Oberlin

Let's just say my last week of classes was heinous. Daydreaming that in just a few days I would be roaming the streets of the "Big Apple" was the only thing that drove me to the end of the week without a nervous breakdown.

I hopped in my car, sped at 90 for two hours to my hometown of Detroit, crashed on my couch, and woke up at 6:30 the next morning smiling ear to ear, ready to catch my 8:40 flight. Droopily my smile melted into a Dali-esque painting, heart pounding a million beats per second as I stood in the security line--the most monstrous security line I've ever had to face in my life. You know when when you're stuck at a railway crossing, the train is dead stopped, and when it finally begins to move it drags 30 more train cars behind it? Yeah, that. Missed my flight by 2 minutes. I could have bathed a pregnant hippo for three days with the river of tears that exploded from my eyes. BUT THEN, THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!

I got a seat on the next flight, and got upgraded to first class!

Arriving in the big city later than planned, I hopped a cab and bee-lined straight to the MET for Verdi's Aida (which I had yet to buy tickets for). Grabbed two standing-room tickets for both Aida and the controversial new Tosca that night. Draped over the velveteen stand at the very back of the Family Circle's standing room, perched upon our necessities for the weekend, my friend Corey and I stood starved, delirious and zombie-like through two hours of Aida. At the third intermission THE TUNNEL GETS A LITTLE BRIGHTER.

"Do you guys want some seats?" Suddenly we found ourselves standing at attention with bags in arms. We scrambled to the seats. Cheryl, our new fast friend, not only gave us seats but two granola bars (which were an explosion of orgasmic yummyness), great wishes for our careers, and just before we took off, handed us a Ghiardelli chocolate as she sent us on our way.

Schlepping our necessities across Central Park, 5th Avenue and Madison, we finally arrived at our savior's apartment to drop our things off before we went to dinner. LIGHTS UP IN THE TUNNEL!

Homemade traditional-style Italian dinner prepared for free, for us, for our yearningly empty stomachs. Pasta with salt pork tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese made that day, aged and dried peppercorn mozzarella, pretzel bread, cucumbers, figs, you name it--it was there. And I thought that granola bar was orgasmic.

Controversial Tosca? Stay on the edge of your seats and check back later this week to read my review, "If only they had Tosca on the team!"

The next morning, for some reason unknown to womankind, Corey and our host Jeremiah decided that sleeping in and playing video games was a necessity for a two-day stay in NYC! AGH! By the time I dragged Corey out of the house, through the subway, and onto 42nd street I had already missed my chance at Broadway rush tickets. A woman on a mission, I darted from street corner to street corner, entering every Broadway theatre's ticket lobby-none with anything less than a $70 ticket. Head to chest in despair, I gloomily took my walk of shame past 45th street and arrived at what was my top show to get tickets for, Hair. Entered the ticket booth. IT WAS LIKE TIMES SQUARE HAD A POWER OUTAGE AND OUT OF NOWHERE ALL THE LIGHTS TURNED ON, SIMULTANEOUSLY BLINDING EVERYONE IN SIGHT! Three tickets left! "Shut up!" Three $25 tickets left! We swiped the tickets out of her hand for what local Hair fans call "dancing room" to the Tony Award's "Best Revival of a Musical" winner! A-mah-zing (as Sirius Broadway radio host Seth Rudetsky would say)!!!!!

Skipping down 45th street on the best high I've ever experienced, we found a crowd hastily haggling with a small man a purple shirt reading "valium is my favorite color" for raffle tickets to the new musical "Next to Normal." I jumped on the bandwagon and filled one out, forced Corey to do the same, and came back in a half-hour for the drawing. SAME THING ABOUT TIMES SQUARE, BUT ALL THE LIGHTS ARE BLINKING WITH BRAND NEW BULBS!

We won! And now we had two front-row, $25 tickets to the Tony Award-winning musical for "Best Actress" and "Best Score," Next to Normal. A-mah-zing!

In total, I watched two MET operas and two hit Broadway shows for less than $90.

So now that I have successfully and inappropriately used the opera theatre's blog to brag about my BRILLIANTLY BRIGHT TUNNEL, I'm going to give you an educational point to reflect on.

Moral of the Story: if you're going to NYC, don't plan ahead. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have luck on your side. :)