For our last big-ticket event of the semester, we will be going to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center to see Puccini’s “La Bohème” on Tuesday, November 29. The performance starts at 7:30, so we should plan on meeting in the lobby near the ticket windows no later than 7:15. The whole Lincoln Center plaza, with its selfie-friendly illuminated fountain, is well worth lingering in, so you might want to arrive even earlier. Note: running time is approximately 3 hours (including intermission), so you’ll be out around 10:30.
Is there a dress code? Not really: you will see people in a range of sartorial styles, from very casual to very dressy (some people come straight from work, so they’re in business attire). Let’s put it this way: for a special occasion like this, it can be fun to dress up, and you will definitely feel like you blend in with the festive, somewhat opulent environment if you’re a little more fancy than usual.
Getting there: from the S.I. ferry terminal on the Manhattan side, get on the 1 train and take it to 66th St./Lincoln Center. I’ve included a map of Lincoln Center below. (Pro tip: if you like shaving off a little bit of commute time, you can cross the platform at Chambers Street and take the 2 (express) up to Times Square, and then switch back to the 1 and take that up to 66th st.)
The opera is in Italian, but a friendly digital display on the seat back in front of you will stream English subtitles. It also helps to acquaint yourself with the basic plot ahead of time. Here’s the concert program, in which you will find a synopsis:
[gview file=”https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5648/2016/11/16123505/La-Boheme-Program.pdf”]
Here’s a link to the Met’s web page about the opera:
http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/La-Boheme/
And here’s the Lincoln Center layout:
