Week 26: Salt Lake City, UT

It got cold again in Salt Lake, a bit of a tease after our flip flop weather in Denver. But the sun was still shining, and that makes me happy. Our hotel was just across the street from the Mormon Tabernacle, so we could see in to the grounds and gardens, which looked lovely. A group from our cast went on Sunday to hear their famous choir sing.

This was a big city for us, as we replaced four people, including three principal characters! The director and choreographer came out for rehearsals and we were busy revamping the show. Not a whole lot of site seeing to be had, but managed to enjoy the city on our golden Monday following the week performing.

Beautiful weather in Salt Lake, where all the buildings are apparently white.

There is often wall art tags in the backstage area of shows that have come through any given theatre. This is from the BTB tour in 2000 I believe, and definitely the biggest one I've ever seen; most are maybe 1/3 of it's size, which clearly didn't even fit in the frame. 

Our lovely Babette/dance capitan Chandon always drew outside her lip line to enhance her lips for her role. While it made sense on stage, I found it rather jarring in real life and often got caught staring at her mouth...it was requested that we all 'do the Chandon' on her last performance day. I have an already full mouth and was concerned I'd look rather like a duck...which I'm certain was the case. I took these pictures for her.

Chandon, Andrew, and Chris said goodbye to tour in Salt Lake...Chan and Chris have been on since the beginning (January 2010) and Andrew for 15 months of his own!!

Say "Hello!" to Jess, Jimmy, and Bill in their new roles. 

Saying goodbye to Jess as our F7 "Busty girl". Thank goodness she'll still be in the cast. 

Here's Skye, our new F7...who officially joined the ranks of our chorus at the ever popular height of 5' 3", making me the lone giant in the village. In the real world I could swear I'm average, but in poor provincial France I got the ONLY tall gene...

Michael, our usual Lumiere, had to leave for the weekend so both of his understudies had the opportunity to go on for the first time!! Brian and Andrew did wonderful and individual jobs on their respective nights. We love understudy days because it really spices up the show. 

Just beautiful Jessica and I at dinner, saying goodbye to Chan, Andrew, and Chris. I love her so much!! What a wonderful friend and talented girl!

So, Salt Lake had several delightful shoppings centers...and I made out with a little loot: some much needed jeans, tennis balls for PT purposes, a Verbena Basil candle (holy moly delicious), a fun double wrap watch, my favorite brand of socks- Thorlo's- (go find a retailer with them, NOW), and sneaker balls. An odd assortment to be sure, but I was very happy with my useful purchases.

There was a fun new cafe which I frequented called Blue Lemon, and they had this fun, refreshing lavender soda. Very tasty, like a dry ginger ale.

And the latest news from home: baby Josiah!! My eldest sister gave birth to a happy and healthy little boy. I can't wait to meet him on our lay off in May :)

Next up on our adventures in never ending travel: Springfield and Toledo, Ohio!!

Week 25: Denver, CO

I've been looking forward to our week in Denver since I got out itinerary for several reasons: we had a golden day (aka no travel, no show, completely free!) ON my birthday, I've never been to Colorado, Mom was coming to visit, and I'd get to see my sweet friend Andy again!

First day in I had serious altitude sickness...I didn't realize quite how strong it could be. I worked out in the AM and was breathless, had a glass of champagne at lunch (it was my birthday after all) and was tipsy for hours, and found myself tired and hungry very early in the night. The show the next night was certainly interesting as well...lots of catch breaths across all the big numbers. After a few days it got better, but never as easy as the show at sea level. 

Got a hair cut and restored the fringe for my day.

If you haven't tried these yet, go find them NOW!! For Oreo's 100th birthday they did a birthday cake icing that is to die for. 

The lovely ladies at my celebration. Mandy (in the yellow sweater to my right) shares my birthday, so we had a big dinner at Mello Mushroom and drinks out at a famous pool hall, Tarantula. 

The birthday girls blowing out the candles together :)

The girls know I have a certain soft spot for mustaches, so they got me a pack of fuzzy sticker pale pink 'staches. We did a fair amount of modeling them....

My handle bar ended up on my glass for the rest of the night. 

Mom came to visit to see me play Belle on our three show day. I was so wonderful to see her, first time since December and that week was crazy with visitors. Of course we had rehearsals and THREE shows on Saturday, so we did little but take walks and eat between shows, but we did have a date night and watch "My Week with Marilyn" in the hotel. 

At the capitol building- a mile high in the sky! Isn't she beautiful??

My friend Andy came to see the show when I was Belle! We met on an airplane almost two years ago and haven't seen one another since that summer. So good to see him and catch up on life.

Real dream come true: Mom got to see me play Belle!! It had been two months since I'd gone on so I was a little nervous, but the show went well! We were so busy this week this was basically the only reason she came to visit, but it was worth it :)

Next week a brand new state for me: Salt Lake City, Utah!

Week 24: San Jose, CA

San Jose was full of sunshiney days and cool nights. The theatre was a Frank Lloyd Wright design, in the round of sorts...made for a very circular backstage route.

On the trip up from Cerritos we made our lunch stop in a complex that had an In-N-Out Burger!!!! This is just my favorite fast food burger EVER. They don't freeze their meat, french fries are cooked in cholesterol free oil, lettuce and tomatoes are hand peeled and cut each day, and they offer an "animal style" option, complete with cheese, pickle, and grilled onions. Who could ask for more??

As the funny life would have it, I met someone in San Jose who was generous enough to take me to see Totem one day when we didn't have rehearsal. I haven't seen a Cirque show in 10 years and it was so incredible. The performers have skills I've never dreamt of, AND act on top of it!! I want to make a trip to Vegas JUST to see their shows there.

The VIP tent, which I was not privy to, but was definitely photograph worthy.

There was an incredible little bakery/pastry shop just around the corner from our theatre that once I discovered, made the trip several times in the last few days. Killer espresso and this little chocolate mousse and raspberry cup lasted for two desserts. :)

One of our locals makes the drive from San Francisco every day in this fancy vintage car. I'm not even really into cars necessarily, but this guy caught my eye.

And finally, on our last day in San Jose our newest F7, Skye, arrived to replace Jessica! Jess will be moving up from the understudy to the role of Babette as Chandon departs in two weeks. We are eagerly awaiting our new Maurice and LeFou, who will be arriving in our next city: Denver, CO!! Hooray birthday week, a visit from mom and playing Belle again!!

Week 23: Eugene, OR and Cerritos, CA

Eugene, Oregon is a little collegiate town where we only had two shows, but being as big as my extended family is, I still managed to find relatives there. One of my grandpa's sisters and her children live there, so a few of them came to see the show- so nice! I'm starting a list of all the places on tour I've known people/had visitors- it's amazing how many familiar faces I've come across this year.

Eugene was kinda dreary and rainy. I spent part of one of our two days there holed up in a coffee shop reading The Bible and having a little 'me' time.

Another hat! I was on a role after that first one, so I found another pattern with some lace work for my friend Mandy. It was really lovely but a tad small, so I learned a valuable lesson in blocking- where you wet the yarn and stretch it into your desired shape. It's on a wig head here and I used an instagram filter to show off the pattern and yarn detail.

Made it to Cerritos for the second half of the week and it was gorgeous!! Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and warm! It definitely got chilly at night, but being able to lay by the pool was a God send. Our first night there was free so I went to a yummy Italian dinner with Michael and Emily, two good friends in our little Bible study. The next day I spent doing my taxes in the sun before the show, which left me with a violent blood sugar drop, feeling pretty sick. After a soda and a few snacks I managed to get through the show, but it was a little scary there. I'd forgotten how much the sun affects me and it's been so long since we've seen it!

These flowers out by our hotel pool looked like they were straight out of Dr. Seuss! They were covered in bees too...must be sweet!

The Chicago group (top: Jessica, Amanda, Lauren, bottom: Me, Kolby, Matt) celebrated our 200th show in Cerritos! I can't believe we've gotten this far, and we're still counting!

Had Monday off before we headed to San Jose, so I split it between Santa Monica with my NYU friend Jenelle, and downtown LA/Hollywood with my high school friend Luke. It's funny, I know so many people in the LA area, but they all have normal lives and Monday isn't anyone's day off but mine. I'm glad I got to see a few familiar faces who could show me the California scene.

Santa Monica pier, so much color!

After our split week we headed back North to San Jose, CA in the Bay Area. More sunshine!!

Week 22: Seattle, WA and a sneaky one nighter

We haven't had a one-nighter in a while, but between Portland and Seattle we had to make a rather out of the way pit stop to play an arena in Kennewick, WA. Needless to say it was an unusual show, devoid of any rigging that had to go up and down...so no backdrops, no scrim (the thin black drop that can show action when lit from behind). Oh, and even though the stage was raised, the arena's floor is an ice hockey rink, making it a rather frigid evening. Despite all this, we know the audience had no clue they might not be seeing the "full" show, and they seemed to enjoy themselves all the same.

The finished product: my first hat!! It didn't take me very long turns out, but it is a touch on the big side. I never trust the pattern will be big enough, but lesson learned. 

Cool iPhone app: PicFrame. I love compiling a few pictures together and this is a really easy platform to do so. Here's the progression of my first hat. 

On the way to Seattle there was an avalanche warning, closing the state highway straight shot. We had to go back to Portland (!!) then up to Seattle, delaying us significantly and in the end, canceling our first show. Having the night off turned out to be perfect...a few of us caught 5th Avenue's production of "Oklahoma"and went out to eat. There is a lot of great theatre in Seattle and it's been ages since I've been to the theatre on the other end.

Seattle is another city on our itinerary I couldn't wait to visit, and I think I have to return. We actually had a few patches of sunshine- something which I'm told is rare up here in the Pacific Northwest. There were a few opportunities to see the city and I made an effort to walk around whenever I got a chance.

My name twin Carly had her 25th birthday! We hiked up a hill to a funky little speak easy type bar called Hideout, sipped cocktails and had a vegan cake. 

Lovely mural around the corner from our hotel. Anything that reminds us of the show around the city stands out-obviously. "Home" is Belle's first act solo and a significant theme in the show, so this seemed appropriate and very sweet.

Amazing Reuben from Market House that had to be eaten in two sittings. These sandwiches always remind me of NY delis.

Pike Place Market, holy cow!! Station after station of beautiful produce. I felt like I was back in Italy with all the color and quality fruits and veggies.

Beecher's famous macaroni and cheese. I got a large...and devoured it. 

Pike Place fishes. I wish we'd had kitchens this week to enjoy some of the amazing food there.

Carly had the opportunity to go on for Mrs. Potts for the first time! She was a little tiny teapot.

Made it to the Space Needle! What a cool building and obviously very iconic. 

A view from the top. We happened to be there on one of the sixty days in a year when you can see Mt Rainier- so clear!! You can check out a current 360 view with their online webcam here.

Also made it to the Experience Music Project, or EMP. Amazing JImi Hendrix guitar collection, History of Horror Cinema, and Battle Star Gallactica exhibits, in addition to a huge section devoted to learning how to play different rock and roll instruments. I can now play "Wild Thing" on the bass :)

There were a few other birthdays this week I failed to document, but all in all it was a nice week. The weather is finally warming up a touch, so I've put away my big puffy caterpillar coat. Next up is a split week: Eugene, Oregon and Cerritos, California!! Getting ready for some sunshine!!

Week 21: Portland, OR

I think Portland is topping the charts so far. One week in the city was not nearly enough!! I had so much fun in fact, I forgot to take pictures for the most part! I enjoyed the downtown shopping scene as a treat to myself on Valentine's day, went to see The Descendants with a free movie pass (lush life, the little freebies along the way :) ), and did a little press out in the burbs, which resulted in some lovely Willamette valley Pinot Noir consumption.

My sweet friend and former scene partner Sean from Adler at Tisch is currently living in the city and we had a chance to sit down for breakfast one day and catch up. He is a wonderful actor and has been blessed to be living at home and consistently working on a play or musical since we graduated! While one must maintain a "survival" job in Portland, there is a great theatre scene there and I'm so happy things have been going so well for him.

The famous and not to be missed Voodoo Donuts was worth every calorie. I'm pictures here with a McMinnville (maple icing and a special cream filling), but also enjoyed a Dirty Bastard (chocolate icing, peanut butter, oreos), and a regular old Kruller. 

I'm back on the knitting train! Yes, I did jump ship when I lost my needle kit back in Madison- I was grieving! But after my friend Jeff bought me a beautiful set of rosewood needles for Valentine's Day, and informed me there was a very cute yarn boutique called Knit Purl in walking distance, I was ruined. I made him a hat in exchange for his sweet gift (you'll see it next episode). Here's the beginnings of a hat with some beautiful yarn I found at Knit Purl. My first work on double point needles....very exciting.

The Portland food scene is epic and while I could've stood to be there for a month to get my fix, my friend Mandy and I managed to get out one rainy night to a fabulous French bistro called Little Bird. Definitely not to be missed. Great wine selection, perfect food menu, although we missed out on the marrow special :( The food trucks are also no to be missed.

And that's it! It's funny, when life is good it's almost harder to document because you are too busy living it. But for consistency sake, and my desire to get through the whole year on this gig, I will continue to write....despite being TWO months behind!

Next stop: Washington state!

Week 20: Vancouver, BC, Canada

I LOVED VANCOUVER!! What a cool, fun, walkable, beautiful, food cultured, English speaking city!

The beautiful view on the flight in. I never knew how much I'd love mountains, but I can't get enough of them. 

Lovely Vancouver all lit up at night. Under that little dome is an iceskating rink, right next to a big art museum.

I found a wonderful little French bistro, Medina Cafe, that served a lavender latte! I was in love.

Same place, perfect breakfast. It was a "Tagine": spicy chickpea, onion, pepper, and tomato stew with merguez sausage and two poached eggs. Focaccia bread with hummus and raita (an Indian yogurt sauce) on the side. I loved it so much I came back and got it again! For those of you who know my dining philosophy, I am not typically a repeat offender in the food world. I like trying new things and exploring. So to order the exact same meal, especially in a city where I am only there for a week and should be absorbing as much as possible, this was a BIG deal! It's just that good.

Emily (my adventure buddy for our golden day) and I rented bikes to take in the city. We sweet talked the man by mentioning the show and managed to trade a backstage tour for a week's worth of cycling. 

The gorgeous Coal Harbor. We thought we saw a seal, but it was just a dog :)

We rode around Stanley Park, and there is a section of totem poles there. It's funny, you think you know lots of things, and then you read about Native American cultures and their mythology and origins and realize you know nothing! I am glad the world is still filled with plenty of knowledge for me to acquire. Also on a completely separate note, my biking day was outfitted entirely by Lululemon :).

A view of the rest of the city from English bay. It was truly blessed weather for our day off, because it was grey and rainy the rest of the week. So glad we took advantage of it!!

My wonderful day brought to you by this perfect bicycle, and foreign cuisine, including French, Japanese, and Italian. 

Lululemon's birthplace is Vancouver. While none of us could figure out where the flagship store is, we all peaked in the one on Robson (their big shopping street) just to say we had. The brand might as well sponsor our tour, we are such avid fans of their fitness apparel. Such a great company philosophy too, I don't mind supporting them one bit.

Lauren made her debut as Belle on our three show day here!! Lucky girl, our tour director and choreographer were out for rehearsals, so they saw her go on! Another gathering of the napkins around the understudy, we are trying to make a mini album of these shots.

And hooray for small victories! This our mic tree, where the microphones live when we aren't wearing them. Before Sunday in Vancouver, they sported old cast members names and pictures, often promoting confusion with the local crew and misplaced mics. Now our beautiful color coded pouches sport our correct names and photos.

After a busy and fun filled week in BC we returned to the states for a good while. Plenty of exciting cities I've been looking forward to, including a week in Portland, Oregon!!