Thursday afternoon was my chosen timeframe for picking up my bib. It was nice and easy getting into the city on LIRR and getting out of Moynihan Station/Penn Station at 9th Ave. (not used to being in the station for that extra block -- neat). After wolfing down a quick hot dog upon emerging from the station, it was only a couple of blocks to get to the expo.
No lines whatsoever to get into the expo, nor anyone checking any paperwork to get in. The only time that we needed to show the confirmation form (and ID) was when actually picking up our bibs. Again, I was there early enough (2pm) where there were zero lines to get the bib and then to get the t-shirt.
Amusingly enough, when I found my name on the wall of the 50k+ runners, I found my brother's name, too. No, he's not running. One of his name dopplegangers is. Too funny.
Surprisingly enough, there really isn't anything else in the "packet". And the number of vendors in the venue is ridiculously small for the largest marathon field size in the world. I wound up buying a few sheddable shells, even though I surely won't need them this Sunday -- given 60F+ temps.
From there, it was off to Central Park to take a quick gander at the finish line to find out how my mom needs to get into the grandstands. After taking some photos, and finding out the method for getting to the right side of the finish line area (which she won't be doing anyway), it was off to late lunch/early dinner -- all the way on the upper east side. I decided to walk through the park (since it was still daylight) rather than exit onto Central Park South/59th St.
Amid the meandering paths of the park, I came across the memorial to Balto:
En route, I passed by one residence that sure got into the Halloween spirit and hasn't yet taken down their decorations. My photos surely didn't do it justice.
Several miles later, I finally arrived up at Pastrami Queen at Lexington & 78th. Boy, did I feel like a traitor walking in the door there. Katz's is my go-to pastrami place. But I had been convinced to at least give this place a try. Very small, hole-in-the-wall with seating for about 10 people total.
Pastrami was tasty, and the rye bread was certainly better than Katz's (both flavor and the fact that it actually held up to the normal greasiness of the meat). Totally passable place to get hot pastrami if you're in the vicinity. However, there is zero vibe here. (And they're both comparably expensive.) Katz's is still #1 for me.
Then it was off to Broadway. I had tickets to go see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Definitely carried the theming pretty well inside the lobby area, too, and subtly provided a spoiler for what was to come later.
The show itself? Mixed bag. Originally a 5-hour 2-day tour-de-force, it was converted into a 3.5 hour (with intermission) 1-day performance. It felt VERY rushed, like a lot of material to get us familiar/comfortable with the characters was chopped. The vast majority of the Hogwarts students were barely seen -- the only ones we have any connection with are Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Even Rose Granger Weasley is barely heard from after the initial scenes introducing those three characters.
Once we get to the point of the story where the timeturner is employed, the logic of the characters' plans makes no sense whatsoever. And Scorpius Malfoy's voice? UGH! Worse than Jerry Lewis saying "Hey, LADY!!!" And, unfortunately, far too often things appeared needlessly melodramatic.
The effects were certainly impressive, especially the one they used to indicate they have moved through time. But that really didn't make up for the many lacking parts of the show. Much as I would like to say I liked the show, I can't quite get there.
Finally, after the show finished and as I waited for the car to pick me up and drive me back to my mom's place, I swung by Junior's to pick up a slice of cheesecake. Mmm... it's always good. But I suspect I'll only get it again at some of the restaurants down by me in Virginia that import it -- it cost me nearly twice as much up here than I had to pay the last time I got some near me.
Next up... the Parade of Nations and Opening Ceremony!
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