We landed at LaGuardia about 4 pm. Skippy didn't know it but I had gotten us tickets to see The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee because we both loved Barret Foa as the lead in Avenue Q.
So we needed dinner. I whipped out my GPS to find us something but the damn thing can't get a signal in NYC. All those tall buildings. We started walking and ended up at Shula's. I had only been once (at Lotusphere) and Skip had never been. I had only ever ordered a Lobster entree once and they had it (for market price) so I did. It was amazing.
The bill came and I was shocked. I figured, market price, ok. $40 maaaaybe $50 dollars. Try $125 for a four-pound lobster! I learned my lesson about Market Price!
So onto the theatre. When you walk in the whole place is decorated like a high school (it is a spelling bee after all). Skippy and I got interviewed as four audience members actually get picked to participate. Skippy got picked! He was soooo nervous before the show. I told him the only word he better not misspell was c-a-t. Other than that, he should just have fun.
The show starts, and in short order Skip and the other three are called on to stage. It's dressed like a gym and the kids sit on bleachers. Who leads Skip up to his seat and sits next to him? Barrett! A good 25 minutes of the show goes by before Skip has to spell his first word. Barrett talks to Skip (in character), eats a sandwich, etc. Finally it is Skip's turn. He misses the FIRST word! It was MEXICAN! He forgot the C. He was so nervous he couldn't even hear them telling him the word. He started laughing, the audience started laughing, he laughed more, they laughed more, you get the picture. When you misspell your word, a dreadlocked black guy (doing community service) serving as the grief counsellor gives you a hug and a juice box. Skippy was so funny he got three hugs! He came back to his seat and he gave me the first sip of his juice box. Mmmm, grapey!
After the show people were congratulating Skip and some thought he was actually a cast member. One little girl wanted his autograph. The picture is Skip with a lot of the cast.
Not bad for the first five hours of our vacation.
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