Sleeping on the Streets of New York.

I had a little adventure this weekend. Shakespeare in the Park; the "Twelfth Night" with Anne Hathaway as Viola. I really enjoy the "Twelfth Night". I watched in the past at the Cedar City Shakespeare Festival. I was so excited about the opportunity to get free tickets, so my sister Terri had planned to stand in line with me on Thursday morning to get tickets for that evenings show. You can only get tickets the day of the show, so we show up at Central Park at 5:30am and the line is about six blocks long. We ask the people in the line towards the front what time they had arrived and they said 4:30am. We decide there was no way we would be getting tickets that day. I told Terri, that I would come back the next day at 2:00am to get in line.

Friday at 12:30am I begin my trip to the city. I have a sleeping bag, air mattress, food, water, dog, dog food and sewing project. I cross the Hudson on the ferry smuggling Phoebe on. I catch a cab and get out at 81st Street and Central Park West. I arrive at 1:05am. I'm an hour earlier than I plan. I think I'm doing alright. I get out of the cab at the beginning of the line. I start walking down the block. I see tons of people. I keep walking, and I find myself finally at 86th Street. I get my place in line and begin the waiting. I can see people jumping into the line in front of me, but of course it is the honor system and confronting someone will do no good.

I set up and begin talking to the people around me. Just in front of me is an interesting man by the name of Patrick. He is from Vancouver, Canada and is in New York City doing a doctorate in social something or the other. He flies to India to do research. Behind me were two students that were probably writers or actors. I talked most of the night to Patrick, except the two hours that we both try to get some sleep. I only got at the most one hour of sleep. At about 3:45am I'm awaken hearing "Billy Jean is not my lover" blaring loudly. I think it is a car waiting at the light, and I think, okay when will the light change. It is still blaring. Phoebe is visibly annoyed. I look up and see two men walking down the street. One holding a boom box and the other laughing at him. The man with the stereo is dancing and begins yelling, "Michael isn't dead." "Michael lives on!" I look and the guy is doing some vulgar dance moves to a light pole. All I'm thinking is will someone brake that stereo. It took him forever to make his way down the street, I know because I heard at least three songs. You could hear people from the line yelling at him to turn it down.

At 6:00am they let us into the park to form the official line. The employees are trying to keep people from cutting into line as we move to the official line. They walk along and give us instruction of not being able to leave the line and if we let others cut we will be removed from the line along with the person we let into the line.

I find myself in a little area that is wooded and dirt. There is an amazing tree about 50 feet infront of me that would be an amazing climbing tree. I love all of the knots and twists of the tree. I set up and begin working on my sewing project. I find the park much more comfortable than the street. I visit more with Patrick and we take turns holding each others spots for restroom runs. I have to watch Phoebe when other dogs get too close, because she has had a bad night with no sleep and is very territorial of her little space.

Patrick and the two guys behind me feel good that we will get tickets. I'm still nervous. The security begins walking up and down the line telling us that at 12:45pm they will begin giving out the tickets. We all began packing and getting our things ready to move. When we move you can see the line snaking through the park toward the theater. By 1:20pm I'm almost to the theater. I'm so close and then the line stops. I hear them beginning to announce something. My stomach drops. They begin thanking us for coming out, but all of the tickets and vouchers have been given out for that evenings show. I begin counting the people in front of me. Twenty-eight people in front of me. I was twenty-nine people away from getting a ticket after a twelve hour wait. You would think that I would be upset, but I wasn't. I really enjoyed my opportunity to sleep on a street in New York City. I had great conversation's and the weather was perfect for a twelve hour wait in line. Yes, I didn't get the tickets I wanted so badly, but I will always remember the night I camped out on Central Park West.

Lesson learned: Go early in the production. The week before, there were no lines and everyone who wanted tickets got them. Don't wait till the closing weekend.