Starr Trekking
Matt Seinberg

Every year, my wife and I like to go into Manhattan to see a Broadway show. Usually, we go on Easter Sunday. This year, I couldn't find anything at a decent price that we wanted to see. There is now way we're spending $100 or more for a ticket for a family of four, plus train fare and dinner. By the time that adds up, we're at around $600 for a day in the city.

That just wasn't happening.

What did I really want to see? “Aladdin,” “The Lion Kind,” “Wicked or, heaven forbids, “Hamilton.” The ticket prices on those are sky high. I can't tilt my neck that far back to see them.

I waited, looked at e-mails I got from various sites for discount tickets and finally got one from Theatermania, which advertised $50 seats for "She Loves Me," at The Studio 54 theatre produced by Roundabout. The seats were in the first row of the upper mezzanine. I ordered them and gave them to Marcy on Mother’s Day. The show date is 19th, Father’s Day! Of course, I took the day off and the kids went with my in-laws to their son's house for BBQ.

The show stars Laura Benati, as Amalia Calabash, and Zachary Levi, as Georg Nowack. I've been a Benati fan since she first appeared in 2012-2013 NBC series "Go On," starring Matthew Perry. She played Lauren Bennett, a bumbling grief counselor to group of misfits. Levi starred in the 2007 NBC series "Chuck," as computer nerd Chuck Bartkowski.

"She Loves Me" is a story that has been retold many times, including "The Shop Around The Corner" and "You've Got Mail." It goes from writing letters to email, but the premise is remains the same. Somehow, the girl finds someone to write to, falls in love. Then they finally meet. All sorts of things can ensue in the trip from A to Z.

The songs and acting were very good.

The two and one half hours flew by. The show started at two pm and, with a 15-minute intermission, it was over at 4:30. We wanted to get something to eat, so we headed back up to 9th Avenue. I see a familiar face walking towards me.

I'm sure it’s Benjamin Platt, the actor in the two "Pitch Perfect" movies, as Benjamin Applebaum. He is currently appearing in the Broadway play "Dear Evan Hansen." Platt wore a rather scraggly beard. He was walking with a friend. I told Marcy we just passed him, and she said, "Ok." That’s something that can only happen in New York City or Los Angeles.

We're getting hungry, and she said we had passed a place called "Mexicue," when we left Bryant Park after a quick lunch. I found it on Google Maps, and we started the long walk back. We had to go that way anyway just to get back to Penn Station, so it wasn't a big deal.

We found the restaurant on 40th street, just north of Broadway. There was only one waiter in there and he looked a little harried. There was also a bartender, acting as a kitchen helper, and two cooks. This isn't a place with "chefs."

The menu was a good size, and Marcy and I finally decided to get burritos. She got the smoked chicken, and I got the pulled pork with chorizo sausage. I also got a Margarita, the first drink I've had in a long time.

The food came out quickly and it was good.

Marcy likes Chipotle Mexican Grill; she said the food was similar. The waiter even said I should try them, and then come back to them.

One strange thing; after we finished our meal, he brought out homemade chips. Why didn't he do that before we got our food?

Back to Penn Station we go, and just make the 6:30 train. Lucky us; a rather large family with very noise kids are right behind us. We would have moved, but the train was rather full.

We finally reach our stop, and can't wait to get home. In all, it was a fun day in NYC. Try it sometime.