Crazy day! We start the day off heading into the city to meet up with our friends and then go to see Billy Elliott. First, we get directions into the city. I have officially become a country rube! It took us 20 minutes and 3 times explaining to us how to take a bus and then get the train to the city. Not good. But - we did get to the city without a hitch! Loved the people watching - its just amazing to sit on the train and see all the different people and just think about their stories. Im sitting on there thinking, as I watch the guy sleep standing up on the train, "how does he know when to get up to get to his stop? Is he really sleeping.. what happens if someone wants to pick pocket him.. " Or the other people who get into the train seeing and knowing there is not even standing room, yet make room anyway. The best is people who intentionally stay by the door, a dangerous proposition on a good day, choose this and never move as the conductor gets on the PA system stating in a very New York way, "do not lean or touch the doors, move away from the doors.." and no one moves! Its as though they have all ridden this train so often, that they are so immune to the voice, they dont even hear it.. And the lady knows it, but probably would tell you in a conversation during happy hour that no one stands by that door on her watch!

So we get into the city and Gary and Leeza meet us with their daughter Olivia, who is just as cute as a button! We at at the Roxy Deli - pass on this place. The worst, stalest bagel I have ever eaten, and they would not take teh bones out of the white fish that they charge $27! Afterward, we headed to see Billy Elliott.

What a fabulous show! I dont think the kid who played Billy was the best hip hop or jazz dancer, he just did not have the precision on the moves. But this boy could dance ballet!! There were a few dance scenes in this play that moved me almost to tears. He was so light and graceful.. and some dances were true works of art and beauty, and for a kid this age to be able to do that on top of carrying a play of this size, unbelievable!! The music was good, not Spring Awakening good, like I dont need the soundtrack, didnt leave singing the songs, but Elton John did an amazing job. If you did not know ahead of time, you would not be able to tell these were Elton John songs, which is saying something good because they didnt sound Elton Johnny, but were fantastic.

That being said, the theature itself was a mob scene, I felt like I was in a cattle call, i hated it. The line to go to the bathroom before the show even began was longer than the one to get your seat.. and I didnt even dare try to go to the bathroom during intermission or afterward.

So it was about that time between that, the shoving match to get out of teh theater and then the rain outside that were my undoing. Energetically, Manhattan just sucks it out of you! In order to cope and get through the masses, one must become homicidal, or at least that is the aggressive and insensitive energy you must adopt in order to get anywhere. I was seriously considering going back to the hotel instead of heading to Greeenwich, as i was ready to just duke it outu with the next person who shoved me.

But we headed to the subway to meet our group in the Village for dinner. And I am so glad we went! Tonight was the first Readers Studio event where they rented a bus that took everyone to Greenwich Village and we dined together at this restaurant called Dojo, which is a vegetarian kind of place though there were meat choices. It was really good. and the company was fantastic too.

Ran into Beth Owl's Daughter and Johanna Colbert,. Mary Greer, Wald and Ruth Ann and a number of others, some familiar faces and some new ones. It was nice to catch up. Food was fresh, service was good..

After dinner, we all kind of split up into groups and headed out to explore Greenwich. We headed to a new age shop, I cant remember the name, but that doesnt matter because after a prolonged rip off cab ride, we found the shop was closed for good. Of coarse, their phone # still has their hours of business, but there is no storefront. We lost half our group, and so Eric, Beth Owl and I proceeded to walk to the East West bookstore, not wanting to be ripped off by another cabbie. The store was kinda kewl, but their tarot section nil.. which is good, because i would have a hard time buying any tarot deck in a store at this point before the studio opens. After hanging out, we then took a cab to the meeting place, after which we grabbed a table at this little coffee shop and had some cappucino and amaretta (hence my ability to blog at 1 am). Beth Owl had some amazing gelatto. I could literally eat my way through New York, between teh pizza and coffee and bagels and lox and italian food and ..

While there we ran into our other comarades, and we then waited on our bus who was late.. and then headed back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, we then ran into some more people who have arrived into town in the lounge and spent some time catching up. Oh My!! First, Ciro Marchetti is working on this IPhone application that when done will be awesome!! You can literally do readings on your iphone for people.. works a lot like the software from Legacy of the Divine Tarot.. where you can draw cards and place them where you like turn them over. It has a feature where you can notebook it and save it. Its great. Im a huge fan of his work!

Jordan Hoggard was showing me this way kewl tarot cloth for his cards.. has this blessing done in runes around the edges with grapes and stuff. Really kewl.. and then Gavin, the guy who makes these, shows up and shows us the rest of the cloths. I had to have one! I usually buy these when I have a deck to use.. this time i bought one first and will find a deck to fit.

This other gentleman, whose name i did not get, was showing us these leather tarot cases. They are gorgeous. some are pretty expensive. Garnet found this gorgeous blue one with this kewl clasp and some brass markings.. $500, which i thought was expensive. That is not to say they arent worth it, they are, they were that nice, but I could not reconcile spending that amount of money for that.. not when there are silks and so many more affordable options. But it does make me excited for tomorrow to see what more is going to be shared..

And the studio does not open for another 2 days!!