Shakespeare in the Park, here we come

I woke up in the middle of the night and had a revelation: I don't have to take the chairs.

In the general scheme of revelations, this is a small one, but it plays a big role in my trip this weekend  with Katie to see Shakespeare in the Park in the old country, a.k.a. New York.

I had been wondering how I would get two chairs, my suitcase and me to the city. I don't want to drive in this time, because I won't make it to the Shakespeare line on time if I have to sit in the car. That means I need to take public transportation – probably a bus because the train is so expensive – and I couldn't picture myself juggling all that stuff on and off the bus and through Port Authority.

I called Katie about this and she said she doesn't need a chair for the approximately five-hour wait to get our free tickets. I was thinking we might get a bench and not even need the chairs, but she suggested I bring one anyway. I think I can manage that. Also we're going to try to coordinate our comings and goings so that she can pick me up if I trip on the platform. Only kidding about the tripping. (Well, sort of kidding...remember the big trip in the Paris Metro?)

We're going to see "The Comedy of Errors," set in the 1940s with music and fedoras, starring one of our favorite actors, Jesse Tyler Ferguson of "Modern Family." It's going to be a brisk 90 minutes without intermission. As I have confessed before, even though I love being outside under the stars (or a cloudburst on one occasion), it's a long day, and during the longer performances I can't help but nod off from time to time. The shorter format is just right for me. I also confess to asking Katie questions about what we just saw, and she says, "Mom, weren't you watching?" Well apparently I have missed a few parts.

I think we should get there especially early, maybe 7 a.m., because it's the last weekend and it got good reviews. You can't beat the people who sleep outside the park waiting for it to open so that they can be first on line, but I think we'll be safe at 7.

I told my friend Mark how much we love doing this. He said he could have just as much fun in his living room. But to us it is so New York, and such a great thing to do every year.