Our second day in NYC we headed to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a tour of the NBC studios. This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip. Before heading inside we caught a bit of the TODAY show and spotted Matt and Al doing a segment. It is funny to take it all in because on TV it looks so big, and like the two of them are on different streets when they talk to one another- but really they are both in a very small almost "alley." Aaah the magic of television! We learned a lot of the secrets on the tour and also got to to see the studio where they film Brian Williams evening news, the set of Jimmy Fallon, and SNL. We also saw part of the makeup studio for SNL. I just loved hearing all of the stories and fun facts, our "pages" were awesome and lots of fun things to share with us. They also only allow 15 people at a time on a tour so you got to ask lots of questions and really get up close and personal on the sets. One funny story (I could tell so many) was that they used to do a waiting list to get tickets to SNL, but it was so long that people were literally dying off of it. So they now have a lottery system that you can only apply for in the month of August. Odds are like one in several million that you get a ticket- so if you do... take it!!
After our tour we went and stood in front of the window where they were filming the Kathy Lee and Hoda show. We jumped around like idiots for awhile every time they panned to the audience- it was a blast. We also had learned that the Kathy Lee studio is the only studio that actually has REAL windows. It is a 250 million dollar studio that has lights that automatically adjust to even a single cloud going by. All of the other studios have fake windows and they play a reel of the New York skyline in the background. Most of the control panel views are also fake, just videos of guys drinking coffee and adjusting the volume haha. Made me rethink a lot of what I've seen on TV ;) We then went up to the top of the Rock and took in the views. Absolutely gorgeous!!
We saw Radio City Music Hall and then headed towards Times Square for lunch. We had seen it at night also, but wow, it is crazy how that place never sleeps! Total craziness all of the time.
It's bright lights, big city, non-stop. Even my cousin Lauren, who is a native New Yorker says she just avoids Times Square all together because it is just totally overwhelming. It was fun to stand there and just take it all in though. We went and ate at John's pizzeria in Times Square also. Yummy stuff.
From there we strolled through Bryant Park and also hit up the New York Public Library. The reading room there was so neat. And they also had a fun exhibit on the New York "power lunch" and how it evolved- very cool. By this point we needed a snack, haha. So we headed to Grand Central Terminal and had AMAZING banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. It is also really fun to just stand still in the terminal and let everyone buzz around you for a second. Almost surreal how fast the pace of life is there!
Next we went to Trump Tower and did the classic, "Ya fired!" in front of the building. On a side note... my Aunt is a personal chef for the producers of the broadway musical,
Chicago. They live in Trump tower when they aren't living in their "lake home" in Waccabuc. Pretty posh stuff. Next we stopped by another location of Tiffany's, Macy's, and of course, FAO Schwarz. The big piano is fun to check out. And you know, a couple of statues made entirely out of legos :)
Our last stop for the evening was at the broadway musical, Newsies. LOVED it!! It felt so exhilarating to actually be on Broadway- taking in all the sights and sounds and the show was jam packed full of awesome choreography and catchy tunes. So. much. fun. We topped the night off with Junior's cheesecake and a little more Times Square action. People watching in NYC is never disappointing. And most nights you will also get a little performance on the subway as well. Never a dull moment in the city that never sleeps.
0 comments:
Post a Comment