01/11/05’s illustrious band:
Waiting for Altman
Brought to you by Big Sean and the Big Apple.
My second day in New York dawned latish after Saturday night's revels. The General and I cleaned up, grabbed brunch, and set off for a walk through Central Park in crisp winter sunshine. Plenty of people had come out to stroll and skate even on a chilly day, but the park still seemed very serene. I loved it. And I love having points of reference now for all the books I've read that are set in New York City.
Leaving the park, we ducked into a salon for manicures and pedicures -- my first ever. (Cotton candy pink, in case you're wondering.) To dry the polish, we sat for a while at a counter along the front window, our hands and toes under air jets. When I was deemed smudgeproof, the nice lady swathed the toe ends of both feet in plastic wrap to further protect against the rigors of sock and shoe re-entry. I forgot it was there and left it on for the rest of the afternoon.
After a brief stop back at the Jenga apartment, we took the subway to bookworm heaven: the Strand, a multistory independent used bookstore whose slogan is "18 miles of books." And they're not kidding. We spent nearly an hour browsing just the main floor, touching everything from books containing artisan wrapping paper to histories of typography to used Star Trek novels. Surprisingly, I didn't buy any books -- too many to choose from! -- but I did come away with a sweatshirt.
Then came food and a wardrobe change (I removed the plastic wrap from my toes, as it had gotten damp and squinchy rambling around the Strand) and discussion of the night's entertainment. I had originally planned to leave New York on Sunday morning, but the General had learned, after those plans were made, that Sean Altman would be performing on Sunday night. Sean is the former front man of Rockapella, the band that drew me to town in the first place, and a solo performer not to be missed. So I spent a total of nearly four hours on hold with Travelocity's customer "service" line around Christmastime trying to change my plane reservation. After all that, I thought, Sean had better be damn good.
Upon closer reading of his gig description, however, it appeared that Sean wasn't doing an actual solo show, but rather appearing in a booking showcase, an event in which numerous performers do 30-minute auditions for booking agents in hopes of landing future work. Well, half an hour of Sean is better than none, and we could hit the Statten Island Ferry for a view of the Statue of Liberty afterward. Once we sorted out some confusion about the address (wrong on Sean's web site), we grabbed a cab and headed for the show.
Incidentally, did you know that in Manhattan you can simply step outside and wave your hand and a cab will appear? It's like magic! You don't even have to call ahead! And a ride even of several minutes won't cost you $20. It's more like $6. Split between two riders, that's . . . downright cheap. The Twin Cities really should look into getting a system like this. It kicks butt.
Anyway.
Sean's January 9 mini-show: Waiting for Altman
Verdict: Worth the wait.
The next couple hours were full of stories before we toddled of to various modes of public transportation, home, and too-early alarms. We never did make it to the ferry. The music of the concerts was good, and the music of laughter was better. A Manhattan toast to my homeawayfromhomegirls, Laura and Rachel: Thank you. Let's do it again sometime.
Visit the BND archives at http://jugglernaut.blogspot.com.
posted by Jugglernaut at 4:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home