Hamilton's NYC

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." - Alexander Hamilton

Four years ago my financial history professor played us this little clip and since then I've played it for everyone I've met.

Last weekend I went to NYC and saw Hamilton on broadway. I would have posted this sooner, but honestly I'm still speechless. I want to express how amazing an experience this was. To tell you how much I laughed (and cried but lied about that afterwards). I want to say that my face hurt afterwards from the goofy grin I was sporting the entire time. I even want to spend an entire post (or 10) telling you everything I learned about Alexander Hamilton and his time.

But I can't. I'm just not as eloquent or creative as Lin-Manuel Miranda is. The man is truly a genius and this play is his masterpiece. The play uses the medium of hip-hop to relay the narrative of an immigrant who fought tooth and nail to find his place and leave his mark. Who used words in ways that no one else has ever matched. Who, despite all that he has given us, has been largely forgotten.

But the play also tells us about Hamilton's wife, Eliza, and her sister, Abigail. We learn more about the man who would utlimately kill Hamilton, Aaron Burr. We see a man I admire, Thomas Jefferson, in a new light. We LOVE king George III more than anyone ever has in history. And we sing the songs for weeks without anything to help us through (soundtrack please?)

More than anything, we see direct and clear connections between the play which takes place at the turn of the 19th century, and today's life. We see the beginnings of a country now so divided that it seems irreparable. We see early politicians switching sides and side-stepping questions. We see the American dream and we see the American reality.

See this.

#travel #nyc #history