Travel-wise, this day was perfect. We went from our hotel in Connecticut to our hotel in Purchase, and it only took about 25 minutes. Scott, Kevin, George, and John left first (a Rockapella rarity), and Scott called me to tell me how cool the hotel was. So, Jeff, Fred, and I loaded up the car and went to Purchase. Scott was right. The Doral Arrowwood is a great place.
We checked in, and the lady at the front desk told us that our rooms were on the third floor, but we were currently standing on the fifth floor. In my morning haze, I was thinking, “OK, we came in at ground level, but somehow we got to the fifth floor. Did we go up any stairs? Elevators? Hm…” Then I realized that the northeast has something that we don’t have in west Texas. Hills. This place was enormous too. Jeff and I were walking to our rooms, through every twist and turn imaginable. It was like the New York campus of the Pentagon.
The three of us headed to a mall about five minutes away, and grabbed some lunch. Then, Jeff introduced me to the greatness that is the Apple store. I’ve always been a Windows user, but he was showing me all the cool stuff on the Macs. I’ll probably buy one, as soon as somebody slides me that $2000 check.
Then it was time to go to the theatre on the Purchase College campus. Fred went in, but the door locked behind him. I’m banging on the door, with no answer. So, I search through the lobby, backstage areas, and even underground tunnels for our theater. Turns out there are actually four theaters in that one building, and here I am, carrying my laptop bag, the merchandise bag, and a box full of t-shirts, searching in vain for any theater that has five mic stands and a platform in the middle of the stage.
Dinner was interesting too. Fred and I had been told there was a great little place on campus called The Hub. We walked around and around, trying to find the elusive Hub, as the chilly New York evening started to blow in. We ended up finding someplace that wasn’t even The Hub, but was full of college kids whooping it up. Totally made me miss college.
After the show, Jeff and Fred drove back to NYC, while the remaining five stayed at the hotel. The next morning, I’m driving Scott, Kevin, and myself to LaGuardia. We get wrapped up in conversations about fantasy football, Saturday Night Live and In Living Color, and end up missing our exit. None of us ever saw it. Fortunately, Scott knew how to get to LaGuardia from where we were, and I ended up driving through the Bronx, Harlem, and Queens before getting to the airport. Small town boy plus NYC traffic equals one sweat-drenched body.
Thanks to all of the Rockapella faithful who made it to the shows. You guys are great!
Packing for Thursday,
Justin
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