Team Leip Travels

1 May 2022 NYC: Leslie's Birthday Tea at the Plaza

Since we were going to see the play "Plaza Suite" we felt that tea at the Plaza was the way to start our day. The 5 Boro Bike Race going down 5th Ave. Lots of bikes accompanied us on our delightful stroll. The tea was something special. The staff, the green tea, the tasty bites were all superb. Kayin, in particular, made our experience special. A four macaroon tin and a tiny candle was Leslie's gift from the Plaza. The treats that came with the tea were evenly divided, Leslie ate the sweets and I had the savory. The people watching was at the highest level. From a mysterious blonde girl that may have been twins, to ZZ Top types at the bar, to perpetually posing instagrammers; the mixture of people was exhilarating. We walked out to bright sunlight and mid 60's. So off to Central Park we go. We took the high path. We took the low path. We went to the Chess and Checker House, the Carriage House. We saw Redbuds, Japanese Cherry trees, Dogwoods, and more. We found the dog area and stood there enthralled by all the dog action. At one point 8 different dogs converged on Leslie. One of these was a black lab with a party hat on! Everybody celebrated Leslie's birthday.

Venus de Yolo

All five boros on bikes

Plaza prepare yourself...

Old time opulence

Gorgeous ceiling

Instagrammers posing behind the birthday girl

Tea and treats

Panorama of the Palm Court

Kayin is a bright young man

Odd light fixtures at the Plaza

Lilly of the Park

So many flower beds

Chess Time

Pine Cone to kings 6

Alternative chess

Two big horses in one big park

He had a great mustache but his accent was so thick I'm not really sure what he said about it. The one going I got for sure us that he had been growing it since 1975

Carriage House

Getting married!

Romance is in the air

Hot stuff!!!

The Redbud and the Cherry tree

A bit of a mess

30 April 2022 NYC: Danji Dinner

A Korean Tapas Bar sparked our interest immediately, so we booked a table for 5 PM. We ordered the tasting menu and got a wide variety is tasty bits. We did not know what to expect but once we were seated and we got a peek at the menu, we were excited for this experience. The menu is located in a drawer on our table which was a first for us. The food came out fast and furious. Spicy chicken wings, fried tofu, black cod, three kinds of kim chee and more. Whew, we needed to walk off this meal. So off to Bryant Park. The blooms were everywhere in the park. We saw another wedding party getting photos taken.

The menu in a drawer

Our feast

Unfiltered beer in a ceramic mug that looks like a solo cup

Racks of spoons

Fried Tofu

A Scallion and shrimp pancake

Three kinds of kim chee...sample with care

Funky decorative masks

Some blemishes

Sassy beard

A good time was had by all

Setting sun on the Empire State Building

Lost balloons

Getting hitched

Ride the frog

We did not take a ride...this time

The fading light and falling temperature means we are heading back for some warm tea

30 April 2022 NYC: Brunch and a Matinee

We slept in as our brunch reservation was not till 10:30. Cafe Un Deux Trois was just around the corner and it was a cute French themed restaurant. We had a delightful brunch and then it was a leisurely stroll to our matinee show "Tina", a biop about Tina Turner. Since this was a matinee, the Tony winning star was never scheduled to perform but the back up actor could not perform either. So the understudy of the understudy was performing her heart out. Some audio issues made it hard to hear her in a few songs but the role is so demanding that we still enjoyed her performance. The singing, dancing and the story were all engaging.

A leisurely brunch

So very French

New York fashion is in bloom

Tulips everywhere

Big man little man

Bravo to the landscaping team

Hi!

Blooms! What a great time of year to be in NYC

High Energy!

Let the show begin...

29 May 2022 New York City

We are taking one last trip to NYC before we become migratory. There are Broadway shows that we purchased tickets for back in 2019. The original date of these shows was May 2020 but with Covid rescheduling and such we are finally here. We have four shows to see, one birthday to celebrate and one great city to say "auf weider sehen" to. Until we meet again, that is for our non German speakers. It started out a bit rocky as the Ft Lauderdale air show was in town and it ate up the airspace. So we had to sit on the runway for over an hour! Grr to that. Our arrival was still early enough that we could make it to Butter, our choice for dinner before the show. The highlight of Butter was the veal bacon in spicy sauce, a delight. The roasted chicken was enough for two and very tasty too. From there we went to our first show, Funny Girl. We were a bit disappointed when we saw that both lead parts were to be played by understudies. No worries though as both actors really nailed their parts. As we learned through intermission eavesdropping, the Fanny Brice character's extended family converged on New York to see her debut in this role. There were 10 or so family members scattered around the audience. Our best quote came from her brother. He said, "I knew she could sing but now I know she can SING!" A great start for this trip.