〈2025-01-09〉New York Trip🗽：Day 4

I had one regret to leave without seeing Broadway musical, so I checked TKTS Live and found that there were same-day tickets for Aladdin, so I went to TKTS first today. While I was looking at the electronic information board there, I was approached by a guy wearing a jumper with TKTS written on it. He asked which ticket I was looking for, and when I replied Aladdin, he said he would call to check the price and he would take me to the ticket center if I was interested. To be honest, I suspected he was a scammer. Because it is a common technique to rip off tourists by pretending to be an staff and accosting them. However, the price was the same as the one I had confirmed online, and he stood out in front of TKTS wearing a TKTS jumper, so I thought I could trust him and followed him. He asked me some questions  on the road- Where did he come from? Did you make it alone? The ticket center seemed genuine, and when I checked the price again, it was the same as TKTS Live. Honestly, I thought it was quite expensive compared to a lottery musical ticket which I won and Broadway was not the purpose of my trip, so I was very hesitant to buy the tickets. But the guy was so kind and the Broadway musical was the one of big regrets in this trip, so I took the plunge and bought the tickets for tonight. I really wanted to tip him a lot but I didn't have many money and he told me it was fine so I paid him a little bit. Sorry bro.

After that, I went to the Museum of Modern Art, is known as MoMA. The guy at the ticket center asked me where I was from. I answered “Japan” and he said to me "Konnichiwa yokoso😊". MoMA was not as big as the museums which I visited before in this trip, but I still spent about three hours looking around. To be honest, I don't like contemporary art because I feel that modern art relies too much on the word "art., but it was nice to see paintings by Picasso and Van Gogh. Also I was glad to see Dali's The Persistence of Memory, as I had written a little novel based on it for a class project when I was in junior high school.

I went to The Original Soup Kitchen for lunch and had a lobster sandwich. The lobster meat was plump and the flavor was just the right amount of salt. Next time I want to try the lobster bisque too.

Afterwards, I went back to around MoMA and happened to notice that Trump Tower was nearby, so I visited it. It was gilded and shining both outside and in the middle. Everything looked expensive and there was nothing special to do for me, so I took a souvenir photo and left. Next to it was a building in the shape of a Louis Vuitton suitcace, and there were many famous boutiques such as Tiffany and Gucci that I knew, even though I am not familiar with brands. I continued strolling along the street, looking at churches and UNIQLO, and went to the library. The library was like a museum and very beautiful. But I didn't have time and I didn't know where the books were. Where could I read books...?

Next, I rushed to the Empire State Building as my appointment time was approaching. I skipped some exhibitions on the way there because I wanted to see the sunset, but I could see it in plenty of time. At first I was going to take advantage of the ticket benefit, which allows me another free admission at night if I enter during the day, but I gave up because I was going to miss the Broadway musical. I could have taken more time to see the exhibition... I thought the view wasn't as good as I'd expected, but then I realised there were even higher floors. The higher floors had a 360 degree balcony and the view was very good. But it was really strong windy. Too strong. I thought I was going to be blown away or freeze to death. That's why the picture is a little out of focus.

After that, I rushed to Macy's because I really wanted to experience the wooden escalators. It took me a while to find it, but I was surprised to see them still in operation. The sound of the wooden escalator rattling was interesting.

Finally, I watched the Broadway musical "Aladdin". It wasn't the best seat, being at the end of the balcony, but the play was wonderful. Actually, I couldn't see much at first because the person in front of me kept shaking herself during the show, but I called out to her and she understood, maybe. I haven't watched that many musicals, but I thought the set up for Aladdin was special compared to others, and the magic carpet and the representation of Aladdin's appearance were wonderful. I knew later that I can wait for the cast to come out and get their autographs, so maybe I'll try to get them next time.

My Last Supper in NYC was a 99¢ pizza haha. Technically the pizza price had gone up to $1.5 and I got a combo of two cheese pizzas and a Sprite for $4.Maybe my taste buds are stupid, but honestly, it was my favorite pizza in New York, or including the ones I had in Toronto. The dough was soft, the flavor was just right, and most of all, I was happy that I could eat it without feeling guilty about spending money.

To enjoy my last night in New York, I went to Times Square and saw street performers. They had just started, so I couldn't see any big tricks, but it was fun. I was craving something sweet, and I was very torn between a cheesecake from junior, but I spent lots of money on the musical, so I ordered a holiday pie from MacDonald's. Apparently, it seems to be a Christmas-only pie only available in the U.S. I was very happy to hear that the staff was very friendly and even said “Have a good night” to me, which is unusual for a McDonald's staff. By the way, when I went back to the hostel and excitedly opened it, I found a cherry pie instead of a holiday pie. Hey.

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