NYC - Day 4

St Kilda’s Coffee - New York, NY

Wow, what a location. A small garden-level shop on 44th, their lack of big signs renders them immune from most the foot traffic through Times Square. 

They make a lovely Cappuccino, with a thick layer of milk, and mine has a base with a fruity bean. 

It’s the first morning I’ve let myself sit with a cup of coffee, and St Kilda’s is making my day. 

Museum of Broadway - New York, NY 

Come here only after coffee and prepare to see  all your beloved Broadway shows on steroids. 

Both kinda of steroids - the good and the bad. 

There may not be a single musical they didn’t cover, and it seems they have a few props from each. 

They go as far back as the Ziegfeld Follies,

And as modern as the heralded Hamilton. 

I hope you like Andrew Lloyd Webber because you’ll see a lot of his beloved shows, including Phantom and Cats. 

The more controversial charmers like Rent and Avenue Q are aptly honored,

And they do pay tribute to the heavier topics with a wall of names to honor those lost to AIDS. 

I’m fangirling over the things from Wicked, 

And even Six the Musical already has a spot. 

Its cute and it’s kitschy, but it’s exactly what you’d expect for museum in the middle of tourist-town. Overpriced but not unreasonable for what they probably pay in rent, it panders to the Instagram addicts but it does have some substance still.

Mala Project - New York, NY

Some of New York’s most seasoned palates are in love with Mala Project. Of all the places in NYC, I’ve never been told to go anywhere more times than here. 

Praised for their appetizers and famed for their dry pots, you can choose from a set selection or choose what you want in your bowl. 

My selection is slightly spicy because the spirit willing but the palate is weak. Slightly spicy is just that - it won’t make you cry but it’s not afraid to pinch a little harder. The fish fillet is fantastic, flawlessly fried to a golden crisp. I add tofu sheets for sauce-sticking texture, lotus root for crunch, enoki because mushrooms, and bok choy to get a bit of green. 

These bowls won’t win any photography awards, but they do make a fantastic lunch or a filling dinner. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - New York, NY 

They’re showing the condensed version with 1.5 hours of original content cut out. I’m happy to buy just a single ticket, but this one-part wonder is still 3.5 hours long so be prepared to pack some snacks and sprint for the bathroom at intermission.

When the actors first take the stage, it’s incredibly jarring if you expect them to behave like the beloved children of film. But their lines and their movements are rather exaggerated, lest the subtlety of cinema be lost on the stage. 

Once you acclimate, you’re transported back to the magical world of Hogwarts.

Remember to do your research before you see this play. If you don’t at least see the movies, this play will make zero sense. 

The set is so beautifully conceived, with strategic trap doors to enable polyjuice transformations and dementors that float and move in a way that is breathtakingly terrifying. 

Be careful bringing children - this is the stuff of nightmares. People also die dramatically on stage and this play covers some deeper themes that you may or may not want your nine year-old to see. 

But when it does make sense it is a treat to for the rather broad HP fan base. I have my own opinions about the characters as I found Albus excessively whiny and Scorpius too unbelievably awkward, but these critiques are rather minor compared to the overall amazement I felt for the entirety of the play. 

The Highline - New York, NY

Back to the Airbnb for an evening nap before I complete the Highline.

I love the nighttime lights, and I see it’s a bit of break from the buzzing city streets, but I end it unimpressed. 

I guess I take green paths for granted as they’re all the norm in the LA suburbs, and while most come here to escape the city, I came to not be home. Still, I’m glad I saw it, and it’s an apt way to work up an appetite.