NYC Bestie Trip - Day 1 - cont

There's not even a line at the TKTS booth as we approach only an hour before the box offices close. The booth is a trip down memory lane, and we score some last-minute tickets to Hadestown. 

Watching beloved Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) rise from the dead…or rise to rule the dead...in his portrayal of Hades was a treat - who knew the soft-spoken CSI could sing in a deep, booming voice that fills the entire theater? 

Orpheus has the voice of an angel...the kind that is sweet and pure but only hits half the notes. Eurydice's story hardly sticks with the original myth, and I cringe that a snake bite is spun into a scandalous story. It is implied that she indulges in all the vices and Orpheus tries to pull her from a hell of her own making, unable to undo her deal with the devil. 

Plot points aside, the music is mesmerizing; 33 songs and all of them big. The whole production is beautiful, and there's a reason they've stayed put for 7 years. 

We return to our hotel in time to catch the final minutes of Game 5, as the Knicks narrowly beat the San Antonio Spurs to win the series. Watching them fight for the coveted title is intoxicating, as they end a 35 year-long drought.

The streets are wild, and our proximity to Times Square gives us front-row seats to all of the antics, a gathering of collective joy. 

...And we've only been here 7 hours.

NYC Bestie Trip - Day 1 - Xi’an Famous Foods - New York, NY

A perfectly punctual flight is followed by two rather tense taxi rides. The careless finger of our cabbie hits google maps with no one the wiser and lands us in the middle of Queens. There's nothing to do but to pay for another ride, after which we arrive.

We are famished despite the in-flight snacks, and we venture out to Xi'an Famous Foods. One of few decent options in the area, this affordable food stall-style eatery entertains the taste buds with its fast-casual style of service and simply delicious food. 

A haw berry hibiscus tea is just what post-flight dry-mouth needs, cold and refreshing with a flavor that is sandy and tart. Sour contrasts the spicy food, and the sweeter notes are soothing.

They make a proper Liang Pi here, thick, almost-gelatinous chilled noodles with cukes for extra cool and porous seitan cubes for contrasting texture. A vinegar-forward sauce cuts through the humidity of the city that hangs upon your skin.

The Stewed Pork Burger is incredibly juicy and soft, with belly cuts stewed long and slow in soy sauce and (I suspect) five spice seeping soup between the bread. The mo bun is thin but dense, and the seared sides keep it crispy. 

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles make mouthfuls of utter bliss. Wide as a gentleman’s belt and just as thick, these doughy ribbons spiral around slices of savory lamb. If you only try one thing, this should be the one. 

If you were to say our food looks a little bit bland, I would say you're right. We select mild spice on every option despite the recommendation for more, out of fear that our pre-theater, post-flight, 40 year-old stomachs will make us suffer during the show. Still, there is flavor without the reflux, and if the blander version is this good, I must return to try the flavors full force.