My Trip to NYC for BlogHer '15 - Part 1

I'm finally starting to come down from the weekend high from BlogHer.  I'm back to laundry and cooking and Legos, and I'm loving it.  No, really -- I am.  I love New York, but it's so fast-paced that I was struggling to keep up.  (I know what some of you might be thinking... that life with a 5-year-old is also go-go-go, and it is, but it's a different kind of fast-paced!)

I left last Thursday after lunchtime and took a bus into Port Authority.  The BlogHer Conference had some pre-conference events Thursday night, but I decided that since I would be there all day for the next two days, I was going to see a Broadway show instead.  (I am obsessed with Broadway shows and I don't get there enough!)

I was staying with my friend Amanda, but she lives uptown and I wanted to get to the TKTS booth in Times Square to get a discount ticket for one of the shows that night, so I lugged my suitcase and bags and waited in line about 45 minutes until the booth opened.

There are so many shows I want to see, so trying to decide which show was so hard.  I talked to some people in line and asked some of the workers there for recommendations.  Although I still really want to see "Kinky Boots" and the Carole King show called "Beautiful," I decided on "Finding Neverland" because I had only heard good things about it.  It's the story about the writer of "Peter Pan" and how he got his inspiration for it.  Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammar starred in its opening shows, but, unfortunately, Kelsey Grammar's run was over.  However, I am a huge Matthew Morrison fan and I've never seen him live, so "Finding Neverland" it was.

Then I cabbed it up to my friend's apartment to unload and relax a little.  Amanda was still at work and had a dinner cruise that night with friends, so I was on my own for dinner and the show.  I didn't mind, though!  I don't get many chances to be alone, so I was taking full advantage.

I grabbed an awesome salad from this little cafe on the corner of her block.  It was huge and delicious, and it was exactly what I needed before my weekend of eating began... ha!

From there, I changed into my "theatre attire" - aka my maxi dress - and headed to the theatre district.

Traffic SUCKED and my cab driver needed some driving lessons... but I got there with time to spare. (One of my biggest pet peeves is being late!)

I ended up with a great seat about 15 rows away from the stage.  The theatre was absolutely beautiful, and I just love soaking in the theatre atmosphere.

I figured an adult beverage would only help with that, so I beelined it to the bar and grabbed a cranberry/vodka.

I can't say enough good things about this show.  Everything from the music to the acting to the dancing was so, so good, and I am always in awe of how magnificent the performers are.  The story was truly incredible, and I shed a few tears at times because I get sucked into the magic of it all.

After the show, I had some time to kill before I met up with Amanda from her cruise, so I did what any theatre junkie does -- I waited by the stage door to meet some of the performers.  Duh.  Of course I wanted to see Matthew Morrison the most, and I had heard that he signs after the show, though I figured he'd probably be the last one out (and he was).

Here's the guy who played the role that Kelsey Grammar had.  He sort of reminded me of him with his voice, the way he carried himself, etc.

One of the dancers who knocked it out of the park!  She was so cute and friendly.

This next woman played one of the lead characters.  She looked so much older on stage!  She was beautiful and kind when meeting all of us.

This is the main female lead.  She had previously played Mary Poppins on Broadway, and I could see how perfect she is for that role.  She is petite, has a British accent, and was an absolute sweetheart!  She took the time to really talk to audience members and was so grateful for all of the support.

And then there's this guy that some of you may know as Mr. Schuester from "Glee."  He didn't seem overly excited to be out there signing and taking pictures, but he did it.  He just seemed a bit subdued, but perhaps he was just exhausted and wanted to get home.  I'm going to chalk it up to that because I like him and hope that he's a super nice person in real life.  PS and by the way -- he has great hair.

I got lots of autographs and had a great time being a theatre dork!

Once I met up with Amanda, we decided to grab a quick drink in Times Square because, you know, when in Rome...

Then we headed back to her apartment and grabbed a slice of pizza on the way.  I had to be up about four hours later, which was not fun, but all in all it was an awesome day.

I'll recap Part 2 tomorrow once I actually arrived at the BlogHer Conference.  Hope you have a great Tuesday!