Making my National TV Debut and Gazing at a Gallery of Tiffany Lamps

Today started early with a taping of “Live with Kelly and Ryan” at the ABC Studios near Lincoln Center. Unlike “Last Week Tonight,” picture-taking was encouraged.

I got to see tomorrow (Friday)’s episode being taped, which features Dave Bautista and Caroline Rhea. No word on where Dave Bautista was, but it wasn’t at this taping — he must’ve already recorded his interview or be scheduled to record it later.

I did get to see Caroline Rhea, who plays Hilda Spellman on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” as well as Laverne Cox (no idea what episode that was for — they were finishing up her interview when the audience for the second taping of the day was ushered in.)

While I didn't win $500 at today’s taping, the woman behind me did, meaning I'll get to flash a big thumbs-up at the camera on tomorrow morning’s episode. If you’re so inclined, feel free to watch my big national TV debut!

The taping ended around 12:15 p.m., and I took a train back to Bryant Park for the “Broadway in Bryant Park” summer concert series. It’s an hour-long Thursday afternoon series in July and August that lets you sample the summer’s Broadway show lineup. Cast members from four or five shows perform musical numbers in each installment. Today’s lineup included “Be More Chill,” “King Kong,” “Stomp,” and “Bat Out of Hell,” as well as hosts from “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

None of these performances blew me away, but I enjoyed hearing “Michael in the Bathroom” from “Be More Chill” again. If you’re curious, you can check them out on YouTube (here’s “Bat Out of Hell”).

After my mini-concert, I did some more exploring at the New-York Historical Society. My favorite from today: the Tiffany Lamp gallery. Can you tell which lamp is real and which is fake?

If you said the one on the right is the real Tiffany, you’re correct (I was). The colors just seemed too bright and the cuts too perfect in the one on the left (I think the difference is more obvious in this photo than in real life).

The glowing staircase in the middle of the gallery reminds me of the setup in the jewelry gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Some backstory on the “Tiffany Girls”: Louis Tiffany thought women, not men, were ideally suited to the tasks of glass selecting and cutting. He hired women 16 and older to replace his male employees. The only caveat: They couldn’t be married (which led to constant turnover).

And something kooky: Tiffany thought men were better suited to rectilinear and simple curvilinear designs, while women excelled at naturalistic objects such as florals. What an idea!

Here’s possibly my favorite lamp of the day: A $500 rare cobweb design, which cost the same as a Ford automobile when it was created. I’d take the car any day, though!

And finally, here’s a reason to always look down: Check out this cool plaque that marks the spot where the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade steps off each year!

And today in deliciousness: the BBQ pork banh mi from Banh Mi Saigon in Chinatown. I was skeptical of ordering a non-beef banh mi, but the shop’s signature one is yummy, especially the pork!