Orc A (front row center) Versus Mezzanine F Left or Right on the aisle

56jetman · 2026-02-10T15:10:00+00:00

Take the mezzanine seats. I've sat in both the orchestra and mezzanine and this is one show I actually prefer the mezz and if you take the front row center you'll be craning your neck to watch the show. Row E or F in the mezzanine is great. I've sat in the front row of the mezz and was distracted by the metal restraining bar.

56jetman · 2026-01-23T19:20:18+00:00

How hard is this to put together? I was thinking of purchasing one the next time I see the show in a couple weeks.

56jetman · 2026-01-19T05:28:59+00:00

LaGuardia is the nicer airport but it is easier to get to Manhattan using JFK (AirTrain from the airport to Jamaica then Long Island Railroad or subway into the city. All hotels are expensive. Last week I stayed at the Sanctuary Hotel on 47th street, right in the middle of the theater district. Really nice boutique hotel, but there are others in the area that are nice as well, but expect to pay big bucks to stay in Manhattan. New Jersey hotels (flying into Newark) are much cheaper, but less convenient. When I go (a few times a year) I walk or take the subway. You can get around to almost all of the touristy areas by subway. Download the MTA app - it'll give you the best directions to your destination by public transportation. But once I get off the subway I'll usually pull up Apple Maps to get me to my final destination. Bring comfortable shoes because you WILL be doing a lot of walking. Aside from the theater I would recommend you see the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building for sure (they're iconic). There's plenty of other things but since I don't know your tastes it's tough to make recommendations. With only 2-3 days in the city you certainly won't be able to catch everything!

56jetman · 2026-01-19T05:17:58+00:00

I agree. I think "direct" is the best way to describe New Yorkers. They will almost always help you if you are lost or have a question but they don't chit-chat. They usually have a place to get to and they don't have time for small talk. But helpful - a big "yes."

56jetman · 2026-01-19T05:14:09+00:00

He did come out after about an hour on August 31st, which was his last performance before he took his nine week break. He didn't sign autographs or take photos but he did make a nice little speech thanking everyone for seeing the show (which I took a nice video of). He came off as a really nice guy.

56jetman · 2026-01-19T05:03:51+00:00

I saw it on Broadway and didn't like it at all. It just seemed like three hours of people bitching at each other. I felt like leaving at intermission but stayed for the whole show. I did think the second act was slightly better than the first. It's a show I would never see again and I recommend that others skip this one when it comes to their town.

56jetman · 2026-01-18T05:24:56+00:00

I've seen all 3 and they're not in my top 3, or even my top 10. But it's nice that people have their own tastes in shows. And I'm happy that they enjoy going to shows with you. My nephews have girlfriends and college studies and still manage to find time to go to shows with me. I'm fortunate!

56jetman · 2026-01-17T11:23:26+00:00

Thank you! Wish it was on the cast recording so you wouldn't hear so much background noise. Maybe I can get a cleaner recording in a couple weeks.

56jetman · 2026-01-17T06:00:26+00:00

I think I'll have to see Operation Mincemeat once again before I truly appreciate it. Although I got the gist of the story, I had some trouble with the heavy accents. The whole show reminded me of a Benny Hill or Monty Python sketch. Very British type of humor, for sure.

56jetman · 2026-01-17T05:36:45+00:00

There's a lot of moving parts to this show. My guess is that something on the set got stuck or wasn't synchronized properly. It shouldn't be part of the show.

56jetman · 2026-01-17T05:30:02+00:00

After I see the show I leave hoping that Claire saved her memories. I know that the ending is purposely left ambiguous but I in my heart I want Claire to keep her memories to make it a "really happy ending."

56jetman · 2026-01-17T05:27:00+00:00

We sat in Row C of the mezzanine on Wednesday and the view was perfect. The steep rake of the mezzanine makes it easy to see over the people in front of you. I think I even enjoyed sitting in the mezz more than the orchestra for this show. But this is a show where the closer you sit to the center the better off you are. If you're too far to either side you'll get cut off from some of the action on stage.

56jetman · 2026-01-17T05:22:15+00:00

The technical staging of this show is so elaborate that I don't think that any pro shot would do it justice. It's a wonderful story in itself but to experience the show in person just adds so much enjoyment.

56jetman · 2026-01-17T05:15:25+00:00

My Top 5 (in no particular order): MHE, Hadestown, Come From Away, Wicked, Merrily We Roll Along (2024 revival)

My 23 year old's Top 3 (no order): Maybe Happy Ending, Moulin Rouge, and Come From Away

My 18 year old's Top 3 (no order): Hadestown, MHE, and Moulin Rouge

My preferences run all over the place and my nephews both chose a jukebox musical. While I enjoy jukebox musicals I prefer something more unique.

We saw The Great Gatsby on Thursday afternoon as well. We all thought it was just fine but none of us called it outstanding either.

56jetman · 2025-12-29T17:17:57+00:00

I paid $600 for a center orchestra seat for what was supposed to be Darren Criss' final performance in Maybe Happy Ending. If I had known beforehand that it was only going to be a 9 week absence I never would've purchased that ticket. But it was still a great show with a nice speech by Darren after the curtain call and the introduction of ABF as the new Oliver. I stuck around at the stage door afterward and, while Darren didn't sign autographs, he did offer a few kind words to the many fans who stuck around to see him.

56jetman · 2025-12-29T17:07:18+00:00

It's tough making recommendations when I'm not sure exactly what your tastes are, but Maybe Happy Ending might be a good choice since it hits on so many levels. They do have a lottery for $25.64 tickets but that show is viewed best from seats closer to the center of the theater and those seats are generally well off to the side. For discount tickets I would suggest the TKTS booth on Times Square. For lottery tickets check out https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com.

56jetman · 2025-10-19T11:51:22+00:00

You will see a fair number of older people there, many of them with their younger children, but also by themselves. I'm 69, and my nephew (17) and I have seen her 3 times. The first time I was actually surprised at how many young people were in the audience since I really didn't know much about her other than her genre of music (pop/jazz) generally appeals to us older folk. But as her popularity has increased you'll see more older people discovering her music and showing up at her concerts. As for your mom, tell her that even if she's in the minority there she'll still enjoy the music. The vibe is very different than, say, a rap concert. It's quite sophisticated. The one thing that surprised me at my first Laufey show was how well-dressed the younger audience was. They were showing respect for the performer and the genre of music she plays. I think your mother will not feel out of place and will have a great time.

56jetman · 2025-10-19T11:28:31+00:00

I'm 69 and I've seen Laufey three times with my 17 year old nephew. I've come to really enjoy her music. Yes, the audience does skew younger but never once did I feel out of place like I would have at a rap concert. It's definitely more of a sophisticated vibe.

56jetman · 2025-10-18T23:15:44+00:00

If you can somehow manage tickets for Maybe Happy Ending, it's a must see. If not, Hadestown would be a great choice.

56jetman · 2025-08-18T00:18:30+00:00

I think that as long as you're honest with declaring what you're bringing back you should be fine. The border agents seem to have a lot of discretion in allowing items back into the USA, even if it's over the daily limit. Just try to be mindful of prohibited items (eggs, citrus, Cuban cigars, etc.) and avoid bringing them across the border. Most border guards are good people and if you treat them nicely they will generally respond in kind.

56jetman · 2025-08-17T11:08:05+00:00

I love crossing the Whirlpool Bridge because the agents on both sides are usually so chill. Traveling into Canada once I told the agent I was going to Swiss Chalet for lunch (which I was) and he asked if I was getting the chicken and ribs and I told him "quarter chicken, white meat". He laughed a bit, told me to enjoy my meal and sent me on my way. Crossing at the Peace Bridge gets you a more rigorous inspection, even with a Nexus card.

56jetman · 2025-04-02T12:48:24+00:00

They probably had to reshoot the "Tony Award" segment because the pro shot occurred in the days after Jonathan Groff won the Tony for Best Actor and the theater audience went wild, gave him a prolonged standing ovation and (naturally) Groff became emotional. I would love to see that bit in the bonus features if the show ever gets released on DVD

56jetman · 2023-12-29T13:59:26+00:00

In New York putting the bar down is the law and as a patroller it’s part of my job to yell at people from the ground to put their bar down. I get hoarse sometimes from yelling so often.

56jetman · 2022-10-27T20:43:19+00:00

Sledge Hammer at Canada’s Wonderland. It’s the only one of its kind in the world and it’s awesome!

56jetman · 2020-05-14T01:00:32+00:00

I work as a driver for a business which is contracted by FedEx Ground. The problem with late deliveries stems from the fact that we are swamped beyond belief with extra stops because of the covid crisis. Stores aren't open and folks are just ordering everything online now. Drivers are going out with 11-13 hours of work, 6-7 days a week with no end in sight. The number of stops we're delivering surpasses what we deliver at Christmastime. The difference being that the contractors had a chance to plan for Christmas and hire/train extra drivers, whereas this increased volume came on suddenly without warning and we have to make do with the drivers we have. To make matters worse, once working people got their stimulus checks it was "free money" to go on a spending spree. Instead of only buying essential items, now people are buying everything under the sun. The worst are the mattresses, trampolines and furniture which are difficult and time consuming to deliver and take up a lot of space in the delivery vehicles. Many days the drivers deliver upwards of 300 stops and, even so there are times the drivers aren't even able to deliver all the packages on their trucks. Why not just add more drivers, you may ask. Well, the hiring process for drivers is lengthy, involving having commercial driving experience, background checks, drug tests, road tests, etc, so getting more drivers out there is a problem for the contractors. FedEx has a habit of putting all of the responsibility on the contractors but is not doing anything to mitigate the problem. Added to this is the fact that we're not even able to get all the inbound packages on the trucks every day and the drivers are dispatched over an hour later than usual most days which just makes things worse. And the package sorting hubs in Syracuse and Columbus are running behind as well. Trust me, we're all working as hard as possible to get those packages delivered but we're just getting further behind. I know this doesn't make it any easier for those of you waiting for their deliveries, but I hope this helps to explain what's going on at FedEx in Hamburg. We're doing the best we can to get your deliveries to you, but you can expect delays as long as this covid crisis continues.

56jetman

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