A Child Of Atom

The MTA strike looms. If they walk out tomorrow... well, let's just say that I'm happy I bought a Scrabble board before the family arrived.

Today I had two events that drove what the family could possibly get up to: a meeting in Chinatown, and a Mystery Date that I had planned with my mom months ago.

Luckily enough Chinatown was one of the places that the family wanted to see, so I lucked out. After a lunch at the apartment we headed out for a walk through the crowded streets. Mott Street, Mulberry Street, Grand and Broome, it was fun to show off some of the widely varied ethnic culture of my home. We finished off the afternoon with a visit to Pearl River.

After my meeting we had intended to grab a little dinner in Chinatown, but the meeting ran long, and time ran short so instead we grabbed something quick at a deli in midtown.

I wrapped my evening with the event that spurred this whole trip. Months ago I asked my mom to come and see me in the city. I had a plan in mind, but wouldn't tell her exactly why, or what the event was that I wanted to share with her. She had never seen a Broadway show, something that I feel everyone should do, so when her favorite book (and movie) The Color Purple was adapted to stage, I knew that it had to be her first show. Being in South Carolina I doubted that she would hear much, if anything, about the show, so I had hoped that it would be a total surprise. I underestimated the Oprah Media Machine a bit, and she had figured it out by the time we arrived, but it was still a wonderful evening. She greatly enjoyed the show, we both cried our way through the second act. I think it was a great first Broadway experience for her. (You can catch my full review of the show here.) I loved experiencing it alongside her.

After the show we made our way home through the impending snow and and the already falling icy rain, dreading the idea of walking anywhere in this tomorrow. As of this writing the trains and buses are still running, but the negotiations are still going on. It remains to be seen exactly how much of a New York experience my family will receive.