I was incredibly excited not only over the fact that we were finally going to the opera, but also that I’d been studying Italian and this was an Italian opera. For just $35, Michael was able to buy two seats in the orchestra section for a Wednesday evening performance of Tosca. And the Met unveiled a new program for full-time students: the ability to purchase student rush tickets online. This fall Michael enrolled full-time in college. Michael and I must have entered every single one, but our names never turned up in the drawings. Last season, the Met gave away their rush tickets through lotteries. If we were going to go to the opera, we wanted it to be a truly unforgettable experience. The cheaper seats usually offer neither.īut even though we could only afford the cheap seats, Michael and I decided to hold out. When you’re at the opera, two things are paramount: an excellent view and even better acoustics. Obviously, there’s the extravagant price tag. Tickets to the opera, however, have always seemed elusive. I’ve lived my entire life in New York and have made my pilgrimages to the ballet, the symphony, Carnegie Hall, Radio City, and Broadway.

My brother Michael (he’s the true opera buff in the family) and I have been trying to score tickets to the opera for quite some time now. Puccini’s Tosca was absolutely breathtaking.

I missed seeing the Mets claim their first World Series spot in fifteen years, but it was worth it. Two exciting things happened in New York this past Wednesday: the Mets won the National League pennant, and I saw my first performance at the Metropolitan Opera.

Met opera seating chart