CATCHING UP

Earthdate, June 10, 2016. I’ve been on the road for two weeks already! I can’t believe it, it’s been such an amazing trip!

Last trip post I made was about the Henry Ford museums.  The next part was more family/friends oriented, but here we go.

Thursday, June 2^nd I took off from Dearborn and continued to head east. Crossing into Canada was easy – I didn’t need my full passport, but I did use my passport card. There wasn’t much different about Canada from Michigan – but I do need to remember to grab some Canadian cash! They were happy to take American money – its worth more. Sigh.

That evening I made it to the home of Mary Jane and Brian Burke. Mary Jane was my 8^th grade English and high school theatre teacher!   Her husband Brian taught in a different district, but when I was in school they directed the shows together. They recently moved from Pulaski and built their home to be closer to their two daughters. It’s a lovely house, and we had such a great time catching up!

The following day I took off for Syracuse, and got a chance to catch up with Kandi, my best friend from high school. It’s always great seeing her, and catching up on all the news.

I didn’t stay too long, however, since I had a bit of a drive still to Cheshire, MA, and the home of my nephew Doug, his wife Brenda and their two teenagers Hailey and Austin. I can’t believe that they are so old!!! (and tall – Austin towers over me already, and he’s 14) We had a fun filled weekend – there were several points of interest near them including the birthplace of Susan B. Anthony, and the Norman Rockwell museum. Both evenings we hung out with friends of theirs, played games, swam etc. A fun time had by all! Monday morning I took off for NYC – but I’ll add that post separately.

 

 

 

HAMILTON the Review

I’m many days behind on my blog – I feel like I’ve been running non-stop! I’ll catch up more later, but I know a lot of you want a Hamilton review, so here it is.

WOW.

Without a doubt the best musical experience I’ve ever seen. In some ways, it ‘s a musical – story, costumes, showstopping numbers, sweet ballads. And yet it’s much more than that. Lin-Manuel Miranda has changed, ignored and upgraded some of the conventions of musical theatre, bringing in new ideas and life.

The first convention to go is the overture. There is the obligatory “no cell phones” announcement (made by King George III welcoming you to “his” musical), then BOOM, Leslie Odom Jr is on stage, and you are in the story immediately. Many of the characters appear right way in the opening number, and Miranda condenses 40 pages of the original Ron Chernow biography into a 4 minute song. This is just one example of why the rap style completely works – more language per minute than either speech or just singing.

Many of you know the soundtrack already, so let me jump into some of the things that you need to see. First – the chorus. What an incredibly talented group of actor/singer/dancers. I probably should have put dancer first. Like a Greek chorus, they set much of the atmosphere, but they do it physically more than vocally (where they generally sing back-up). They also fill in many of the small roles – the Schuyler father, the opponents in the duels etc. They are on stage in almost every song, and add so much color to the show. It would not be as good a show without them, for sure.

The dancing is hard for me to describe. Not just Broadway, not just hip-hop, but elements of both. It was angular, sharp, yet incredibly fluid. At times they mirrored the leads to add depth to their movements, sometimes it was more to bring concepts to life (one girl was the “bullet” in slow motion).

Which leads me to the direction. The stage is a two level, catwalk style set, and chairs/desks get carried out as needed. There are two turntables which can run counter each other, and the transitions were super smooth (I guess I’d hope so after this much time). Scenes flowed seamlessly into each other – the lack of starting and stopping certainly helps with the constant flow of information.

Finally – the performances of the leads – fantastic, just as I’d hoped! Lin-Manuel Miranda is now so associated with Alexander Hamilton that I wouldn’t be surprised if they put his picture on the ten dollar bill. Lin is not the greatest singer/actor/dancer in the company – but it’s his baby, and Hamilton is his child and that shows all the way through the performance. Leslie Odom Jr is also amazing, as are Renee Goldsberry, Phillippa Soo, and Anthony Ramos. And a special shout out to Rory O’Malley as King George III – what a hysterical role!

Watching the show, I realize that it is so well written that there are plenty of actors that could play these roles, and to perfection. This piece will live on past the opening cast – although I’m so excited that I got to see them! There is one person I see issue with them replacing, and it’s Daveed Diggs as Lafayette/Jefferson. Wholly cannoli. The energy, facility and commitment he brings to the role is outstanding. I know there were other great performances on Broadway this year, and I don’t expect Hamilton to win everything, although its going to win a LOT. But if Diggs doesn’t get best supporting – I’ll be sorely disappointed.

Coming after a good nights sleep — Hamilton the Experience, and more of the trip!  I’m in Cape Cod now, but will have time to blog tomorrow — I hope.  🙂

Henry Ford

WARNING:  long post — it was a great day!  Publishing sans pictures right now — will add pictures in just a bit.

Henry Ford is a controversial figure in our American history.  For all the good he did — the assembly line, paying his workers well, hiring disadvantaged workers at a time when few companies did — he is also remember for what he did not do well — anti-semitic remarks, issues with his family, especially his son, Edsel.  But I will say that the Henry Ford museums are — magnificent.

There are actually three museums — I only got to two, and one day is really not enough to do either justice.  Still, I tried my best.  Me and 6000 school children.  For those who follow me — really think about doing multiple days.  The museums close at 5 p.m. — and the days end much too quickly.

For the newbie — I would suggest some things, some of which I did, others I would like to do if I come back again.  One — get there early.  Lots of people, lots of parking.  I was there about 20 minutes early, and didn’t do too badly, but I’d give it an extra 10 next time.  You can always wander around, or finish eating breakfast in your car.

If you are going on a nice day like today — go to the Village first — it’s mostly outdoors.  Save the actual museum for later since it’s all indoors and air conditioned (some of the building at the Village have air as well).  If I were doing two days — I’d probably keep that pattern as well.  Speaking of which — if you have more than 4 people, or want to go multiple days — you probably should just by the yearly membership.  It’s quite the deal at $270, and that cover 5 people on the same day!

When you get to the Village, beeline for one of two places.  If you are only doing the Village on one day, turn to your RIGHT and go immediately to the Henry Ford childhood area, and get on a Model T.  The line gets longer later — and you get basically a private tour of the grounds!  Cost is $5, or you can buy an unlimited pass for $16 which also gets you carriage rides, the train, an old bus and the carousel.  AND — if your are a member — all this is included!  You just need to grab the wristband.    I missed this – by the time I realized it, the line was an hour long, and I had limited time.

Second choice would be taking the train.  I saved this for the end, but at the beginning would have been nice, to help me with the lay of the land, since I got lost a few times.  There are a few places you can hop on and off the train as well.

The working farm and craftsmen were all very good, but I especially liked the historic houses (some are replicas made when the Village was built in the 1920s, but others were moved there!) such as Ford’s childhood home, the Wright brothers home and shop (the shop is a MUST SEE), and all the Menlo Park things.

I ate lunch at the Eagle Tavern, which was quite good and blessedly, child-free (not by requirement — just because most of the kids there were on a field trip, and this was too expensive for them).  The tables are large, so they seated another small party on the end of mine.  They suggested some things to do when I get to Mackinac Island!

Eventually I got to the actual museum.  Also worth a full day.  I walked down the Presidential carriages/limos (including the limo that Kennedy was shot in, and the one that carried Reagan from his shooting), then headed back to a special exhibit of Beatles memorabilia.

O M G.

So cool to see original posters, drum sets, clothing.  They included the “other” Beatles too, like Pete Best and George Martin.  I understand this is a touring exhibit, so you might want to see if its coming to a museum near you!

Next I wandered into the Americana exhibit.  Very powerful — a section on the founding of our country and the issues of slavery, the suffragettes, and the civil rights movement.  For some reason, this really struck me — the first thing you see upon entering is a Ku Klux Klan robe.  It bothers me to even type those words.  And then you turn the corner — into Rosa Parks bus.  The bus is open for sitting, and you get to hear, in her own voice, a description of what happened that day.  It was extremely moving.

Once I got myself together, I wandered to the Dymaxion House — a one of a kind display of the “house of the future” as envisioned by Buckminster Fuller in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Except for the TEENY TINY bathroom (what — were these people DOLLS?), I liked it!

Finally I made it to Heroes in Flight.  Wonderful stuff, with a big emphasis on barnstorming.  Some 20-somethings sitting near me thought the video clips were “doctored” — we had a great conversation about the history, and how ultralights works, etc.  I really think we are due to have a new movie about that era in our history — it was so exciting!

I reluctantly drove away at 5 p.m., only wishing I’d had more time, feet that were less tired and charge in my phone.  Knowing that Dearborn is well known for its Middle Eastern food, once I got some charge I jumped on Yelp, and found a place that was quite close.  The waitress could NOT have been nicer.  I had a great meal, took a bunch home, and paid very little money.  Thanks, MeMe!

Sorry, to go on for so long — but it was a great day!  I will be glad to be in the car tomorrow though!

 

 

 

On the way to Dearborn

After a wonderful Chicago Cubs game (I’ll catch up that another day), I took off this morning for Dearborn.  After so much planning to get to this point, I really haven’t worked out all the kinks for getting from one place to the other.  Instead, I’m planning on just “finding my way,” and looking for advice from locals.  So far — so good!

Jim mentioned that I should stop by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and sure enough, it was right on the way.  I didn’t really have any expectation, but they really were quite lovely.  They reminded me a lot of the beach area near Sandy Creek (my home town in northern NY), such as Selkirk Shores.

After walking the beach a little, and finding some really interesting driftwood for future mosaic projects, I headed back onto the highway.  Just past Michigan City, I started looking for lunch, and decided to pull off at Bridgman, Michigan.  Great choice!  I only saw a little of the town, but Yelp guided me to a local bar/restaurant for lunch, and it was AMAZING.  Super friendly as well.  If this place was in Denver, I’d eat there a LOT.

MOJO CHICKEN SANDWICH — YUM!

After lunch, I decided to get off the beaten track, and do the non-highway route.  On Google Maps, you can chose this under “Route Options.”  I knew I didn’t want to do this the whole way, but wine country was LOVELY.  I was so busy looking, however, that I forgot to take pictures, sorry.

Finally made it into Dearborn — another time change forgotten, but I was in a little after 7 p.m.  Sweet town, old house, nice neighborhoods.  The Airbnb is very nice again (I’m writing this at their dining room table) — very family atmosphere.  I even got to share in the birthday cake.

Tomorrow — the Henry Ford Museums!  Those who know, I’m doing the Village in the morning, then the actual museum in the afternoon.

Thanks to those of you who are following — I appreciate your thoughts and comments!

Apps and more part 1

Quiet morning in Chicago.  Jim’s house is very peaceful, although his neighborhood sure is lively!  Of course, it is a holiday weekend, so that fact that people are noisy wasn’t a surprise.  With the doors shut — I don’t hear a thing.

I thought I’d take a moment to talk about my cell phone.  What a marvelous invention these pocket computers are!  Your life is in your hands, literally.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I bought a travel purse.  It really has been a joy to use — lightweight, but all the zippers lock, and it’s RFID protected (your credit cards won’t be scanned by scammers).  The strap is LONG — even a larger woman like me can wear it cross body, but it’s adjustable so that you can do one shoulder as well.  It can’t be pierced by a knife or a pair of scissors.  Great invention, and at $40, a great value.  It’s got interior pockets that fit our larger cellphones, sunglasses etc. as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Anti-Theft-Classic-Messenger-Olive/dp/B00X1BUQBI?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Back to that pesky cell phone.  I have a Samsung Galaxy 5s — not the newest phone, but I’ve loved it.  For the trip I’ve played with several apps  — some have worked out better than others.

When I first started planning, I looked for road trip planning apps, and chose Roadtrippers.  I plugged everything in, and you can set how far off the beaten track you are willing to wander.  It will pull up motels/hotels, sights of interest, restaurants etc.  All good information.

But in the end I scrapped it.  I found Roadtrippers unwieldy — since I already knew WHERE I was staying, I didn’t want hotels.  I also didn’t need sporting arenas, and several other things.  Although the app is supposed to narrow these things down — it didn’t, and the field was just too crowded — I had a hard time finding what I wanted in the many points of interest.  I got rid of it about a week before I left and replaced it with — Google Maps.

Google Maps is a GREAT app, and well worth the drain it is on your phone battery.  I spent an evening before I left plugging in the addresses of where I was staying, and labeling them in a way that made sense to me (Alyson Airbnb, Jim’s house).  Private address you can save under your “saved” places, labeled.  Hotels and other public address can just be saved.  Either way — it’s easy to draw up on your phone and look at the route.  You can also explore places to eat, zoom in on items of interest and (the best feature) it will wind you around traffic!  To heck with other apps — Google Maps has my vote!

Okay, more on this later…happy Memorial Day!

 

CHICAGO, day 1

The windy city — yes, it does blow here a lot!  But when you have an inland SEA (let’s be honest — nowhere else in the world would the Great Lakes be called lakes) at the edge of your city — expect some wind!

My host, old college buddy (okay, we’re both old) Jim, managed to dial up some lovely weather!  A bit more humid than I’m used to, but not that bad.  He lives just a few blocks from the Lake Michigan, in a fun and lively neighborhood.  Luckily, he has a garage that he doesn’t use — since parking
would be at a premium around here.

Today, we Ubered to the river front, and took the architectural cruise.  HIGH RECOMMEND.  Seriously — anyone who comes to Chicago in nice weather should do this.  The docent was extremely knowledgable, and you get an unprecedented view of these iconic buildings.

A pretty view!

 

Still in process. I love how everything is reflected back.

Yep, it’s a pretty building.  Still don’t want him for president…

Afterwards, we grabbed some deep dish pizza at Gino’s East.  Although the pizza was a tad overdone, it was still great.

Finally, we took about an hour to hit Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.  Contemporary Art is — well, contemporary.  Interesting.  Frankly, I like the gallery we walked into on a whim earlier.  Got to see some Theodore Geisler and Rembrandt prints  there – more my style.

Tomorrow — a Cubbies game at Wrigley Field!

DAY TWO

Whew! To this moment I’ve driven 669 miles. Seems like a lot! Yesterday was hard driving – I think Nebraska should be nicknamed the “Crappy Weather” State, or as my friend Scott put it, “Nothing to see here, keep moving.” Omaha actually looked nice this morning, but…not enough to make me want to stay.

I got a late start from Denver, so I was just in time for all the afternoon/evening thunderstorms. Sounds like I might have been near a tornado in central Nebraska (who knows, but the radio was blasting warnings), and I know I just missed some flash floods. Part of the warning (warning #2, by the way) they said the flash floods were between mile markers 408 & 412. I quickly found the next mile marker – 413. I can’t remember the last time I used the high speed on my windshield wipers so much.

I took a quickie detour this morning in Iowa when I saw a sign for John Wayne’s birthplace. Winterset is a very cute town – but I’d forgotten that it is Memorial Day weekend, and sure enough they were setting up for the parade! There were folding chairs all along the route already, and not a parking spot in site. Bummer – worth coming back to sometime. Just what you think small town America is supposed to look like. The old movie theatre in town is even showing “The Searchers” tonight!

And it turns out that Winterset is in Madison County. Yes, that Madison County – covered bridges and all. I found this one without too much trouble.

I’m off to Chicago (once I’m done eating a late breakfast!). More later!

 

 

 

 

Traveling solo part 2

Safety.  I get it.  It’s a scary world out there, and I’ve had enough run-ins that I use caution.  But I really think the best anecdote for fear is confidence.

I think that criminals can smell fear, just like a child knows that your defenses are low, and the best time to ask for a toy, or permission to do something is RIGHT NOW.   They can smell it on you, your weakness,  and they turn that to their advantage.

Crooks are the same way.  They see you hanging on to your purse for dear life,  your eyes downcast, your step hurried,  your shoulders hunched.   Or they see a tourist,  camera hung around your neck, wide eyed at the skyscrapers,  completely unaware of your surroundings.

Walk proudly.  Smile and say hi. Stay around people.  Keep your car doors locked.

And buy an anti theft purse!  It’s a real thing!

Finished school today, with a tearful send off to my sixth graders.  T minus 36 hours give or take a few!

Traveling solo part 1

Just me and the car and the road.  No music, no audio books, just the thoughts in my head and the road in front of me.

After a busy school year (and can anyone name a year busier than this one?) I love starting out immediately on a road trip.  It’s a chance to clear my head, get all those pesky thoughts of children, lesson plans, testing etc. out so that I can enjoy the summer.  This is a long trip, so after a while, the music and audio books will return, and I’m stopping and visiting so many friends and family along the way.

I always get a lot of questions and comments about traveling alone.  The comments fall in two categories — the “Oh, I could never do that!  Don’t you get lonely?” and the “I’m so jealous.”  The latter is usually spoken by a fellow teacher, who understands the need to empty our brains of the minutia that fills it 10 months of the year.

The latter is easy — jump in the car!  If you’ve got a lot of obligations you might only be able to get away for a day or so — but the trick is NOT to fill your head with other sounds like music or audio books.  And that means interruptions!  Let people know that you won’t be easily available (tell people to call only if it’s a 911 situation).  Stay off of social media.  Just let your mind clear.   Don’t be afraid of it!  Bring some kleenex, just in case.

And to answer the former — lonely?  Not usually.  Of course, I live alone, so I’m used to being alone, and I like my own company.  If I didn’t, this would NOT be easy.  And there are quick ways to meet people.  First, be friendly!  Say hi and mean it.  Look people in the eyes when you pass in the street and smile.  Talk about the weather.

Eating alone is awkward for many people.  In this day of cell phones, I think it’s easier — you can whip out your phone and text or call friends and family.  I always have a book handy, too.  One of my tricks (especially good for dinner) is to eat at the bar.  Most likely you’ll strike up a conversation with someone.  If not — you can always talk to the bartender.

The next question is about safety — but we’ll talk about that tomorrow!

 

 

My summer adventure

I’m heading out on the road!  And for the creeps out there who think this is a good time to rob my house — ha!  I have a house sitter, so stay away, scalawags!

This is my first road trip since my memorable jaunt down the west coast of the US in 2002. Can’t believe it’s been that long, and I’m really itching to get on the road again!  I’m doing a few things differently this time:  more advance planning, staying in Airbnb’s instead of hostels, visiting more friends and family along the way!  I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

I’m taking off in a week, and here’s my itinerary so far — subject to change, of course!

May 27 –OMAHA NE (7.5 hours, 534 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb Alyson

DOING:  Nothing, really — just a stop-over.

May 28 – CHICAGO IL – (6.75 hours, 471 miles)

STAYING:  College buddy Jim Currie

DOING:      Cubbies Game (Monday), boat tour, museums, good food and CATCH UP! 🙂

May 31 – DEARBORN MI (4 hours, 278 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb Andrew

DOING:  Henry Ford Museums, Motown?

June 2 – PENFIELD, NY – (5.25 hours, 348 miles)

STAYING:  Brian & Mary Jane Burke

DOING:  catching up with my high school theatre teachers!

June 3 – SYRACUSE NY (1.5 hours, 75 miles)

DOING:      lunch with Kandi — high school best buddy

CHESHIRE – (3 hours, 183 miles)

STAYING:  Doug & Brenda’s

DOING:  Hanging with my nephews family

June 6 – NYC  (3.25 hours, 196 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb Bette & David

DOING:      HAMILTON, #Ham4Ham, Ferry, Visit Brett & Cicily, Guggenheim, Other shows if I don’t win the lottery for an extra Hamilton performance

June 9 – CAPE COD (5 hours, 294 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb — Anne & Steve

DOING:  Cape Cod/Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket/lobster and more lobster, clam, clam chowder…

June 11 – BOSTON (1.5 hours, 72 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb – Eliza

DOING:  Freedom Trail/Harvard/Lesley U alma mater/See Kathryn?

June 13 – UNION ME (2.25 hours, 142 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb – Christina

DOING:  Mass/Maine coast, Lobster!

June 14 – BAR HARBOR ME (3 hours, 154 miles)

STAYING:  Quimby House, 109 Cottage St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609

DOING:  Acadia National Park, whale watching

June 16 – BURLINGTON VT (6.5 hours, 339 miles)

STAYING:  Jeanne & Tom?

DOING:  Dunno — Ben & Jerry’s Factory?  Stalking Bernie Sanders? (ha ha Secret Service, I’m just kidding)

June 17 – TORONTO ON (6.5 hours, 434 miles)

STAYING:  Airbnb Bobbi & Emily

DOING:  Montreal & possibly Kingston on the way through, then touristy stuff in Toronto, maybe Niagara Falls (I’ve seen them before, but they’re pretty spectacular)

June 19 – ST. IGNACE, MI (11 hours, 785 km including ferry) (unless I go the shorter way, driving up the Michigan Upper Peninsula — that’s 8 hours)

STAYING:  northernairre?

DOING:      Mackinac Island!  The site of the movie “Somewhere in Time”

June 21 – BUFFALO MN (10 hours (northern route), 570 miles)

STAYING:  Peggy Johnson

DOING: Hanging with the family, playing with Everett…

June 24 – Home! (14 hours, 914 miles)

Will stay somewhere along the way if necessary

Have to be back for church on June 26th…