Open a new window

Open a new window, open a new door, travel a new highway, that’s never been travelled before

Open a new window

My final morning in NYC, I can’t believe I am already one week into my big gay travel extravaganza. My bus leaves at lunchtime so I spend the morning sat in the theatre where Ray is directing a rehearsal of his show that opens the next evening. I’ve never seen proper actors rehearsing or a director directing so it is an interesting experience for me. Since I no longer have a job of my own I’m finding I am taking much more of an interest in the jobs other people do. I try not to get in the way until it is time for me to leave.  The bus trip, which cost me all of $13, is pleasant enough. The bus is about one third full so there is plenty of space, it’s air-conditioned and has free Wi-Fi so I am able to message my sister & mother for a while.

Open a new door

I arrive in DC just over four hours later & the first thing that hits me as I wheel my case through bus parking lot behind Union Station is the heat. I had checked out how far it was to Simon’s, gay number three, on the map and thought I might be able to walk it. I decide against that and get a cab. I let myself into Simon’s loft apartment, which is a lovely space. There is a DC guidebook, a welcome note and directions to the gin bottle waiting for me. Amazing hospitality! A quick shower & change and I’m back out to meet Simon and some of his friends at Nellie’s, a gay sports bar. They are upstairs on the outdoor terrace and there is a bit of a breeze, which combined with a pint of lager helps cool me down a bit. Simon & his friends are off to a Scissor Sisters concert, alas long since sold out, but we have a quick catch up before they head off and I head back to plan my DC activities. I call in to a Whole Foods on the way back and pick up a salad and some fruit as I feel like I haven’t eaten anything healthy in a while.

Travel a new highway

The next morning, after breakfast & some 80 Gays travel admin, I get on the Metro, alighting at Foggy Bottom. Yes, the name makes me giggle. I head over to the Kennedy Center, bristling slightly at the American spelling. I pick up my ticket for Follies.  From there I head to the Lincoln Memorial, a massive temple like building which houses a 20-foot marble statue of the man. The white marble statue looks pristine and lifelike but what strikes me is the sheer size of the thing. I’ve seen these places on the television but that doesn’t give you a sense of the scale of it. Everything is bigger is America! From there I head up to the Washington Monument, another massive erection…

After that I head to see the Old Executive Office Building, which used to house various state departments and leads neatly to the White House. I take the standard tourist photos of the façade through the fence. A kind lady offers to take my photo for me but I decline. I am more than happy to get photos of the amazing sights that I see on my travels but don’t feel the need to spoil the view by standing in front of them to be in the photo. I’ll leave that to Dean, although I daren’t try balancing him on the fencing in front of the White House in case he, or I, get arrested or shot.

That’s never been travelled before

That evening I am back at the Kennedy Center for Follies. It’s been a very long time since I went to see a show on my own and I feel a little self-conscious. I take my seat early and read through the Playbill. I’m joined by a guy who I find out later is 64 years old, a florist and lives up near the National Cathedral.  We exchange pleasantries. Being British I bring up the weather as a safe topic of conversation. He mentions that it reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a record for the time of year. It is a curious trait of the Brits that when we talk about the weather we use Fahrenheit when it is hot but revert to Celsius whenever it’s cold. I refrain from telling the guy that after my day walking around I felt like I needed to wring out my pants (British pants, not American pants).

The show starts. Bernadette Peters walks out on stage and everyone, apart from me, starts clapping. She hasn’t done anything yet so I don’t feel the need to clap. Another difference between the British and the Americans duly noted.  Every time a new person walks out on the stage they get applause, more or less, depending on how famous they are. I feel like clapping when Elaine Paige walks out in a show of British solidarity.

The show is stunning. I’ve never seen it before but it has some of my favourite Sondheim numbers in it. I’m happy to admit I am a total Sondheim-ite. Broadway Baby and Could I Leave You have all already been used as my blog post titles. Anyway, I am so pleased Craig told me to get a ticket as I thoroughly enjoy the performances and the staging of the show.  The ghostly showgirls drifting across the set in tattered costumes are a little eerie. The musical numbers are spine tingling.  Could I Leave You? is my favourite song of the whole show, such a heart felt performance from Jan Maxwell. All in all it is a great end to my first day in the US capital.

“Open a new window, open a new door, travel a new highway, that’s never been travelled before” 
Lyrics from Open a New Window from the musical Mame