Yesterday was a really fun day in the world of me. Even though I've lived here a year there are still things in the city that I haven't had the chance to do and this week is my week to do some of them. My friend and I decided to go to the American Museum of Natural History. This is one museum that I've really wanted to go to, but it is also one of the few interesting museums where I don't get in for free with my columbia ID :( It's actually kind of odd though. They run on a donation system. So they have a suggested donation fee of $22 to get into the museum. But, you can also pay $1 and still go in. I guess they want to make people feel like they should pay the full price but they also don't want to limit people to paying the full price or something. Well anyway, we went, paid our $1 and saw the museum :)
The above picture is an awful picture I took at the front of the museum. The facade is under construction so there wasn't really a good place to take a picture. So according to this picture I went to the American Mus. ^_^ The museum is really awesome. They have a huge dinosaur exhibit and all kinds of dioramas of the different animals. I would definitely like to go back again.
After the museum we went to Shake Shack!
The Shake Shack is a hamburger joint that is pretty famous in NYC. I had been to the location in Times Square but never this one. The line is always huge, but moves pretty quickly and they have pretty good burgers, fries, and shakes. My friend had never been at all so we decided this would make a good lunch stop. After lunch the weather ended up being pretty nice so we walked back to campus. The museum is at 81st St and I live at 120th. It was a day of a lot of walking but also a lot of fun!
I saw the musical Rock of Ages again! My friends really wanted to see it and I thought it was a lot of fun when I went so we ended up getting student rush tickets. Now, funny thing about student rush tickets. You never quite know what time you should show up. The tickets go on sale at 10am when the box office opens. Now when I did rush tickets for How To Succeed, we got to the theatre about 8:30am and were probably 20 people back in line. Knowing that Rock of Ages doesn't have any particularly famous people in it and it being an older show, I figured well we didn't need to be as early for tickets. So we showed up just before 9am.
We were the 4th, 5th, and 6th people in line.
Yeah....so maybe we were a little early ^_^ By the time the box office opened, however, the line had grown!
To 10 people total.
Yeah....
Oh well. It was a lot of fun! The show was fun and we decided to go 80's in our ensembles for the evening and it's always fun to dress up. I think in some of these pictures I look super young so maybe the side ponytail is not the best look for me. But it was definitely fun for one night.
You may have noticed I have a newish obsession...and that is the tv show Glee :) You may also remember that I went to a live concert of the glee cast and loved it a couple months ago. Well, what happened is the the Glee people like to make as much money as possible and try and squeeze every last cent out of their fans. So they filmed the concert and turned it into a 3D movie! Which I went to see Wednesday night :) Of course.
Here's the trailer for movie just to give you a feel:
The movie was pretty good. I think the concert was better though. The movie spliced in clips of the actors backstage (in character) and those were really silly and fun. They also spliced in footage of Glee fans talking about their favorite characters and about the show and they highlighted 3 glee fans who had inspirational stories. That was nice and all but to tell the truth I really just care about them. I don't really care about Glee's other fans. I think the movie would have been better if there were no fans and just the Glee cast.
Tonight I'm going to go see Rock of Ages (yes....also again). It's gonna be fabulous!!
Last weekend I ended up taking the train down to Washington DC. We ended up having a little bit of a partial family reunion which was really fun. It was my grandparents, my mom, my aunt, her sons (my cousins) and their wives, and my grandma's cousin. So lots of family!! It was basically your run of the mill trip to Washington DC. We took a tour bus tour around the city, did a tour of the capitol building, a lot of the touristy things like that. It was fun to be with family and I was glad to get to hang out with my mom again :) Also the last time my grandparents had been in DC was 49 years ago! So I think they had fun seeing all the sights and how the city had changed over nearly half a century.
Since I got back I've been trying to get caught up on all of my homework and my work work. My final exam is due next week and then it will really be summer, at least for a couple weeks. There is still quite a lot I need to get done for the fall in regards to prepping my thesis. Once I have a better grasp on what that exactly will be I'll post more about it, haha. So anyway, since there is so much going on this will mostly be a pictorial post of the trip. There were a ton more photos, but these are some of my favorites.
This lady has been protesting since 1981!
The FDR Memorial
The Korean War Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial
I'm trying to push over the Washington Monument!
And now I'm just chilling out, leaning against the Washington Monument
The likeness of Alan Alda on the Korean War Memorial
This is where my cousin works
Oh yeah, and I took my picture with the president ^_^
We were the talk of the town!
So as the photos probably show (I hope!) We had a great time touring around the city and just generally hanging out with family :)
Today is my second day in Washington DC, otherwise I would have written this post earlier. I'll write a post on the DC trip when I get home next week :)
Anyway, a couple nights ago my friend and I thought we'd try and enter our names into the lottery to see the new musical The Book of Mormon. We tried last week and didn't get our names pulled. BUT, it was our lucky day! My friend's name actually got pulled so we were able to buy two tickets (at $30 each) to a show that is sold out until November!
The winning ticket!
We were soooooo excited! I've been wanting to see this musical for a while because it has gotten amazing reviews and is clearly very popular since it has sold out so far in advance. We figured we'd have to go down there and play the lottery a lot of times before we'd ever be lucky enough to get a ticket. Basically the way the lottery works is that about 500 people enter their name for each show and probably around 10 names get pulled depending on how many seats they have open. Each name that gets drawn can buy 2 tickets. So if you go with a friend and you each enter once, you have two chances to win since if either of your names get drawn you both can go.
Standing in front of the theatre
For those that haven't heard the phenomenon that is this show. The Book of Mormon is the brain child of the guys who created the TV show South Park and the guy who wrote the musical Avenue Q. The musical follows two mormon missionaries to Uganda where they see the terrible conditions the local people are living in. Oh, and it's a comedy. The show is lively and funny, the music is great, and, oh, did I mention it has more curse words and other what could be considered offensive material than probably any other Broadway show ever? Basically this show is hysterical and I loved it but you do have to have an open mind when you see it. If you are easily offended...this is not the show for you. The show is definitely shocking but much in the same way shows like South Park is shocking. Basically the 2 1/2 hour show completely flew by and when it was over it felt like we couldn't have been in there more than an hour. It flows really well and you find yourself caught up with the music and the characters. This is a show that I would definitely like to see again if I get the opportunity.
I already posted a clip of this show from the Tony Awards (in my review of my favorite moments) but here is a pretty good interview and overview of the show from CBS Sunday Morning. The beginning also shows you what the lottery is like - and yes, it was just as crazy when we tried.
After the show we waited outside the stage door and got autographs. Since the actors in this show (while amazing and some of them are already Tony winners) are not as well known as in some other shows, there was not a huge population outside the door meaning we were able to be up close. All the actors were really nice and honestly seemed to enjoy the fact that there were so many fans of the show.
My signed playbill
Me with Andrew Rannells - one of the leads in the show
Me with Josh Gad - another lead in the show
Overall it was an amazing night and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see this show!
Last night I finally saw one of the new tony-nominated musicals from the 2011 Tony Awards. We saw Catch Me If You Can! It is indeed a musical based on the hit movie starring Leo DiCaprio and based on the true story of Frank Abignale Jr, a con man who pretty much stole almost 2 million dollars before he was 21 through forgery. He also impersonated a pilot, doctor, and lawyer before he was caught. After he was caught he then worked for the FBI for 30 years helping them catch people doing exactly what he had done. (Hmmm, this also sounds like the show White Collar, is that a coincidence or is that show also based off this story?) The show is set up like a tv special narrated by Frank as he tells his story (with occasional interjections by others).
I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I had heard that it was "a good show, not a great one, but a good one". One of the things that really made this show great was the Tony winning performance by Norbert Leo Butz in the role of Agent Carl Hanratty, the main FBI agent who ends up catching Frank. Butz is not an actor that is widely known outside of the Broadway community, but he is brilliant. He was also in the original Broadway cast of Wicked and originated the role of Fiyero. Butz is who you will see singing the main part in the usual show clip found at the end of this post.
Catch Me If You Can is a good classic musical. The songs are lively, the story moves well, and an ensemble of maybe 12 people manage to be everywhere as both the backup dancers and every other smaller part in the show. Going into the show the only big name I knew was Butz, but I was surprised to see a couple other big time names in the show as well. Kerry Butler plays the romantic interest. I wouldn't have really known who she is, but after looking at her bio I realized she really knows her way around a broadway stage including originating the role of Penny in the original Broadway production of Hairspray!
The actor, however, who when I saw his name I thought to myself, well now he sounds familiar, some of my readers may know. Some of my readers probably know the name Tom Wopat? Yes, he played Frank's father in the show and was really good. Apparently Wopat has actually done quite a bit of theatre, but is probably best known for his role as Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard.
So there you go, I went in with low expectations and was surprised to find a fun show with very talented people!
And, as usual, here is your taste of the show from the 2011 Tony Awards.
I can't help putting this in too. If you found that interesting, here is an extended preview of the show, which showcases a lot of the other numbers and actors in the show.
One of the reasons we went to the show is that my friend's sister is in town visiting so afterwards we wandered around Times Square and got to play tourist a little bit. It's always nice to wander around a place that you've been a million times before through new eyes.
On Monday I finally saw the last installment of the Harry Potter movies. Yes, I know, you must be shocked that I, Allison, self-proclaimed Harry Potter fanatic and obsessee (is that even a word?) not only didn't go see the midnight premiere but waited a whole 3 days before watching the movie. But here's the thing. I just don't care that much about the Harry Potter movies (waits for gasps all around). I know I know, it's crazy, but the movies always make me a little bit mad. They always seem to leave out things that are really important while putting in random things that don't make any sense. Also, I've done the whole midnight movie premiere before and to tell you the truth...I don't find it that exciting unless I'm with a whole bunch of friends. So there were several reasons why I waited so long to see it. One, I didn't really want to, Two, I didn't really have anyone who wanted to go with me to see it at midnight, and Three, well there isn't a third thing but lists should be in threes.
So anyway, before I get completely derailed, the point of the story is I did go see the movie and I learned something. Did you know that if you see a movie before Noon then it is SOOOO much cheaper? As in a normal movie in NYC that starts after noon costs $13, a 3D film is $17 and an Imax film is $20. $20 for a movie!?!!? Now that's crazy. BUT before noon the prices are $8, $10, and $13 respectively. You have to wake up early, but the savings are amazing. With pricing in mind, a couple friends and I decided that if we went before noon we could splurge for the Imax 3D version....at 9am. So yes. I got up at 7 in the morning in order to get down to the theatre and watch a 9am film. Now that's dedication. The best part was there were barely any people in the theatre (maybe 20?) and when we left the theatre there was already a huge line forming for the next showing. So basically it was a win all around.
As far as the movie itself goes, I really enjoyed it. I think the series really went out with a bang. Of course there were parts of the movie that bugged me, but for the most part I thought they did a good job. And yes, I even teared up a little when certain characters met with their demise. It's weird to think it's over. I guess it will never be completely over and I feel less sad at the end of the movies than I did at the end of the books, but it is still weird to think about. I hope JK Rowling always pulls something new out of her sleeve.
I started reading the Harry Potter books just after the 4th book (The Goblet of Fire) was released. That was 2000. That means I've been a part of the phenomenon for 11 years! That is almost half of my life! I've been to two midnight book releases (it would have been 3 but we were in DC and couldn't find a bookstore close enough to our hotel that was doing a midnight release). I've been to one midnight movie release. I've been to two Harry Potter conferences (one in Las Vegas, the other in Toronto, Canada). I was a part of Harry Potter Club at Willamette for 3 years, and was a co-president for one of those years. I've done Harry Potter themed crafts, I've made Harry Potter themed foods, and yes, I own a complete Ravenclaw House Hogwarts uniform including robes, wand, and a pleated skirt (my mom made the skirt).
It's weird to think that the series has come to yet another ending. But never fear! It still exists in the hearts of people like me :) Plus there's always a trip to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to dream about!
On Sunday I went to see the Broadway production of Hair. It had closed but I guess it was so popular that they decided to bring it back for a limited summer run. I was happy about that since I never had a chance to see it when it was on Broadway before. It is actually a really really fun show. It's definitely a hippie show and the music is awesome. I had a great time! During the show the actors come off the stage and dance and interact with the audience. We were sitting in the mezzanine and they even came up there! At one point, right before the characters are all going to a rally to burn their draft cards, the actors came up and handed out flyers and daisies :) (See picture below). Also, at the end of the show they invite anyone who wants to to come up onstage and dance with the cast! So tons of people crowded on stage and they sang a reprise of "Let the Sunshine In". It was pretty cool.
Note to self: Buy more bell bottoms.
Flower and Flyer from the show
The title song ("Hair") is one of my favorites from the show. Here it is presented at the 2009 Tony Awards :)
One quick note before I start this post. Have you noticed that a lot of my post titles include the word "Adventure"? I just realized that. I think it's because life is an adventure.
But anyway, what I'm here to talk about is a little thing I like to call clamming. While I was in Oregon I was sitting around, minding my own business, when my mother turns to me and said, "Victor wants me to go clamming with him tomorrow morning. Do you want to go?" What followed was a very long and involved conversation about what time we would have to wake up (4am), whether or not I had a rain jacket left at home (I did), whether or not I could even go if I don't have a shellfish license (If I don't actually do any of the digging I could go to watch), whether or not I had waterproof shoes (I didn't but I could borrow my mom's). I was almost convinced but still a little wary at getting up so early in the morning when I was supposed to be on vacation when I was bribed with the idea that I could bring along my video camera and document the trip. So I packed up all my gear, said I'd see how I felt when it became 4am, and went to sleep.
At 4am my mom and I dragged ourselves out of bed and got ready to go meet Victor. Now let's talk a little bit about why Victor wanted to drag everybody out to the beach at low tide. One, apparently he thinks these kinds of things are fun (ok, so actually it was a ton of fun but shhh, that'll be our little secret). Two, Victor (and Charles) write this really amazing blog call Savor The Taste Of Oregon. It has all kinds of stories and recipes, all having to do with food and fun in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The blog is very cool, especially if you enjoy cooking so definitely go check it out.
Here is the post that Victor wrote about our adventures and while you're there you can check out the rest of their blog. On it you can see a shortened version of the video I made (see full video later in this post) and you can also see a pretty cool video of how Charles ended up cleaning the clams. GO CHECK IT OUT! www.Savor The Taste Of Oregon.com
Anyway, so now that you've read the full description, here are a few photos and the video from our adventure.
Bucket O' Clams
Victor and my mom with their bounty
See...I touched the clams too!
And now, the piéce de résistance: The video I made of our journey entitled The Clamming Caper. Please enjoy. Also remember that the it was reaaaaaaaaaallllly early in the morning with not much sleep. So we were a little goofy ^_^
Just a quick note to inform everyone that I did indeed arrive home safely to NY. My first flight had many many screaming children but at least it wasn't delayed and I had my own little tv set in my seat. Headphones are remarkable inventions. The second flight got delayed WHILE they were boarding it! That's never happened to me before! They were in the middle of boarding zone 3 when the airline person looked at the board behind her and noticed it had started flashing our take off time as 7:40 instead of 7:04. So she stopped the boarding process and made a few phone calls. Turns out our flight was delayed. So the people who had already boarded I guess just sat there on the plane while the rest of us sat in the terminal for another 30min or so. Oh well. The rest of the flight was ok, it was a little bumpy as we neared NY and the landing was the roughest landing I think I've ever had on a flight. It definitely went kerchunk and hit the ground really hard. I guess the pilot didn't want anybody sleeping? It took a long time to wait for my luggage to come out on the conveyor and then the line for taxis was really really long. So even though I arrived a little after 11pm, I don't think I actually go into the taxi until about 12:20am or so. Then there was so much traffic because of all the construction. But I finally made it close to 1am!
I can tell I'm definitely jet lagged lol but hopefully that will go away soon.
Today my goal is to unpack, see some friends, and hopefully the boxes I shipped will arrive today. I do have an adventure to talk about from my trip to Oregon but I'll write about that later after I wake up a little more.
