NYC Day #2 - Parades and Phantoms

Well, today didn't quite start out like I had planned.  Plans were to meet Ashley, Meena and Hannah at 6:00am near Lincoln Center to get a spot to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Well, I pretty much didn't hear my alarm this morning so I woke up at 7:20am, and paniced.  Of course I had a few text's and a phone message for Hannah, who was there pretty much on time.  I took a quick shower and grabed a LYFT and made it up to Lincoln Center and somehow, found Hannah and Ashley.   Meena turned out to not being able to join us.  We watched the parade from beginning to end.  I've never been so happy to see Santa in my life!!!  

After the parade, we caught up with Meena and her friends and had lunch at the Cosmic Cafe, and we talked and talked - and when we thought we were done talking, we talked some more!!   It was great seeing friends from home when you are away from home for Thanksgiving.

After we parted ways, I took the subway back to the hotel and took a nap and watched some TV.  

I took the subway back to Times Square and went to Roxie Diner for a quick dinner before Show #3.

I've seen "The Phantom of the Opera" 13 times.... but never in NYC, so this was like the first time all over again.   What a glorious show it still is.  The original production is in great shape, with a BIG orchestra and all the special effects.  After the show, I hung out at the stage door (once I found it) and waited for Jeremy Stolle, an actor I did a show with at BBBay a few years ago,  We caught up and then he had to run to get on a plane to California for Thanksgiving with his family.  I then waited for the conductor, Kristin Blodgette to come out, as I wanted to introduce myself in real life as we are Facebook friends.  That was a really cool to get to meet her and say hi.

I took the subway back to my hotel and here I am.

Just a few thoughts about Thanksgiving and the whole shopping thing.  I'm a little sad that Thanksgiving seems to be less and less important in the retail world.   All afternoon, I saw commercials about stores opening on Thursday at 6:00pm. and most of the stores in Time Square were open as well.  

I guess things are getting less and less sacred.

Tomorrow, meeting a few friends, and 2 more shows.

NYC Day #1 - The Ham and I

Hello!!!

Let's catch up.  The flight to NYC was quick, quiet, and uneventful.  I took a LYFT from the airport to the hotel... I don't reccomend that to anyone.  I think it's cheaper to take a cap.   I got early check in a the hotel (Grand Hyatt) and took a nap.  I got up and headed out.   I walked to the Broadway and walked around and oriented myself again, it's been 9 years since my last visit.  I got some lunch at the Cranberry Deli, recommended by a local, and was good, cheap and fast.

First show of the day was "Hamilton" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  The last time I was at the Richard Rodgers theatre was in 1999 to see "Footloose" and the outside of the theatre was green.  Lots of shows have been through those doors since then including "In The Heights" - the first musical by the creator of "Hamilton".   Upon first listning of "Hamilton", I was quite underwhelmed as it sounded way to much like "In the Heights" and I was having issues with the "old" story and the rap/hip hop music.  Modern lyrics coming out of these historic figures mouth.   Couldn't get passed that.  Until I saw it.

Everrything works.  The music, the lyrics, the staging, the costumes, everything.  That's not to say it's perfect.  Because it's not.  The music is still quite repetivtive, and I know, you can say the same for Sondheim and Lloyd Webber, but it was, and I guess it works. The lyrics are clever and sometimes brilliantly funny.  If you listen carefully, you can catch some other musical theatre references.  The costumes were a mix between period and modern that made it look like they were period.  I can understand why there is such a hype for this show as the storytelling is top notch and it's history told in a modern way and I guess people that don't normally like musical theatre music can "relate" to this style of music.

After "Hamilton" I headed over to TKTS and got a ticket for "The King and I". I went back to the hotel to drop off my "Hamillton" swag and then walked to Lincoln Center.  It tuned out to be quite a long walk.  I walked up 5th Ave, which may have been a mistake because there were a lot of people on Fifth Ave.

I made it to Lincoln Center and took my seat for "The King and I".   First of all, the show had a FULL orchestra using the original orchestrations.   No keyboards to be found - and they were amazing.  I finally got to see Kelli O'Hara in person, and she did not dissapoint.  In fact, it was a perfect production. The sets and costumes were top notch.  The cast was incredible.  I wish this current King was their oriignal king when the show opened because the chemistry between the King and Anna was perfect.

I walked home a diffeent way this time, hoping it was be quickier, but it wasn't. And so, here I am.

I must end this quickly as I have to be up at 5:00am to get to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route by 6:00am.  I'm hopong for a nap tomorrow.

Matt

I'm gonna be a part of it......

I finally got to the blogger - with not much time to write.

I'm here at Oakland Int Airport, waiting for my JetBlue flight to NYC.  A whirlwind trip of about 3 days and probably 5 shows and the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I'm excited to get waway for a while before the Christmas season begins.

For those who will ask, I'm seeing "Hamilton" tomorrow afternoon, "Phantom of the Opera" on Thursday and "Fun Home" and "School of Rock" on Friday.  I have one slot open tomorrow night to see something else if I'm up to it.  I'd love to see Kelli O'Hara in "The King and I" but I worry that I may be too tired to stay awake.  At least I know my limits.

I hope to see a few friends and eat a few good meals, also.  So who knows what might happen!

More tomorrow!  It's nice to blog again.

The beginning of the end of Summer 2015

I started this blog about a year ago in order to document my trip to Europe and I was pretty successful in doing just that.  However, almost a year has gone by and there hasn't been an entry.  Thanks to the Facebook, I'm able to keep track of little trips or excursions I've done in the past year.  A trip to Chicago, a few trips to Disneyland - one with the entire family - and that's about it.  Far cry from 2 weeks in Europe.  I still dream about the passageways of Venice, the vastness of St Peter's and the laid back persona that is Amsterdam.  Not to mention the German production of "Starlight Express".  A new cast recording of that show was released late last year and documents the show in its current incarnation - and you know, even though it's in German, I remember everything.

So here we are, August 13, 2015. A year ago I was enjoying Venice, this year, I'm spending a few days at my get-a-way of choice, Disneyland.  This is my 3rd outing this summer enjoying what the 60th anniversary of the Happiest Place on Earth has to offer, and it still does not disappoint.   Earlier in June, I came down to Disneyland to spend a few days with Amy and her mom and boys and then spent 3 days with the kids from the Hillbarn Theatre Conservatory.  Both arms of that trip were exciting in themselves.  The Hillbarn kids did a few classes with Disney and got to play in the park for a few days.  During that trip, I saw my first "Paint the Night" parade - which is the new Disney evening spectacular.  Briefly reminiscent of my beloved Main Street Electrical Parade, Paint the Night immediately had my attention with its soundtrack and its amazing brilliantly lit floats - not to mention friends that are in this parade - it has become my new obsession.

Here is the link to the parade, if you wish to watch it.

I came down again with my pal Asa over the 4th of July Holiday.  We had a great time which included a great dinner at the Carthay Circle Theatre Restaurant.  It was a fun few days.

Between the trip with Asa and last Sunday (August 8) I opened 3 shows - "West Side Story", "Cinderella" and "Rent"  All were great and all had extremely talented casts.  It was my first time running mics for a show (Cinderella) and that was fun also.  I got to do "West Side Story" with my niece, which was fun!

So, here I am, again, in sunny Anaheim.   So, what's happening this weekend?  Funny you should ask.

For the first two trips this summer, I drove down to Anaheim.  This time, I decided to fly.  I think having those two trips so close together (2 weeks apart) and driving both times really encouraged me to fly.  Don't get me wrong, I love the drive to Anaheim, maybe a little too much, but two weeks like that was too much.  So, I booked a Southwest flight out of Oakland.

Oh, I moved to Union City in April this year... that's a whole other blog post.

Anyway, I decided to fly out of Oakland, so I booked a flight out of Oakland.  I figured since I lived near a BART station, I would BART to the the airport.  Then I thought I'd try a super shuttle, and that was WAY too much $$.  Then I thought I'd take the "Uber" or "Lyft" plunge as I've avoided using these services as I thought I'd feel weird getting into someones car.  So, in the end, I took BART to the airport and it was just perfect.  So perfect, that when I went through security, I ended up in the pre-checked line and basically walked through.  No questions asked!   The flight was easy.  When I got to Orange County, that's where the adventure started.  I decided to call for a "Lyft" - and I'll tell you.... it was the easiest thing in the world, and much cheaper than a taxi and more reliable.  I may be sold.  I'll be using them on the way back to the airport

I check into the Candy Cane Inn - my hotel of choice - and got settled, went to 7-11 for supplies and then did some work before I headed into the park for the evening.

Work.... well, that's another blog post soon, I promise.

I went into Disneyland and headed to the back of the park and found a place for Mickey's Soundsational Parade.  It's a great parade, full of energy and great music.  One of my favorite things at Disneyland  - especially if James and/or Clarissa are in it - which they weren't this time :-(.   After the parade, I went on It's a Small World and of course sent my usual bevy of text's to friends while on the ride.  I've been doing that for a quite a long time now.  People actually track me down and ask why they didn't get their text from It's a Small World if they know I am here.  Afterward, I got in the single rider line for Splash Mountain.  Single rider lines are sometimes longer than the real lines these days.  However, I got on pretty quickly.  I just love this attraction, it's always a lot of fun.

After Splash, I went and picked up some pins.... oh, the pins.  Maybe I should talk about the pins for a bit....

I've never been a huge Disney pin collector, but I have my share of pins and last summer, Veronika and Michelle helped me put them in order.  In doing that, I kinda became a pin collector.  However, I'm rather picky about the pins I buy.  Usually, they are things like Splash Mountain, Mickey Heads, Main Street Electrical Parade, Olaf, Resorts, etc.  So, when Disney came out with Paint the Night pins, it was very exciting.  However, in true Disney style, there was a catch.  There are 12 pins in the collection, and 6 are revealed and 6 are mystery.  So, one box has two pins in it, one you can see, one you can't.  And of course, I have 10 of the 12 and the two I don't have are mystery pins.  So, I took the chance and bought 2 more boxes - and in one of those boxes, I got one mystery I didn't have.   So, now I only need one more mystery pin (Belle, if you must know).  Today, I tried again and got no where.  I'm going to have quite the collection of Paint the Night pins to trade if I don't get Belle soon!!

Anyhow, after some pin shopping, I met Rosie for dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ - this dinner is 4 years in the making and we finally went.  It was all you can eat, and very yummy.  After dinner we walked around and watched the fireworks near It's Small World and then got in line for Peter Pan.

And that's it for today.

I'm out...

The Return Trip

So, today is the final day my feet will be upon European soil.  I'm looking forward to the trip home and I'm looking forward to being home amongst my "things" and my precious Ben.  But I have to get there first.

The picture above is a picture of Melinda's Fiat, "Minty", which took me to the airport.  I said my goodbyes and checked in.  Of course, my suitcase was over the limit and I didn't have the energy to re-pack, so I paid the fee and was on my way.  I got a sandwich and a coffee at Starbucks and did a little last minute shopping and bought some Dutch cheese to take home.  The flight to London was short and sweet, I think I napped a little before take-off.  When I got to London, I had to take a shuttle to transfer to another terminal.  Heathrow airport is a hot mess.  I hope they do something about it soon.  I checked in again and got some snacks and such and before I knew it, it was time to board.

The flight home was long and somewhat tedious.  The person in front of me decided to put her chair back all the way about 1/3 of the way of the flight so there went my movie viewing or anything like that.  I napped on and off, the food was decent, the two women in my row were nice, also.  I was thankful to get to SFO. I went through customs and had to go through a special line because of the cheese.

After a little issue with transportation, I took a cab back to OLA and got my car and then picked up my keys from Mom's house.  I then proceeded to head to Palo Alto for a "Big Fish" rehearsal as I was missing them terribly when I was in Europe.  In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea, but I loved seeing everyone.

The final part of my return was to pick up Ben from Judy's house. He was really happy to see me, until he wasn't.

And he really wasn't happy to see me when he received his gift

What he doesn't know is that the hat will be part of his Halloween costume this year!

Well folks, this marks the end of the European Vacation.  I still dream about Venice and being at the Vatican.  I spend my days listening to the newest song written for Starlight Express --

Here it is in English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuGPcR4LiQ

Stay tuned for more from the Maestro as we head into a new school year, a very busy fall, and an exciting Winter.

Ciao for now,

Maestro 

Amsterdam - Day 2

Hey everyone -

My day began sort of late as I didn't sleep well during the night.  I think I was stressing over what was awaiting me upon my arrival back in the USA.  Anyway, I sucked it up and moved on.
Melinda drove me to the ferry - armed with my awesome new jacket and umbrella because the rain just wasn't going to stop while I was here - and away I went.

My first stop was St Nicholas church.  Much to my surprise, there was Mass being said in English that afternoon at 12:30 so I stayed and went to Mass.  After Mass I took some pictures of inside of St Nicholas.

Baptismal Font

Altar and tabernacle

Pipes!!  What else??

After Mass and pictures, I headed to my next destination, in which I had to venture into the Red Light District of Amsterdam.  Originally, Melinda asked me to save that section so we could walk around together, but if I wanted to go to my next destination, I had to walk through the Red Light District.  I ended up here

There was a time in Amsterdam when it was against the law that Catholic's were not allowed to practice their religion.  So, all of these secret churches were popping up.  This certain church, Our Lord in the Attic was one that was maintained and kept as a museum.  It's rather fascinating, right down to the pipe organ!!  Here's a picture tour...

Picture above the fireplace

Fireplace 

This was cool, may have been the Stations of the Cross

Stove for heat

Holy Water font

After climbing several staircases - narrow ones at that - I came upon the church in the attic.

Pipes for a mini pipe organ - that was cool!!

Organ Console behind the pipes

Altar

Looking down from the balcony

Vestments

Another view looking down

Sacristy

Looking down from the second balcony

Sanctuary Lamp

Mary's Altar

Very steep stairs.  FACT - evidently, most of the staircases in Amsterdam are like this because it costs less to build as buildings are charged by the square foot. So, the more compact, the better.  Very scary!!! 

Bed in the wall 

Confessional - empty as usual!!

I found my time at Our Lord in the Attic quite fascinating.  It's a definite "must see" if you find yourself in Amsterdam, especially if you are/was Catholic.  

Next stop was the "Old Church" -- which after a while, I found wasn't really a church at all.  But it was at one time.  Now it seemed to be used for gatherings, art displays, etc.  Actually, when I paid my admission and went in, the lady in the booth told me they were just finishing up a funeral.  I spent a lot of my time looking for an altar, which I found none - then I realized it wasn't a church anymore.

This was an interesting display of art

This was on the floor near the art

Lots of pipes!!!  Evidently, there are 3 organs in this church.  This was the biggest one from what I can tell and is used quite a bit for concerts

More art

A model of something, probably a church

Pipes for the second smaller organ.  

This was an interesting stature.  The head was an orb of some type

This was the closest I could find to an altar, but it wasn't one

Windows

I think this is the third and smallest organ.  Pipes are most likely enclosed in the cabinet.

Here is the outside of the "Old Church".  It was pouring when I got outside

I braved the rain and took off to my next destination.  

Raegena talked to me about the traveling pipe organ, and by a stroke of luck, in the rain, I found it on one of the main streets of Amsterdam

Begijnhof is a residential area behind a simple doorway right off on of the main streets of Amsterdam.  It's crazy, on the other side of this wall are high fashion stores, etc and then there is this very calm and peaceful area, which is also a residential area.    This quiet courtyard has sheltered women since 1346.  This was for centuries the home of a community of Beguines - pious and simple women who removed themselves from the world at large to dedicate their lives to God.  When it was first established it literally was a "women's island" a circle of houses facing a peaceful courtyard, surrounded by water.

A lovely grassy area, and several residences

Statue of Jesus

Inside one of the churches in the Begijnhof - The English Reformed Church

Pipe organ - pipes are enclosed in the cabinet.

Pipes for the pipe organ in the loft

Outside of the church

Next was the Catholic Church, which from the outside was nondescript because of the issues with the Catholics having to secretly worship in Amsterdam.

Loved this sign. Of course, the English is being hit by the sunlight!

Pipes - I think these are the last pipes of the trip :(

OMG!!!!  Is that a PIANO?????

Console for the pipe organ

Stained glass

Altar

Statue of one of the Charitable Sisters that resided in this really cool area

This building dates back to 1477 and it's totally made of wood and it's the city's oldest house.

I decided to take a canal cruise.  You know, Amsterdam is often referred to as Venezia de Norte because of it's miles of canals.  I bought my ticket and boarded the boat.  

I wish I could tell you what I was seeing on this canal cruise.  But I was siting with these 3 young people who obviously were not on the cruise to see the sights, but to catch up on life, drama, and whatever.  I could tell you what they were talking about, because for the most part it was in English, but what I got ticked off about was that I could NOT hear the narration and they didn't seem to care.  It was quite a waste of an hour and a half, and here is the one picture I got from the boat

This is suppose to be a picture of a place on the cruise where when you're positioned correctly, you can see 7 bridges at once.  I obviously missed the opportunity.

After the cruise, I met up with Melinda and Rob for dinner.  Here are some pictures from our dinner.

Some authentic Dutch cuisine - herring on a bed of beets.  DEEEEELISH!!!!

Caesar Salad - with eggs??  That's the way I'm making my Caesar salads form now on!!!

 Rob had a lovely shrimp appetizer which I heard was really yummy

Yeah, so on this plate was a Dutch steak.  I obviously loved it as I forgot to take a picture of the steak

Dessert - something with berries!

After dinner I finally found out why the Red Light District is called the Red Light District.  I seriously didn't know. 

Here's a picture from Google images that's safe for work but shows the red light.  Just picture scantily clad women in the windows and you'll get the idea.

Here's a pic from across the canal.

The same pic with Rob 

Nice pic with the clouds in the background

And finally, the best hosts in Amsterdam, Melinda and Rob!!

And this ends my time in Amsterdam.  I must return sometime and finish what I've begun.  There's still those coffeehouse's to explore, but I think I'll leave the red lights to others.

Maestro