Checking things off...

So I've been able to already check some things off of the bucket list I posted a month ago! Yay for me!

One of those items was taking Olivia to the International Children's Festival which was A-Mazing!

First of all where can one go these days and expect freebies - and lots of them! Not many places, but we left with a whole bag of goodies from the festival. Here as a breakdown of our day.

Arrived at around 11 (paid $10 bucks to park) and bought tickets to the 11:30 showing of The Star Keeper (an hour run time) which is described as follows in the program:

As he is lighting up the night sky, Pierrot accidentally dislodges a star from the heavens. Luckily, Pretzel notices and puts the fallen star in his big basket. However, his adventures are just beginning. To return the star to it's proper place, he must climb a spider's thread, cross the dormitory of dreams, dive to the ocean depths in pursuit of a pearl-fish, and resist the bewitching charms of the bubble tamer. In the end, it is Daisy Bygone, a very old lady, who brings this fabulous story to it's conclusion.

The show was held in the idea center whose theater is small and intimate which is great for the kids. There wasn't a bad seat in the house, although there were a lot of empty ones :(

Theater Entrance: What kind of smile is that? lol

My favorite puppet was the huge giant whose tummy was a stage where we got to see a tap-dancing spider perform among other things :) Here is a highlight reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kisC34uVJvI. Olivia got restless and I was exhausted so I may have rested my eyes for a minute or two, but seeing the larger than life puppets and the talent of the puppeteers was so worth the ticket prize of only $15 a ticket.

Next we headed to the basement of the idea center where Olivia picked up her passport. You had to visit  4 or 5 "countries" located right along the theater strip and then were rewarded with a free ice cream from Rothschild Creamery. Liv got to make a sock puppet and a princess crown, spin a wheel and win a stuffed moose (which is so super soft), and walk away with new shades and a Browns stocking hat (unfortunately, it is too small, which is sad because it is totally cute) all at no-cost to us! We just missed the free bubbles and finger-painting. (You could also take advantage of a free lunch for kids at Hofbräuhaus - I mean really?!?! How cool is that?)

Below is a pic of our free caricature drawing! Olivia looks a little older than 5, but I still love how the pic turned out.

Next we headed over to the CSU art gallery which featured The Art of Autism: Exploring Self Expression. Most of the art was created by young children and it was so cool to show Olivia the art of other 5 years old on display! She enjoyed the subject matter of many of the pieces including Minecraft creatures and whales :). This exhibit was particularly meaningful to me since for many years I was an ABA therapist working in conjunction with The Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism to help children on the spectrum.

After breaking for our ice cream prize, we headed over to the US Bank plaza where there was a magician, balloon animals, face painters, and a band (we missed the set on this one and didn't hang around for the second show)...oh, and a miniature pony named Petie (we now own his trading card)!

We ended up leaving around 3 and probably would have stayed another hour had Paper Planet not been sold out :(. It was an interactive exhibit that allowed families to fill a paper world with their own paper creations.

All in all it was a fantastic day that cost us only $42 total including a few bucks for the caricature tip (so much more cost effective than Disney on Ice where one is charged $20 to stand with a cardboard cut-out of a princess - NOT EVEN A REAL PERSON IN COSTUME PEOPLE - CARDBOARD! and that is on top of the $70 ticket price per person) I can't believe how not crowded it was for such a beautiful day in Cleveland!

Can't wait till next year!

Broadway in CLE

So one of my favorite things about this city is that we are home to the biggest theater district outside NYC. Add in the awesome GE chandelier, the plethora of new restaurants, and a great launch party and I love my city even more.

Dazzle the District Images

 Monday night after enjoying an open bar and apps we were the first to learn of the new series lineup scheduled for the 2015-2016 season...

Drum roll please....

After the introduction of the first show Bullets Over Broadway I started getting anxious. While the show itself looks cute, I despise Woody Allen and just sort of wish I didn't know he wrote/directed the show.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder looked a little hokey, but seems to be a fan favorite and the 2014 Tony winner so I'm hoping I will be pleasantly surprised with the production.

I was totally intrigued by the concept of If/Then. Who of us hasn't wondered how differently life may have turned out if we had substituted a choice here, picked an alternative there. The plot sounds not unlike the Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors from the late 90's. I did, however, hear that the show is confusing so luckily the presenter at Donor Night gave the audience members what may be a much needed hint with the removal and addition of her glasses to illustrate that when the protagonist has her glasses on we are in one version of Elizabeth's life, and when off another.

Soooo excited for Beautiful - the biography of Carole King with such iconic songs as Locomotion and You've Lost that Loving Feeling. I also think a 'beautiful' sweatshirt souvenir will be perfect for yoga. I don't know if these yet exist, but I'm still kicking myself for not buying the bright yellow sweatshirt from this year's production of Motown, that I'm already planning ahead ;)

I was also pumped to see Matilda in the lineup and had planned on taking Liv, but after seeing a trailer for the show, it is looking rather dark for a five year old: Matilda Trailer.

And seriously who hasn't cried their eyes out to the movie Steel Magnolias. Pumped to see how this translates to the big stage.

As for the 'headliner' of the series, I am a  disappointed but only because I've seen Phantom so many times already. I was happy, however, to see that this was the only repeat in the series from the past few years. I plan on using my swap-a-show donor option to switch this out for Annie or Wizard of Oz.

Here's to another great season ahead and looking forward to hearing reviews from all of you!

A Night Out in Cleveland

This past week I've been downtown a lot. First we celebrated my sister Ashley's birthday beginning the night with private dining at Blue Point. Service was a bit slow (I think because we were separated from the other patrons), but the cocktails and food were delic! The fire on the river martini, lobster bisque, and filet oscar were oh so good (and I generally am not a huge soup fan)! I would have preferred crustier bread (yes, crustier is an official 'food critic' term), but I guess one is hard pressed to get everything they want!

After stuffing our faces, we headed to Pickwick & Frolic for a Burlesque show and ended the night at The Vault (I was really blown away with how the bar managed to seem so big and intimate at the same time). I was expecting a long line and a high cover and was pleasantly surprised that there was neither - just don't dance on the furniture +Ashley Keene ). The Vault could have been lifted right out of a bigger 'more popular' city, and would be a great place to bring guests (you can actually hear each other speak inside the venue which is always something I appreciate!)

Packing even more into the weekend, Ashley and I attended Pippen on Sunday (not one of my faves and judging by all of the sexual innuendos I'm wondering how many parents left the performance shocked and/or upset - there were a lot of kids in attendance). Oh, and please don't think I didn't like the show because it was a bit risque (I loved Hair) - I just wasn't overly impressed with the soundtrack or plot line.

Can I pose what seems a really obvious question? If you are a restaurant housed inside the second biggest theater district in the country why in the world are you not open every time a show is playing? Otto Moser and Sung's House?!?! We popped in to Bin216 and while I love the sophisticated decor - sleek leather and tufted walls - the service leaves a lot to be desired as does the menu (my cosmo was terrible too). Ummm - I would like to meet the person who is ordering a single deviled egg for $1.50?!? Seriously!

 Ash and I went with the slider - it was good - but left us starving...

So we went hunting, searching, traversing the city for more food (it really shouldn't be this hard should it?!) We only had an hour after our failed prior attempts at eating so our limited choices became even more limited. We stopped in Parnell's Irish pub which had no food, only drinks. Isn't that against some kind of Pub law? Finally, we made our way to District and life was suddenly rosy again. I ordered a French25 but our bartender Wayne asked if he could concoct an original libation - what choice had I but to oblige :) Here it is:

Since  I love labels, I demanded a name for this pretty drink - should you ever want to order one it is known as the 'blushing Krisitna' - obviously named for the color, not a characteristic. Ash and I split the seafood risotto. If if weren't for the less than crusty bread (again!) it would have been a perfect dining experience (although the bread did come with several condiments so that made me smile).

Already looking forward to "Dirty Dancing" and our next dining experience. Cowell and Hubbard +Ashley Keene ?