Arts and Entertainment

Visiting NYC can be costly so I welcome any way to save money. Hotels are especially expensive, but luckily we had points that allowed us to stay at the Holiday Inn Express Wall Street for free. The hotel had a great location but the rooms are small – very small. From the hotel we walked to South Street Seaport’s TKTS kiosk for half-price Broadway show tickets (the line is shorter than at the Times Square TKTS kiosk).

When I was 10, on my first trip to NYC, my parents took me to Radio City Music Hall. I was brought to tears when the organs came out the side walls and the orchestra rose up from the floor. To me it was magical. Radio City’s two Wurlitzer Organs are the only two of its kind in the world. Interestingly, the organ players crawl through a tiny door to get to their stools without being noticed.

The most exciting Kentucky Derby for those of us who live in Upstate New York was in 2003 when Funny Cide from Sackets Harbor “Ran for the Roses.” He was the first New York bred horse to win the Derby. After Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby the excitement continued when he went on to win the Preakness Stakes. Excitement reached a fever pitch when Funny Cide ran in the Belmont Stakes. A win at Belmont would mean Funny Cide would earn the coveted Triple Crown.

When I see the many articles listing the “Top Ten Beaches” it seemed to me that sooner later every great beach would make the list. So, I knew Ngapali Beach in Myanmar would be discovered. It finally made CNN’s list of “Best Beaches” in February 2016. John and I have been to Ngapali Beach nine times, staying each year at Amazing Resort. Ngapali Beach is truly a wonderful beach on the Bay of Bengal.