Grand Rapids, MI and Bloomington, IL

So I didn't see any rapids, but the city was nice. On the city sheet that we get for each city, Grand Rapids was described as one of the US's greatest cities, I'm still trying to figure out why. We were there on a beautiful day and had a wonderful time, but honestly, there wasn't much to do!
We had lunch at a fantastic tapas restaurant called San Chez. If you are ever in Grand Rapids you should make sure to go there. The food is great and they make one fabulous Bloody Mary.
From there we walked down the main strip and down along the waterfront. We stopped to rest at a park in front of the Gerald Ford Museum. We didn't go in, but the park was very green.




























On our walk we passed the Four Friends Coffee Shop. Being the four friends that we are, we had to take a pic!
Four friends, one coffeeshop!

From there we had a 2 show day at a typical arena:
So after the second show we got some food and got on the bus for the drive to Bloomington, IL which I have been calling Boomfield for the past week or so! hahaha. So, we got to Bloomington with enough time to check into the hotel, go to the gym, shower, get on the bus and go to next arena for 2 more shows. I have to say that this was the first time that I got seriosuly confused from all of the traveling. I knew we were in a new city, but the arena looked the same!




























I think it's the backstage more than anything that looks EXACTLY the same at every arena. Plus, the stages are the same dimensions. It really threw me for a loop. We had catering between the shows and then afterwards got on the buses to head to Louisville, KY so I never got to see Bloomington. From what I hear, I didn't miss anything.
Next stop...Luhville!

The A-team (+Shane) take on Philadephia

The time finally arrived! We were close enough to NYC for my family to come visit! Unfortunately, the B (that would be my brother Brad) couldn't make it, but I know he was there in spirit rooting on his Egg-playing sister!
Mom, Dad & Shane all drove down Friday morning and since we had the day off we went into Philly for a day of fun!
Dad's requests were the Liberty Bell:














and Independence Hall:


















what a cute couple!



















Outside Independence Hall there was a statue of someone we didn't know and all it said was "Barry." Luckily, Shane the History Buff was there to clear things up!






BARRY MANILOW! duh!











Turns out that Barry Manilow was involved in the U.S. Navy during the Revolutionary War. So we had to get a pick of Dad with the Barry Manilow plaque:
We had walked up quite an appetite at this point so we headed over to Jim's for some authentic Philly Cheesesteaks!They were unbelievable! We all got them with Whiz which was a great decision. My Dad nearly lost his mind when we saw a boy at the table next to us take his cheese steak and wrap it in a HUGE slice of pizza he had brought in with him. My dad is now planning on what other things he can wrap in pizza. Some ideas were: hot dogs, tacos, cheeseburgers, you get the idea!

From Jim's we walked around a bit more (it was a gorgeous day) and sat for a while just enjoying the scenery and then headed over to Ralph's for dinner. This is what was located across the street from where we parked the car:
I couldn't stop laughing! Paul met up with us and we enjoyed an evening of Italian dining which included, but was not limited to, carafes of house wine!

After dinner we drove over to Penn's Landing to walk along the water. We took the opportunity to take some really great pics...
















You can see here where I get my funny face abilities from...thanks mom!

And then we had some shows!














Mom and Dad really loved the egg costume and have been calling me Eggbert ever since (well, mostly Dad is doing that).
Emily also came to the show. Unfortunately, I did get any pictures with her which I am now realizing was very silly of me, but what can ya do? We had a great time and then she drove and Shane left :o(

Upon leaving Camden I announced to the cast that I will be leaving the show as of June 1st. I think most of you know my plans, but in case you don't, I will spending the summer down in Prestonsburg, KY again at the Jenny Wiley Theatre. We are doing "Honky Tonk Angels," I'm Dance Captain and understudy Darlene, "Wizard of Oz," I'm Dance Captain, Glinda and Aunt Em, and "A Chorus Line" original choreography and I'm Judy. I'm so excited to get to do the shows, but I am sad to leave the tour. Don't worry, though, I will keep the blog going strong. This way the office-goers in the audience won't need to find a new online activity to help procrastinate at work. I mean, a new way to relax after a long day at work!

have a good night!

A trip to Saratoga! and some other stuff too!

So...as you already know, my camera died on me at the mall of America. Paul and I finally finished the camera and had it developed so here are some pics from that day!
Here's the backyardigans ride!

















Me with a huge lego T-Rex
And a pic of everyone holding up their shopping bags from the day. I have to say that I bought the least of everyone. I walked out with a new mac eyeliner and that's it! Mom and Dad should be so proud!
Now that that is settled, on to Albany! We had two days off before our performances at the Palace Theatre so I rented a car and drove up to my favorite place...SARATOGA SPRINGS!!! It I got there on monday, stopped by the dance studios and saw my jazz teacher, had lunch at Putnam, took ballet class, taught a Pilates mat class at Meghan's studio, got my favorite mushroom ravioli from Wheatfields, went to the sketchies show and hung out with Laurie, Laura, Lauren and Casey. Pretty great first day. The next day was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's! I went to yoga in the morning, had brunch with Deb, my ballet teacher, had a free cone of a delicious new flavor called something like 7-layer coconut chocolate bar,
worked out at the pilates studio, saw the Fox's and went to dinner with them, and then, after a few glasses of boxed wine, went to the Bandersnatchers jam! Phenomenal.
Here's a pic of the Carousel in Congress park:here are the fox boys on our way to dinner:


Aren't they just the cutest?!?!






and no, Kurt and Jen did not pay me to write that!







So..after two fantastic days in Saratoga, I was off to Albany again to have lunch with Debbie (my jazz teacher) and her husband before a two show day!


















While in Albany, before the first show, it was decided that the disposable camera from the mall of america had to be finished. We took some great photos. The winner, for obvious reason, is the photo Paul and I have titled "Heroin Chic"I really think that our pre-show attire (mics, footmen jacket, wig caps, under eye liner) really bring out the underlying meaning of the photo.

From Albany, we sailed on over to Wilkes-Barre, PA. Well, I can tell you this, I won't be going back there any time soon. Luckily it was a nice day to walk around a little because there was NOTHING to do! Paul and I tried to find a bank of america and were send on a wild goose chase through a very scary neighborhood. The theatre was fine:
and the people patriotic:
and that's about it! From Wilkes-Barre we hopped back on our bus--home sweet home--and started our journey to Camden, NJ! Oy vey!

Catch up!

Boy oh boy am I behind! Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburg AND Baltimore flew by!

So..let's go back three cities!

Minneapolis was great! Paul rented a car so we had a way to get around which was SO nice!

First adventure was to the Mall of America where we had a press event and then got to ride the rollercoasters for free and run around and shop. I, of course, brought my camera but after one photo the battery died! Can you believe it?!?!? Here is that one glorious photo that we did get!

That night we got discounted tickets to see Jersey Boys and it was fantastic! I love that show! We were in the first row and we were singing along the whole time. I hope the cast didn't hate us. Before the show we had a fantastic dinner at a tapas restaurant called Solera. Paul, Laura and I did the tasting menu and it was just delicious! I really miss all of the restaurants in New York.

The next day was my first day back performing in the show. It was a three show day so I did the first two and LaRaisha (she's our swing) went on for the third show. No use pushing it on my first day back. The theatre was gorgeous (see pic below) and outside our name was on the Marquis! How exciting!















We walked a bit in the skywalk which was really cool. The people of Minnesota really know how to deal with winter weather. All of the building downtown connect via skywalks so that in the bad weather you enver have to go outside. The halls of the skywalk are lined with stores, salons, coffeeshops...everything! We ended up outside again right near a statue of Mary Tyler Moore! Obviously Paul and and I needed to take a pic.
After the third show I got a ride out to St. Paul to go to a sedar at Isa(my godmother)'s friend's house. There were about 30-40 people there which was a ton of fun. The family is Sfardic so it was interesting to hear the different tunes and experience the different traditions. It wasn't outrageously different, but enough to keep it interesting! The food was great and everyone was really nice. I spent the night and took the train back into downtown Minneapolis in the morning.

After the show we got food, hung out, showed Minneapolis how it's done and then got on the bus to sleep on our way to CHICAGO! Our next performance was in Pittsburg, but the drive from MN to PA was too long for Uncle Pete (the busdriver) so we stopped in Chicago for a day off. We walked around ALL day...literally. I can't remember the last time I was tired. We went to the Sear's tower where I had a mini panic attack...I always seem to forget how afraid of heights I am...

Millenium park..


















the Art Institute of Chicago...(the home of the painting that inspired Sunday In the Park with George)

Navy Pier...














A sensible picture in the funny mirror at Navy Pier...


















and Boystown for a sushi dinner!

We then hit up Side Tracks which is a bar in Boystown where they have Musical Theatre Mondays. They have these huge screens and they play scenes from musicals. I don't think the midwesterners knew what to do with us. We were singing and dancing along to ALL of the songs. I think they were annoyed but got over it when we answered their questions about shows and people. What can we say? We;re from New York! Hahaha.

We took a cab back to the hotel and got settled on the bus for the lovely trip to Pittsburg.

We stayed at a Hilton which was undergoing renovations. Our room was a finished room and it was gorgeous. I didn't really get any pics of it...sorry...but believe me, it was nice. We also had a pretty view of a bridge, the river, and the hills across the river.

While in Pittsburg we hit up the Andy Warhol museum. We have seen some great museums so far and this one did not disappoint. I do have to say that it seemed a requirement to be a jerk in order to work there. The woman who we bought admission from, the guy in the cafe and the guy in the museum store were all rude and jerky. Oh well, the art was great. They had pieces that spanned Warhol's career and also some guest installations. There was one by an artists whose name I can't remember who smashes ceramic figurines and uses high speed photography to catch the destruction. It said that he takes thousands of photos before finding the ones that he feels capture the perfect moment where the piece is still complete, but also shattered. They were really cool.

My favorite surprise was from the New York Bank Mellon Collection where they had three prints of Frank Stella's Had Gadya series. I recognized Frank Stella's work immediately and just loved that it was the Had Gadya series since it is Passover now! Coincidence? I think not!
At the museum they had a photo booth where you could take a trip of black and white photos. Inspired by the museum we decided to take a group shot in there. Then we all decided we had to take individual pictures. We then took pictures of all the pictures together. Can you tell that we have just a little too much time on our hands???


Also, inspired by the museum, Laura bought the movie Factory Girl for us to watch before the show. Wow. If you haven't seen it, rent it! I did not know the whole story of Edie Sedgwig and the factory and that other stuff! Yowza!

So...then we had some shows...the theatre was great and we even had our OWN dressing rooms which was a very nice change of pace. I did my first full three show day and the ankle was fine! I have been doing the exercises and every day it feels better. I think all of the walking around has helped a lot too.


















Pittsburg was a great city, but I was looking forward to getting to Baltimore to have some crab cakes and go to the aquarium. Then I remembered that it was still passover and I would have to wait to get a crabcake so I thought to myself "this aquarium better be great because it has to make up for the lack of crabcake eating." So we went to the Harbor, had lunch and went to the aquarium. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the afternoon...













So...I just realized that I forgot to get pictures on the marquis and the theatre in Baltimore! My sincerest apologies to you, my faithful readers, I have failed you and promise not to do it again. We had three shows on Saturday and two on sunday. I guess I just got caught up in everything. It was a beautiful theatre, not unlike the one in Pittsburg.

After the second show on Sunday I ran and got a crab cake since Passover was over. It was worth the weight. 1/2lb of lump crab meat. No fillers, just crab, need I say more? We then loaded up on the bus...all 5 of us. The rest of the cast decided to either go back to NYC or visit friends in other places since we have 2 days off before our next show. I took the bus up to Albany and will spend my days off in Saratoga! I'm so excited! I'm going to teach a Pilates mat class there because my teacher is going to be out of town and needed someone to substitute. I'm also going to take some dance classes, hang out with friends and eat like an animal. If you are in the area, feel free to come join me!

Great! I'm caught up now! I will try not to let that happen again!

Ciao!

Audience Participation

Dear Viewers,

I would like to encourage you to participate in this blog. I promise, it's not difficult. When you enjoy an entry, or have something funny, witty, interesting, uninteresting to add please feel free to comment on said entry. I would love to hear what you think. Is there something you would like to see more of? I am not as funny as I like to think I am? Let me know! All comments and suggestions will be reviewed and are greatly appreciated.

Have a great day,
Management

Appleton WI + Sioux Falls = big adventure!

Many apologies for the delay. I know you have been holding your breath waiting for the latest news of my exciting life on the road. Haha. Well, it's been...a week...to say the least.

At the beginning it seemed that Appleton was going to be the best stop of the tour so far. I mean, look at this theatre!

"Don't cry for my Argentina!"

Things changed during Tweedily Dee at Sunday's performance. I was going a sensible pony step after dancing with Tasha when I rolled my ankle and sprained it. There was a gimpy egg on stage for a hot second, but luckily I was able to crank out a few more step touches and finish the show.
As you can see, I was not a happy camper. We travelled overnight to Sioux Falls, SD (where Creighton is from) and luckily I was able to get an appointment with an Orthopedist there. Dr. Craig M. Smith (I've been calling him McSteamy) was great! I sprained a small ligament on the outside of my foot by my ankle bone/heel. Dr. McSteamy assured me that if I were going to sprain something, this is the sprain I would want. I was sentenced to 4-5 out of the show and an ankle brace for when I start performing again. The Physical Therapists at the Orthopedic Institute gave me some exercises to do to help speed along the process. I already feel a LOT better and everyone has been really supportive.
See what I mean?! This is Sally Howe, by the way, she's head of wardrobe and our bff. This pic was taken on our way to the pizza party that Creighton's family had at the Pizza Ranch for us! His family is so nice and his Dad made the BEST chocolate chip cookies for us!

So...at the Pizza ranch there is also an arcade. I haven't been to an arcade in...I hvae no IDEA how long! We had so much fun and played games. I'm not going to lie, it got pretty intense at times...
And not as intense at other times...
Paul looks drunk, but I promise we just had pizza and cookies. And yes, I am wearing crocs. Hate me if you want to, but it was the only thing that fit confortable over the ankle brace. I'm sorry.

Moving on!

Sioux falls is adorable. It kind of looks like Saratoga Springs, NY meets Red Bank, NJ. I just loved it! The weather was gorgeous so Paul and I walked around with Sally and got this keepsake of a photo.
There is an event every year in Sioux Falls (I learned this from the cab driver who drove me to the doctor) where local artists make sculptures and display them on the streets downtown. They are auctioned off and at the end of the year (May-May I think) the person who bought the statue takes it and the next set is displayed. Pretty cool, huh?

Then, of course, there were...the falls. I was expecting something like this...
but what we really got was this...
Just a little bit different!

After a lovely day of walking around we went to the theatre, the Washington Pavillion. It was beautiful and it was hard not performing there. This is the view from center stage.

The show looks GREAT from the audience. The costumes and sets are so impressive. I was surprised I didn't see more kids who had had accidents.

Then we loaded back onto the buses to head to Cedar Falls, IA. OH! I finally got a pic with our bus driver Pete. We call him Uncle Pete and he makes sure we get everywhere safetly and on time! He's awesomeWell...that's all we have kids. Stay tuned for further updates and you stay classy San Diego!