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Entries in travel (174)

Saturday
Oct192024

Day 293 in 2024

About two years ago Calvin discovered musicals and was lost to the world of pop music forever. The kid listens to more Spotify than anyone I know, and it's all songs from musicals. This is an interesting way to come to theater—through the music first—but shortly after that habit began he stumbled on the music of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (which is, by the way, the musical and  fairly comical telling of the second book of Tolstoy's War and Peace) and fell completely in love with it. Now, seven years ago this show won a couple of Tonys and was nominated for best new musical, but in the aftermath it seems to have faded into obscurity and he gave up ever seeing in person, enjoying the fully sung story on a regular basis only in audio. Then last summer through a series of lucky coincidences we discovered it being performed by a small theater just outside of Chicago. Of course we booked tickets.

We made a day of it. The show was at the Writers Theatre in the small suburb of Glencoe, also home to the Chicago Botanic Garden, so we went there first, then we had dinner in the small town (only slightly larger than our own) before finally sitting down to take in The Great Comet. It was all wonderful—perfect weather, perfect timing everywhere we went, perfect dinner—but none of it was so wonderful as the show itself, or the joy it brought us, especially Calvin. I have no idea why this show hasn't received more attention and I really hope it finds a second wind becuase I'd recommend it to anyone, and I'd love to see it again.

Friday
Oct042024

Day 278 in 2024

Our last day in New York with a late flight home, we started early with a long subway ride to Coney Island where we had THE coney dogs for lunch, then another ride to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, one final stop for ice cream, and a nice dinner in the airport before heading home...to a much flatter skyline.

Thursday
Oct032024

Day 277 in 2024

Another sunrise run over the Brooklyn Bridge and back, then a visit to the Great Elephant Migration installation, lunch in Chelsea with a stop at the Little Island and the Highline, a trip to Washington Square, dinner at Via Carota, and finishing the night in Times Square and Water for Elephants on Broadway.

Wednesday
Oct022024

Day 276 in 2024

Started today with a sunrise walk to the Ghostbusters Firehouse (and a few other places), then a trip to the MOMA, lunch in Central Park, a tour of Lincoln Center, a stop at the public library (plus a few of the other Ghostbusters landmarks, including the Tavern on the green, "spook central", and the squashed church), then a walk and dinner in Chinatown and Little Italy

Tuesday
Oct012024

Day 275 in 2024

First full day in NYC—starting with a sunrise run over the Brooklyn Bridge, then our first subway ride, a trip to the top of One World Trade Center, lunch at Fraunce's, a walk through the financial district, and, finally, dinner at a tapas restaurant near the Flatiron district.