NYC Day 4: Times Square, Wicked, and TWA

Last day in NYC today!  We got moving a little early to check out of out hotel by 10.  The staff stored our bags and we strolled towards Times Square for our last day of tourism.

H was surprisingly unenthusiastic about Times Square itself.  We went into a few shops (the Pele Soccer store was a hit), but didn't really have a jaw dropping moment like so many others have had.  She, did, however, like the panorama feature of the iphone:

We also found our way to FAO Schwarz and the Nintendo store (where there were plenty of large figures to pose with):

We grabbed hot dogs and knish from a street vendor and made our way to the Nederlander theatre to see Wicked.  S and I last saw it in LA, and H had never seen it.  We had tried over the last few weeks to interest her in listening to the score so she knew what was happening, but she consistently declined.  I was concerned that she might lose interest, but from the downbeat, she was engaged and rapt.  Literally on the edge of her seat.  

After the show, we got to meet J, the A1, who showed the FOH position (the last analogue console on b'way), showed us the pit and talked about the sound system.  H was particularly interested in the conductor cam; she loved waving at it and seeing herself show up on the monitors mounted on the balcony rail.

Next, we hightailed it back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and hopped in a cab to the airport hotel.  H zonked on the way.

We fly out of JFK pretty early tomorrow, so we decided to stay our last night at the TWA hotel at JFK.  It's a riot -  beautifully restored, with lots of historical artifacts.  The rooms are lovely and quiet, despite being right across from the tarmac.  There's a rooftop pool that's currently heated to 95F.  H and I went swimming when it was 43F minus windchill - brrrrrr.  There are multiple cocktail bars and restaurants, including one in an old plane.  There's a room just for Twister.  This is a remarkable place to be laid over.

So now, after H is asleep and S is winding down, I'm chilling in one of the bars, writing my blog, giving them a chance to move into REM before I come back into the room.  Tomorrow, we fly home!