Come on feel the Illinoise... in New York?

I (Paul) am a big fan of Sufjan Stevens, the Michigan-raised singer whose decades-long career includes banjo-driven folk music, an album about the planets, a 58-song Christmas album, and an Academy Award nomination. He is perhaps most famous for his "fifty states project," where he (jokingly) said he would release an album for each state in the country. He did end up releasing Michigan and Illinois, and his 2015 album Carrie & Lowell could be considered an Oregon album. Illinois (or, "Sufjan Stevens invites you to come on feel the Illinoise!") is his most popular work, with the song Chicago appearing in The Bear, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Politician, and there's even an entire music festival named after lyrics from the song's chorus. And that brings us to this post - almost twenty years after release of the album, a Broadway musical inspired by Illinois opened for a 4 month run at the St. James theatre. I made plans for a quick weekend trip to go up and see the musical and visit with our friends Thomas and Petros. My flight was delayed by storms, so I didn't get in until after midnight on a Friday, and had less than a day and a half in the city. But we still managed to walk around quite a few neighborhoods and get some great food. And the musical itself? I loved it! It's probably gone forever after its short run, but if it ever comes back or travels I'd love to see it again. So, this post will be just a quick photo tour of a short trip to see Illinoise in New York.

Brooklyn skyline is getting impressive.

Lower Manhattan.

Love the architecture in New York.

The cool mural in Conwell Coffee Hall.

We happened across Alexander Hamilton's grave.

Stained glass windows in Trinity Church.

Central Park views.

Walking around Central Park.

Time for the musical.

The set design was great - yes, those are upside down trees hanging from the ceiling.

"Group of Four Trees" by Jean Dubuffet

View from Manhatta cocktail bar.

Nice atmosphere.

Looking toward Jersey.

Good cocktails, too!

It rained and we even got a rainbow.

Rainy view of Midtown.

Manhattan municipal building.

Dinner at Artesano.

My cocktail came in a tea pot!

We shared a whole spread of Peruvian food.

City hall park on Sunday morning.

An atmospheric little alley.

We walked by the Ghostbusters firehouse.

The South Street SeaPort.

See ya later, NYC!