My favorites of 2008

A few favorites from 2008. I'm aware that somethings I list were around prior to 08, but since I discovered them in 08 I'm listing them anyway. Not ranked in a particular order.

• Chihuly at the De Young- just gorgeous and breathtaking works of art.
• Slumdog Millionaire- It'll make you laugh, cry, cringe & kneel at the genius of Danny Boyle.
• Son of Rambow- Inspired look at the dynamics of friendship, for the young & old.
• Gilbert & George at the De Young- eye popping exhibition, w/ poignant bits in between.
• Tea @ the Berkeley Hotel, London- minus all the fashion influence, the way tea should be.
• Masala Zone, London- chain restaurant done incredibly well + fave dish of the year!
• Spicy Green Curry Prawn & Noodles- Just the right notes, incredibly tasty and amazing.
• AQ Kafe, Maria Biscuit- favorite little discovery in NY, best dessert I've had in a while.
• Spring Awakening- How long will I rave about this? Until all of you feel the same.
• Hamlet 2- Sundance favorite, and incredibly funny, talented supporting cast.
• Vampire Weekend- Totally snowballed and became huge in 08 with talent to back them up. Indie Rock fans rejoice!
• Hotel Forum Roma, Italy- The restaurant atop has the best effing view ever. Not to mention I really enjoyed the 7 course dinner they offered....
• Keira & Lucy- We bonded, walked together, fought, slept together. A true testament to the saying that dogs are man's best friend.

New York to Milwaukee

Chairs at Bryant Park.

Doors at the Nederlander.

The place to go if you want to be in a Diabetic Coma.

See the coke bottle? That building was my hotel.

View from the most requested seat at Bubba Gumps.

Spring Awakening. Teen angst at its most entertaining.

I recently spent a few days in New York to meet up with a friend and to accompany my brother. It was his first time there and have been wanting to go for a few years now. My parents decided to gift him with this trip for Christmas and I decided to tag along and use this opportunity to meet an old friend.

Michelle is a close friend of mine from high school, we knew each other from middle school but didn't really get close til high school. After graduating she moved to Glendale down in Southern California. We were in touch here and there but recently "rekindled" our friendship via text message once she moved to New York. My stay was brief but definitely full of memories and unforgettable antics. No... we're not crazy party people, we talked about John Milton, Harry Potter, Broadway, coffee, rude restaurant staff, John Cusack, Port Authority, Bubba Gumps and Tom Hanks among other things..... but it was incredible spending time and seeing her again. So Michelle, if you ever read this.... Thanks for being an incredible friend and one day I will list down all we have in common and I'm sure I will run out of paper. I miss you and can't wait to visit "your" city again.. Love ya!

Back to New York.... Midtown, Manhattan to be exact. If you're ever in Times Square and happen to spot the Billboard/Marquis? with the Coke bottle on it.... that building was my hotel. It was an unbelievable spot to stay and with a subway stop across the street and around the corner (about 30 feet?) from the hotel entrance. I decided to spend the extra money on location since it was my brother's first time and we where there for only a limited time. I figured a hotel in the middle of Midtown would be good. A cousin had offered to take my brother out and around New York, thus alloting more time for Michelle and I to hang out. Into the wee hours of the morning..... we hung out, relying on sugar for energy. So since I like lists... I thought I'd list a few highlights of this trip....

• Writing on the doors at the Nederlander, where RENT was housed for over twelve years. Although they've taken down most of the RENT related decor, the doors remained untouched and so Michelle and I added our autographs to the hundreds left on the doors..
• Visiting the New York Library and catching a glimpse of an original manuscript of Tales of Beedle the Bard on display..
• Sitting next to Richard Griffiths (from History Boys, Equus and Harry Potter) while having his morning cup of java at a local joint I shall not mention because he frequents the place.
• Bryant Park was lovely to visit and sit in. I had breakfast and lunch there, just sitting in one of its green chairs absorbing the peace and quiet it offered... which was quite a feat considering Times Square was two blocks away and packed with people.
• Skipping the line of hungry people at Bubba Gumps and being given the most requested table in the whole restaurant, and then having all the servers stop by and chat with us was ridiculously entertaining and fun... all thanks to my lovely friend Michelle....
• Dylan's Candy Bar and Serendipity..... Just lovely and colorful and yummy.... There was a 3 hour wait at Serendipity so we had to to swing by other spots and have dinner with my cousins and brother and returned right on time.
• AQ Cafe by Columbus Circle where I had the best thing ever... it was called a Maria Biscuit and was crunchy and soft and custardy and fruity and everything a dessert/pastry should be. Not to mention no crowds.
• Spring Awakening on Broadway!!!! This vacation wouldn't have been complete if I didn't get to see a show. Being that it closes January 18th (see it people, whether or not you've seen it before, see it before it closes!!!), I just had to see it. It was unbelievable. Emma Hunton as Ilse was fantastic and Hunter Parrish's acting was superb (esp. in the graveyard scene..) It was great seeing it with a whole different cast and the energy and chemistry amongst them all was awe inspiring and refreshing. A must see!
• Just walking around an almost empty Times Square at 3am Monday morning was just fun and beautiful. When you get lost in the crowd, you tend to forget what draws people here in the first place.
  

After New York I flew back into Chicago and then drove up to visit some family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the New Year's. I spent it gambling, playing a version of poker with family. I can't really complain since I won that night... In the last two minutes of 2008, I spent it with my boyfriend on the phone, counting down with the rest of my family, staring longingly into the Times Square footage. All in all my two week vacation from San Francisco was wonderful and memorable. Here's to an equally wonderul and memorable 2009!

Wicked In San Francisco

I've been out of town on vacation the past two and a half weeks and have therefore been out of touch concerning local news. I was elated when, in the middle of Times Square in Manhattan, I received a text message from a friend with the cast list for Wicked!

So here are a few links:
http://www.examiner.com/x-428-SF-Theater-Examiner~y2008m12d17-Wicked-unveils-San-Francisco-witches

http://www.musicalschwartz.com/wicked-sf.htm

Elphaba - Teal Wicks
Glinda - Kendra Kassebaum

I've seen Wicked twice and loved it both times. I have yet to see a production of it here in San Francisco and I'm very excited to see Kendra Kassebaum on as Glinda. I've heard very mixed reviews of her interpretation of Glinda, but I've been blown away from videos I've seen of her performances. I think it's easy to root for Elphaba, but to have a great Glinda & have people love her is more difficult. I have tickets the 2nd week of February and I can't wait to review the performance.....