The Margaritaville Resort Times Square NYC and 2 Great Shows

We recently had a chance to hit the City, and by City I mean New York City (NYC). We stayed at the new Margaritaville Resort Times Square at 560 7th Ave, New York, NY 10018. From the rooftop we could see down to Times Square and the New Year’s ball. The hotel is right in the midst of it all and has multiple restaurants and bars for one to enjoy. The rooms are well appointed and quite sizable for NYC hotel rooms.

While there we saw two shows: Plaza Suite with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick and Wicked. We also as visited the Friends Experience, Ellen’s Stardust Diner, Mediterraneo (a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant), Cafe Un Duex Trois (not once, but twice) and Rosa Mexicano. One tip– we used Parkwhiz to book a parking spot in advance of also assured we got a spot close to the hotel.

We arrived in NYC around noon and checked in to the hotel before heading out for a bite at Mediterraneo on the Upper East Side. The food was fantastic and the walk back was wonderful in the sunshine near Central Park.

We stopped at The Plaza Hotel for a glass of champagne before finishing our walk back to Margaritaville. The Plaza is beautiful and the cocktails were amazing. It also held special meaning as we were seeing Plaza Suite the next afternoon.

After dropping our stuff in the room and relaxing for just a bit, on the spur of the moment, we decided to take a taxi down to the Friends’ Experience. Anyone familiar with the show knows that it is full of meaningful episodes and props unique to the show. This experience, which takes about 1 hour, is full of real and re-created props from the show. The admission price also includes photos that are sent for free and taken by staff at the major areas of the experience. You end in a re-creation of Central Perk where you can even buy a coffee. It was a ton of fun. They also offer The Friends’ Experience in Denver, Washington DC, and Phoenix. After finishing up we took a stroll through Manhattan back to the hotel and hit the rooftop bar for one more drink and some small bites before turning in for the night. What a first day we had already.

The next morning, we went down to the breakfast area for a quick drink prior to heading out to find brunch. We were a bit slow getting going and ended up missing out on our original reservation at Cafe Un Deux Troix, but were lucky to find a relatively short wait at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. We had wanted to eat there for a long time so here was another surpeise treat. At Ellen’s the wait staff are all aspiring Broadway actors and singers. They take your order, bring you food, and put on amazing musical numbers in between.

Many (18 in 2019) make it to Broadway because of the preparation they get performing and the special support fund Ellen’s collects that is used only for dance, singing and acting classes. The food was great and the entertainment even better. I think our waiter won’t be there long cause Broadway is calling soon.

After lunch we took a walk down towards the Hudson Theatre that was housing the limited run of Plaza Suite. We arrived a bit early so we stopped at Cafe Un Deux Troix (only 2 doors down) for a drink prior to the show. Now it was off to Plaza Suite.

Plaza Suite

We had wanted to see this show prior to Covid and as with many shows it was suspended. This was the main reason to be in NYC this weekend, but we were making the most of it otherwise. We were lucky enough to catch the performance before both main actors tested positive for Covid just days week later and had to cancel several performances. Both Broderick and Parker play 3 characters each in this 3 act play based in the same suite of the Plaza. It takes you on three different journeys, one in each act, of different experiences had while staying in suite 719. The play was exceptional, and Broderick and Parker truly shined. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but time is running out so grab your tickets soon.

After Plaza Suite we took a walk down to Rosa Mexicano for a wonderful meal and to fuel up for our walk back to the Gershwin Theatre to see one of our favorite musicals — Wicked.

Wicked

For any of you who have seen it “Amazing, right?” For those of you who haven’t, it is truly amazing and one not to miss if you get the chance. The musical follows the life of the wicked witch of the west from her birth to, well, you need to see the musical to find out. The music is amazing, the sets exceptional and the overall experience well worth the price. The two main characters, Glinda and Elphaba, were played by exceptional actresses which makes all the difference in this play as we have seen it 4 times and it’s always good, but when they have the right chemistry it goes to another level.

After Wicked finished, and as it was on our way back, we popped into Un Deux Troix for one last drink and to see if Broderick and Parker stopped in for a drink as they are apt to do after shows on the weekends. Alas, no star power this night but on the way back I did spot Taylor Tomlinson, one of my favorite comedians. I was respectful and let her be but at least I saw someone I think is great in the city that never sleeps (LOL).

We awoke Sunday still singing and remarking on what a wonderful time we had and questioning why we don’t make it to NYC more often. I will say when we return, we will stay at the Margaritaville Resort again. It is right in the middle of everything, has tons of bars and places to eat right within the Hotel, the rooftop pool was awesome and not only is it great for couples but very family friendly as well!