Mom's birthday dinner last night, at the Serafina Restaurant here in the hotel, was delicious. Since I ate a healthy dinner (grilled salmon, served on a bed of spinach and lentils) I didn't feel the least bit guilty "helping" Mom with her (incredibly decadent and scrumptious) chocolate birthday dessert. Luckily it came with just one candle... so we didn't risk burning down the place.

Found out last night, when Tom called to wish Mom a happy birthday, that the national news had reported some of the NY subways had flooded - but we certainly didn't see any rain here. And our luck continued today; instead of the predicted showers it was a lovely day and we were able to walk the four short blocks to our theater. We found a nice place to brunch, and then sat outside enjoying the flowers and people-watching on Broadway until it was time for WICKED.  (Despite having already seen the show on three previous occasions I still found it quite enjoyable - though not any "better" than the other productions, which says a lot about their quality.) On our walk back to the hotel we ran into Andy & Sandy, who had also enjoyed their show (War Paint - about the rivalry between Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Ardin.)

In a bit we're off to dinner at a restaurant just two blocks away, across from Carnegie Hall. (How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!)