Hey Guys! I'm back from my awesome (and first) trip to New York City!


My group stayed at the Hotel 57 (next to Steinway ) It was a beautiful hotel. I went up and asked the person at the desk if I could play the piano. I started Mozart's Fantasia in D minor. As I started the first run down the piano, another employee was very rude in telling me that only hired pianists may play the piano (Young Chang...very nice). He nearly shut my fingers in the Fallboard.


I was fortunate to see 2 Broadway Shows....

The Phantom of the Opera. My choir director was sitting behind me and kept telling me how the Phantoms opera was in the whole tone scale.

and


The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee...

This is the funniest things I have seen in a long time. You have to see this! A senior from my choir was in a tux and got picked to spell. His first word was Mexicans


Yesterday, it did sleet and the slush was terrible. As my group tried to convince the chaparone to get a cab, one of the members of my group noticed a "Limo Availible" Sign. For 5 dollars each, we went 12 Blocks in a limo.
I also went to Steinway Hall. I spent about 2 hours going to all the showrooms and playing. One room had over 26 GRAND pianos in it!

(Please Excuse the Pics quality... they were taken on my cell phone)








I bought 3 ties for 10 dollars. When I went to pay for them, I payed with a 50. The cashier gave me 10 dollars change. 50-10 is not 10... He moved on to the next customer quickly. I quickly interjected and demanded the correct change. He "apparently" did not speak english too well. I got my father (a chaparone) over and we straitened it all out.

I did not go to Juiliard because everybody wanted to go to Trump Tower and Nike Town.

My last visit was to the Sony building. There was a robot that was very funny. I found out that someone was controlling him. I asked him if he knew Rachmaninoff, he said he did. I asked him what he was famous for, he said he didn't know.


There was too much to do in New York. I can't wait till next year to go back.

Thanks for everybodies suggestions and tips on how to get around...

Matt

Sounds like great fun, Matt! And being thrown off a hotel lobby piano is a badge of honor in the AB forum.

Sorry the weather turned bad on you. Hope it wasn't too gruesome getting back home.

Are you going to learn some pieces from Phantom after you got to see it in person?

sounds like a nice trip there and they're nice pictures! wish you could have played on the piano longer! actually they should have hired you as the pianist playing there.

Here are a few songs from my choirs concert...

http://www.box.net/shared/y36fsdya9r

My dad was nice enough to bring the zoom and record. I only posted half because the reverb is terrible in the Chapel we preformed in.

Matt

I would love to learn the Aria that Christine sings...

I bought 3 ties for 10 dollars. When I went to pay for them, I payed with a 50. The cashier gave me 10 dollars change. 50-10 is not 10... He moved on to the next customer quickly. I quickly interjected and demanded the correct change. He "apparently" did not speak english too well. I got my father (a chaparone) over and we straitened it all out.

Typical example of character/morals in New York.

Still, glad you had a good time!

I'm always amused when people from somewhere else want to insult the "character/morals" of people in New York. I think it says a lot about the subject that the opposite is very rare.

I didn't mention any of the nice people in NYC

Limousines and Steinways! Sounds like a first-class trip!

Matt I think that picture of your face in front of the Steinway is priceless! As Monica said, getting kicked off a piano is like a rite-of-passage

Glad you had a nice time!

Glad you had a good time, Matt! Too bad the hotel attendant didn't let you finish; maybe he should have offered to pay you instead of shutting the lid on you!

Hey man, I may have never been kicked off a hotel piano, but I did get kicked off a mall piano, so indeed, you'll have to get that guy's name and someday play for him and rub it in his face! Definitely a merit badge for a pianist.

Glad you had an awesome time; were the ties musical by any chance? I got a tie with Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony score at Laguardia airport last time I was there.

Matt, glad you had a good time. I am excited for you.

Sorry to hear about that guy kicking you off the piano though, Monica, had the same experience not too long ago. Those two incidences right there are enough to keep me away.

About the tie situation well it happens everywhere it's happened to me many times in my lifetime and I don't think it's intentional. Human error is bound to happen. He probably didn't think a kid would be carrying a 50, didn't bother to look thinking it was a 20. He didn't pay attention to details seems to me.

He could have also been trying to rip you off but don't think "Only in NY" because it's not. We have good and bad people living everywhere on this earth.

You made me so excited I'm thinking of going to NY later this year God willing.

Very nice Matt, I'm glad you had a great time.

By the way, how impressive was the chandelier scene during Phantom?

Rich

Very impressive! It was amazing! I did an acting class the next day with the Phantom and an understudy from Spelling Bee.

Matt

Nice report on your NYC visit, Matt. You have now played a Stienway in NYC, something I will only dream about.

Don't feel too bad about the nice lady closing the door. She was probably thinking you would appreciate the privacy and reduce background noise so you could hear the piano. At least, that's how I would take it.

Not only does my wife shut doors, she suggested I relocate to the basement for practice, you know, for the privacy.

And, the guy at the hotel who made you stop playing probably was afraid he would have to pay you, and was trying to save the hotel some money, as you play like a pro.

It's all in how you look at it, eh?

Nice report on what will become one of your life memories.

Matt I'm very happy that you had a great trip. Maybe next time you'll be able to stay longer.

Good for you - getting the correct change, some of those street vendors selling gloves, ties, hanbags etc. are not always on the up-and-up.

It's the hotel's loss in not allowing you to play, but you did get to play during your visit to Steinway that must have been so much fun and something to look back on. Who knows, maybe one day you'll play at Carnegie hall.

Congratulations on what sounds like a great trip Matt !!

What did you think of the Steinway pianos you played ?

Hi Matt,
I am glad that you had a great time in NYC. Sorry that you had to endure a street seller. We New Yorkers should have warned you about them. The guy knew exactly what he was doing. You NEVER buy ANYTHING from a street seller as the goods are usually stolen, knock offs or just plain junk. He also knew that you were a minor and wouldn't challenge him/her. Having dad there was a good idea. Remember, in my post to you, I stated that when in NYC you need to look determined and confident. Street vendors are NOT a true representation of what NY is all about or its people for that matter. New Yorkers are VERY helpful and kind. The guy/gal who sold you your tie was probably NOT from New York City! AND... just like getting thrown off the piano in the hotel lobby is a rite of passage? Getting ripped off in NYC by a street vendor says that you are an official tourist and survived the sale! Congratulations!
I also listened to your choir and a wonderful program at that. I hope that your next trip will be as wonderful as the first and don't let the Street vendors ruin your visit. It's a great story to tell when you return home. Actually, street vendors purposly do that so that you DO have stories to tell...ha ha ha.

Best Regards,
Nick

Crooks/con-artists are no more common in New York than anywhere else. I have lived there for months at a time and found mostly honest people that are a pleasure to do business with. The same can be said for every other city I have lived in for more than a few weeks at a time -- Houson, Chicago, Portland OR, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Congrats on the trip Matt...sounded kool


and you've earned your first stripes being kicked off that lobby piano

been there, done that, got the...T Shirt


regards


Lee

I was like a kid in a candy store ( in this case, a kid in a piano store )

Here are a few other pics of Steinway that my dad took...










This is the piano where I got my first ever thrown off a hotel lobby piano award.




Here are a few from the limo that we took during the snow that almost kept us in New York for another half-day...






Matt

P.S. the piano I got kicked off of was a beautiful Young Chang (5th Photo)
It was very nice sounding but nothing compared to the Steinways.

Steinway Hall is the Mecca of the Piano World, I hope this is the first of many pilgramages there

P.P.S. If Steinway Hall is Mecca, what would be the Piano World's Medina?

Matt

Way to go Matt!

Steinway Hall is at the top of my list for our next visit to the big apple.

Super pics!

G'luck!

Nice pictures, Matt, thanks for posting them.
I'm glad you enjoyed your stay here.

Matt...Thats done it!!! :rolleyes:

Now I've got to go to New York )


Steinway Hall just looks amazing...OMG!!!


kool pictures thanks


regards


Lee

Very nice, Matt! I loved the arrangement of Personent Hodie! I'm used to singing it much faster and more "punchy." That was lovely.

The a capella treatment on Oh, Shenandoah was very nice, indeed. One of my favorite folk songs.

I also have to complement your group on their diction- even in that rather reverberent hall, it did not get lost or sloppy sounding. Your director evidently flogs you well!! LOL

I had my New York City debut in 1980 as a runway model.


At LaGuardia.

Shes a very high-strung person that drinks a little TOO much coffee! At 4:00 in the morning the day we left she was still in her high pitched smiling voice while most of us were asleep on the bus.

A cool thing is that she has connections to almost every major music conservitory in the U.S. A freind of hers from Curtis (a theory teacher i think) even came to our concert (held outside of Philly).

Matt