Scranton - a classic northern town

So - Scranton! I know what you're saying, and it probably deserves all the razz - who wants to go to Scranton? Just the name of it sounds like an interminable disease - "ugh, I got the scranton, it itches . . . " Anyway, I must say this is a delightful town and completely surprised me.

First, we are staying at the lovely Radisson Hotel which used to be the home of the train station. I had actually stayed here 2 years ago on the Crazy For You Tour as a stopover city and I celebrated my 26th birthday here. The building format has not been changed from the original station format and the rooms are quite luxurious.
Also, walking to the theatre, you pass by the City Hall, where at night they have Christmas music pumping. Now, I have only ever expereinced something like this in Manchester, NH; so it might be everywhere, but I LOVE the music playing in the streets - it is just wonderful. It's so true the effect music has on you, it really changes your whole demeanor!! And nothing puts you in the Christmas spirit more! There is no sign of a Starbucks, but there is a Subway and strangely enough a SoupMan.
If you haven't heard of the the SoupMan, it is the chain of places started by the Soup Nazi as featured on "Seinfeld". Now, I have visited the SoupMan in New York and can attest that there soup, especially the Lobster Bisque is amazing. However, in Scranton, I also ordered the lobster bisque and it was quite disappointing!! there were potatoes in it, that's weird . . . anyway, I digress.

So, last night one of the actors walked in with a giant gift basket, well of course we were all intrigued. Apparently the actor who plays Dwight on "The Office" is staying in our hotel in a room next to one of the actors. Now, I believe a conversation was started on the elevator up to our rooms about our show and his show and what not. Well, he was in town for some promotional reason and wasn't able to come to the show, but sent his best with a delightful blend of gourmet crackers and chocolates!

Although Scranton is probably not a hot tourist destination, it is definately worth checking in on your way somewhere else for a day - surprising!!

Binghamton, NY - Home of the Scariest Mannequins

Well, we are spending the early part of this week in the upstate New York town of Binghamton. The town is very typical with the older buildings and city like layout. While they do have a Subway and a Quiznos, they are lacking a Starbucks and therefore are not a popular tourist destination. The weather this week is unseasonably warm and delightful. Now, as I was walking to the downtown area, I pass a department store - Boscov's. Well, in the window are possibly the ugliest mannequins I have ever laid eyes on, and while I was walking I literally laughed out loud even though I was alone. That says something! I will leave the verdict to you, readers, and let's be honest are the clothes any better?

Holiday Blues

So, after talking to a few people lately, I am concerned. It seems in this day and age we are getting to the point where we have lost our holiday spirit. I have had several converstations with people who can't or haven't been able to serve up that holiday cheer. Are we becoming too cynical, too jaded, too old?? I hope that even in old age I will still get excited to hang the Christmas tree and listen to my favorite Christmas tunes. I pose a question to you, readers, what is the one (or many) thing(s) that get you going in this bustling, stressful time of year. For me it is also simply a cup of holiday flavored coffee and a good friend to go shopping with to make the year special. Or taking an evening to decorate the tree with music playing. Maybe you have some special or unique tricks to keep the season fresh, so let us know, so we can nix the hum-buggers for good! Tis the season!

"Stick It"s Standing Ovation

So, we are in Schenectady this week and not much to report. The theatre is great, but the town is pretty bum, anyway, I want to tell you about my new favorite movie - "Stick It". I rented it with Netflix, which is the best invention, and watched it last night. I have been told that it was compared to my other favorite movie "Center Stage", but an even worse version. That couldn't be more untrue. Where "Center Stage" had campy acting and story, "Stick It" delivered on both accounts. The story revolves around a misfit girl who has strayed from the proper gymnastics life and wound up being involved in a petty crime and sent to a gymnstics school for reconciliation. Sounds good - right?, it gets better. The owner of the School is Jeff Bridges and he is wonderful. Now the movie starts with some awkward dialogue/improv moments. I'm not gonna lie - they almost lost me, but the movie making was pretty cool!! Jessica Bendinger, first time director, did great!! She also wrote "Bring it On" and wasn't that a cinematic classic? Anyway, the movie was great and I highly recommend it to every open-minded person out there!!

Spooky in Savannah

So, this past weekend was spent in Savannah, GA. We had some pretty gross weather, rainy and cool, for my first experience in this historical town. Ever since I saw that this city was on our itinerary I was excited, and the city did not dissapoint. It has to be one of the most if not the most beautiful places in the country. There are 24 squares seemingly randomly placed throughout the downtown; each one with a unique garden or architectural monument placed within it. We spent Sunday downtown and started with lunch at a restaurant by the river. I had the crabcake benedict - delicious!! There was a large group from the cast that dined at the restaurant Lady and Sons, and if you are familiar with the Food Network you would know that the very charming Paula Dean owns the restaurant and features many of her recipes. Also, if you are familiar with Paula Dean you would know that she cooks in about twelve pounds of butter and three vats of Crisco - hence my dinner by the river. Well, we enjoyed some sightseeing and even saw the statue of the bird girl from the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". That night we went on a Savannah tradition, a ghost tour. We wound our way through the streets of Savannah led by a 5th generation Savannian(sp?), and enjoyed the local history as well as some spooky ghost stories. I feel like the stories could have been a bit scarier, but what can you do? We stopped at this one window with a dummy in it to scare children when they come by. The dummy apparently has glowing eyes and moving arms and seemed pretty random being on the second floor of this house, but it was amusing nonetheless. It was a great punctuation to a nice day in Savannah and I hope to get the chance to visit again when the weather is better. Until next time, we're off to Schenectady!!