I'm baaaaaaaaack.
Well actually I got back at 7pm on Sunday. Then had a 2-3 hour nap and went off to work. Then came home again, crashed and burned, got up to unpack, and go back into work again. I'm gonna LJ cut for my trip cause I'll probably get very windy.
Driving there and back was not too bad. I dragged my friend from college who was a music major. She gives vocal lessons now so I made her go. And it's not like she doesn't like musicals. The weather was greatly exaggerated. It didn't even snow or rain in Toronto and it remained just above or just below freezing during the day. Which was warmer then it was back in northern Illinois. I seriously hope I never attempt to do something like this again in such a short period of time.
I loved my hotel. I highly recommend the Suites at 1 King West. Though they could have used to make the sheets of a higher quality. Anything below a 300 thread count and 100% cotton (preferably combed Egyptian or pima) just plain suck. But I loved everything else about it. It was also pretty much centrally located for every place that I went. It was anywhere from a block to maybe 3.5 blocks from the Eaton Centre, the Princess of Wales Theater, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the CN Tower. Here are some pictures of the hotel room, view, and entrance lobby (it was former an old bank that was remodeled into a hotel).
Room from sitting at desk.
View from window by desk.
Front entrance lobby.
The shopping at Eaton went fairly well. It's much like Water Tower Place in Chicago, only is a more spread out three story (save for department stores) instead of a more compact seven stores. I just bought a pair of boots and a blazer. I saw a really long, really nice black scarf at Club Monaco that I wanted really, really badly...but I'm NOT paying $130 Canadian for a scarf. But damn do really, really want it. I'm almost tempted to bribe my mother (who has to go to Toronto for work sometime before my birthday) to buy it for me for my XMAS and birthday present. We'll see.
I also stopped at the Hockey Hall of Fame (which is bigger then it looks from the outside and a pain in the ass to get into), but I somehow don't really think anyone on my friends list cares, so moving on...
As for the play, I love the live stage version of Chicago even better then the movie. The movie I now see was a little cleaner then the play. The play blatantly uses sexual innuendos, not so much for the movie. I don't really know what the critics were complaining about. Everyone, Kevin included, did just fine by my eyes. Maybe it was that this was the last evening performance and second to last Toronto performance so they got the bugs worked out. Hell if I know. Maybe the critics want to orgasm in there seats or something. Either way I think they're idiots. And it's a shame BSB didn't give Kevin more solos, he does know how to sing. Quite well in fact. PS, Chicago has some the best legs of any stage show. Eat your hearts out Rockettes.
My music major friend who I dragged with me convinced me to do the back stage-door thing. So I got Kevin to sign the 10th anniversary CD, DVD, booklet I bought. I didn't pose for a picture with him, but I did take a few from back there. I almost felt bad for him. I immediately went back there after the show and he was already out there and his car was waiting. I think he wanted to leave asap but still be nice to the fans. But he was very polite and signed all the stuff that people thrust at him and posed for pictures. I know from reading other people meeting with him that he's tall, and skinny, and nice, blah blah blah. I don't know about the first one cause I'm the same height so he didn't seem tall to me. He did seem skinnier up close then he did on stage and as I said, he was very polite and nice. And unfortunately I didn't get a good look at his eyes. Most girls say they just die over them. I'll just take there word for it.
Kevin posing with some fan, his ride in the background.
The crowd, damn.
After Kevin, I basically turned around and got the Roxie and Velma of the show to sign for me as well. Both Bianca Marroquin and Brenda Braxton were just as nice. And very petite. And poor Ron Orbach (he played Amos, Roxie's husband) he accidentally dropped by the booklet/case and cracked the holder for DVD. He kept apologizing and I just laughed and shrugged it off. I almost waited in the cold for the actors who played Momma and Mary Sunshine, but I was tired and decided to call it a night.
Before I checked out on Sunday, I walked over to the CN tower when it opened. I was neat but I'm close to Chicago. I've been in the Hancock and Sears observatories. This was nothing new. But the glass floor part was kind of neat, so here's a picture. It's 1100 feet to the ground below.
CN Tower, from a bridge crossing over train tracks.
The glass floor, note the outline of my new black boots.
That's about all. I definitely needed that. A lot more then I thought. Now I can survive the rest of the year.
Driving there and back was not too bad. I dragged my friend from college who was a music major. She gives vocal lessons now so I made her go. And it's not like she doesn't like musicals. The weather was greatly exaggerated. It didn't even snow or rain in Toronto and it remained just above or just below freezing during the day. Which was warmer then it was back in northern Illinois. I seriously hope I never attempt to do something like this again in such a short period of time.
I loved my hotel. I highly recommend the Suites at 1 King West. Though they could have used to make the sheets of a higher quality. Anything below a 300 thread count and 100% cotton (preferably combed Egyptian or pima) just plain suck. But I loved everything else about it. It was also pretty much centrally located for every place that I went. It was anywhere from a block to maybe 3.5 blocks from the Eaton Centre, the Princess of Wales Theater, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the CN Tower. Here are some pictures of the hotel room, view, and entrance lobby (it was former an old bank that was remodeled into a hotel).
Room from sitting at desk.
View from window by desk.
Front entrance lobby.
The shopping at Eaton went fairly well. It's much like Water Tower Place in Chicago, only is a more spread out three story (save for department stores) instead of a more compact seven stores. I just bought a pair of boots and a blazer. I saw a really long, really nice black scarf at Club Monaco that I wanted really, really badly...but I'm NOT paying $130 Canadian for a scarf. But damn do really, really want it. I'm almost tempted to bribe my mother (who has to go to Toronto for work sometime before my birthday) to buy it for me for my XMAS and birthday present. We'll see.
I also stopped at the Hockey Hall of Fame (which is bigger then it looks from the outside and a pain in the ass to get into), but I somehow don't really think anyone on my friends list cares, so moving on...
As for the play, I love the live stage version of Chicago even better then the movie. The movie I now see was a little cleaner then the play. The play blatantly uses sexual innuendos, not so much for the movie. I don't really know what the critics were complaining about. Everyone, Kevin included, did just fine by my eyes. Maybe it was that this was the last evening performance and second to last Toronto performance so they got the bugs worked out. Hell if I know. Maybe the critics want to orgasm in there seats or something. Either way I think they're idiots. And it's a shame BSB didn't give Kevin more solos, he does know how to sing. Quite well in fact. PS, Chicago has some the best legs of any stage show. Eat your hearts out Rockettes.
My music major friend who I dragged with me convinced me to do the back stage-door thing. So I got Kevin to sign the 10th anniversary CD, DVD, booklet I bought. I didn't pose for a picture with him, but I did take a few from back there. I almost felt bad for him. I immediately went back there after the show and he was already out there and his car was waiting. I think he wanted to leave asap but still be nice to the fans. But he was very polite and signed all the stuff that people thrust at him and posed for pictures. I know from reading other people meeting with him that he's tall, and skinny, and nice, blah blah blah. I don't know about the first one cause I'm the same height so he didn't seem tall to me. He did seem skinnier up close then he did on stage and as I said, he was very polite and nice. And unfortunately I didn't get a good look at his eyes. Most girls say they just die over them. I'll just take there word for it.
Kevin posing with some fan, his ride in the background.
The crowd, damn.
After Kevin, I basically turned around and got the Roxie and Velma of the show to sign for me as well. Both Bianca Marroquin and Brenda Braxton were just as nice. And very petite. And poor Ron Orbach (he played Amos, Roxie's husband) he accidentally dropped by the booklet/case and cracked the holder for DVD. He kept apologizing and I just laughed and shrugged it off. I almost waited in the cold for the actors who played Momma and Mary Sunshine, but I was tired and decided to call it a night.
Before I checked out on Sunday, I walked over to the CN tower when it opened. I was neat but I'm close to Chicago. I've been in the Hancock and Sears observatories. This was nothing new. But the glass floor part was kind of neat, so here's a picture. It's 1100 feet to the ground below.
CN Tower, from a bridge crossing over train tracks.
The glass floor, note the outline of my new black boots.
That's about all. I definitely needed that. A lot more then I thought. Now I can survive the rest of the year.