Sunday

• Woke up. Showered. Decided to head down to the Church & Dey restaurant for breakfast. Had the New Yorker (smoked salmon on a bagel). Orange juice and hot tea accompanied the meal.
• Went back to the room to gather our belongings before getting the concierge to hail a taxi for us. Headed down to Times Square. Taxi drivers skillfully weave through all the traffic on the streets to get you to your destination -- surprisingly, in one piece.
• Visited the Virgin Megastore. Friend got me a cool pair of folding Sennheiser headphones as an early birthday present. That was great.
• Saw lots of Madonna merchandise. Didn't buy any. Instead, I was pleased to see a mural of Madonna's new CD, with Guster's new album just above it. I had to take pictures.
• Did the touristy thing by going to that informational place to purchase Broadway show tickets. We will be seeing Chicago tomorrow night.
• Bought a keychain with the president's son's name on it. Hope he likes it.
• Had to visit the Hershey store. Bought a lot of goodies, including a coffee mug filled with chocolates for me.
• Went to the Olive Garden for lunch. Ordered my usual (zuppa toscana, chicken scampi, and tiramisu). Friend ordered the four-cheese ziti.
• Shopped a bit more before heading back to the hotel to change. Called my parents to let them know things are going well.
• Left the hotel and got a cab to drive us to Madison Square Garden (MSG). Not thrilled with the driver, who thought that I was either Hawaiian or a "red Indian." His conversation was so boring that it made both of us tune out.
• Had a bite to eat at Pizza Hut. Then, went shopping at Macy's. Hockey nut got a nice buttoned blue shirt and a pair of pants. I bought a tank top that was regularly $79, but got it for $41. Ralph Lauren.
• Walked into MSG. Same place where both the Rangers and the Knicks play. Neat. Lined up for a Madonna t-shirt and tour book. $70. Man selling the merchandise managed to tell someone who butted in front of me that I had been waiting for a long time. That was nice of him.
• Floor seats, but at the back. Had great view of the stage. Unfortunately, had view of woman in front of me with yellow sundress that was not flattering on her. Her breasts were drooping without any support. They were partially jutting out from her dress. Ick.
• Commotion several rows in front of us. Turns out Lenny Kravitz and Lindsay Lohan were at the show. Took pictures.
• Madonna's Confessions concert started at around 21:00. That didn't surprise me, but did make the woman behind me rather upset.
• Madonna made her entrance from a huge disco ball. Nice.
• Concert started with a horse-themed, S&M set, with Madonna wearing a riding outfit, top hat, and black hair. Pure Madonna. Dancers were in S&M gear.
• For "Live to tell," she wore a crown of thorns and rose on a cross. The screens behind her showed images of third-world poverty, with a counter that indicated roughly twelve million African children are orphans due to AIDS.
• Woman behind me tapped my back and told me to sit down during "Drowned world." Was offended. It's a concert, not a symphony. Folks next to me were standing up, dancing. Why couldn't I? Even with my sitting down, I was probably still blocking her view. Luckily, Madonna told everyone a bit later to stand up to "Disco inferno/Music," so I stood up for practically the rest of the show. I got my revenge.
• Had fun with "Ray of light." Upbeat version of "La isla bonita" was wonderful. I enjoyed "Jump." The crowd sang, "Time goes by so slowly," when the last song, "Hung up," was up. No encore. It was a perfect night.
• Fourth Madonna concert for me. I'm so glad I went. She's the best.
• Setlist:
  Future lovers
  Get together
  Like a virgin
  Jump
  Live to tell
  Forbidden love
  Isaac
  Sorry
  Like it or not
  I love New York
  Ray of light
  Let it will be
  Drowned world/Substitute for love
  Paradise (not for me)
  Disco inferno/Music
  Erotica
  La isla bonita
  Lucky star
  Hung up
  
• Great concert. Left building. Bought soft drinks from a hot dog vendor. Hot inside venue. Stood outside for a bit before hailing a taxi. Had an exceptionally pleasant taxi driver. Said to come again.
• Were peckish. Ordered food from room service. Friendly guy delivering the food. Said good morning to him, as it was well past midnight. We were all cheerful. Had a chicken wrap with chips. Friend had a hamburger. Talked for a bit before hitting the sack.

Monday

• My birthday. Woke up. Had a late breakfast at a healthy deli close to the hotel. Consisted of a summer smoothie, mushroom lasagna, and a salad. Hockey nut had fish and the same type of smoothie.
• Popped into Modell's next door. Hockey nut bought four t-shirts for $20 and two polo shirts, also $20. Headed back to the hotel to drop his goodies off. I changed into a tank top, for it was humid and hot outside. Oddly, had three different bras packed with me, which was rare.
• Went to pay for two day passes for the tour bus. Family in front of us took the longest time to get their tickets. It was hot outside. A guy was selling cold bottled water for $1 each.
• Eventually, got tickets and boarded bus. Had a nice time on the top floor. Got off at Times Square to have lunch at TGI Fridays. I had the pecan-crusted chicken salad and a strawberry milkshake (all fountain drinks were flat). Friend had the burger and the same milkshake.
• Visited the Virgin Megastore again to browse. Went to Sephora, Swatch, and the MTV store before heading back on the bus, heading back to the hotel. Coincidentally, got the same tour guide, Cynthia. She seemed a little scatterbrained, but was okay.
• Went to Starbucks and got pomegranate frappacchinos before walking back to the hotel room.
• Watched a bit of TV before taking a taxi to go to the Ambassador Theatre to see Chicago. Full house. Good seats. Perhaps there could have been more legroom, but the performance was fabulous. Rita Wilson played Roxy and did a great job.
• Had dinner at a diner on 8th Avenue and W 49th Street. Had a hot beef sandwich and a diet Coke. Hockey nut had a rueben sandwich and fries.
• Hailed a cab. Took a scenic tour back to the hotel on West Street, overlooking the harbour.