La Rondine (at the Met Opera)

Never did I think that I would sit in the 9th row (orchestra) of the Met Opera. And yet I did, thanks to Katie and the MetOpera weekend ticket draws. We went to see Puccini's "La Rondine" (which recently got a mention in NY Magazine's "Approval Matrix") and I gaped all the way through the first act. Opera has been one of those classical art forms that I have yet to fully embrace. And perhaps to my disservice, some of my first opera experiences involved 12.5 hours of Ring-series Wagner, sitting in the last possible row of the Met Opera House. So this time, when I got to engage not only musically but visually, with facial expressions and costumes and set details all accessible without the use of binoculars, well I can honestly say that I can understand why one might pay premium prices for those seats. Here's to more opera in my life.

CONSUMED: La Rondine; The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center; Upper West Side (Manhattan)

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Christmas tree street stalls

You know it's Christmas time in New York when the street vendors start selling trees. I actually don't mind that these tree stalls take up the majority of the sidewalk; it helps get me in the spirit of the season, especially when I refuse to go anywhere near retail shopping areas of the city. What I don't understand is who are the people that buy the large trees? No one I know (except for those lucky kids in the loft apartments) has the space for such enormous conifers. And surely not in Manhattan.

CONSUMED: Amsterdam Ave, between 80th and 81st; Upper West Side (Manhattan)