Hamilton in Denver

How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean make me spend so much money on tickets to see a musical about his life?  By making his life story the best thing that I have ever seen on stage!  By now I have spent almost $1,000 on tickets to Hamilton (New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and an upcoming performance in SLC) but I absolutely love it!  I know that people think I am crazy but whenever I do these crazy things I never regret it!  When I found out that the Broadway touring company production would be in Denver over my spring break and that there were tickets available, I jumped at the chance to have a fourth row seat and it was absolutely incredible to be so close!  Every production that I have seen has been so different and I really like what the actors do to make the roles their own.  In this production I really liked Nicholas Christopher in the role of Aaron Burr because he infused a lot of humor into the character, Isaiah Johnson in the role of George Washington because he had a beautiful voice, especially in "Right Hand Man" and "One Last Time," and Peter Matthew Smith as King George because his facial expressions were an absolute hoot (I sat so close I could actually see them) and I almost died of laughter when he filed his fingernails with his scepter.   However, the two who absolutely stole the show were Chris De'Sean Lee and Mathenee Treco who played Marquis de Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson and Hercules Mulligan/ James Madison, respectively.  In both of their roles, the two of them played off each other hilariously, especially in the Cabinet Battles.  I loved Jefferson's mic drop and I loved Madison's waving handkerchief.  Once again the song "It's Quiet Uptown" brought spontaneous tears to my eyes.  I loved it when Eliza (Julia K. Harriman) gave Hamilton (Austin Scott) her hand and then he kissed it.  This scene has been very different in each production I've seen but each one has been so emotional.  I really loved having the chance to see Hamilton again and I'm looking forward to seeing it, yet again, in SLC in two weeks (I think it is the same company as this one).  If you can get a ticket, I highly recommend this brilliant musical!

Go Avs Go!

I was already going to spend part of my spring break in Denver so I spontaneously decided to drive out a day early to see the Colorado Avalanche play the Chicago Blackhawks.  I knew it would be a great game because the Avalanche are definitely in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff position but I had no idea that it would be one of the best games ever!  I enjoy doing many things by myself but I had never been to a hockey game by myself before.  I used to go to games with my friend Tony and now I usually go with my Dad or my cousins and I wondered how fun it would be with no one to talk to.  I had nothing to fear!  I sat next to two of the rowdiest Avalanche fans in the world and they talked to me the whole night!  In fact, the obnoxious Blackhawks fan sitting behind us thought we were together which was somewhat problematic when they almost got into a fight!  It was so much fun!  With every goal, and there were five of them, we would celebrate by high-fiving and, as the game wore on, hugging each other!  The Avalanche scored a goal on all three power plays, one in each period, and then added two more for good measure in the third period to get the shut-out!  The Pepsi Center was out of control!  I am so glad I decided to go to this game!

Note:  I really missed my Dad!  Not only has he has been my hockey buddy my whole life but he springs for better seats!!

Spring Break Avalanche Game

Every year my Dad and I try to go to at least one Colorado Avalanche game and this year we picked a game against the Minnesota Wild during my spring break.  It's a long drive but we've done it so many times that it has become part of the experience!  We have traditions and rituals with things we do and places we stop.  Right before we left, Denver had a huge snow storm and I-80 was actually closed for a while which made us nervous to drive but we only had snow flurries here and there.  Whenever I travel to Denver alone I usually stay at the Motel 6 but with my Dad it is first class all the way and we stay at the SpringHill Suites downtown.  This hotel is so nice!  We checked in late Friday afternoon and the plan was to rest for a little while and then go to dinner (I love Old Chicago and we don't have one in SLC) but I fell asleep and, by the time I woke up, it was too late to go anywhere!  I'm such a party animal!

The game was Saturday afternoon and my Dad and I were so excited!  I think the Pepsi Center is such an amazing venue for hockey.  I can smell the ice as soon as I walk in the doors!

We had absolutely fabulous seats right at center ice!  This game was really important for the Avalanche because they are chasing the Wild for a playoff spot and it was intense during the first period.  It felt like playoff hockey to me with lots of shots on goal and really tight defense.  Then the Avalanche totally fell apart in the second period.  Their puck handling was terrible and there were so many giveaways that I stopped counting.  They had several power play opportunities but couldn't convert.  In fact, they didn't even get one shot on goal during one power play.

The only thing that enlivened the second period was a visit from Bernie, the Avalanche mascot.  The Wild scored twice in the second period and then got a short-handed goal and an empty-net goal in the third period.  It was disappointing but, like last year, we invited my cousin Blaine to go to the game with us and it was a lot of fun to talk to him (especially about Batman v Superman).  I love the Colorado Avalanche, so even though they lost the game, and most likely a chance at making the playoffs, I lhad a great time watching them play!  Next year my Dad and I are hoping to see the Avs play the Maple Leafs in Toronto!

Many years ago I started a tradition of getting an Avalanche hat at every game I went to.  Even though I have more hats than I know what to do with, I had to get another one!  I really wanted a hat with the new logo on it and my Dad wanted one, too!

Even though the Avalanche lost, at least we got matching hats!

Note:  Several years ago I almost ran out of gas while driving in Wyoming.  I could have stopped in Green River but I thought I would make it and then barely coasted into Little America only to discover that the power was off!  I vowed that I would never, ever, do that again because my Dad always tells me not to let the tank get that low!  Last night when we reached Green River, we had 1/8th of a tank left.  My Dad and I decided that we could make it to Little America and the gas light immediately came on!  I think we made it to Little America on fumes but, at least, the power was on this time!

Newsies in Los Angeles

I have wanted to see the musical Newsies for such a long time and I finally had the opportunity to do so at the Pantages Theatre in L.A. over spring break!  Sometimes I can't believe all of the incredible things I get to do!  I was momentarily distracted from my anticipation of the show because the Pantages Theatre is absolutely beautiful.  There are opulent gold and silver decorations everywhere in the Art Deco style and I was especially fascinated by the ceiling!  The show was amazing!  As a huge fan of the movie, I had a tendency to want to compare the stage musical to the Disney classic but they were so different.  After a few songs I stopped thinking about the movie because, as my friend Josh said, "this is so much better!"  Jack Kelly (Dan DeLuca) and his fellow "newsies" gather every morning to buy newspapers to sell to New Yorkers.  When Joseph Pulitzer (Steve Blanchard) raises the price of the papers, the newsies decide to go on strike.  With a little bit of help from fledgling reporter Katherine Plummer (Stephanie Styles), the newsies print their own newspaper and get the attention of Gov. Theodore Roosevelt.  I really loved the song "The World Will Know."  It is incredibly powerful and the cast performed it with such passion!  I had goosebumps throughout the whole song and the reprise (I have goosebumps now just remembering it).  Another favorite, of course, was "Seize the Day" and "King of New York" was a lot of fun.  The choreography in this show blew me away, especially when all of the newsies danced in unison with all of the high energy leaps and spins.  The assembled crowd was very vocal in their appreciation of the dancing.  I was also very impressed with the set design.  The three metal towers, which could be moved around and reconfigured to depict New York apartment buildings and printing offices, were very innovative and highly effective at portraying the industrialization of the turn of the century.  I loved it when they were covered with scrims and newspaper type was projected on them.  So clever!  I really loved this show and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see it!

Note:  Ironically, Broadway in Utah just announced the 2015-2016 season and Newsies will be coming to SLC in June of 2016!  I get to see it again!

Santa Monica Pier

I spent a day at the Santa Monica Pier over spring break and, although I am not a beach person, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The Santa Monica Pier is such an iconic landmark with lots to see and do!  There was a really fun vibe there!

I spent most of my time sitting on the beach.  I find the ocean to be absolutely mesmerizing!

When I mentioned to a friend that I would be going to the Santa Monica Pier, he told me that I had to eat at Pier Burger.  I took his advice and it was delicious!

A fun day in the sun!

Disneyland

I spent two and a half days in Disneyland over spring break and I had so much fun.  Disneyland really is The Happiest Place on Earth because there is so much to do there!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle is all decked out in anticipation of Disneyland's 60th Anniversary.  It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be but it was still magical!

My friends Kjersti and Sarah on the teacups.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Tower of Terror.  I am not a huge fan of going on rides but they got me on more of them than I thought I would go on.  My favorites are probably Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise (but don't tell my friend Kjersti).

There is so much entertainment in the park.  Above are the Dapper Dans performing and the jazz band Five & Dime.  We also saw the stage musical Aladdin performed at the Hyperion Theatre, which was absoutely magical, and we saw a concert featuring a cover band called Instant Replay, which was a lot of fun!  My friend Josh knows how to rock!

(My friend Josh, who teaches instrumental music at HHS, thought Mickey had great technique on the drums!)

I turned into a little child during Mickey's Soundsational Parade.  I was literally giggling and squealing with delight when I saw each character appear!  It was so magical!  My favorite was Mary Poppins!

California Adventure.  I really wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel but it closed down as we were about to get on!

A lot of my Disneyland goals (other than getting Mickey ears with my name on them which happened the first day) focused on food!  I had beignets in New Orleans Square and, of course, I got the world famous Dole Whip (amazing) at the Enchanted Tiki Room.  I had lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant (the restaurant you see in the Pirates of the Caribbean) which was expensive but worth it.  I also spent some time in Downtown Disney which is an area adjacent to the park with lots of fabulous restaurants and stores.  It is a good option for lunch and dinner because it is sightly less expensive than the park and you can get there easily on the monorail.  My friends raved and raved about the Earl of Sandwich before the trip and they were right!  We ate there twice!

My very favorite thing at Disneyland was the World of Color!  It was seriously the coolest thing ever and the perfect way to end my time at Disneyland.