Cupcakes in Hoboken

"Cupcakes Take the Cake" had another Cupcake meetup and this time it was in Hoboken, NJ! I had never been to Hoboken before and was surprised at how quick the commute was.

The plan was to stop at 3 different bakeries to pick up cupcakes and then have a cupcake picnic of sorts in a park where we could bring homemade cupcakes as well.

I decided to use this as an excuse to experiment w/ another flavor combo for the cupake kebab. Banana Split. The cake part was banana - although the recipe was good it turned out more like a banana bread texture than cake so next time I may look for something a little lighter. Then I made 3 different frostings to top them - Pineapple Buttercream, Chocolate Fudge Buttercream and Strawberry Buttercream. I used Chocolate Covered Cherries and Marshmallows (rolled and cut to look like whipped cream mounds) for spacers and then put a Marachino Cherry on top. :) The Chocolate Covered Cherries proved to be troublesome when skewered as if you didn't line it up just right they would split open and ooze. That in addition to keeping them from getting too melty before we landed @ the park was a bit of a problem but they still got snatched up right away!

For those that don't know, I share a birthday w/ Frank Sinatra and although I knew he had roots in Jersey I forgot his birthplace was in Hoboken! So me thinks that since my b-day is on a Saturday this year part of it will be spent in Hoboken just 'cause. :)

Hoboken is also home to Carlo's Bake Shop - aka the Bakery featured on "Cake Boss". It was our first stop for cupcakes and the line was down the block! We heard from locals that prior to the show the place was popular but they've definitely seen business pick up since the show began to air.

As we got closer to the shop I saw that they had models of the cakes that were made in the first episode in the window. And Buddy was posing w/ people for pics and consulting w/ customers as we approached the inside of the bakery.

I decided to get a beach themed cupcake (see them on the top row of the display to the right.) W/ all those customers there certainly isn't time for dilly-dallying in decisions - you kinda need to know what you want asap. They've got plenty of staff on hand to assist people and keep the line moving!

Next stop, was Sweet. A cute little cupcake shop that was much calmer than Carlo's and had some tasty looking cupcakes! Cupcakes had been preordered @ "Sweet" for our Meetup and they labeled the box lid to coordinate w/ the cupcakes so you knew exactly which flavor was which. Very simple but clever.

The third stop was supposed to be Crumbs but since most of our time had been taken up in line @ Carlo's and there are Crumbs locations in NYC we decided to move on to the park. Since more than one more park was talked about - I can't remember the park we ended up @ but I can tell you that it wasn't that far from the water!

I tried a couple Sweet mini cupcakes but quickly became overdosed on "Sweet" so decided to save my Carlo's Bake Shop cupcake for later.

Now that I know Hoboken isn't as far away as I thought I definitely want to go back and explore more than cupcakes! :)

Keeping Busy = Lack of Blogs in the New Year

So I was trying really hard to make myself wait until I got caught up with last years blogs before posting in the New Year and by doing that I'm just getting farther behind so.... Here I am posting. And when I post belated posts - I will point them out in present time, because even though they may be delayed there's still some good stuff to be shared....no, really! ;)

Currently my time spent outside of the work day has been occupied with casting and starting rehearsals for a play I wrote and am directing for Phare Play Productions called "Call Waiting". Back in Omaha, (a couple drafts back) it was called "Why Can't This Be Love?" and had a reading @ the P.S. Collective sponsored by the Shelterbelt Theatre. Although I had decided I was moving to NYC at that point 2 years ago (read this article and you'll see what all I was up to about the time I decided to prepare for a leap - crazy), I would not have imagined that said script would be getting produced in NYC 2 years later. In fact, I had shelved it, aside from an excerpt posted on my site. I never felt it was quite ready yet. But Phare Play saw the excerpt and asked me to submit the play to them for consideration. After looking it over and finally tweaking and adding things that I should have done a long time ago I did submit it and now...here I am!

It's a shorter script (no intermission) but one that I hope people will find entertaining and easily identified with. While directing these scenes and watching them being brought to life I've had this sensation of being in a weird time warp of past and present as I reflect on the path the play/script has taken and the real life situations I've experienced and witnessed that inspired it juxtaposed with being in the present and accomplishing something that wasn't even in scope 2 years ago.

I am very fortunate to have a talented and professional cast to work with. Even though we are only in the first week of rehearsals they are adding their own special touches to their characters and we aren't even off book yet! I can't wait to see how the show grows as they become more familiar with the script and their castmates. I know there's a lot of work ahead but I'm truly excited about the potential of the finished product!

So when I'm not directing...I'm baking. I'm in the process of starting an online baking business w/ an emphasis on "bite size treats." Right now I'm figuring out a plan of attack or launch or something like that... In the meantime however, buzz has started and that has motivated me to get a website in the works - www.nibblesbynora.com , start a Facebook Group - Nibbles by Nora and make sure I have a logo (which was created by the very talented Pam Felthauser.) Of course, looking @ the economy it is probably not the best time to start a business but I'm being cautious and it is encouraging that last week, USA Today had an article on their front page about bite size treats thriving in bitter times...so that may be a good sign? We'll see...

In other news- Although I was unable to be there, Amerigo the Brave was shown on the big screen this past week for the Omaha Film Festival and seemed to get fairly positive reviews. The guys from H-Minus have submitted to other festivals as well, so I'm hoping they get one accepted near me soon so I can go see it! :)

On 2/25 I became an "aunt" again. A friend gave birth to her second child/son, Hunter Troy. I've only seen one cell phone pic but he is quite the cutie and has a bit of both Mom & Dad in him. I'm told that his new 4 yr old big brother was the first one to visit Hunter after his birth and they got the meeting on film. I hope to get a visit on the calendar to see him in person later this year. ;)

And this Tuesday I'm headed out to Vegas for a fam vacay (yep - we'll all fly in to meet each other - I don't think we've actually done a fam vacay since a trip to the Mall of America about 10 years ago...) and then Friday we'll depart and I'll head to Cali to visit my West Coast friends and see one of those friends in Opening Night of "Taming of the Shrew". Then it's back to NYC on Sunday!

Needless to say, multiple to-do lists are made daily but everything will get done in due time...yes, even blogging...even when it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list, at least it still is on the list! ;)

Before I go...

Today, "leisure" was the key word. Although incredibly sore, my friend was somewhat glad to have someone there to get her up and moving as laying in bed for the day sounded like a pretty good idea.! ;)

We headed out for brunch at a place my friend highly recommended only to discover that they apparently had a management change as it took 10 minutes to get water once we were sat (that even took awhile) and 30 minutes to get our food in which part of it was cold and some parts were missing completely. A family sitting near us had to hunt down their own flatware and another group that was waiting and waiting just to get their beverages finally left. (I think it would have been different had the wait staff actually been acknowledging those that were waiting but they were just ignoring.) It wasn't until my friend got up and complained to the manager that they finally decided to help - by then though we decided leaving was better and had breakfast at A.B.P. instead.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts had free admission so we explored that before I had to head back to NYC. Parts were closed but I still saw plenty. The Egyptian display is fascinating as are the extra tidbits they post w/ the painting info. Isabella and the Pot of Basil and Watson and the Shark really struck me. I found it interesting that a painting of the Battle of Bunkerhill was not started until years after the painter had witnessed it - so it was very much open to artistic interpretation... The "giant baby head" statues in front of the museum (you can see one on the right hand side of the pic) were modeled after the artist's grandchildren. Nice thought but still kind of weird...

Run, Sarah, Run!

Rise and Shine and time to head out for the big run.

The check-in area was inside Seaport World Trade Center and the race started just outside the building. Lots of vendors were set up and the environment was nothing I'd experienced before. As my friend stretched and warmed up (and I became "Official guard o' stuff" ;)) I went over the various new running terms/things I learned from my friend and took note of what others were saying around me...

- Goo:a pouch of sugar, well, goo. Runners sometimes wear the pouch of goo hooked to their shirt by a safety pin so they can just jerk on it and it's immediately ripped open to gulp and get an extra kick. Many times, it is at one of the "rest stops" where water and the like are handed out during the marathon.

- Tiny sensors are tied to the runner's shoes to accurately monitor the runner's time and to see if they are keeping on course or not...so much for a cab ride! ;)

- Although many people train with ipods/mp3s in their ears it is highly recommended that runners DON'T have music in their ears when they run a marathon so they are fully alert in case of non-alert drivers that veer onto the route, etc. I noticed that some chose to ignore that rule - my friend managed to make a friend during the route so they were able to talk and cheer each other on to pass the time...

- Something I heard one runner say to another, "Just try to get yourself in another world for 7 miles."

- One guy was wearing a Shamrock Hat and I wondered how long that would stay on during the run...

As I continued pondering and observing, I had my friend take a pic of me and how I prepared for her race... lol.

Time to line up - thankfully for us "stuff holders" there was a Dunkin Donuts right in line with the start line so we could watch while waiting for breakfast! ;)

As the time came closer to my friend's predicted arrival I stood poised with my camera and a few of her Boston friends arrived just in time to see her finish!

The adrenaline lasted for a bit, after she cooled down and related her experience to all that were present, we headed to her place so she could clean up and we could get a meal. When we were on our way again she became more and more aware just how much the unexpected sunnier than usual day had affected her. We had lunch in Central Square outside (our food was brought out and sat in the "waiters station"long enough for us to worry whether a hovering homeless person's cigarette ashes were going to become part of our meal...ulky) and then we walked near Harvard Square upon which we started a search for A.C., ice cream and shoes that wouldn't cause sores on my heel - go figure, I wasn't even the one that ran!

We found A.C. and ice cream, well, sorbet... at Finale and my friend told the waiter to keep the water coming! Their desserts were beautiful and they have an overhead mirror set up in the prep area so you can watch them putting it together, too.

After a quick stop for flip flops we headed home so the runner could recharge.

Later in the evening, it was time to refuel again so we met more of my friend's Boston friends at Asgard where I got a beer as big as my head and my friend had a celebratory drink...or two. ;)

Return to Boston

Back in Boston for Memorial Day weekend and to cheer on my friend who is running her first half marathon tomorrow.

This time around, the weather made it much easier to enjoy the outdoors there! I arrived early in the afternoon, so we grabbed some lunch (pic is of me trying a Middle Eastern Beer, Alamaza, recommended by my friend) and then walked over to see what we could see @ Earth Fest.

On the way there we passed MIT and another pic opp stop.

When we got to the festival Cracker was on stage and LOTS of people were watching. There were various booths around promoting various things - Like "Don't Mess w/ the Zohan". My friend posed by the standee of Zohan and people were in line for free haircuts (not by Zohan). They were also giving away movie postcards/posters.

Lots of food samples like free mini bags of Puffins cereal and the Whole Foods tent was giving away cans of corn!

The intent was to stick around until Cake hit the stage but the crowd got to us so we journeyed on and took a break at a little coffee shop (non-Starbucks) and then after more various pic opps (including the Paul Revere statue and a shirt we found on display in a window that every Bo. Sox fan owns or wants to...) we eventually wound our way over to Little Italy (Villa Francesca) where Sarah carbed up for her run and I carbed up to cheer her on - teehee.

All too soon it was time to call it a day so the runner could get her zzzzzzzzzzz's....although, since it was her first run it proved to be more difficult than planned - too excited!

To the land of Laverne & Shirley

After work I hurried home to grab my luggage and get a ride to LaGuardia so I could fly to Milwaukee!

I have a friend who is earning her Equity Card by doing a show @ the Milwaukee Rep and I decided to go visit her and see the show!

Since Milwaukee is the hub for Midwest I was able to take my first non-stop flight there and also enjoy some fresh baked cookies - yum! ;)

My friend and her bf picked me up @ the airport and as we headed to a diner to eat, it was interesting to see how certain parts of Milwaukee resembled downtown O. My friend agreed. There are so many interesting/cool looking buildings in this city. (And yes, I know that may be weird to point that out when I live in NYC but sometimes the buildings in NYC are hard to fully appreciate because they are so tall and scrunched together that you only see what is @ eye level. In Milwaukee the buildings had space and were okay w/ not competing to be the tallest in the world. ;) )

We got to the 24 hr diner - Ma Fischers - and ran into 2 things that we were generally not used to - the waitress asked us if we wanted smoking or non and we had to pre-pay our meal! I've heard of pre-paying gas after a certain hour, but meals?! The place must have been prone to dine & dashers - should have asked how long the policy had been in place. The portions were huge but good for diner food. Needless to say, I had breakfast covered for the next morning. :)

The Rep provided housing for my friend in a hotel/apartment building. So you get long term living in an environment where housekeeping tidies up for you and provides clean towels! Plus it is w/in reasonable walking distance from the theatre. Not a bad set up @ all!

Gotta get to bed - we've got breweries to visit tomorrow! ;)

Back in O

Thanks to my procrastination in packing I didn't get to bed until 1am. Then I had to turn around and get up at 3:30am or so to get ready and out the door for car service to the airport and my EARLY morning flight! (Leaving early always pays off once you arrive @ the destination but there is a moment of "why so early?!" when first starting out! ;) )

While I was waiting on the 2nd half of my flight in MN (and chugging a mocha steamer from Dunn Bros.) I complimented an older lady on her turquoise necklace. She flashed the turquoise jewelry that also covered her fingers and wrist and said - "My son owns a pawn shop and he's generous." Later she told me that the necklace actually came from QVC or HSN if I wanted one for myself - she couldn't quite remember which but admitted she spends a lot of time sitting in front of both!

Landed in Omaha to a mix of rain/sleet/snow - ahhh, Nebraska!

A friend picked me up, I dropped off my luggage w/ another friend who works downtown and then treated my driver friend to lunch @ Upstream! :) Mmmmmmmmmm.....dill havarti mashed potatoes!

Then I was dropped off @ 13th Street Coffee to meet another friend. And later Delice to meet another lovely friend and then...it was time for dinner w/ my bro @ Famous Daves! Ugh. I enjoy all those places but not so much when I don't get time to digest in between! ;)

My bro and I headed out to meet a friend @ the MAC in CB to see the FOO FIGHTERS IN CONCERT!!! Yes, I was seeing them in concert again while I could! :)

My friend managed to get inside w/ a camera and took some great pics! And I have to say the audience in CB seemed to be a lot more into the concert than @ MSG. The Foos seemed like they were enjoying themselves a bit more too (maybe the fact that they were being taped @ MSG had something to do w/ that though) - Dave seemed to talk a lot more in CB, and they didn't play less either!

But I'm getting ahead of myself - actually made it there in time for part of the opening act show of Against Me! and my bro got to enjoy Serj - it was nice to have friends there to comment on his antics w/! ;) At times his little dances w/ the combination of the top hat he wore reminded me of Michigan J Frog.

When the Foos hit the stage, Dave apologized that they hadn't been there for 10 years - it was actually 5, but still he knew it had been entirely too long...maybe it felt like 10 years!;) The concert was sold out!

Other moments of note -

Dave dedicating "Big Me" to his "love" - Taylor.

Dave telling the audience to call in sick tomorrow "cause Dave said so."

Dave giving crap to a random audience member that was flipping him off (why would you pay money for concert tickets to flip the band off?!) Needless to say, Dave was using a lot of innuendo dealing w/ calling the audience member - cocksucker - and then apologized to young ears in the audience. Oops.

Afterwards I headed back to O w/ my friend and we stayed up late(r) catching up and checking out the concert pics.

I just realized I've been up since 3:30am and it's pushing 1am the next day! Whoa...sleep would probably be good. Gotta get up @ 6:30am....later this morning. ;)

On the bus again...

Already time to head home today. My friend said I had to try the local chain "Finagle A Bagel" before I left so that's what I had for breakfast! Once we got to the station I decided I needed something caffeinated, too so we stopped at the ABP kiosk (my friend kept saying this and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about until we got to the counter - Oh! Au Bon Pain! Got it.)

The bus was a bit fuller and not as cushy on the way back. Seemed to feel every bump in the road and there was no break this time. I was in and out of sleep but jotted down what I saw along the way. As I'm re-reading it though, I can tell I was half asleep when I wrote some of it because I can't tell what the heck I was talking about! lol

Here's what I could decipher -

-Assumption Cemetery - the name intrigued me
-Danbury Mint
-Drove past a lake where all the boats were sealed up tight with what looked like white plastic wrap- having not really lived near boats before this was something new to me....the boats are bound to be "fresh"come spring! ;)
-"Omaha Beef" with hq in Danbury, CT
- A truck hauling a product called Belle & Evans Air Chilled Chicken. Made me curious as to how the air chill made the chicken special...

After the non-stop ride and then more riding on a subway the first thing I did when I got home was go to the gym! ;)

The trip continues....

It was much colder today than yesterday so our plan to stop for hot chocolate-related beverages @ LA Burdicks was a wise one!

The dark chocolate mocha hit the spot but apparently having the caffeine in it made it a little more tolerable as my friend's dark chocolate was good but just too much of a good thing. We quickly understood why they have a tiny size option for their hot chocolates.

By day 2, I was somewhat beginning to understand the Boston's mass transit system. In theory it is simpler than NYC's subways but I was glad I had my friend along to guide me thru it!

Headed over to the University of Boston Campus so I could get gear and a pic or two to share with a friend of mine who is attending the college online. The campus B&N wasn't quite open yet when we arrived so we killed time and warmed up @ the 7/11 across the way. In honor of my visit I bought a Boston Cream Pie Donut. I don't even remember the last time I had a donut - so it was certainly tasty! :)

From the BU campus to the Science Museum. We took in an Omni IMAX show, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs, in addition to viewing the museum. Unfortunately my tiredness caught up with me and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open and appreciate the Mummy show - oops. From what I saw it was cool though! ;)

LOTS of stuff to see @ the museum. If I was a kid I think I'd be on overload for sure - was pretty much on overload as an adult! A T-Rex greeted you on your way into the museum and another life size T-Rex stood in the museum - ironically the one on the inside had a scarf! Lots of hands-on exhibits - it kind of reminded me of the science museum in L.A. except there was more! The museum also gave a great view of the sun setting down on Boston (right) and Cambridge (left).

We wound our way back towards Faneuil Hall and stopped in at Hard Rock for drinks & appetizers and to see the end of the Pats game (when in Rome...). Behind the bar there was a huge gong that was signed by the members of Aerosmith, except there seemed to be more signatures than members. I asked about it and the bartender told me no one could sign it except members of Aerosmith - ohkay.? When a birthday was announced the gong would be struck.

I totally failed to make the connection of Aerosmith and Boston until I saw that gong. Next time I visit I'll have to look up some Aerosmith related locales that they mention in their autobio. :)

We took it easy @ Hard Rock because our main dinner destination was Lucca. It's a very nice Italian restaurant that my friend discovered and actually made friends at so I guess you could call it her hangout. :)

Afterwards we crossed the street to get some fresh Boston Pastries (I picked Florentines) at Modern Pastry (we learned that the well known Mike's Pastry aren't made fresh daily but rather thawed daily - it's good to get intel from the locals!) On our way back to the T, I spotted another bakery called Lulu's. It was nothing like Lulu's in "The Waitress" but I still felt obligated to buy a cupcake!

We got back to my friend's house a little early but that was okay - I wrote out postcards and she checked her emails while we both watched the premiere of Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston is a very talented actor. Most know him as Malcolm's Dad but I remember him from X-files, too. He can run the gamut as an actor and is lucky he's been cast in roles that show it! Will be interesting to see if Breaking Bad catches on or not. Since it is on cable, that is probably the only ep. I'll see. It's an interesting concept but a show that I'd probably have to see a couple more eps of before making a yes or no opinion so basically I'm saying I liked it enough to watch again but don't know if I'd call it appt. television.

Going to Bah-stun

Before I moved to the East Coast, another friend of mine was already living in Boston. However...due to both of our crazy schedules, the first time we actually saw each other since I moved was in December when she came NYC way. Since I had MLK, Jr. Day off I decided to finally head her direction and see Boston for the first time.

The cheap transportation of choice was Fung Wah. $15 one way! My goal was to be on a bus by 7am (they take off every hour) but the subway thwarted my plan. As I rushed to maybe, possibly catch the 7am when it was 7:02 I managed to find a rare spot of ice on the street corner and landed flat on the ground. Needless to say I bruised my tailbone just in time to ride a bus for 4 hrs! Lovely. However, I did perk up some when I found out that they had a bus taking off @ 7:30! Woot!

I got on the bus and was immediately in a time warp as the last time I'd rode one of these travel buses (with non-functioning TVs) was on a high school band bus trip. Ah...memories?! I actually saw "Arachnophobia" for the first time on one of those bus trips - yes, we got to use our TVs on that trip! ;)

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep and as I nodded in and out I saw that we were in Connecticut. Isn't that where Angela and Tony lived in "Who's the Boss?" I texted my brother. He couldn't remember...he asked if I'd seen Tony's van. ;)

The driver took a break at a TA stop in Willington, CT and believe it or not I actually took joy in being able to go into a truck stop and get caffeine! As a pedestrian, it is something you rarely get to do! And quite frankly...even though the cap/cocoa/latte selections are just powder and water...it is quite fun to be able to mix them and pay much less than a drink @ Starbucks! :) (BTW - Unleaded Gas was $3.29 a gallon there. - It occurred to me that I didn't know if that was good or bad anymore!)

Back on the road, I hit Boston a little after 11am. My friend met me @ the bus station and we headed to Fenway for a tour of the stadium and lunch across the street @ Boston Beer Works.

After we found where to buy tour tickets (note: it is in the fan shop across from the stadium on Yawkey Way) we got lunch at Boston Beer Works where they sell Bunkerhill Blueberry Ale. Note the blueberries floating in the beer. It was surprisingly tasty! Although I couldn't say as much for the sour cream & chives fries. I was expecting actual sour cream & chives for the extra $ you had to spend - instead it was just spices that were shook onto the fries. Boo. My friend opted for a salad which ended up being as big as her head! No lie.

Off to Fenway! Now, I will say right off the bat that I'm not a big Sox fan but I do love the history that comes with an old ballpark and let's face it - the history is rapidly disappearing as very few remain upright. (Coincidently - the first and only time I saw Wrigley was on a band trip that I spoke of earlier!)

Our tour guide proved she knew her stuff sharing lots of interesting tidbits and not letting tricksters in the audience try and trip her up or outsmart her. (Note: the window shots of the field were taken from the press box.)

Here were a few things we learned -

The Green Paint for the Green Monster is copyrighted - so no matter how big of Red Sox fan you are, you won't be able to buy the same color paint for your home.

There are a section of blue wooden seats that have been there since the 30s and haven't been painted since the 60s. If a wooden slate needs replaced, it is replaced and unpainted. The seats are 18 in. wide compared to current seats which are about 22 in. wide. And the seats have been grandfathered into the fire code - current requirements only allow for 8-6 seats per row then there must be an exit aisle. These seats span 36 seats! The tour guide told us that you get to know the people that sit beside you well. ;)

The BRS have the toughest rules for getting a # retired w/ the team.

Nods to Ted Williams can be found everywhere in the stadium from the obvious - The Hall of Fame to the not so - capacity (406) in the most of expensive of the 2 clubhouses. The tourguide rattled off the pricing - you are required to buy 2 season tickets for multiple years to be able to see the game from the clubhouse - and then said...House? Or BRS tickets?

Another wall near the more expensive clubhouse (we weren't able to tour that because it was being prepped for a wedding reception) has Cy Young Award Winners displayed. The tour guide was quick to point out that Roger Clemens was accused of being on steroids after he left the Bo. Sox.

Fenway was built in 1912 - the same year the Titanic sank. The brick entry is what is left of that original stadium.

An enterprising gentleman named Tom Yawkey decided to buy the Boston Red Sox for his 30th Birthday and was the one that established the Green Monster. Originally it was built to keep non-paying fans from getting a free look at the game but then it was painted blue and covered with ads. Because the ads had a white base the players would tend to lose the ball near the wall so upon consultation with his wife Yawkey decided to get rid of the ads and paint the wall green - at which point the seats that I mentioned earlier were changed from green to blue.

While in the "cheaper" clubhouse I spied a ginormous wooden chair that I had to pose in and didn't realize it was Wally's (the mascot) chair until a tour guide helper asked me if I felt closer to Wally now that I sat in his chair. Sure?! Fortunately my skin didn't take on a green tint!

Whether you are a fan or not - I highly suggest a tour if you are ever in Boston. It is a fascinated piece of history to see and hear about.

Once we were done with the tour we headed back out and came face to face with the next tour headed in. Was rather impressed with the tour crowds considering the time of year.

Outside the stadium was a clubhouse that Absolut must sponsor - their trademark ad was in the windows created by baseballs.

Next stop was the Rescue Mission/Kingston Halfway House where my friend volunteers at least 20hrs a week. The original plan was to help serve dinner but they serve later on Saturday so we got to help make the meal(s) instead! :)

Lots of area businesses (like Bear Stearns and Rebecca's Cafe) donate food there. The sad thing is that sometimes there's too much of it and it spoils before they get a chance to use it.

Since I was the newbie I got relatively easy tasks - boil water for pasta (I learned that salt makes the water boil faster, I feel like I should have known that already but if you didn't either - now you do!), mix different kinds of cooked rice together, add mounds of shredded cheese to the meatballs and prepare a bread platter.

After our cooking duties were done we continued on with sight seeing. Some neighborhoods (like Beacon Hill) actually have laws were modern day lighting is not allowed for the street, brick is EVERYWHERE but because of that it makes Boston seem more quaint and alive with history - from the far away past to the more recent.

For example...the location that inspired Cheers (Bull and Finch Pub) is in Boston. People were spilling out the door so we didn't go inside for a beer but we did take pics outside. We walked past the public library which is AMAZING inside and out. The artwork and the courtyard...well, if I lived near it that's definitely where I would choose to spend my quiet time. My friend was a great tour guide telling me facts about Boston and the buildings.

For instance,Trinity Church (in this picture) was built in 1877 (100 years before I was born) and the John Hancock Tower next to it was built to reflect the beauty of Boston but nearly destroyed it when the window panes were miscut and started popping out while it was being built. Fortunately, that's been corrected and it can reflect the city with danger to pedestrians below.

The lighted tree area is at the intersection of Commonwealth & Dartmouth. The stone sculpture is the back of a fireman memorial. Whenever a fireman is lost to a fire in Boston, the others gather there.

Time to warm up!

We stopped for a cocktail at Atlantic Fish- a restaurant my friend used to work at and then it was off to a show,"The Little Dog Laughed". I moved to NYC after the show run on Broadway so I didn't know much about it beyond the fact that the actress that played the agent on Broadway got a Tony and it was a biting comedy. So when the 2 males in the show went full frontal my friend turned to me and asked with mouth gaped open, "Did you know about this?!" Uh..no. Not that she was offended but sometimes it does help to have a little advanced warning for something like that! Especially for the gray hairs in the audience - boy, they were vocal about it during intermission and not in an admiring way, either! ;)

After seeing the show I was curious to know how similar it was in staging,set,etc to the Broadway production- would have been interesting to compare and contrast. Great roles and the show was inspired by the playwright's real life frustrated dealings with Hollywood as a screenwriter. I think there is definitely some theatres in Omaha that could pull this show off - er, maybe that's a poor choice of words. ;) So maybe it will be in a theatre for some of you to see soon, too! :)

After the show, we met up with my friend' s roommate at UNO Chicago Grill for a late supper and then it was home for some much needed rest so we can go out and see more tomorrow! :)