Guest Blog: Hadestown, Rocky Horror, and a Subway Nightmare in NYC

Tuesday was Hadestown Day. Before the show, we went over to the East Village, which had some cool shops and a lot of Ukrainian restaurants. That’s what’s so cool about NYC… all of these different sects of cultures have their own little neighborhoods, and you can do a mini tour of the world just by stopping in all of these places.

We went to a couple of “thrift shops” in the area. I put quotations there because when I think of thrifting, I think about low-cost items, and maybe that’s on me because these places were crazy expensive. Also, for some reason in those shops the staff follows you around like you’re a thief, so it’s not very welcoming either.

Had a quick lunch at a Ukrainian place called Veselka, highly recommend. Food was banging, and the staff was so sweet.

Seeing “Hadestown” on Broadway

Then it was Hadestown time. This show has a lot of hype around it. We again knew nothing about the show going in.

The first thing I noticed was that the stage was just a circle. They essentially only used that area for the entire show, albeit there were some moving parts to it, which was really cool. I loved that the musicians were on the stage and a part of it as well.

The show was good, not my favorite, but that’s not a diss on the show; it just had a lot to compete with. (Jacki note: I saw this show last year and LOVED IT. My experience was different; I did not go in blind. I went in eyes wide open and kind of obsessed. I also had a different cast than Sam did, so that probably made a difference. The end of this show DEVASTATED me.)

Discovering an Unexpected Pop-Punk Brewery

Wednesday was our last full day. We spent some time in Jersey City. My husband had wanted to go to this brewery called Departed Soles, so we popped in.

I had not realized that this was the brewery that does a lot of pop-punk/emo collabs with a lot of bands I like! They had a lot of cool merch, and the bartender was super cool and chatted us up a bit. We both took home a couple pieces of merchandise.

“The Rocky Horror Show” at Studio 54

Fast forward to that evening and we were on our way to Studio 54 where “The Rocky Horror Show” was being performed.

I was definitely skeptical about Luke Evans being Dr. Frank-N-Furter, but as soon as those doors opened and he started in with “Sweet Transvestite” I knew the role was in good hands. He ate that stage the fuck up.

I almost forgot, when we were being seated, an older woman was being ushered to her seat that happened to be right next to us. Turns out that she was the music director’s mom! She was so sweet and beaming with pride watching her daughter direct.

All in all, fantastic show, and if you haven’t seen it, you can get a little preview as they performed on Jimmy Fallon’s show not long ago.

We left the theater riding the high from the show, all smiles and still singing the songs as we weaved in and out of pedestrians to get to the subway.

My Worst NYC Travel Nightmare Comes True

Travis was in front of me going down the stairs to the platform when he yelled, “Oh shit, let’s jump on!” because the train was there, but it was about to leave.

We both started jogging towards the doors as they started to close. Then, like the Hulk, my husband grabbed the subway doors and pried them apart and took one step in, and the doors immediately shut behind him.

The train started to move, and Travis finally turned around and saw that I didn’t make it on the train.

I had literal nightmares of this scenario happening, and I was almost in the clear, but it happened; it happened on the very last night of our stay in NYC. Up until then, we had navigated the public transit fairly well with a few missteps here and there, but nothing crazy. (Jacki note: this also happened to me on my last day on my last trip. Well, kind of. I was on the Subway, alone, and I missed my stop. I was proud of myself for not panicking, getting off at the next stop and taking a train in the other direction to get where I was going. The Subway can feel overwhelming, but it’s a system, and you just gotta work with it.)

It was probably almost midnight in the NYC subway tunnels, and I was left standing on the platform alone. I tried not to look like I was panicking so that I didn’t make myself a target.

I slowly walked back to the Alice and Wonderland Tea Party tiled mosaic wall and pulled out my phone. I figured I would try to text Travis; who knows, maybe it would go through.

I looked up at the sign and saw the next train was coming in 4 mins.

The text was basically asking what he thought the best course of action was. I could get on the next train, and we could both meet at our final destination at the World Trade Center station and link back up there, or he could get off at the next stop, and I could either walk to him, or he could walk to me.

Turns out, he had just gotten off at the next stop. We decided since the next train was only 4 mins away that we would wait and I would get on at my stop and he would board at the stop he was currently at and we would meet up at the WTC station.

So, there I was. An anxiety-filled, socially awkward, and paranoid newly 40-year-old woman not familiar with the city, riding the subway alone.

What NYC Taught Me About Turning 40

Looking back, I feel like I normally I would have had at least a mild freakout or panic attack, but I had this weird calmness about me.

And honestly, after surviving Times Square crowds, miles of walking, and being left behind on the subway after Rocky Horror, I feel pretty confident I can survive my 40s too.

“The ending’s not the most important part” – From Maybe Happy Ending

Jacki note: Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with me (and my readers). I’d go to the Big Apple with you any day! You are welcome back to blog anytime!