.ca for more on that at a later date! Shelly