Day 5 NYC

Since I was the proud possessor of a priority ticket to the Late Show taping that afternoon, I decided to make the day entirely about famous people and places. Times Square and the Rockefeller Centre filled the places bill.

Times Square is just as busy and gaudy as we non-New-Yorkers have been led to believe. Admittedly, it’s more exciting at night with large crowds and all the neon on display, but even in the morning it’s a great place to do some people watching.

A good introduction to the glitz of Times Square is the subway station. In spite of the Suicide Squad announcement above the entrance, I haven’t felt at all suicidal riding the subway. I have found it safe and easy to navigate though some entrances are not as easy to locate as this one.

It turns out, my walking card tells me, that Times Square is not a square but a triangle. The card goes on to say that tourists throng this space which is largely avoided by locals. An advantage to being a tourist!

Here’s a selection of photos of Times Triangle.

On my way to Rockefeller Center I passed the famed Radio City Music Hall. Quite a crowd was waiting at the Stage Door though the website says the pre-pandemic tours are no longer being offered. Perhaps these young women are potential Rockettes?

I had planned my route and timed my walk to leave me at Rockefeller Center for lunch. Last time I was there, there were outside tables and several food vendors. This time there was a pit. The massive bronze Atlas sculpture was still there though, overseeing the work below. The gray scupture above Atlas is Share by the American artist Kaws (whose birth name was Brian Donnelly).

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert taping was mostly about waiting – standing in the priority ticket line for the better part of an hour – how long did the non-prioirity people have to wait? – then sitting in the studio while two determined men polished the floor into a flawless shine. Eventually a stand up guy called various groups of people up from the audience and interviewed them. I don’t know who this fellow is, but he was quite good and kept us laughing for half an hour or so. Then the Jon Batiste Band followed with a 15 minute set.

Stephen himself finally made an appearance once the stage manager had instructed us when and how long to applaud. Stephen’s monologue was amusing as always, and it was interesting to watch him stop and ask for a retake a couple of times. There were breaks for commercials though I’m not sure why since this was a taping. Several large cameras on wheels buzzed about the stage sometimes blocking my view from far house left.

What surprised me most was that there was only one guest. When I’ve watched the show on TV, there have always been two or three. The guest today was Paul Giamatti who I like as an actor. The conversation did seem spontaneous though the topic – Giamatti’s 1995 Broadway debut in Arcadia (he was the poet who is killed) – was clearly chosen in advance.

Was it worth all the waiting and taking instruction worth almost 4 hours of my time? I think so. It was interesting to watch the logistics, but I don’t think I’ll do it again. I wouldn’t mind finding out who the front man was though.