The Met Opening Night

Last night was Opening Night for The Metropolitan Opera. The production was Puccini's Tosca. This is also the opening opera for the Chicago Lyric Opera. The Met does something that I love; broadcasting Opening Night for free to open-air audiences to giant screens in Times Square and on Lincoln Center Plaza. I think this is an amazing way for everyone to experience the opera and in such a beautiful setting as Lincoln Center and an exciting setting of Times Square.

I love that their is still a glamorous opening night for the opera, especially in this economy. Originally, I was not an opera lover - much to my great aunt's chagrin. Over the past two years, I have been able to learn a lot more about opera and learn to not only appreciate opera, but really grow to embrace it. It was a little heart breaking to learn that Tosca was booed last night. How sad for the performers. From the articles I read, I am not sure it was deserved. If you are interested in see a Met performance, but cannot make it to New York, consider attending The Met: Live in HD at a local movie theatre. The opera is simulcast live from the stage to the screen. You also get to see the scenery changes and interviews with the cast. Last year, I was able to see all but one of the opera this way.

Showtune Tuesday

Today's choice was inspired by Oprah's show yesterday. She did the 60's/Mad Men episode. (I die.) Jersey Boys were on the show. I originally saw this show here in Chicago, when it first opened. I enjoyed it, but was taken aback by all the foul language.

Showtune Tuesday

This is from the show Curtain performed at the 2007 Tony Awards. I think David Hyde Pierce is so talented.

Oregon Trail - Day Five

Oregon Trail - Day Five
September 1, 2009
Locations: Hood River, The Falls, Troutdale, Portland

Our day started off wonderfully. We woke to the sun coming up over the Columbia River. We really enjoyed our visit to the River Lodge & Grill. It had a beautiful stone fireplace, great views and very plush rooms.
The River Lodge:

Our first stop of the day, was a scenic look at Mt. Hood. KMD tells me this is a great time to be here in the dry season because you can see so much. Many of the times she has been here, it has been too foggy and hazy to see the top on the drive in.
Since we were east of Portland and we had until 5pm to pick up the keys to KMD's new home, we stopped at the 'Falls'. We visited four different waterfall sites. The biggest is Multnomah Falls. It was stunning with a beautiful bridge intersecting the falls. We walked up to the bridge part for some pictures. This area was the most popular with a restaurant, gift shop and restrooms!
Multnomah Falls:

After visiting the gift shop for some postcards, we headed down the scenic drive to Ponytail Falls. Ponytail was smaller than Multnomah, but you could hike up half a mile and go behind the waterfall. We hiked up it, but it felt like much more the half a mile as we took a steep grade path up with hairpins turns. I definitely worked off breakfast. Being behind the waterfall was super cool, as you could see it rushing down below. The little waterfall below Ponytail is called Horsetail Falls.
Ponytail Falls (behind the falls):

Sheppard's Dell was a quick stop. We got out of the car, walked down a lovely bridge/ramp and snapped a picture.
Shepperd's Dell:

Latourell was my favorite waterfall. This one you feel the spray hitting you and it was so refreshing and natural. Somehow, I got brave and decided to use the rocks as stepping stones and walk into the waterfall. In case it wasn't clear, I am not a fan of nature in general. However, I love beautiful scenery and the majesty of the landscape of this country. Being up close and personal , not so much. I mean I live in a concrete jungle. Anyway, back to the story. I loved walking into the little creek and getting so close to the waterfall. My clothes were damp, my shoes were dirty, but I loved every minute of being in the waterfall and working to get there.
Latourell Falls (KMD walking in the falls):

After working up an appetite, we headed to Troutdale. Troutdale is a great example of not judging a book by it's cover. The name is not so cute, but the little town? Adorable. We had a ladies lunch of chicken salad and iced tea at a place called Celebrate Me Home. This was a home furnishings store, but with a little bistro inside. My favorite store by far was the Troutdale General Store. It had an old-fashioned soda and ice cream fountain on one side and the other was literally a whole store of cuteness. I could have purchased so many treats.

Our time was winding down and we needed to get the keys to the new home, so we hopped in the Viv the Volvo and headed into Portland. KMD is living in a totally cute area called Lake Oswego. After picking up the keys and making the mandatory trip to Target, we headed to Trader Joe's for a few groceries. It will be nice to have our own food and not eat out all the time. Although lots of places to dine out will still be had.

Happy Portlanding!

Oregon Trail - Day Four

Oregon Trail - Day Four
August 31, 2009
States: MT, ID, WA, OR

We are in the home stretch of driving. Today we covered about 600 miles of road. Our day started in Bozeman, MT. We had a very nice stay at the Wingate. Options are extremely limited and we were pleasantly surprised about nice this hotel was. After breakfast we made a little stop at Target for some magazines that I could read outloud. We have had a lot of music and needed a change. In toto- I spend $44 on magazines, from the trashy to the classy. It was pure enjoyment. We also picked up this lovely magazine called Sunset. It is a magazine about how to live in the west. It is really beautiful.

This leg of the trip was beautiful with changing landscapes, but also one of the toughest in terms of changing terrain. We went up and down huge huge hills and mountains.

The lush green mountains and hills, the vast farmland, rows and rows of trees - all stunning. For a long part of the drive, we drove next to a beautiful river/creek. It was straight out of A River Runs Through It.

Our big sightseeing stop today was Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. It was amazing. This crystal blue lake, rows of boats, the towering mountains in the background - we just took it all in. We walked around, visited a few cutie shops. Papillion Stationary was my favorite store there. We ended the little diversion with Idaho potato french fries and homemade ice cream.
The sign to the harbor:

The main street with shoppes and cafes:

The prettiest picture ever:


Our final leg of the day's drive was supposed to conclude in Pasco, WA. Upon arrival, we decided to keep on driving. There wasn't really anything there. Pasco was picked because on the map, it was the largest word, which usually means a larger city. As we kept driving, we noticed a complete lack of dinner options and we were getting really hungry. As a whim, we exited at Boardman and decided to give the River Lodge and Grill a try. It was really that or a pizza shack (eh). We were so completely surprised by how cute and nice this lodge was. We went into the dining room for dinner and sat by a big window overlooking the Columbia River. Our dinner was such a pleasant treat, we decided to stay the night here. I will have pictures of the lodge and lovely river setting tomorrow.

Ciao!

Showtune Tuesday

My Fair Lady with the lovely Audrey Hepburn. I Could Have Danced All Night.