Broadway Bliss and Big City Blunders

New York, New York

The year is 2007. My cousin and I were on a road trip from Charlotte, North Carolina to Detroit, Michigan, taking the long way through New York City. (For those unfamiliar with American geography, that is way out of the way!) From Charlotte, we headed to the Atlantic coast and drove northward, with a stopping point in New York City. I had never been there before and was excited about seeing all the famous sites!

My cousin is very resourceful and found last-minute tickets to Rent, near the front, in the center of the theater, using a coupon code, so we could actually afford to see Broadway. To make things even better, two of the actors were Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (aka Mark and Roger from the motion picture)!

In addition to this show, we saw an opportunity to see a taping of David Letterman. We hadn’t done any research into the process and ended up spending most of the day at or near the studio. It was fun to see the production and process, but it’s something I don’t plan on doing again. First, you wait in line to be interviewed. Then, you have to wait to find out if you’ve been selected to be audience members. Finally, you get to wait in line to be seated and watch the taping—all during the day, even though the show itself doesn’t play until late night.

Major lesson learned on this trip is DO NOT DRIVE into the city. My knuckles were clenched and white by the time we got to the hotel (which we got on Hotwire for low cost…) and paid for valet. Yes, we were so frugal on everything else, but paid a ridiculous fee to avoid driving another moment in the city. They have perfectly suitable public transportation, especially nowadays, and I highly recommend using any other method of transportation when you are going to Manhattan.

Bar Stool Talk: Have you ever taken a road trip that included a detour to a place you'd always wanted to visit? Share your story, including any memorable experiences and valuable lessons learned. Did the detour live up to your expectations?