A New York City Tradition.

35 floors = multiple stops, awkward moments in the elevator and silence, piercing and echoing off the reflective walls. I am now able to start small talk in the elevator of my building. “Isn’t is starting to feel like December?” People here smile and nod. Most respond. Engage in conversation. Much appreciated human interaction.

“Finally- winter has arrived.”

And with its arrival of cold winds and rain I arrive at my office at 9AM most days now, disheveled and breathing like I just ran a race.

Here in the office we are starting to receive baked goods, candy, fruit, and cheeses. Everyday the office manager puts out the holiday treats in the kitchen and within five minutes the entire office has meandered into the common space with an inconspicuous attempt to get a little piece of the holiday calories.

On Thursday a new friend of mine suggested that her and I go to George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center the next evening for a classic night out in New York City.

I was immediately excited to participate in an annual New York tradition, since I failed at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting.

The New York City Ballet has performed The Nutcracker every Christmas season since 1954, with more than 1700 performances.  I was so excited to see the David Koch Theater, experience the music of Peter Tschaikovsky and the exquisite sets of Rouben Ter-Arutunian.

The evening began with picking up the tickets and walking across the street to P.J. Clarke’s at Lincoln Square for a cocktail and conversation. Walking around Lincoln Center was like falling into my architecture textbooks. Being able to walk around, experience and see the interaction of the people solidifies my happiness and confirms my choice of profession.

Transforming Lincoln Center

Once inside, I hear my high heels across the marble floors. I look at the people filtering into the theater dressed up and ready for the weekend, ready for the ballet.

The ballet is beyond words. Seeing the iconic moments like a on-stage snow storm, a Christmas tree that grows from twelve feet to forty feet in seconds, a giant mice battle, candy canes jumping through hula hoops, the Sugarplum Fairy with her million pirouettes, and a “flying sleigh” that carries Marie and her prince twenty feet in the air.

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