Different Kind of Love

Valentines Day, this year, did not lack flowers. I forget how amazing my friends are sometimes and I was reminded last Friday when I unexpectedly received a rose from my good friend Elen. I loved the gesture and it was so sweet to know that someone – even if it isn’t of the opposite gender – was thinking about me this past Valentines Day.

The actual day was filled with adventures in New York City. We had no definite plans of where to have brunch that Sunday morning, but my family and I wanted to at least try to see if Chinatown wasn’t too busy, being the Chinese New Year and all. The streets were not crowded. It was still around 10 o’clock so we didn’t really have a problem finding parking. But when we got to our usual place at Elizabeth Street, we knew without a doubt that it was busy. People poured out on the sidewalk, not having enough room in the restaurant to actually wait for a table. At the rate that people were coming in, the hostess wasn’t even giving anyone anymore numbers. She simply warned everyone about the two hour wait. Two hours?? From the doors of the restaurant, I could already hear the drums pounding and the festivities from deep inside the restaurant. It sounded like a blast, but we were all starving and we had a two o’clock appointment to make.

For me, chicken and waffles is just as good as dim sum. I love the contrasting flavors of the two; the crunch of the fried chicken and the butter and maple syrup smothered onto the waffle made just right. I haven’t been able to explore the city (specifically Harlem) to find the best place for chicken and waffles, and I was determined to find a place… In the end, we ended up going somewhere else along the way to midtown – Big Daddy’s near Union Square.

After a hearty brunch, we finally went midtown near the Winter Garden Theater to see Mamma Mia! Parking was a nightmare, and we ended up going to a garage, but we didn’t have a choice since the show was about to start, and after half an hour of driving through New York, we knew we wouldn’t have much luck if we kept trying.

Ever since seeing the movie, I had been wanting to go see the show for myself. Seeing Mamma Mia was a different Broadway experience for me entirely. For the first time, (not counting the two other times I had seen Equus and the numerous repeats of Fuerza Bruta, of course) I knew what to expect from the show. I knew the story line, most of the songs, and all the characters. I couldn’t help but comparing the show to the movie, and I thought it was really distracting. I couldn’t judge the show fairly because I already had expectations for it. But did I enjoy myself? Of course I did. But I knew that this wasn’t the best show I’ve seen on Broadway. Furthermore, I have to say that I absolutely love Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep in the movie version a tad more than the Broadway actresses, and that Pierce Brosnan, can’t even compare to the actor who played Sam in the show. The set was absolutely genius and I loved seeing the pieces move around on the stage. The end was a hit, in my opinion, just watching the actors and actresses dance key numbers from the show. I have to say that it was my favorite part out of the whole show.

To end the busy day, we headed uptown to the Shake Shack. Yummy burgers and yummy shakes. There’s nothing better than ending a day with delicious fast food.