An Evening in Times Square

...the one in which our mugs are famous...for all of two seconds....



After leaving the theater, where we've all been swept away by the magic of the musical "Once", we've come to the realization that we are hungry.

Actually, make that STARVING.

We hadn't had dinner, as we were still under the effects of our Harlem Soul food adventure at the time and had skipped supper. But - it's now going on 10:00 pm, and our tummies have realized that they are in some serious need of food.

Oh, heavens...whatever shall we do? It's not like there isn't a plethora of restaurants in the heart of New York City at 10:00 pm to choose from....

However, Bernard B Jacobs Theater, which is where we were, just HAPPENS to be mere steps away from Junior's Restaurant....

And Junior's Restaurant just HAPPENS to serve the best cheesecake on the planet....

So.

It didn't take much convincing for everyone to head to Junior's.

And when I say "everyone", I mean not just our family of three...I mean the other 1,000 theatergoers that have left the Bernard B Jacobs Theater, as well. Yup...we now found ourselves inadvertently part of a Hungry Barbarian Stampede - all hungry, and all with the same intent. Get to Junior's Restaurant as soon as possible. We then did what any good cattle does when caught in a stampede.

We ran.

*

Okay - not really. Well. Perhaps a bit. We walked really, really, really fast in order to beat the rest of the Barbarian herd to Junior's, and we managed to snag a table before the waiting line formed. This is why you see New Yorkers walking really, really fast - it's always about beating the lines that inevitably develop everywhere there. Just a tip.

Junior's Restaurant is actually OFFICIALLY called "Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake and Desserts." So...when you have a name like THAT, you know they've got something special. Founded in 1950, the restaurant's signature cheesecake is so good that Arabian princes have been known to fly over to the U.S. in their private planes just to pick some up.




While we were waiting for our food, we dined on the complimentary beets and pickles that is a staple of any meal at Junior's:



Soon, our meal arrived. Daughter got a standard cheeseburger, which normally I wouldn't bother taking a picture of....However, her meal came with Junior's "famous" onion rings - which are very...weird. I'm not a fan - they taste like an onion donut to me - but some people are CRAZY about these things:



Hubby got the egg salad sandwich, which looked pretty tasty:



As for me, I went with one of my favorites at any venue, the Cobb Salad:



This picture really doesn't do it justice...that salad was large enough for three people. I barely made a dent in it, as I wanted to save room for the famous cheesecake. Knowing the portion sizes of cheesecake are large, we decided to share a piece:


Devil's Food Chocolate Cheesecake...yum!!!


And such a horrible picture! Sorry about that...I think, in my excitement to delve in to this little beauty, I didn't really focus on taking a great photo. Ack. Just know that this was quickly devoured. Nom!

Junior's is never going to be known for their gourmet food. And that's okay. It's got good food, at decent prices, and it's a great spot for a meal after a Broadway show. We decided to walk for awhile through Times Square, as it was an absolutely PERFECT night. Strolling along with the other 2,529,295 tourists in Time Square that night, we meandered through Duffy Square, the "heart" of Times Square. Here, we found ourselves drawn - like a magnet - to the iconic "Red Stairs" - the glowing glass steps that act as a beacon in Duffy Square.



The Red Stairs are actually a roof - of the TKTS booth, where you can score discounted Broadway tickets by day. The 27 steps are pretty much swamped with thousands of tourists every day - some just sitting and taking in the scene below them - a panoramic picture-perfect photo opportunity of Times Square:



Something I learned: the steps are "cleared" every night around 1:00 AM by the Parks Department of NYC...they don't want the steps to become a sleeping area for the homeless....

The stairs were - as usual - packed with people...so making our way to the top was a dodging game:






Once we got to the top, we had fun with the Hyundai Video Camera...back in December, the Hyundai corporation connected cameras to its main outdoor billboard at the top of the TKTS stairs - so that people can capture images of themselves and have them projected live on the billboard.



Billboard - at the top of the red stairs....


Look to the right...Hubby is taking our photo; I'm in red; and Daughter has her tongue sticking out.


Yes. That photo will be on our Christmas cards this year.

After having fun watching ourselves on the big screen, we made our way through the maze of people on the Red Stairs, and wandered down Times Square some more...



We eventually came across a guy doing spray-paint art...where he recreates the NYC skyline "in space". Pretty amazing stuff - he can do an entire picture in about 3.5 minutes - and charges $20 per picture. Pretty good rates. Daughter begs for one, so we spend a few minutes watching this guy as he creates Daughter a masterpiece:



Should I mention that Daughter left this masterpiece accidentally behind, at the hotel, when we came home??!!

Gah.

(But - never fear...our fabulous hotel later shipped it to us...they were awesome!)

A short stroll back to the hotel, and we had completed another day. We were thankful that Daughter's illness earlier in the day had passed, leaving us to enjoy a fabulous evening. Tomorrow - another adventure planned!

Peace.

*Image from HERE