A Grand Tour of New York City's Theater World: Day 4

Heather Bailey is the winner of the Heritage Travel Reviews Contest, which we held back in the spring on our pre-launch website, GoWithaPurpose.com. She won a grand tour of New York City’s theater world - complete with special backstage tours of New York’s most famous venues, tickets to Broadway shows and a stay at New York’s oldest hotel. Heather will be reporting back on her experiences and posting them right here on the Go With a Purpose blog.

Day four in New York kept us close to the hotel. We met in the lobby and then walked through the theater district, making our way to 42nd Street. We learned about the height of the glory years of the theater district a century ago, with the burlesque theaters and then the movie palaces. Then we learned about the decay, about both of the buildings and the reputation of the area. Now there is a revival, and those theaters that were not restored along that once famous strip have scaffolding in place to help resurrect them.

We went to one theater that truly could be described as a resurrection. The New Amsterdam Theater was literally full of water and was a home to trees and animals when Disney bought the building. The renovation and preservation work Disney completed on this structure is beyond belief. This theater has so many subtle touches and intricate motifs, that it seems like the perfect setting for the Disney productions that come to Broadway.

For preservationists, this was a perfect case study. It is always thrilling to experience the rebirth of an institution and to see that historic elements are what give it a sense of place. Along with the story of the death and rebirth of the theater, we also learned about the theater's ghost from Dana Amendola, vice president of operations for Disney Theatricals. Ziegfeld Girl Olive Thomas, who performed in the infamous "Midnight Frolic," had a tumultuous life, and apparently her presence is still felt at the New Amsterdam. To honor her ghost, the theatre has pictures of her at each of the entrances.

From the New Amsterdam, we strolled further down 42nd Street to take in the revitalization, and then we popped into the Manhattan Theatre Club for a roundtable discussion with singer and actor Kyle Dean Massey, keyboardist and composer Paul Loesel and flamenco dancer Rey Calderon. It was fascinating to hear about the behind-the-scenes life of creating the plays and musicals that we see and to learn about their different creative processes. Then we walked to a performance room to hear a few numbers from Loesel and Massey. On the way, I literally almost bumped into Catherine Zeta Jones, who was ducking into her own practice room. So much talent, and what an honor to have been there to see their creativity in action.

After the morning's programs, we were turned loose on the city. This afternoon, I wanted to get in a shot of some buildings along Madison Avenue as a tribute to "Mad Men." I could not find one that looked exactly like the exterior of the fictional Sterling Cooper, but I got close. We then hopped on the subway to find our final "Ghostbusters" landmark. We found the theater that hosts the Tribeca Film Festival and the Hook & Ladder 8 building that served as "Ghostbusters" headquarters in the movie. Dr. Egon Spengler, the character played by Harold Ramis, called the neighborhood a "demilitarized zone" in the movie. I wouldn't go that far, but even with a sizable police precinct right next door, this area has not had the renaissance that we've seen in other parts of the city.

We then completed the day with a trip to the New York Museum of Natural History. The building is hugely impressive, and the collections are diverse, but I was a little stunned at how outdated the museum was. Updating interpretation and exhibits is very expensive, but the museum seemed to be a relic of the past. With the economy the way it is, perhaps the decades old exhibits, several of which I think are older than I am, will stay in place a bit longer. On the up side, it was not until we walked into the building that I remembered that "Night at the Museum" was set in a fictional version of the museum, so I made sure to catch a few of the main characters from that film.

I love that films and television, which were initially responsible for the death of many cultural institutions in New York, are now what bring life back to the city. Without the Disney movies, the New Amsterdam would not have its successful string of plays or the money to renovate. Many of the plays that enjoy huge success on Broadway are those that have films made of them. Rather than detracting from the theater experience, those films seem to serve as a teaser to get people to go and see the live performances.