Pittsburgh, PA

We had a cancelled show in Springfield, IL last week, so we were re-routed to Pittsburgh for two days and two nights off. Incredible! That never, ever happens.


People wanted to go to the famous Primanti Bros. for lunch, so we hopped in the shuttle and off we went. We went to the original one that is in a warehouse district area. It was fun, but I really wasn't too impressed. Maybe because I'm an idiot and ordered turkey instead of something like corned beef, but I don't know if that would have really mattered. I don't think I like cole slaw and fries on my sandwiches. But other people loved it, and Kevin and the guys each took down two of these things. And then a pizza about three hours later.

After Primani Bros. we enjoyed the rest of our day off going to an Italian market, a pizza place for pitchers, naps, then out to a local dive bar. The second day off we went to go see Love And Other Drugs, which was really good. Anne Hathaway is up for a few awards for it. Warning if you see it- she is naked a LOT. Then Kevin and I had date night + company manager at a great restaurant downtown.

I was so not looking forward to the drives in and out of Springfield, so this was a nice little surprise!

Touring On A Budget

It can be difficult not spending a lot of money while touring. You have to eat every meal out, and if you don't go out after the show, you are just sitting in your hotel room without any of the comforts of home. We also stop at malls/shopping centers almost every day for lunch. It's easier to not spend when we are on one-nighters, but much more difficult when we are in a city for a week or a few days. Especially with Kevin, because we really like to eat well and have fun when we are together!

A few things I do to help my wallet stay fat:

I use googlemaps to try and figure out public transportation rather than taking taxis if I am being tourist-y.

I have Netflix and have them sent to the company. We get our mail every Thursday. This makes going back to a hotel room instead of going out a little more bearable because I have something to watch that I have picked out.

I check coupon sites and print out coupons at the hotels for things I may need.

While I never eat at "chain" restaurants at home, it just can't be helped when traveling. I am signed up for most of their emails and receive deals in my inbox. For example, this week I received coupons for a free appetizer at Chili's, and coupons for Bob Evans and Quizno's. While I can't always use them because we don't run into them, I love having them on hand.

I have every frequent shopper card known to man. Panera surprises you sometimes when you go in- I got a free bagel and cream cheese the other day!

I eat continental breakfast at every hotel that offers it.

I keep a few cans of soup with me and can warm that up at the theatre if I wasn't able to find dinner close by.

I buy gift cards that offer "bonus bucks". For instance, buy a $25 gift card at Friday's and receive an extra $5 for free. Then I use them to buy food for myself.

When Kevin and I are together (never one one nighters, which stinks), we use restaurant.com discounts so we can go out to a nicer dinner for a lower price.

Kevin and I buy wine and apps for the room on days off, rather than going out before dinner.

This may sound like I'm being cheap, but in reality, it's the little things like this every day that let me do things like buy the pair of new shoes I want, go on fun little trips, and pay off my house faster!

Joliet, IL

The last two weeks of this tour have really stunk. The schedule has just been horrible and most of the theatres have been pretty crummy. Life consists of getting on a bus at 6:30am, driving hundreds of miles, taking a shower, going to the theatre, and doing it all over the next day. Totally Groundhog Day, and very lonely. Kevin and I rarely see each other because we are on opposite schedules. We did have a day off in Pittsburgh last week. It will get better after Christmas so I just have to try and keep my head up.


The one theatre that did put me in a good mood was in Joliet, IL. I have played there before and their lobby is beautiful. It's all marble from top to bottom. A little extra bonus this time was that it was decorated for Christmas!


I'm on the bus on my way to Youngstown, then a different city every night until I fly home on Monday the 20th. The countdown begins!!

Thanksgiving 2010

The week of Thanksgiving was really, really great. We had the week OFF! Not paid, but still. Better than dinner in a hotel like last year.


We went to North Carolina for the week to stay with Kevin's family, and didn't really do a whole lot besides eat and hang out. The one thing we did do that I was so excited about was visit my friends Nick and Lindsay, who just had twins. Brooke and Bryce were soooooo cute! The only bad part about that trip (which should have taken two hours) was that we did it during Charlotte rush hour. Not a good idea. We tried to be very patient in the traffic, but after it was all said and done we drove four hours to go to dinner. Totally worth it though.

Kevin's brother and his daughter also went to Chapel Hill for a few days. I don't think they had been together on Thanksgiving since like 2004, so everyone was pretty excited and happy about that.

Thanksgiving dinner pretty much came from Whole Foods this year. I don't shop there at home simply due to the cost and my love of bargain shopping, but let me tell ya- it was good. I think we went to Whole Foods three times in two days, and I was in heaven just looking at all of the delicious good food there. And we might have bought a case of wine for the week too. I tried to post a picture of Kevin and his turkey, but it wouldn't post for some reason. I was pretty impressed! They are the kind of people who actually cook from scratch, unlike me who buys stuff pre-made. For example, they needed vegetable stock so they made it. To me making it means buying it in a box. I'm getting better though....

During the week we also visited with some friends and family, went to a planetarium (which I hadn't done since I was a kid), and went Christmas tree shopping. Everyone I know has a fake one, so that was kind of fun! I think I'm going to get a baby one this year for my condo, since we have TWO weeks off for Christmas and New Years, and I get to go home!! Can't. Wait.

The Fabulous Fox

Ahhhh, the Fabulous Fox. The Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI is my favorite theatre to work in in North America. I have been lucky enough to have worked here four times now. It's like nothing else (except the Fox theatres in St. Louis and Atlanta). The people are great, it smells like yummy roasted nuts (that they sell in the lobby), the walls backstage are covered with autographs of famous people and shows, and despite the fact it's in Detroit, it's just wonderful.

Funny thing about this trip to Detroit- I walked in the door of the DoubleTree hotel, and the valet guy looks at me and goes, "Oh no!". It's the SAME guy who was working when my car was stolen from that hotel last year! We had a good laugh about that one.

Whiskey For My Men

Beer For My Horses?

Outside of a bar in Montana last week, this guy pulled up on his horse, threw his friend on the back and they rode off with two Bud Lights.

I don't think he liked us taking a picture with him, but how could we not?!

Canada

We have been up in Western Canada for three weeks now, and I have hardly taken ANY pictures. Not being a very good blogger.

We started in Vancouver, then went to Calgary, then Edmonton. I got the call about Poppy in Vancouver, and flew home for a week, so I have actually only been here for about two weeks. Which is a good thing, because as much as I love it up here, it's just too expensive. Every time I eat, I cringe at the bill when it comes. I don't think I have been able to even get a sandwich at a restaurant for under $15.

Anyway, we were able to be a little tourist-y in Vancouver and take a boat over to Granville Island. I had done it before, and really enjoy it. They have a big public market and little shops and restaurants. The boys did not want their pictures taken, as you can see:

Vancouver has a really different architectural look. All of the buildings are tall, and all glass. Like floor to ceiling windows in the apartments. We looked up the prices of real estate there, it was was crazy expensive. Same with Calgary. Edmonton is a little more blue collar than the other two.

I flew back to Calgary just in time to be there for the weekend, and Kevin and I went to one of my favorite restaurants in the world, The River Cafe. You walk into a park downtown, and it's right in the middle of the park on a river. All of their food is local, and it's wonderful.

Edmonton has been pretty uneventful. A group of us went to the largest mall in North America, the West Edmonton Mall. It has a waterpark, rides, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, Chinatown, and over 800 stores and services. We made the mistake of going on Remembrance Day, so the place was insanely packed. It was pretty annoying, actually. Other than that, it's been the hotel and the theatre. And a place called Sherlock Holmes which serves food late.

And that's been my few weeks in Canada. Oh- the ongoing question here is.... are they called Canadian Geese up here, or do they just call them geese? Just wondering.

Poppy's Party

Most people would say that they were going to a funeral for someone after they have died. However, that was NOT the case with Poppy. He wanted a nice personalized memorial and a celebration, and that is what he got.

Over 500 people came to his memorial service. We listened to him welcome all of us, heard some of his favorite Jazz songs, watched him perform "Sam You Made The Pants Too Long", listened to my sister and Heidi (his long time companion) talk about wonderful memories and listened to him ask us if anyone told us they loved us today (one of his "things" he always said). He was pretty well prepared for that day, and had taken a lot of time to put together what he wanted. And it was cool because we had his bust up in the front of the church with his saxophone, so you almost felt like he was there.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a nice lunch, music and visiting at the church, then we were off to Gamekeeper's. Gamekeeper's is a restaurant/bar that he had been going to since the late 70's. His band would play for occasions such as Valentine's Day, Derby Day, his birthday, and Christmas Eve. Every time he played, he made a T-shirt. So, everyone wore their favorite Chuck Fuller T from over the years, and we went and celebrated his life into the night. The place was PACKED!

As sad as it is to lose someone you love so, so much, at least everyone has wonderful, fun memories of my very unique Poppy.

Chuck Fuller 1923-2010

The Garden Of The Gods

Kevin and I rented a car on Friday in Denver to get out of the city, and enjoy a little bit of Colorado (more on that later). While I have been to Colorado Springs numerous times, I had never been to the Garden of the Gods. We took about an hour to drive and walk around. It's really just a bunch of rocks, but they are so different than anything else I have ever seen. The colors are similar to what you see in Sedona, AZ but the way they just randomly stick out of the ground in the middle of no where was really weird!

Pikes Peak

Thursday, when we rented the car, we also went up (or I guess down, since it was South) to Pikes Peak which is near Colorado Springs as well. It was actually kind of the whole point of renting the car.


I read about this Cog Train that you could take up the mountain instead of driving it, and really wanted to do it. I'm so happy that we did! For two reasons: 1. Taking the train was really fun, and 2. I don't think that our rental Kia would have made it up the mountain.


The train had windows that went almost all of the way down that were open, and it was a beautiful day. It didn't occur to me when we left Denver that it was going to be freezing when we got to the top of the 14,000 mountain, Oops!

Denver Botanic Gardens

I had some free time on Thursday, and it was absolutely gorgeous outside. 80 and sunny. So I decided to take a little trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens. There is an exhibit there now called Moore in the Gardens. Henry Moore was an artist from Britain who created large-scale sculptures. I'm not really artsy-fartsy, but they were pretty cool. I took the bus there, and when I got off I could smell the place before I could even see it.


The first half hour or so I walked around I was a little bummed because I thought that I had missed the season. A lot of the paths were brown and things seem to have died for the Winter. Little did I know that I was in the wrong section of the huge garden. When I found the flowers, I was in heaven! Everything was just beautiful. There were actually a lot of people there. Mostly new moms with their babies sitting around under trees, and elderly people in wheel chairs being pushed by loved ones or having picnics. Which is pretty much the story of my life- doing things at the same time as stay-at-home-moms, or older people because everyone else my age actually works. :)


It was a really nice day for me, and I'm happy I took the time to go!

This is called "Large Reclining Figure". Creative.

The Buckhorn Exchange

On Tuesday night, a large group of us went to dinner here in Denver at The Buckhorn Exchange. Kevin had seen it on The Food Network, and there you have it.

It is the oldest restaurant in Denver, and it was very, very cool. Lets just say their menu is not like anything else I have ever seen. I ate the following on Tuesday night (we all tried every ones dinner and shared apps):

• Rattlesnake Dip
• Rocky Mountain Oysters (which are fried BALLS)
• Buffalo Steak
• Colorado Lamb Chops
• Elk
• Baby Back Pork Ribs

All of it was so, so good. We actually considered getting another order of balls because everyone loved them so much. You can only imagine the jokes going on between the gay boys at the table.

The food here in Denver has been phenomenal all week. I haven't had one bad meal, and we have tried numerous places. I'm surprised how much Mexican food they have here. Good, authentic Mexican food.

I stole the pictures below from Google because I didn't take any. Check out how many animals are on the wall at the Buckhorn! Loved it.

Grease Is The Word

I guess that it's my word at least. I am leaving tomorrow to go out on tour with Grease as their merchandise manager. I have been looking for jobs here in Cleveland since May with no luck. So when Kevin received an email from his boss asking if I would be interested in this position, I went for it. It's the first time in my life that I have not worked for the company (or one of it's sister companies) that I interned with in college. Pretty weird, but I had to take what I could get.

At this rate, maybe I'll get off the road by the time I am 40?!

Off to St, Charles, MO....

A Few Princess Pics

Just a few last pictures of us on the boat. We had such a great time, and I can't wait to go on another one!

Our favorite area of the ship- the back pools/bar/hot tubs

The champagne waterfall at the Captain's welcome party

One of our formal nights- poor Kevin was sick but stuck it out for me!

Our cruise BFF's from Belfast- Ruby and Jerry. We played trivia with them almost every afternoon and they were hilarious!

Our friends from somewhere named something. But we loved them.

St. Johns, Newfoundland

I was so surprised to discover that St. John's was probably my favorite port on our cruise. I just absolutely fell in love with it.


Thanks to the boat lectures, I knew that the best thing to do there was go hiking. The city has over six miles of hiking trails. I thought, no problem. We had NO IDEA that the first few miles of the trails were literally on cliffs with like 1,000 stairs.


We met some famous Canadian actress who was walking towards the bottom of the first trail, and she showed us the way. She was there filming some TV show that is aired in 26 countries, but not the U.S., so I had no clue who she was. A few people stopped her along the way, so guess she's somebody. Anyway, we just went for it. We planned on doing all six miles but with the way the trails connected it was probably more like four. It was so gorgeous! The first mile or so was definitely the most difficult. I would stop on the stairs just to breathe, and we would get lapped by like 70 year olds. That was motivation, let me tell you.



After we walked for a few hours, we went into the town. Which I also loved (but didn't take any photos of). I found an internet cafe which was a HUGE deal because we had no email on the boat while we were in the Arctic, and I had to send my resume to a company in NYC that I was interviewing with when we got back. Kevin found an awesome old placed called the Ship's Pub for lunch and a beer, and I bought a row house mailbox. Most of the streets have these row houses, separated only by color, and a lot of the mailboxes are row houses. I just had to have one! Even though I live in a condo.


If I ever had the opportunity to go back to St. John's or live there for a period of time, I won't think twice. The people were so nice, the town was so cute, and the scenery was beautiful.

A view from half way up the first trail

Do you see all of the stairs up the side of the rocks? We were so excited to be able to see the end of our misery!

Yet another rock thing on the top of a mountainThis is where I want to live when I move to St. John's. Their view is the ocean and cliffs.
A row house mailbox!