Hi, Jose!

Rockapella in NYC / 
Birthday Trip to NYC - Day 2

Saturday, January 11, 2020

The Iridium

New York City, NY

I had a restless night of sleep because I had pillow issues.  Still, Jenn and I didn't actually get up until it was almost time to leave for tea.  We briefly thought of going back to the bakery for almond croissants, but were too involved watching "The Office" marathon and relaxing in our room to do that.

We finally got ready and took a taxi to Bosie to meet up with Stacey and KP.  I hadn't seen Stacey since she was in California for a visit, and we all had fun catching up and eating yummy treats.  I had the Brandied Apricot tea, and it was very good, and fruity, but not overly so.  Stacey got a Butterfly tea that magically turned from blue to pink when she added lemon juice.  It was pretty and fun!   I don't know what happened to all of my other pictures from tea, but here's the one that survived whatever snafu.

By tier (I shared with Jenn, so there are more than what is listed here):

Top: Scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam
Middle: Macarons (I chose pistachio and Earl Grey Milk Chocolate), mini madeleines, mini muffins and mini cookies;
Bottom: Tea Sandwiches (I chose Cucumber, Smoked Salmon, Beets, and Egg Salad)

We weren't quite done with everything yet when the server informed us that a party had canceled their reservation but was able to be there after all, and asked if we would be willing to move so that they could use ours and another table for their party of 8.  To compensate, they offered to give us each another pot of tea on the house.  (They don't give free refills).  We agreed, and this time I ordered the Chocolate Hazelnut Tea, which was also very tasty.  

Afterward, we hailed a cab to return to our hotel room while KP and Stacey walked to the subway station to go back to Stacey's place.  Our cab driver gave us some information about the sights we saw on the way, mainly NYU and another college that I can't remember.  

After an hour or so, Jenn was a little hungry, and I decided to eat, too, since our next plan to eat was after the show.  We walked to Luke's Lobster, which was next door to the Japanese place where we dined the previous evening.  I figured I'd had enough bread for the afternoon, so I chose to have my lobster over a bed of mixed greens.  Bananaman chose to have his own photo shoot.

Feeling safe because it's not a banana trap

Table numbers, I think

Even at the hotel room,
I have Insta-worthy food

We ate our lobster then got ready for the main event of the weekend.  We took a taxi to the Iridium, which was in the same building as the very crowded Stardust diner. Elisa, Stacey, and KP were at the front of the line, and graciously let us stand with them.  (There was only one other party already there, so we felt OK about it).  I got our tickets at will call, and could hear the guys warming up downstairs, which got me all excited. I also heard some of the trivia stuff going on in the Stardust, and heard that one of the answers was New Kids on the Block.  I think I would have rocked that trivia session.  Stacey let us try a preview of the new lemon flavored Girl Scout Cookie.  She has connections like that.  This is my cookie:

Do you like my very blue nail polish?

Jenn suggested that I take a picture with the Stardust statue because a bunch of other tourists were doing the same.  Armed with Bananaman, I obliged.

Clearly, I'm happier to be there than
the waitress seems to be

We still had plenty of time before the doors opened, so Jenn went looking for a back scratcher at the souvenir shop, to no avail.  I decided to walk to the Ed Sullivan theater because this is the closest I could get to seeing my guy in his natural habitat.

I didn't know he had this huge sign!

Still called the Ed Sullivan Theater

In case you didn't know who "my guy" is

The doors finally opened and as we walked through the door, there was JT!  He said with surprise, "SHERRY!!!" and gave me lots of air kisses, explaining that he was sweaty.  That's OK, dear.   We scored a table in the front, with KP and I sitting across from each other.  Our friends are so kind to let us sit there, knowing how much it meant to me with my birthday and KP with her not having seen the guys in over a year.  

Awaiting Pella Butts

I love the design on the menu

We ordered our drinks and food.  Jenn was ready to snack again, so she ordered chicken empanadas to share.  I wasn't really hungry yet, so I just ordered the Les Paul Black Beauty, which was my favorite drink of the weekend.

Toasting Les Paul on the wall
Hey, that rhymes!

Les Paul Black Beauty:
Vodka, Southern Comfort, Amaretto,
Curacao, Triple Sec, and Cranberry Juice

The venue is very intimate, and I wanted to put stuff on the stage so that I could have a desk for my notebook.  I didn't want anything to get in Rockapella's way, though.  A few minutes before the show started, we saw the set list get taped onto one of the amps, and I took a picture.  I will not share it here because, well, SPOILERS!  Just know that when I read one of them out loud, there were a few excited "oohs" at the table.

The empanadas did not arrive until 20 minutes into the show.  I don't know why this had to happen when we were the first people that came through the door, and that was an hour before the show started.  We were hoping to eat before the guys got on stage to prevent lots of distraction from the wait staff, but oh well.

Rockapella took the stage, and all was right in Sherry's world.

Jailhouse Rock

Scott pointed at KP.  Jose patted JT on the back as he rocked the beat.  That would throw me off, but I'm not a professional spitter.

Folsom Prison Blues

Scott looked at me and raised up his eyebrows with surprise.  I believe he was taken aback at this point, realizing that I was there, and we weren't in California. Then he almost clocked JT when he lifted his microphone stand up to his shoulder.  Whoa, I'm glad he was paying attention.

Scott welcomed us to "Springtime in New York", and was very happy about this weekend's weather.  Indeed, it was very pleasant, and Jenn and I like to think that we brought it over from So Cal.  Scott said, "I moved here from Florida, and the weather here sucks!" 

He said that he saw representatives from California in the house.  WHOOOO!!!  I may have been a little loud at that point.  Maybe a lot loud.

JT puts the "rid" in "Iridium".

Dancing in the Moonlight

I do enjoy the choreography during this piece and try not to do it too outwardly, because people can see me and I don't want to show off.  ;)

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
I never noticed before that when Scott sings about shooting, the other guys sing "Bang Bang".

Scott talked about Calvin adding another sound to Rockapella, and he said that Calvin is also a very good kisser.  "I've heard."  

Satisfaction
Scott started to sing "and I'm doing this and I'm signing that" right in front of me.  Then REALLY got right in front of me, to the point where I had to back away.  Jenn was taking video at the time and backed away, too.  It was hilarious.  Thank you for recording the moment, Jenn!  Thank you for the love, Scott!





Jose picked Nancy to sing "Cupid" with him.  Jenn decided that she likes Jose and told me several times in a row, very loudly.  I like him, too.  I see him as kind of combination of Steve and Mitch.

Scott said that Jose was born and raised in Tampa, where he met Calvin at Busch Gardens.  Jose started singing with Rockapella during the Christmas shows and then had to learn the songs, harmony, and choreography for the regular shows, which is "not just 'ooh la la' or 'shoop de doo'. He is the most thorough" person to ever learn the gig.  Jose has notes for all of the songs that look like they're written in Sanskrit.  Jose said they were like hieroglyphics.  

This is Jose's first regular show with Rockapella.  He is doing a fantastic job!

Scott said that he arranged the next song while they were staying in Branson and playing at the Andy Williams theater.  "Branson could not be more different from this place tonight."

Moon River

Scott said about Bryant: "It's very rare to have that kind of voice added to that level of talent."  

Jeff has been with Rockapella since he was four years old.

Then Scott said that a lot of people have been asking them to do some of their old school, original Rockapella songs, and they were going to do one tonight, which they haven't rehearsed yet.
Then someone yelled: "ZOMBIE!"
Scott:  "Not that song."
Jeff:  "I think I need to stand for this."
(Remember the spoiler I warned about earlier?  It's here!)

I Am Your Man
The longtime fans cheered as soon as they heard JT's beat.  It was crazy how we all just knew and got way excited.  Scott still sounds great with those high notes.  He also backed up his own vocals when the other guys weren't singing them, which made me giggle, and he smiled at them.  It was awesome.  I was happy! They're such pros, I can't believe that they hadn't rehearsed it together yet, but knowing the way they learn their parts, I can see how they can proceed.  I hope they continue to do this song, as well as others from their old repertoire.  It makes sense that they do this when they still have the stools because they didn't used to do much choreography back in the old days.  I think the most choreographed song was "Zombie Jamboree".  It also makes sense because this is usually when they would sing "Paper Doll" or "Lazy River", which were tributes to the Mills Brothers.  I love it.  (I would have titled this post "I Am Still Your Man", but I needed to welcome Jose.)

Rock the Boat
I lip synched "Roller coaster" at Bryant and he smiled.

Say Say Say
I'm such a bad fan.  I forgot that this was the modern "Say Say Say" and not the Michael Jackson song when I saw the title on the set list.  DUH.  They should title it L-O-V-E so that I know it when I peek at the set list. Why don't they just know?  Why don't YOU just know, Sher?  OK, I'm arguing with myself and I need to stop before y'all send me to an asylum.  

I like seeing Scott's face when he watches the other guys perform.  It's full of admiration and cuteness.  I also liked when Bryant made him laugh. "HA!!"

Middle

Somebody yelled out a request.  Scott: "'Gangsta's Paradise'?  I'm sorry, that's not one of the ones that we do."

Scott:  "We have to do this song in the city of Folg..in this city of..Anyway, it's Folger's."

Folger's
(no other commercials)

Scott brought Alexa from New Jersey up on stage.  He asked her if she gets a lot of comments about Amazon's Alexa.  "Yes."  "What do you do in New Jersey?"  "I work."  Not a big talker, or maybe her job is highly sensitive, I don't know.  

Stand By Me (with Alexa)
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Bryant shoved Alexa's stool with his hip as he sang to her.
Calvin, to Bryant: "You're killing this show!"
Bryant: "That's the first time I've done that tonight!"

Bryant told us that there were autographed photos of Fred available, and we cheered.
JT said, "I know this table wants one," as he pointed to us.  Well, DUH, yeah.  

There was some audible rustling from backstage.  JT:  " Scott, what are you doing back there?"  We figured he was eating potato chips.

Bryant saw Rockapella when he was 8 years old.
JT hid behind the curtain, and said, "Me, too."  
JT's occupation: "Professional clown, obviously."

During the drum duet, JT said, "Les Paul is watching us."

Carmen SanDiego
They sang this song every day for 59 years.
I like the new percussion jam section with JT giving props to each guy. So they now have their own vocal percussion solo.

Scott: "We can go off stage and come back here, but let's just stay up here, because I'm old."

Rapper's Delight
I took some video, and Bryant tried to take my phone from me.  Evidence:

When he did this, the video stopped, much like it stopped when Mitch was singing to me after his last show.

Here's the video from after I got it going again, just for closure.

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World  (off mic)
I could really hear each part well because of how close we sat to them.  

Jose pointed to JT and Scott while singing about not claiming to be an "A" student, and they pointed back, like, oh, yes, you get an "A".  Y'all made a great decision when you chose him, guys!

Meet and Greet

KP made a beeline to get the autographed photo of Fred, and I asked her to get one for me while I got my act together.  She called me over so that I could meet Fred's wife, Fran, and I introduced Fran to Bananaman.  While we were talking, Scott came over to say hi and thanks for coming.

KP gave her book to Jeff to give to Big Black Fluffy Kitty because it's dedicated to him.  

JT liked my sweater and said it was fluffy, saying, "You need petting."  Well, all righty, then!  Pet away!  So he did.  No, I did not say "pet away" out loud.  That I know of.  I don't know, remember that drink?!

I asked Bryant to take a picture with Bananaman.  Look at the cuteness!

I told him that Jenn had treated me to this trip, and while I was talking about how awesome she is, she walked up to join us.  She was smiling.  Bryant saw that she had heard me, and said to her, "You should have heard what she said about you BEFORE you got here, though."  I thanked him for the stage love

KP and I introduced ourselves to Jose, and I told him that my assignment was to ask him what part he played in "Hamilton".  He played swing, so he could play a bunch of parts, and knew Hamilton, King George, and the 5th Man, as well as all of the sons of Liberty.  WOW.  I'm in awe of these swing players.  I introduced him to Bananaman and asked him to take a picture with us.  He said that he hoped some of Bananaman's luck would rub off on him.

Yes, that's Jesse Leonard in the background.

Jose lives in NYC and recommended eating at the original Junior's, but we were going to the bigger, newer one.  

Calvin thanked us for coming out, and told us that he was flying back to Florida in the morning.  He said that they'd be coming out to California in a few months, so I'm hoping that we find out soon so we can plan!  Scott told Jenn about a couple of the cities, which made me happy because one is in So Cal and the other is in one of my favorite cities to see them.  

I talked to Scott's son, Jesse, and asked him if he subs for all of the guys in Rockapella.  He said that he only subs for Jose's part, not the other ones.  I mean, I know he doesn't sing bass, but he could do the others if he learned them, I think.

The posse informed me that Scott's daughter, Natalie, was also there, so I introduced myself to her, and told her that some of her mannerisms were just like her dad.  She talked about working New Year's Eve at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, and missed the weather there.  She was there from December until early January.  She recommended a restaurant for the next time we're in town, Beauty & Essex.  Hey, they have one in LA, too!  I told Scott that I was meeting his family, and he was surprised that I hadn't met Natalie yet.  I don't know why I didn't think to get a picture with him and the kids.

We said bye to everyone, and walked a few blocks to Junior's.  We didn't need to wait long to get a table, which would have been fine if we did, because we ate those empanadas.  I was only there to try the matzoh ball soup and the cheesecake, so I ordered those.  I also ordered a Core Apple vodka martini, but didn't like it as much as I liked the food.  Junior's is famous for their cheesecake, and I can see why.  It's YUM, and I had no topping on it!

Jenn and I then parted ways from Stacey and KP, and we walked around Times Square.

I waited a cycle or two so that I could
catch this cute pic of the Statue of Liberty
with makeup.

I don't know how people do the NYE thing here.
It's crowded enough on a Saturday night!

Bananaman = Torch

I look at this and now want a frozen banana.

We didn't have tickets, but we wanted to
pose here anyway because we'd been playing
our Wizards Unite game throughout NYC.

I somehow controlled myself and only bought a NYC Mickey Mouse Tsum Tsum at the Disney Store.  I wanted something with the Minnie Liberty on it, but didn't like whatever was available....or at least that I could justify buying, because I certainly didn't need to buy a backpack purse for myself that day to add to my luggage.  Maybe another day.

We took a cab back to the hotel and settled in for the night, still high on the fantastic show and the stage love and that yummy drink.

Next up: A little more of NYC

Fancy, Full Filipinas

Birthday Trip to NYC 2020

Day 1 - Friday, January 10, 2020

Travel to NY

A few months ago, Jenn asked if the Posse wanted to go to New York City to see Rockapella in a venue she really liked when she saw them there last year.  I said that I would love to see that show, but the trip to NYC would be cost-prohibitive for me this time around for just one show.  Then Jenn realized that she had some points to burn, and asked me if she could use them to treat me to the trip as a birthday and Christmas gift.  Well, OK, then, I think I can afford that!  I offered to at least buy the show tickets, and we were all set.  Then the venue decided to add another show for that night!  That made me feel better about agreeing to go. So I bought us another ticket.  Then the venue canceled the second show.  Well, darnitalltoheck!  At least we'd still have one show to see, right?  The venue said that they would refund the ticket, and as of the day I'm writing this, they are working on it.

Jenn booked us car service through Wingz, and asked that I be at her house at 4:15 a.m.  Yes, a.m.  Yikes.  I didn't get much sleep during that week, so I worried that I wouldn't wake up in time to get there, but I got up, got ready, and arrived about a minute before driver Michael did.  Phew!  Our flight was at 7:20 a.m. from LAX, and due to the traffic being non-existent at our crazy hour, we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to get my bag checked and go through security screening.  It's a good thing, too, because Jenn was moving slower than usual due to a bowling injury the previous evening.  Poor thing was hobbling and using the extended handle of her roller bag as her crutch.  It was also a good thing that we had lots of time, because her bag got pulled for extra screening.  Mine did, too, and I had a moment of separation anxiety from Bananaman as he went through the x-ray machine again.  He's OK, though.  He might be glowing from the extra rays, but he's got those sunglasses, you know, so at least his eyes are protected.

Jenn's bag, though, was opened up and they took out the See's Candy she was bringing to her friend. She told the TSA agent not to take her candy, and I reminded her that she can't really tell them what to do, as the agent nodded and smiled at me.  It took forever for the agent's supervisor to take a look, and they brought her stuff through the x-ray again.  We think that it might be the aluminum coating inside the can of Toffee-ettes, because her friend said that she had the same issue when she brought them through airport screening at a different time.  Weird.  We had some time to use the facilities and grab something to eat, and then we realized that they had started boarding early.  Jenn was bummed that we missed the beginning of the boarding, because we would have been able to board first, what with our FIRST CLASS TICKETS.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Jenn decided to splurge and surprised me (the day before, because I had asked if I needed to pay to check my bag.  She told me that First Class passengers don't pay for bags).  Whoa, fancy!  

Bananaman had lots of leg room!

We boarded the plane, and we were in row 3, right in front of the flimsy curtain that separated us from the riff raff.  I forgot to take a picture of the two of us in our big seats, but I guess that made us look more chill than we actually are.  The flight attendant asked me to unplug my charger from the USB in the armrest, which I thought was strange.  You're saying that this one charger could interfere with the plane's systems?  The sun was rising as we took off, making for a beautiful view outside our window.

Ascent with view of Catalina Island

It's a good thing that Banaman's arm is in
 this silhouette,
 or this site might get reported.

Gorgeous sunrise

We were provided with tablets, headphones, and power cables so that we could watch movies and stuff.  Jenn and I decided to watch "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" together because neither one of us had seen it yet.  We both really liked it.

I ordered an English Breakfast Tea to go with my breakfast, a Gruyere, Onion, and Tomato Omelet with sweet potatoes, cranberry Cognac chicken sausage, a Cranberry Apple Orange smoothie, Greek yogurt with granola and spiced pomegranate seeds, and a roll.  I ate everything except the mandarin oranges that came with the yogurt, and my roll, of which I only took a bite because I was full and it wasn't as sweet as I hoped it would be.  

Jenn also ordered the omelet, and was bummed out when she proceeded to spill most of her smoothie with a flick of her wrist.  

Yummy, nutritious breakfast

I also watched part of "Abominable", but wasn't able to finish it because I didn't include descent time in my calculations, and they asked us to return our tablets to them as I was nearing the end of the movie.  I was really enjoying it until then.  I was also enjoying my Baileys and Coffee cocktail and had to drink half of my cup quickly so as not to waste it before I had to turn in my mug.  I thought this would make me tipsy, but no.

Upon arrival in Newark, we picked up our bags and arranged for a taxi. As we neared our hotel, I marveled at the buildings around us, especially this one.

We arrived at our hotel in about half an hour (we really lucked out with traffic!), and relaxed in our room on the 35th floor of the Westin Grand Central. I looked out the window, and guess what I saw?

Bananaman insisted on a
height comparison shot.

  I had a devil of a time getting the TV to turn on, and realized that I needed to turn on the switch in the hallway first.  Jenn called downstairs because she couldn't get the mini-bar open, which is where they told us our complimentary water was located.  The person she spoke with didn't know why we couldn't open it, and they tried to reset it for us, which didn't work.  Jenn needed something for her pain from her injury, so we walked to the CVS across the street.  After we individually walked back to the hotel to get our coats, we walked a couple of blocks to Shake Shack for a late lunch.  I happily ate my chicken sandwich, and we played our Wizards Unite game for a while until the place started filling up again and we decided to give up our seats.

Shake Shack Smiles

I saw that there was a sponsored fortress nearby for us to play our game (sponsored fortresses provide more points and extras), and we walked around to find it, now that Jenn was feeling less pain.  There were a couple of electronic signs with cute map artwork, so I asked Jenn to wait with me to get the images to cycle back to the artwork in order for me to take photos.

These did not help us find our
fortress, though.

On the way, we found one of Jenn's favorite bakeries in NYC, Maison Kayser.  We bought little puffy pastries (chouquettes) to eat while wizarding, and eyed the croissants for another day.

French pastries are so pretty!

We ordered drinks at a Pret A Manger that was next door to the sponsored AT&T fortress, so that we could play there for an hour or so.  The tea I ordered wasn't available, so they compensated by giving me something free from their baked goods case to go with the peppermint tea, my second choice.  I chose the Double Chocolate Pecan cookie that Jenn and I were eyeing, but we refrained from eating everything we had bought in the last hour.

Bananaman with our goodies

When we returned to the hotel, we figured out that the hallway switch must also be needed for the mini bar, but we don't know why the hotel clerk didn't know to give those instructions to us.  Voila!  There was the water.  Only one bottle of the free kind, though.  So Jenn called for another bottle, as well as a 2nd robe and slippers.  I don't understand why hotels don't just have 2 at the ready.  I guess it's so that we can tip the staff.  Whatevs.

Jenn's friend Pauline contacted her and we decided to meet for dinner at a Japanese restaurant nearby called Soba Totto.  We ordered edamame, all kinds of yakitori, and I also ordered an eel roll.  They didn't have a couple of the menu items listed, but there was such a wide variety of meats that we didn't mind much.  I enjoyed my Totto Old-Fashioned, made with Ume Whiskey, Japanese Whiskey, Cane Sugar, and Mole bitters.  

My favorite dishes:

Hohate Bacon:
Bacon-wrapped Scallops

Shishi Tsuku:
Japanese peppers stuffed with chicken

Negima Miso:
Miso marinated chicken thigh and scallions

For dessert, we ordered a  Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake with Black Sesame ice cream.  I've been wanting to try a Mille Crepe cake ever since the Lady M bakery first opened at my mall.  It was delicious!  We also enjoyed the ice cream.  All of us were curious about the flavor, and none of us were disappointed.  It had a nutty flavor, not too sweet, and the cake wasn't too sweet either, so we were quite pleased with our dessert choice.

Presentation view

Back view of cake so you can see the many layers

Our dinner was great, the conversation funny and engaging, and I learned lots of stuff like a family superstition and what "microblading" is in the world of eyebrow design.  Note to self: Do NOT subject yourself to this particular type of torture.  Go get another tattoo on your body instead.

Bananaman and his three Filipina dinner companions

Pauline needed to wait for her husband to pick her up, so we chilled at the hotel for a while.  We had told her that we could see the Empire State Building from our room, so she looked out the window. She asked where it was.  We pointed at the building with which Bananaman took the above picture.  She laughed and told us that was the Chrysler Building.  OH.  Then we saw the photo of the Chrysler on our wall, and I pointed at it and realized that it still wasn't the Empire State Building.  Ohhhhh.  We laughed and laughed. So, um, King Kong didn't ever climb this building.  It was the other one.  I immediately edited my caption on Instagram to delete #lookingforKingKong.  Then Pauline suggested it was OK because we still hadn't found him.  Eh, I left it without the hashtag so that I wouldn't get too many crazy comments.  Yet, here I am, sharing my ignorance with you.  BTW, the Chrysler was considered to be the building to be used by the filmmakers, but then the Empire State was built, and history was made.  We said our goodbyes to Pauline, and I do hope to see her again someday.  She's fun!

Jenn and I were still awake at midnight, even though we were tired from waking up so early in the morning.  We finally fell asleep while watching "Ancient Aliens", happy and full of yumminess.

Next up:  PELLA!!!

DLR LotD 01/01/2020

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

"Nothing.  I just want to be here." -- Sherry, to Cindy, in Batuu

DLR LotD 12/31/19

Disneyland Resort

Line of the Day

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

"Ask me later." -- Andrew, to Mersha, when asked if he believed in deja vu, at Catal

Happy New Year, everyone!