La Cage aux Folles

Day 76 of the T-90 Project:

Wednesday I ran a new route around the park. Instead of following the 6.2-mile loop I normally take, I decided to exit the park near 72nd and ran up Fifth Avenue. I turned back into the park at the Conservatory Garden (105th) and slowed down to enjoy the view (and ease the pain). No flowers were blooming yet, but it reminded me I needed to get back to see the tulips when they do. The Conservatory Garden is a perfect place to bring a scone, a cup of coffee, a book and lounge for a couple of hours. Definitely on my to do list. After the gardens, I ran around the pond in the northeastern-most corner of the park and it was glorious. They had swans and even a beach! The 5-square feet of sand wouldn't have fit a beached swan, but it was still awfully cute. I couldn't believe the amount of turtles in the pond that were just chilling on rocks right by the path, like the seals do on their buoys in Monterey. There were about five per rock. My run was supposed to be about 10 miles, and I barely finished the main loop, but we won't go there... 16 days till Big Sur Marathon.

Day 75:

Too much was going on Thursday. I need to space out the fun. The first treat of the day was lunch with @Niketa at La Boite en Bois. It was one of the cutest spots I've been to in a long time and it was only two blocks away from work. I felt like we'd discovered a little cafe on the Ile St.-Louis. Our garcon charmed us with his French accent and friendly manner. I hesitated to order French onion soup on an 80-degree day, but went with my gut. I tried the soup and the special seafood ravioli. I told Niketa I'd never tried it before (not the biggest fan of seafood and pasta combo), and when she mentioned her husband's obsession with it, I figured I'd give it a whirl. Success, amis. My boss announced my departure to the entire office so I had a glass of wine to celebrate the new official-ness of my leaving. I left on a cloud of happiness like Maria during "I Feel Pretty."



To end this fabulous day, my friend MissHockey and I went to La Cage aux Folles. I've always been a huge Kelsey Grammer fan and from the moment I heard he was going to be in it, I knew I had to go see it. Similar to the screen version, I think he was upstaged by the man who played his lover (like Robin Williams was by Nathan Lane), but he was still incredibly adorable and funny. It's hard for this not to happen since Albin's character is so over the top. Albin was played by the British import Douglas Hodge and it was shockingly his Broadway debut. He was phenomenal. Say it with me. FUH-NOM-IH-NULL. I was cackling for three hours straight, not to mention I was sitting in the front row. I could reach out and touch the stage (and see the flying spit). Grammer looked into my eyes once a scene.

"Dude, that's the guy who made Robin's face in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'!" I whisper-yelled to MissHockey when I noticed him a few seats back with his gargantuan, statue-like beard.

"You mean Harvey Fierstein?!?"

Oops. Yeah. She was way more on top of her Broadway trivia than I was.

"Dude, he wrote the book."

So what she's saying was, our seats were so good we were sitting in front of Harvey Fierstein -- the guy who wrote the book.

I just started humming "I Am What I Am" at my desk and I got the chills thinking of Hodge's moving rendition upon learning he's not welcome at the "meet the future in-laws" dinner. Jacob the maid/butler and the Cagelles (the Cage's transvestites) were amazing too. The entire cast got a massive standing ovation at the end and several on stage seemed to get emotional at the outpouring of excitement and audience approval.

Day 74:

It's a surprise. And I'll let you know on the flip side.