Lincoln Center

Where: New York City, NY
When: May 6, 2006
With: Me

Despite living within a short walk from one of New York's most famous collection of theaters, after 10 years living there, I never made it to a single formal performance. Sad, I know, but in my early 20's, when faced with the decision of spending a few hundred dollars for a night at the opera vs. multiple nights out drinking with friends, where do you think my priorities lay?

It didn't stop me from walking visiting guests through the beautiful courtyard of Lincoln Center though. Three beautiful buildings frame the courtyard with a fountain at its centerpiece. These buildings are home to the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, and the New York City Ballet. This area was built up in the 1960s and the project was spearheaded by a Rockefeller, and by its finish, it brought a certain level of artistic class to this neighborhood of New York City.

However, I did have a very unique experience in Lincoln Center that felt as worthy a performance as anything going on in the buildings around it. In the early 2000s, the magician David Blaine was at the height of performing his ridiculous stunts, like hanging himself above the River Thames in a plexiglass box for 44 days or standing on a pillar 100 feet high and 22 inches wide in Bryant park for 35 hours. 

For his next trick, entitled Drowned Alive, Blaine encased himself in a bubble in the middle of Lincoln Center and submerged himself underwater for 8 days straight. It was something that I simply had to go and see while I was living in the neighborhood. 

I have to admit, it was more impressive in person than I thought it would be. A large line of people had gathered to go up to his bubble one by one, and with each person, he touched the glass and "interacted" with them from his watery prison (I mean, what else was he going to do while he was in there?) It was actually sweet that he was engaging with each person despite the uncomfortable situation I imagine he was in. 

So maybe one day, I'll bite the bullet for tickets to an official show in Lincoln Center, but until then, I'm pretty pleased with the performance I witnessed.