I have the wanders

Showing posts with label Domestic - USA. Show all posts

Tuesday night, two days after my injury I went to a walk-in clinic at the behest of a teacher of mine. I had stopped in for a private chat with her and she encouraged me to go. I went and the Dr. told me that it was cracked after an exam. She said that she did not want to do an X-ray because there is nothing they were going to do for a cracked rib and she didn't want to expose my chest to the radiation if she didn't have to. I thought that was rather nice. She told me Advil and lots of rest. An herbalist friend later gave me some other items to take which I swear helped much faster and more effectively, especially after a re-injury. Arnica is awesome.

I re-injured it Saturday (just shy of a week from the initial injury) night after a particularly violent sneeze that caused me to fall to the floor. Once on the floor writhing in pain I considered the fact that I might not be able to get up off my kitchen floor. I wondered to myself if I could get into a position that would allow me to sleep on the floor if need be. After some time down there pondering my situation, I eventually made it to the couch with some ice. It was a pretty ugly situation and it hurt a lot.This re-injury was just as bad if not worse than the initial injury. I thought that I had gone from a crack to an actual full break all the way through. I spent the rest of the night on the couch and somehow made myself get in the car the next day. I was taking lots of Advil and homeopathic remedies by the morning and I could not bend at the waist. I had to squat with a flat back to pick up anything on the floor otherwise the pain was overwhelming. Bending the trunk of my body was out of the question. I drove an hour to watch bridesmaids of a wedding I am in try on dresses because I was a little afraid to lift my arms to much. Once there was consensus I tried on one dress, very very slowly.

I drove back home and spent the rest of the day moving slowly and laying down. Laying down was actually helpful because it felt like the rib actually got shifted back into the right place. The whole following week I rested a lot. I think it may be the most I have ever rested in my life. I felt like the laziest person on earth and had to keep reminding myself that I had to heal. I just kept saying "Nepal" and "carry a backpack" to myself to get me through the week.

I am feeling much better now. The rest and homeopathic remedies really helped. I am a few weeks out from the injury. I can still feel it and every time I move the wrong way I am reminded that I am not 100% with a sharp pain. Sitting up in bed and laying down is the worst. I now know why rib injuries are so difficult to heal, there is nothing you can really do for them, and you have to use your ribs everyday. I'm feeling thankful that I have enough time to heal before the next trip.

Gradual Climb

Saturday morning my friend took me on a hike to Mount Sanitas. I had done one of the flatiron hikes on my previous trip so it was nice to get a different view of the landscape. We took the gradual way up and the steep way down, which I was thankful for. While I did better than expected breath wise, it did remind me how much work I have to do before Nepal. It was a beautiful hike even though it was a gray day. I was just thankful to be hiking in January! It was nearly 50 and the temp kept going up all weekend. We sat on some rocks, chatted about life, watched other hikers and just relaxed. I kept seeing animals in the rock formations, it was amusing. The views were lovely. I was struck by how flat it is except for the actual mountains. You can see for miles and miles, and on a clear day straight to Denver. It is a stark contrast to Massachusetts that has every manner and shape of hills available.

Cloudy Day

Boulder from above

Crocodile Rock?

In the evening we had the pleasure of attending the Naropa University 17th Annual Somatic Arts Scholarship Concert. It was a theatrical/dance show. It was beautifully put together. My friend knew several of the people in it including the assistant director. The pieces were full of energy and passion. Each had a different theme and choreographer. They ranged from sexuality, to empowerment, to busyness in daily life, to turning inward. It was wonderful. I was so happy that this was a part of my trip. After the show we were invited out to one of the student's/performer's house. It was an eclectic group that over the semesters had woven together like a family. I imagine their class discussions are fascinating.

Sunday morning we went to contact improv. I know what you are thinking, what on earth is that. If you want to see what it looks like you can find it on youtube here (It's a long video but you can get the idea after a minute or so). My friend and several of his friends go every Sunday morning for two hours. I had no idea what to expect, he had only breezed by the subject, but hey I'm open to new experiences so I went to check it out. This particular Sunday was an extended version of the gathering, lasting four hours and including lunch. My friend gave me a nice little lesson and I picked it up fast. To me it was like a combination of martial arts, yoga, dance, and flow, all things I love. After my lesson and practice my friend went off to join the group and I watched for a while. After a bit a guy across the room found me and must have sensed the new blood in the room. I told him it was my first class and that I hadn't really done any before. I considered not partnering with him for a few reasons but didn't listen to myself. Off we went. It was all going well and flowing until he rolled over me and I got full weight into my ribs from his knee or at least I think it was a knee it could have been an elbow for all I know. I immediately started crying and went into the fetal position, it was that kind of pain. I immediately though oh my goodness Nepal. I sat up and tried to breathe through it. The guy sat with me and sort of apologized but didn't seem that sorry. And he waited there with me expecting me to start back up again. It was a little odd considering I was visibly in pain and my eyes were leaking. I said I have to go walk around and I did. So unfortunately I was out for the rest of the day and could not participate in the remaining three hours of the gathering. I sat quietly and watched and tried to breath in serious discomfort. Several people came up and asked me to join in but I had to tell them all I was injured and decline. I went through varying waves of nausea and pain throughout my time until lunch arrived. I walked slowly into the eating area and got into a conversation with an Israeli guy about Peru and then started weeping again. I mean that wasn't too surprising considering how I feel about Peru and my connection there. It was an unusual and wonderful conversation that eventually turned to politics between Iran and Israel and the people. I was happy to be a part of that conversation even though I was in so much pain. I ate with some other equally friendly people, a guy from France who had just spent time in South America learning Spanish and a new couple that was obviously made for each other. I really enjoyed their company. Even though this injury was and is a real bummer it was a great group to see in action and see such a supportive community of souls.

The rest of the day was spent resting, taking Advil and icing until it was time for me to pack and head out for the red eye. We picked up my cousin in Denver for dinner at the Watercourse on 17th street. It was great, lots of vegetarian options. The conversation was even better. I don't get to see this particular cousin very often but when I do I am always struck by how pleasant he is to be around. He is just a really pleasant person. He has really embraced the Colorado life with his hiking adventures and I was thrilled to hear about them. After dinner we dropped him off at the light rail and headed for the airport. If you have never been to Denver International (DIA), it has the longest "driveway" of any airport I have experienced. You get off the exit for the airport but then it is still 10 plus miles away. They also have this really creepy blue horse with lit red eyes near the entrance. I asked aloud who's idea was that and why did they think it was OK to greet visitors with that? I said my goodbyes to my dear friend and headed on in to take the shortest red eye flight in history, under 3 hours. The jet stream must have been moving something fierce that night, it was unbelievable. Note to self and everyone else, that flight is much much shorter than it says on paper Denver to Boston).

Denver International

I am nothing if not an efficient traveler. If there is something "close by" that I can do while I am somewhere else I try to make it happen. A bad example would be hey Bhutan is close to Nepal why don't I just pop over (in April). Another example would be I'm in Minnesota why don't I just pop over the Colorado (okay not really a better example but you get the idea). If something or someplace is close enough I will try to make it work. This trip was no exception. I decided that since I was already half way across the country I would go visit my dear friend in Boulder. He moved there at the end of last summer and has started massage therapy school.

I had visited Colorado once before in 2006. It was surprising how fresh some of it still was in my memory once I got there. I flew in Friday afternoon before the mountain rush or so I thought. There was a miscommunication with my friend and I ended up taking a bus up to Boulder through some very bad traffic. This little detour allowed me to see an amazing sunset. I know it's the most simple everyday thing, but sunrises and sunsets always get me and any day I see one or the other or both is a good day.

Not a bad picture considering it was through the window of a moving bus with an iphone 4.

After the trek through traffic I was greeted by a large hug and Indian food, which made it all worth it...I'm easy to please. This particular friend and I have been friends for about 10 years and counting and can pretty much pick up wherever we have left off, be it two days ago or a month ago. I am blessed to have a few of these people in my life and we travel along together on our own paths learning from and teacher each other.

Fully satiated with Indian food, we went to St. Julian, a swanky hotel downtown that has live bands on Friday night. It was a truly unique experience. It is sort of in the lobby/lounge/bar area. The band is set up in the corner and the place is packed. And the people are dancing! They are dancing everywhere and anywhere. The scene was unlike any other place, every age was represented, there were college students, wealthy couples, hippies, hipsters, and every type label for a person you can image. They were all represented in this random spot having a grand old time dancing it up and just being free. There were no pretensions. It also struck me that no many people were drinking, it wasn't a drinking event. Everyone was just there to enjoy the music and have a good time. It was awesome.

When I was a wee little lady my father traveled a lot for work. It was not uncommon for him to be crisscrossing the country at any given point. LA, Denver, Minneapolis, Houston, Tokyo, you name it he went. After one of these trips he came back with a story of the newly opened "Mall of America." Now I am not now nor have I ever been a mall person but the stories of a roller coaster in a mall really intrigued me. I asked a lot of questions and even though I was probably only 10 or 11, I put it mentally on my "I should check that out sometime" list. I subsequently forgot about it for 20 years until this business trip and even then I didn't remember it was there until I started researching things to do in Minneapolis. Upon realizing how close it was to the airport, I put it in the plan.

I figured in my head that once you see a ski slope in a mall (Dubai), there is nothing that can surprise you in a mall. I was wrong. Three roller coasters in a mall is very impressive in an excessive way. I went on a frigid Sunday afternoon and when I arrived the parking situation was, well, crazy. The parking garages are just as big as the mall. I think because it was so cold out and people want to be "active" there must have been 100,000 of the 400,000 in Minneapolis in the mall. There were these waves of people especially in the food areas. They just flowed by and I hugged the walls. There were areas where the people were sparse but they were few and far between. The place was just packed.

The basic set up is this, an entire square block of mall, in some areas it is four floors and some three. In the center of this square mall is an amusement park complete with three roller coasters and a flying ninja turtle ride, a climbing ropes course for kids, a log water ride, and so so much more. There was also an aquarium. As I walked through one question kept coming up for me, "Why is this necessary?" It just struck me as excessive. But then I realized that it's Minnesota and if they didn't build a place like this everyone would have to stay in their houses and go crazy instead of being able to at least walk around in the winter. Well at least that is the excuse my brain made up to be able to deal with walking through all that consumerism. I mean it was interesting to see for sure but it was also a little bit horrifying at the same time. I am always amazed at how people choose to use and invest their money. With that said by the time this trip ended I had been there three times. Once just to see (Sunday), once for dinner (Thursday), and once because I needed something before my flight and it was right next door to my hotel (Friday).

Another interesting thing I noticed about MOA was the amount of ice cream / smoothie shops. I felt like every corner I made there was another one, and not just the same chain over and over, they were all different. I also found it curious that there was no grocery store. I don't know why but I expected one. It's like a little city after all, why not have one.Overall I would say it is a cross between Disney World, a mall, and airport and the DMV.

Ice Castles exhibit in the parking lot. It looked great at night lit up.


"Ice Castles" MOA North Parking Lot

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Last week I had the opportunity to travel for work...to Minnesota. I'll be honest it's not someplace I have ever really thought about at all, or considered visiting in my spare time. However the training I had to do for work presented me with the opportunity to go. I left a day early so I could spend some time in Minneapolis before driving an hour and half north to the training on Sunday night.

Upon arrival I wondered if the cold was really all it is hyped up to be. On the way to my hotel I stopped at the Art Institute for a browse. It was about 3:00PM on a Saturday afternoon. The amount of people entering the museum shocked me. It turns out that they were showing some Terracotta Warriors, a big draw wherever they go. The museum itself was free but there was a $20 fee for the warriors. It was sold out the rest of the day and all day Sunday except for the 1130 time slot, which couldn't have worked out better for my theoretical Sunday. I decided to spend the money. I spent the next two hours wandering around the museum watching people and the weather through some massive windows. They layout of the museum left a lot to be desired in my opinion, it was very maze like. I felt like there were no real exits in case of emergency, you have to walk back through all of the exhibits in a wing to find some resemblance of an exit. I didn't like that at all, but the collection was pretty great. It had a little bit of everything and something for everyone. There were paintings, sculpture, statutes, models, stone work, you name it, they had it. It was well worth the trip for me.

Minneapolis was significantly smaller than I expected. The population is a little less than 400,000. The drive from the airport into the city and finding my hotel was easy as pie. I'm not sure why but I had this vision of a big city. I stayed at the Marquette Hotel downtown only because they were having a huge winter sale. It was a nice place and very accommodating. It was a little hard to figure out where to park, but eventually I realized the underground garage next door. Once I settled in I started watching the news, big mistake. All it talked about was how cold the following week would be, the coldest week in four years. I started to do an inventory of my warm clothes in my bag wondering if they would be enough. Sunday was cold but it was not the coldest predicted day of the week, so I started to prepare myself for what my New England cold winter gage has taught me cold is. The wind was the brutal part on Sunday. It was maybe 4-10 degrees, but the windchill was terrible. My walk from the car back to the Art Institute was frigid (or what I thought was frigid up until that point).

I went straight to the Terracotta warrior exhibit when I arrived. It was packed even though they had staggered ticket times. You could use your smart phone for the audio tour which I quite liked or you could rent one of those museum audio things. There were a number of things to look at, but as far as actual warriors go there weren't that many. They had one of each type that has been found so far. The General was by far the most unique one since they have only found 8 of them. I thought the exhibit was fascinating and I learned a lot. I had no idea how many have been found. They have excavated three pits so far and have mapped out where the other pits are. In one pit alone there were 6,000 warriors. Each one is unique, no two are the same so far. They were commissioned by Emperor Chin, they first to unite China. He was obsessed with the afterlife and had them created to protect him in the afterlife. His tomb lies in the middle of all of the pits of warriors. The exhibit made me want to go check out the actual site in China, where you can walk above the pits. If it comes to a city near you, I recommend checking it out.

I always hear from seasoned travelers (on a good day I like to put myself in this category) that the weather doesn't and shouldn't matter. They say that if you are somewhere and the weather stinks just roll with it and accept it as part of the experience. It is a real test of staying present and sitting in your peace. I am normally pretty good at this, (ie. Iceland hail/rain/snow/sun storm) it really does add to the memory and the experience. In New Orleans, however, that sunny outlook about a cloudy day was tested to the max.

Sunday was my only free full day to explore because this was a "work trip." I had plotted an ambitious route of an unknown (at the time) length. I thought it would be long, but I was up for it (it ended up close to six miles). I was however unprepared for the weather. Being from the northeast I have a nice insulated rain coat which does a fantastic job of keeping me dry, but in NOLA it was just way to hot and sticky to wear and walk around with. I stepped out that morning and was hit with the wall of humidity that reminded me I was really in a swamp.

I set out from the Riverside Hilton while it was still dry out, damp air but dry ground. My casual stroll took me through Lafayette Park which has some pretty amazing trees, and a few interesting buildings. I did a walk by of St. Patricks' Church because it was Sunday and mass was in session. The outside is surprisingly green, almost an off olive color, not something you see everyday. I walked out of the CBD via Lee circle and St. Charles Ave. I walked under a few overpasses that didn't look too safe, but kept my walking at a fast clip and pretended I knew where I was going. I tend to do this wherever I am. I will walk blocks out of the way instead of look like I have misplaced myself. I digress. About a half mile into my walk on St. Charles I realize that I haven't seen the street car at all even though I can plainly see the track. Then it starts to rain, then the rain turns into a downpour. With in a minute or two my pants are soaked up to the knees and my hair looks like I just got out of the shower. I finally see a store, a Walgreen's, where I can buy an umbrella. The clerk tells me that the street car is under construction when I ask. It is only running from a farther section to the end and back. She tells me I should take the bus to that spot and then take the street car. I decide, after seeing not a single bus, to walk it. The umbrella helped keep my face dry at least.

Lafayette Park

Austin Sunset

This post is a bit overdue, but better late than never. Over Labor Day weekend my friend and I went down to Austin to visit my cousins who live there. I went to Austin last year to visit them and had an absolutely fabulous time and my friend had never been so it seemed like the perfect time to make the trip.

My cousins moved down for work and school a number of years ago after growing up in New York City. They have carved out a nice life for themselves down there and they work and play hard. The thing I was struck by most last year when I went was how truly relaxed it is down there. Coming from the northeast you always hear that about Texas and other places, but you never know how true it is until you visit a place. There is a real sense of time being different and everyones relationship to it is different. On this trip we were there a mere four days and it felt like we had been away for month, losing all track of our lives at home and fully immersing ourselves in the Austin culture.

After my friend had mechanical problems on her plane, and mine was early, we were off and running. My cousin who drives what I can only describe as a tank of a jeep picked us up and as soon as that open air in the back of the jeep hit my head and made my hair whip around wildly, my nervous system calmed down from my stressful week. I had been under the weather and just hoping that I would be well enough to do some of things we wanted to during our stay. Our big thing was of course getting some boots, with a flexible possibility of perhaps going to the Zilker Botanical Gardens or the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and doing pretty much whatever came up and presented itself to us. We were on a mini break and we were psyched.

Our first full day, we both got in late night, was one of these nothing seems to get done or go smooth days, basically a comedy of errors. My cousin had to work, he was in the middle of launching a new company with his friend, so he loaned us the "tank." I had driven it once before, but I only drive a manual every so often so it took a bit to remember how the tank likes to be driven. It was a grand ol' time, there's nothing like a vehicle without doors or windows, although I think my friend was slightly worried about my driving. But it's like riding a bike and before long we were whipping around. We were on the hunt for a car inspection place, a few stores to pick up odds and ends and eye glasses place. These all proved harder to come by than you would believe. The inspection place had a three hour wait, the glasses place was unhelpful and then the mall we tried to go to was a concrete graveyard of stores. It just became comical. We decided to regroup and go back out later.

Allen's boot shop was our first real stop. I had done some research on the website so I pretty much knew what I wanted. I have a fake pair of cowboy/cowgirl boots that I love, so I was just looking for a real pair to replicate them. The place is massive. I mean really really massive. I went last year and basically walked in and out quickly. There are so many options it's crazy. If you can think it they probably have the boot. I tried on two or three pairs but pretty much stuck to the ones I had initially found. My friend tried on probably tried on between 6-10 pairs. She had a tough decision between two pairs. The girl who was helping us was very nice, but I felt like she was watching us like we might steal something. It was a little strange. I mean all the boots have sensors on them, I wonder if they have a stealing issue there? Anyhow we both bought a pair of boots and love them. I would highly recommend looking at the website before you go in if you know you really want to buy something, otherwise you might get talked into a buying a crazy pair of boots, haha.

The rest of our trip was a success after our first day bobbling of it. We hit the Rainey Street block several times. It is a converted block, well blocks now, it keeps expanding, that used to be regular family houses, now they have been converted into bars and restaurants. It is a great little walking district and lots of fun. I particularly like GarageMahal, the Indian food truck on the block. It's delicious. If you are a food truck person I would recommend getting the app that tracks where they are in Austin. There are over 500 trucks in Austin. Some are stationary and some move around so the app is great. We had some wonderful cupcakes, tacos, Indian food and a smattering of other wonderful stuff.

The bottom line is that Austin is a really fun, young place where people work and play hard and eat lots of interesting things. I would recommend it to anyone. It's pretty easy to get around by car or bicycle. The greater downtown area is very walkable and not that big compared to other cities. But beware of miscellaneous tri-athalons that close down all of the major roads downtown.

Even on the way back our trip was interesting. My friend again had mechanical problems and was grounded for a bit in Dallas. I also had a layover in Dallas and she was still delayed when I got there, so I saw her for about five minutes. She boarded and then got stuck on the runway for a long time. They then had to switch my plane out because it was too hot. At the time it was still 100+degrees in most of Texas. I had never heard of a plane being to hot to fly, but I don't hang out in the hotter areas of the country too much. The journey home was an experience in and of itself.

Sometime early this year, I can't exactly remember when, a kickstarter project came to my attention. My cousin in Austin had turned me on to kickstarter the previous fall and I occasionally like to browse the site to see what is out there. The Versalette by {r}evolution apparel came across my screen during one of these browsing moments. I watched the video without sound and was immediately sold after reading the first paragraph of their pitch. The Versalette is a convertible piece of clothing that can be worn 20 different ways and counting. It is the ideal item to throw in your backpack, overnight bag or suitcase. And above all it is completely sustainable and made in the good ol' US of A. Check out their website here for more details on that part, or any part really.

As a traveler it is a perfect item for me. I am constantly packing and repacking to minimize what is in my backpack or on the rare occasion I am traveling with one, my suitcase. It can be paired with lots of small items that don't take up a lot of space and worn in all types of weather. It can work at the beach or a night on the town and literally everything in between. It is simply a travel "go to."

Like any new business there have been a lot of learning experiences during production for these lovely ladies, but they kept all of their backers well informed which was appreciated. The excitement has been building all year and just about a month ago now, I received mine in the mail. It is even better than I had even imagined it. I immediately wore it to a restorative yoga class, got compliments and gave out the website. Since then I have continued to wear it around wherever I go and get a lot of questions about it. It is a great opportunity for me to sing the praises of {r}evolution apparel and the Versalette.

On my recent trip to NYC, see posts below, I had the chance to pack much lighter because I brought along my Versalette. I wore it all weekend. I wore it to Shakespeare in the Park one way, to the Guggenheim another and still another to lunch. To say I am a fan is an understatement, I am crossing the line into the groupie arena.

While it isn't sold internationally yet, only in the U.S., I have no doubt that these innovative women will continue to expand and share their message everywhere they go (check out their blog for updates and info on further rounds of production). I am sure that all of the supporters out there will continue to wear theirs wherever they go and share that message with everyone they meet far and wide in the world who asks about the awesome outfit they happen to be wearing. "Oh let me tell you about it, it's the Versalette and you are going to love it!"

After waiting in line for tickets to "Into the Woods," and then relaxing for several hours to recuperate we headed out to meet the two friends who would be attending the show with us. We met them at The Penrose on 2nd Avenue between 82nd & 83rd. I mention this specifically because they had a great selection of beers and well the bar tender was super nice and let me try a bunch of samples sizes before I decided what I wanted. It also had a nice atmosphere. They had some large nice booths and a few long tables in the back that would be good for a group of people. It looks tiny when you first walk in, but there is a second bar in the back where it is more open. Great pit stop.

From there we walked up a block to Beyoglu (3rd Ave & 81st) for dinner. It is a Mediterranean/Turkish place. The menu was great and for me, a vegetarian, there was plenty to choose from. They had tons of waitstaff, like they were waiting for a massive rush (we were there pretty early, on purpose). We shared a delightful Malbec and everyone was pretty happy with their meals. I am not a huge hummus person, but theirs was delicious. I had zucchini cakes and a few falafel, yum. My friend had a sampler plate that had hummus, vegetables, babaganoush, a stuff grape leaf and I think two or three other things I can't remember. My friend's friend and her husband had, a chicken dish with rice and a lamb dish respectively. The plates were pretty massive. Two people could easily share an entree or just some home. They both raved about how perfectly everything was cook. If you are in the area, absolutely check it out!

We took a nice easy walk to the Delacourt Theater from dinner and settled into the show. The show was great. I really enjoyed it. The performances were all well done, no one faltered. The little boy was especially great and who knew that Amy Adams could sing? It was a great experience. It did drizzle a bit during the show, but everyone just pulled on their rain coats and ponchos and the show went on. Make sure you bring one if you go.

Sunday morning my friend and I took a stroll to the Guggenheim which neither of us could remember if we had been to it before or not. Once I got inside I felt like I maybe have visited once a long time ago but couldn't be sure. I thought the price was a little steep at $22.00 considering you can't really spend all day there. You can easily see all of the exhibits in under three hours and that is if you are really dawdling. The building is pretty great and I think it is worth it to go at least once, just to roam around the spiral floors that gently carry you back down to the street level. There was an exhibit by a photographer that I did not care for. It was all portraits and they just didn't have any real kick to them. She also had these videos playing of people doing mundane things, which did nothing for me, but that is why art is in the eye of the beholder. I suppose mundane is the way to describe the whole exhibit that encompassed three separate galleries. The main exhibit in the main hall of the building was called Art of Another Kind: International Abstraction and housed pieces from 1949-1960. I was introduced to a few new artists which is always nice, but on the whole only a few pieces really struck my fancy. There is also a small gallery dedicated to Kandinsky who I enjoy and another gallery is a semi permanent collection with some Picasso's, Manet's and Monet's among others. All in all a good trip and a great place to people watch.

Lunch was at Le Pain Quotidien on 88th and Lexington. My meal was wonderful. I had a tomato and asparagus fritata and a mint lemonade. My friend had an interesting open faced sort of sandwich with avocado, tomato and cucumber and possibly some other things. We both loved our meals. I liked this place because of the open setting, wonderful smells and very fresh food. My friend mentioned that they had also just opened one in Philly. You would never know it was a chain to sit in the place. It looks like just a random restaurant with great food. Yum.

About a month ago I was listening to something on the radio and there was a segment on the fact that this summer is the 50th year they are doing Shakespeare in the Park in New York City. I got this I need to do that feeling that often comes with something I haven't done before but can can probably work into my life. A couple of hours later I g-chatted my dear friend who lives in Philly and said, do you want to meet in NYC and go to Shakespeare in the park? The answer was a yes. We quickly looked at the ticket options and picked a weekend. The weekend we picked the show was "Into the Woods," one of my friends' favorites. And although it's not Shakespeare I will continue to to refer to it as Shakespeare in the park instead of Sondheim in the park.

So last weekend, she took the train up and I drove down. We got up at 5am Saturday morning so we could leave by 530 to get to the park at 6am when they technically speaking "open." We had read on the website, which both of us combed several times, that they do not condone lining up in the park before the park opens at 6am and that if you want to line up before 6am you have to do it outside a specific location and then get walked in by theater staff. We both thought that they would not have this warning if it was not a thing that really happened, so we decided to get there as close to 6 as we could without violating the opening times.

We did well getting to the Delacourt Theatre at about 615am. When we got there the line snaked around the bend in the path already. People were camped out, literally and it looked like some of them had been there for some time. We saw people with an air mattress, and a few people blowing up those pool bed things. My friend said I wonder why they are blowing those up now. We made it to the end of the line and shortly after a person who worked at the theater came by to give the rules. It went something like this, you can't leave line, you can't have anyone come be space holder for you, if anyone comes to visit you in line, they cannot get tickets, each person in line can only get two tickets, only two tickets per address, you need id to get into the show in the evening, you can't leave and come back unless you are going to to the bathroom, doors open at 730pm and the show starts at 8pm. Oh and most importantly they do not give out tickets until 1:00PM.

Now both of us had read the website backwards and forwards, and no where on it did we see that tickets were not released until 1:00PM. We were surprised to say the least and proceeded to sit down on our jackets since we had neglected to bring anything to sit on figuring they have out tickets at 9 or 10. They would have no real reason to give them out any later than that. My friend and I are the biggest readers we each know, and both of us had neglected to put reading material in our bags. At the last minute I put a Yoga Journal in there, but that was all we had. We are each reading multiple books right now, and neither one of us brought any of them. We had water, an apple, two lara bars and a raincoat each. We were terribly under prepared in a way I am pretty sure neither of us have been before seeing as neither of us has ever waited in any type of line anything close to what they were suggesting in our entire lives. I waited in line once to see Amma the "hugging saint" but even that was less time than what we were potentially going to do at that moment.

As we sat down we started talking about it, are we really going to do this right now. Are they really serious that it isn't until 1pm? No wonder those people have an air mattress. Etc, etc. I was fully ready to just go back to the apartment and try to online lottery instead of waiting in line. But my friend made the great point that it was the whole reason that we came into the city and that we should wait. The guy that worked there had said that if we were at that point in the line we were guaranteed tickets, so that was a big boost and reason to stay also. It was an adventure weekend after all. And then before we knew it, we were just doing it. The hours started to tick by. We made friends with the woman on one side of us and the man on the other. They had both waited before for previous shows and were giving us the inside scoop on questions we had, for instance, is it general seating or are the tickets numbered., they are numbered thank goodness! So as we got to know our neighbors and caught up on some quality time with each other and people watched in the park, the hours started to surprisingly float by.

During our wait in line these are some things we learned, the box office has a concession stand that opens pretty early so people in line can get stuff. Andy's Deli delivers to the line in the park. The delivery guys come in on a bike a start yelling out names. The food wafts through the whole line leading no doubt to more orders.

People bring full coolers, games, blankets, chairs, tents, books, and just about anything you can think of to entertain themselves. There is also a guy who rents chairs for $5 until 1PM in case you didn't bring one. We did not rent however in my head I considered it several times. All the while I was thinking about the contents of my trunk which we had stopped at before walking to the park. In my trunk I have two yoga mats, a sleeping bag, a beach blanket and a bamboo mat. All of which we could have easily grabbed when we were grabbing sneakers.

My friend's friend from college who lives in the city brought us some pretzel chips and more water at around 11am, which was perfect timing as we were both hungry and had run out of water. It was also nice to have a visit to break it up a bit. Every time I went t use the bathroom, which was right next to the theater, I checked to see if there had been any movement in the line or if any of the box office windows were opening up. Instead what I saw was sleeping people, lots and lots of sleeping people. I couldn't believe that so many people could be asleep out in the open in the middle of the park. I am not a good enough sleeper to be able to do that, but these people were out.

Just before 1:00 they came through the line and told people to start packing up. We had discussed what we thought the process might be. Considering they had said the thing about the limit per address and ID we figured the line would move very slow and the process would be a bit arduous. Then my friend said "you know, I'm going to be real pissed if they just hand out tickets." The line moved slowly at first and then it moved much quicker the closer you got. We got to the last section of the line and they were just giving tickets out. Two a piece, and then you just walk away. No ID check, no address record. It was pure disinformation for crowd control. We could and couldn't believe it. We laughed at the pure blur that the last 6.5 hours had been. Then we strolled back through the park to the apartment.

The show was great, it rained a bit, but the show went on. The theater is really nice, stadium seating so there really aren't any bad seats. The theater holds about 1800 people. The big star of the show was Amy Adams, and a number of famous Broadway starts that I am not familiar with, which isn't saying much considering how little I follow such things. Since we got four tickets between the two of us, my friend's college friend and her husband joined us. They have lived in the city for nearly ten years and had never gotten tickets before. I was glad they could come.

It was truly an adventure. One I am glad to have experienced. We each said that we might do it again if the show was one we really wanted to see. We would just make sure to be more prepared. It was quite the learning experience.

Top Tips

- If you are only half hearted interested in the show, do the online lottery. It is hard to get tickets, but worth a shot if you are only half interested.

- Bring food water and something to sit on.

- Bring a raincoat to both the line and the show, even if there is only a slim chance of rain. They don't cancel the show often so the chance of getting rained on is high. Basically be prepared for all types of weather in line and at the show.

- Get to the line as close to 6:00am as possible. The line expanded behind us with more than a hundred people.

- Bring an activity, book, game, etc. People watching can only last so long.

- The more people the better in your group. Then it is just a hang out in the park and not a line. I mean really when was the last time you just sat around for 6.5 hours with your friends?

- Talk to your neighbors in line. Not only can it be interested and help you learn something, it is a great way to pass some time with strangers. And you will undoubtedly see them that night at the show as well, reminisce about the line and laugh.

The front of the line, not Occupy Wall Street.

The line that formed behind us after we got there at 615am.

The prepared people in front of us.

Park Avenue at 545am.

Success!

On the way back from New Zealand in May, I made a pit stop in Las Vegas. Strange, I know, because you could not possibly get more juxtaposed than these two places. But my dear friends had randomly purchased a Groupon that brought the price way down and well it was on my way back. I have to admit I was a little nervous about this leg of the trip because I knew I was going to be in the woods a lot in the middle of nowhere in NZ and that my re-entry might be tricky to begin with never mind that it was Vegas. At the same time I was happy that I was going to be able to visit with my friends who I don't get to see that often because we all live all over the place.

I landed at SFO and experienced an odd thing at the gate to Vegas. There was a plane there but the ground crew didn't know where it was going. I had never seen this happen before and it of course caused a swarm around the desk of confused travelers from three different flights. Having just gotten of the plane from Sydney ( I had a layover there on the way back), I was in an interesting state and watched this with surprising calm. It of course eventually worked itself out and they figured out what was delayed and where the plane was going, Vegas, my flight as it turned out. A hop and a skip later, I was on the ground in Vegas. A short cab ride later I was standing face to face with my best friend, twilight zone is all I can say.

Not knowing whether I was jet lagged, sleepy, or awake, I settled into the hotel, Palms Place courtesy of Groupon . I was the last to arrive even thought it was only 230pm and everyone had hit the pool. Once I had myself together and clean I joined the girls at a meal. Since I had spent my time researching NZ and not really doing much on Vegas since I had been before and there were 7 other people to look into things, I really had no idea what they had planned. They had booked the Bealtes Love show, which I was pretty happy about because I had never seen Cirque du Soleil and I am a Beatles fan. Other than that though, the schedule was pretty open. We had debated an outside of Vegas excursion to a place tbd, but we decided to play it by ear.

So I know you probably thought this was a post about Vegas but it really isn't. It's a post about Red Rocks Park , our excursion. I'll give a quick rundown on the Vegas part but I really want to talk about Red Rocks.

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about things that I do, and by do I mean mostly travel. Since I am taking two phenomenal trips basically back to back, I think that is the reason for the increased chatter. The questions usually go something like this, "How do you get to travel so much?" "How do you get so much vacation time?" "Isn't it so expensive?" "Do you go alone?" etc etc. So, I'll start by saying this, I am very blessed to have a good job for starters, but the rest is a matter of interest, priority and perspective. I try to live pretty simply ( I don't have a TV, microwave, land line or own property), I try not to purchase too many extravagant things. Every time I go to make a purchase I ask myself if the money would be better spent towards traveling, the answer is usually yes. I don't always listen to myself, but I always ask the question and it does help me save. I also lived at home for a long time in my 20s, people knock it but it's a phenomenal way to save (thank you Mom and Dad for letting me do that). I don't have much of a social life at home, huge savings. And lastly, I am single without a family of my own to support, so that helps too. Do it while you are young and unattached as they say, but I also think travel is in my blood. This is not to say that all of those things need to be true for you to travel. These just happen to be my circumstances and how I do it right now. Everyone has different circumstances to be worked with and needs to examine it under their own microscope. But the real reason for my travel habit is that I make it a priority in my life.

I don't really get more vacation time than most people, I think I just use it differently. I get 2-3 weeks a year, which might be slightly more the average person (in the U.S.), but some industries offer up to five, so I feel like I am somewhere in the middle. I also don't really vacation, I travel. I don't know how to go sit on a beach in a sunny place for a week. I mean I could do it, but for me and my personality it isn't a good use of my time. I do relax while traveling, but relaxing takes many different forms for me. Everyone has a different version of what relaxing and vacation means to them, and if you aren't happy with what that looks like for you, explore it in depth and see what you can do to change it so that it does work for you, whatever that means. When it comes to time off, what is your priority?

The money factor is usually the biggest one when it comes to the reason people don't travel. In these economic times, and in general, it is a steadfast and true one. A lot of people don't have the money to travel, which I am not naive to. They have other priorities or circumstances which prevent it. I always hope that people who truly are interested in travel, will be able to down the road since circumstances are always shifting and evolving. But if you just bought a 50" TV and then complain about not having the money to travel, then that is a choice you made based on your own priorities.

With all that said, there is always a cheaper way to travel than you think. When I travel I cook most of my own meals and I stay in hostels and budget accommodations. It is pretty rare that I stay in a hotel, although I have a bit lately. I don't really drink when I am traveling which is also a huge savings and a relief in the morning. I try to save on the things I can on the road so that I can enjoy the things that cost a bit more and are worth it to me.

Travel has become much easier and more popular than ever and there are tons of great deals out there, where there used to be much fewer. There is always savings to be had if you know where to look for it and have some patience. I highly recommend Nomadic Matt's blog for tons of tips on doing it all on the cheap. He has also started to send out deal emails. Boots N'All Travel is another great site with a lot of ideas. Really there are tons of sites out there for you to get your feet wet into budget travel. I am no expert at all on budget travel, but there is so much information out there if you look for it. Think about house sitting, couch surfing, hostels and more for savings on accommodations. If you have a credit card with points, use them!

So the whole point of this post, before it veered way off topic, was to show that there are also great things that you can do locally, it doesn't always have to be high intensity travel. The same type of mindset that helps you go out and travel can help you explore at home. Travel, to me, is really about exploring and a curiosity about other people and their lives. That perspective lends itself to being able to "travel" anywhere, even in your own backyard. With a little bit of interest, curiosity and an open mind, you can find things in your area, like what I found this weekend, Tibetan Monks making a sand mandala. It was a mere 15 minutes from my house and a wonderful FREE experience. I feel like there is always so much going on in our lives, that sometime we can forget to look close to home, but if we keep our eyes, ears and hearts open, there is always something new right around the corner, near or far, home or abroad. What can you find in your own backyard? Explore. Learn. Enjoy.

The most experienced monk at this particular mandala making. They say he has a PhD in mandala.

The detail is stunning. iphone pictures don't do it any justice.

Listening.

Laughing.

Creating.

I have the wanders

About Me

Sawrah

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