That is a cute video of my cat out for a walk in New York City. People ask how we “trained” him. We didn’t. He trained us. He also found us. He followed the better half home, but he alway tries to run out of our apartment, so a few months ago we made him this deal. We agreed to with him when we could but for his own protection this would involve the leash. He was cool with that.
Category Archives: New York Stories
Walking a Cat in New York City
Here is video evidence that we do this thing:
We are working on editing and putting together more footage.
It’s amazing how many people ask how I “trained” my cat to do this. Clearly, he trained me.
Tonight Only
Just wanted to say, that tonight I’ll be storytelling over at this place. It’s a free event. I’ll be telling a story that’s not part of a book or anything, nor will I be talking about my top secret new project. The story I’ll be telling is like, you know, in the monologuist tradition of the late great Spaulding Gray. I’d wear a flannel shirt if I had one and if it wasn’t so humid. You are all welcome to come. But get there early. They’ll be music and bigger headliners and it may be hard to get a seat.
Not the NY Times – Metropolitan Diary
Coming home on the 1 train, a robust gray haired woman got on – along with many others – at 66th Street. I offered her my seat, but she said in a native accent as thick as our own, “No thanks I’ve been sitting for three hours.” She looked at my better-half, “Why don’t you offer it to him?”
I said, “I tried, but he’s been sitting too.”
She noticed his Playbill in hand and asked, “What did you see?”
Me, “Waiting for Godot. Patrick Stewart. Ian McKellan.”
“How was it?”
“It was a preview,” I said diplomatically.
The better half shrugged in agreement.
“I just came from the Met.”
“What opera?”
“Rigoletto.”
“Oh, the Vegas Rigoletto.” I said.
She did an eye-roll. She blamed Peter Gelb. As we headed uptown there was conversation about the unfortunate Eugene Onegin, as well as some other new productions under Gelb’s tenure, including the Tosca which she saw and we are going to. Her theater recommendation was 12th Night with Mark Rylance – so we’re going. She mentioned $26 rush tix. Always a good thing.
God, I love this city.
And btw Godot and No Man’s Land two plays in repetoire have rush tix going for $30 each including facility fee (cash or credit).Tix may be available at TKTS as well, but rush is probably a better deal. They start selling them at 10:00 am day of the performance at the box office. I got there at around 8, but could have come later as the line never got very long. As for the opera, that’s another cheap date for the savvy.
(If you find any of these posts useful, or even mildly entertaining, you might want to check out some of Marion’s other work, like her novel or a shorter work.)
The Lady On the Line (And Some Hot Tips About the TKTS Booth)
It was late July, after the heat wave had broken, and I was on a mission – to obtain half-price tickets to The Explorer’s Club. The show would be closing soon, and the better-half – who wanted to see it – was about to take off on one of his work-related do-gooding missions.
I got on the Play Express line at 2:00, an hour before it opened. The Play Express line, for those unfamiliar with the Times Square discount tickets booth, sells tickets only to non-musical plays. It’s located on the west side of the kiosks. Not only is this line much shorter than the two other general lines on either side of the kiosks, but the odds of getting to see the show you want to see are high, as most people who come to TKTS want musicals. I knew arriving early would get me one of the first spots.I’d be out quickly once the booths opened.
(Hot Tip #1 – Always check online for what time they open as it’s different on different days.)
I was the fourth person on the Play Express line, and was having a lovely chat with the woman in front of me. She was from South Carolina by way of Ohio, had retired there with her husband to be near her daughter and the grandkids. Wasn’t sure she particularly liked it, missed her friends and the feeling of being in a real city. It was her first time in New York City, a big anniversary trip, and she and her better half were having a ball. She’d seen Motown – The Musical the night before, paying full price. She was hoping to score tickets to The Trip to Bountiful. We talked about the awesomeness of Cicely Tyson. She asked me what she thought her chances were of getting that show. I told her given where she was, the chances were excellent. We discussed many things including where to find the best Ethiopian food in New York. (She was planning a trip to Awash. I mentioned that Massawa was my favorite.)
She was afraid she might not have enough cash and she’d read somewhere that some shows didn’t take credit cards. I told her not to worry about it. All the Broadway shows Continue reading The Lady On the Line (And Some Hot Tips About the TKTS Booth)