My friend was creating a Thanksgiving masterpiece to take to her neighbours for Thanksgiving the next day, so I decided I wanted to contribute. My mom’s lemon meringue recipe is quite simple, but always a hit, so I decided to make that to take.

Cooking at home and cooking in someone else’s kitchen is always a little different. But after a survey of what my friend had on hand, I decided a trip to the grocery store was in order. I got directions to the nearest supermarket, but I wasn’t prepared for what I would find…this store was on two levels with the top level having mainly deli type offerings and the downstairs was a more typical grocery store. But, there was an escalator for the carts in between the up and down escalators! I found this much more exciting that I probably should have, but it was really pretty cool! I also was able to get the lemons I needed for the dessert at a street vendor, which was definitely a new experience for me.

The grocery store prices were similar to prices at home, but with the difference in the dollar, things are quite expensive.

When I got back to the apartment, I made the meringue and left it in the oven to dry.  I made it a different shape than the circle I usually make, because the selection of bakeware was different than home. I would make the filling later and put it together before the dinner.

Learning about the different parts of this enormous city is a bit confusing, but we headed out on the subway, to what I discovered was Midtown.

On the way to the subway we walked down 125^th Street in Harlem. My friend has been involved in community beautification activities, one of which was the street art in this part of Harlem. What an incredible way to highlight the art of the cultural community!

Many of the subway stations also have beautiful tile mosaic art on the walls. Some seems to have been there for years and some seems to be more recent. We left the subway and walked into what some in the past have called the glowing heartbeat of NYC; I was in total awe. The bustle and the bright lights were as intriguing to me as they would have been to 7-year-old me! Interestingly enough, Times Square wasn’t even on my list. I knew I would likely be there because of how I understood the proximity to Broadway, but I wasn’t intentionally planning to see Times Square.

Interestingly, I spoke with our school’s RCMP liaison officer the day before I left, when he called me about an incident at school, and he said I had to see Times Square. He also told me, I had to see it at night. At this point, I was familiar enough with the area to realize that when I left the show I planned to see that night, I would be right there, before heading home on the subway.

I wandered like an owl, with my head turning every way, hoping to take in all the sights. And I did notice quickly, Carlos Bakery, which was on my daughter’s list of things for me to see. So, we had to head there and have a little treat. I got an individual sized Strawberry Cheesecake, which was delightful and my friend had a fruit (something) de leche, which was also outstanding. I noticed pens with the famous rainbow cake slices on top at the cash, and had to pick them up for the granddaughters. We sat outside and ate, in an area with little red metal tables and chairs. There were also food trucks in that area and we were right beside a US Armed Forces recruitment office, that was in a trailer.  My friend told me that it is the busiest recruitment office in the USA, because many people who decide they want to enlist will travel to Times Square to enlist there.

It was time for me to head to my very first Broadway Musical, Hamilton, at Richard Roger’s Theatre. My friend’s late husband designed the lighting for this show, so I had to have my photo taken with the playbill where we could see his name. Just entering this theatre is an experience in itself. It is a beautiful old building with the individual balconies up the sides of the stage. I have seen pictures of theatres like this before and they are often in the movies, but it was incredible.

Hamilton was truly an experience. The show was fast moving, to the point that I found some of the lyrics were going faster than I could think!  The production was amazing; lighting, music, dancing, acting and the set were all spectacular and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I made sure to purchase a frosty beverage during the intermission to enjoy, but mainly to have the souvenir cup!

My friend met me after the show and we spent some more time in Times Square before wandering a couple of blocks over to Bryant Park. Bryant Park is home to an ice-skating rink this time of year, along with a beautiful Christmas Market. We watched the people skating and wondered through some of the booths of the market, but we didn’t have a lot of time, because we had a dinner reservation for 5 pm.

The restaurant, Lattanzi, was on Restaurant Row in a beautiful old brick building. You walked down a few steps into the restaurant to go in. The walls were brick and the hanging lights had white fabric hanging over them, which was quaint, but a little unusual. We decided to share a salad to start which was arugula and pear. It had thin sheets of Parmesan covering the top of it in a tentlike design. It was a very unusual looking presentation; not beautiful, but unique! It had plum tomatoes and a light oil dressing, and it tasted delicate and beautiful.

Salmon was my main course selection. It was accompanied with bean and onions, potatoes and cabbage, I think. Another beautiful tasting menu item, but again, the presentation was not at all what I would have expected. My friend had a homemade pasta dish, Fettuccine al Ragu (Beef Ragout).

Dessert was a delightful chocolate ice cream for me with delicate flakes of chocolate and a whipped cream topping. For my friend, a Napoleon.

Just down the street was the Minscoff Theatre, where I was headed to see the Lion King after our meal. Before heading there, we reviewed the subway, to make sure I knew how to get home!

This theatre was much newer and not nearly as intricate, but it had a massive set of steps once you walk in, which led to a huge wall of windows, looking out onto the bright lights of Times Square.

The Lion King was a spectacle. I love the music anyway, and the costumes were unbelievable and many of them were huge. The animals enter the theatre down the isles so you really get the perspective at the beginning. Again, I had to get the frosty drink to have the souvenir cup!

After the show was over, Times Square was beaconing me. There is a big set of stairs at one end of Times Square, which are red and lead to nowhere. I had to go nowhere!  I ventured up to the top of the staircase, dodging couples and groups of people soaking in the sights and sounds of the Square. I was truly fascinated by this spot!

After some time taking in everything I could, I headed home on the subway by myself. Then spent some time catching up with my beautiful friend…and stayed up too late!  Another incredible day of adventure in this amazing city!