When You're Cold And Frozen

We rang in the New Year in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I obviously stopped at Tim Horton’s before leaving the airport to fulfill the weird fascination with it that I had in 2014. Later in the week I was walking through the snow with a cup of coffee and someone asked, “Is that a Horton’s” and I thought that sounded interesting. Most of the cast had never experienced -19ºF before, so they were very surprised when the insides of their nose froze. It was very fun for me to watch this because they didn’t know but I knows. Dianne and I set out to find festive drinks and glitter. The malls in Winnipeg are connected by crossways and tunnels, so you don’t have to go outside. We didn’t know until later that our hotel was a part of this tunnel system but that’s ok because sometimes you need to walk around in the cold so you learn to appreciate your life. I’d like to note that neither of us could use our phones for directions during this experience because our data didn’t allow it. 

Who is Roger?

And this is why we asked a Shoppers employee for help. Not only did she recommend a place to find glitter; she also told us about the local night club scene. Perfect. So then we got lost in the system of walkways while trying to find Portage Place (a mall). Along the way we found a liquor store with a line that wrapped through the aisles like an inner-city Trader Joe’s. About ten feet from the counter a new customer came in looking for something very specific and then found it in the aisle in front of me. The person behind me and I were very curious to see what it was, so I checked it out and it was a Vodka Mudshake. 

Person Behind Me Who Could Possibly Be Named Denise: I’m kind of curious about this now.

Me: Me too. Should I do it? I’m gonna do it.

And then I bought it. As the cashier was giving me my total they asked me, “Air miles?” I thought I heard, “Anything else?” but I wasn’t sure. The dialect is different, but not that different, and it took three tries for me to understand what was happening. Apparently you can collect air miles when you buy alcohol? Then Dianne and I found glitter and bought food. My lunch/dinner ended up being a calzone that was bigger than my face and I ate it all. Then we celebrated the birth of 2019 twice (11PM for our East Coast needs and 12AM because it’s real.) 

Just a few minutes from our hotel is the winter/shopping wonderland The Forks. We skated on the river as a truck planted discarded Christmas Trees into the snow to create ambiance. Skating on a river is surprisingly harder than skating on a rink. The surface is uneven and there’s no zamboni to clear the ice shavings. Definitely would do again. There are a number of places to eat at The Forks, and among the restaurants and food stands are clothing, candy, wine, crystal, kitchen, and toy stores. 

That's in Canada

Cookie Dough Macaron from Jenna Rae Cakes

Self-aware

In the days following I heard people wishing each other “Merry Christmas,” which is very interesting to me. I never hear “Merry Christmas” after December 26, and it’s rare for me to hear “Happy New Year” after January 2. Which leads me to this: Canadians actually are very very nice. In America most people act like they don’t want to talk to you or they have a secret agenda while talking to you. Canadians are just nice? Another great thing about Canada is that servers make minimum wage, which is not a thing in America at all. I learned this while waiting for my take out dinner at Corrientes. 

Server Who Could Be Named Denise: You can sit at the bar while you wait.

Me: Ok.

Server: Would you like anything to drink?

Me: Water is fine.

Also Me: Cider would taste nice too.

Me: Actually do you have any cider?

Server: No. But we do have a blueberry beer you might like.

Also me: Try everything one time.

Me: Ok.

And then I drank the Trans Canada Brewing Company’s blueberry ale it was really good. I’d get it again on purpose. When I closed out the server handed me the pin pad, as other servers and cashiers had done before, and I had to ask if this is typical here and she said yes because when servers take cards away to a mysterious register somewhere there’s a risk of them copying down the number, and I thought yes, that’s so true. Trust no one. 

I had Saskatoon berries for the first time in a sage scone from Forth and also this skillet.

The next night we celebrated Emanuel’s birthday at Wet & Dry Dept. There aren’t too many items on this menu, which led me to order the kale caesar salad complete with bacon in the dressing and veal in the salad. I don’t eat pork and I’d never had veal before, but I needed food and Try Everything One Time so I ate this and  mm. And the flourless chocolate cake had the thickest whipped creme/icing? on top. The mac and cheese and spaghetti noodles are made fresh. I had a bite of Dianne’s spaghetti and the fresh pasta really does taste very different from the box.

After our three show day we explored the night club scene at Fame. Music by Ke$ha.

This week was a great lesson in making use of wifi and paying attention to directions and my surroundings. I’d like to use my phone even less this year, and I think this trip has me on a great start. 

Christmas Time is Here

We spent an unexpected night in Indianapolis while traveling from venue to venue. Equally unexpected was our decision to see the 98 Degrees Christmas concert in the venue we'd be playing after winter break. Bri, Matt, Emanuel and I went to live our 90s fantasy with Nick Lachey, and the four of us swayed and sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" with the Buffalo Plaid clad band as the snow fell all over the stage.

I was met by several surprises in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The first was the Seven Tubs Nature Area. Miriam and I traversed the snow dusted woods at dusk to see the ancient (12,000 years old) falls and pools of water.

Another big surprise was the Brown Cow.

Did you know there was a giant cow at the birth of Jesus?

It had been a few years since my last visit to State College, PA. This time I decided I would finally try grilled stickies at The Corner Room. MM. The town is filled with a number of unique stores. We escaped the cold down in Webster's, and I learned that each member at this bookstore/cafe has their own labeled mug they can use each time they come in! There are shelves and shelves of these beautiful clay mugs.

Writing letters to Santa to mail outside of the diner.

A little Vince Guaraldi in the lobby with Bri.

Dianne and I walked around downtown Lowell, MA and found Life Alive. I'm fascinated with vegan restaurants. how do they do it? I ordered the Sufi Poet salad and it's probably one of the best salads I've tasted. We finished lunch with a vegan truffle (also one of the best chocolates I've eaten.)

Every store and business (including stores like Subway and CVS) were decked out in glitter and bows for Christmas. 

I went straight home that night to have a jam-packed holiday in Philadelphia.

The first stop on a very festive Philly day. A drinking chocolate flight at Shane Confectionary followed by skee-ball and skating at the Blue Cross Riverrink, a visit to the new Cherry Street Pier, shopping at the markets at City Hall, Macy's windows, and lights in Rittenhouse Square.  

The tree Matt and I cut down.

I found this wonderland in Swarthmore on the way to pick up sushi for my family's annual Muppet Christmas Carol viewing.

A Christmas sniff sniff.

Me not being able to escape work.

'Tis the season of my last name.

King Arthur has been through a lot.

The evening before my return to tour was a lot.

Tulsa: If You Are Here You Are Awesome

The only reason I know that Tulsa exists is because there's a character in Gypsy named after this Oklahoma town. As we made our way across the OKLA I conducted my usual forty-six-open-tabs-of-Safari research to find festive things to do in the city. According to the internet, most of the Tulsa attractions are not in Tulsa. I'm finding this to be a new advertising trend for cities: they lure you into staying in them so you can leave. With the help of my tour friends, the time to wander around, and Google Map scrolling I found a number of wonderful Tulsa places.

The Gathering Place is the type of recycled, modern, simple, imagination space that is perfect for kids to play but also adults to play before someone calls the police. I wanted to take photos of the castles, suspension bridges, and play places on the grounds, but they were occupied by children and I didn't want to take their picture. There are plenty of things for everyone to do here! Below the Patio by the Four Seasons Garden entrance there is a small collection of antiques. Items are sorted by hight and type, and each collection of things melds into another. The way the assortment sits against the clean white walls of the gallery made me think of various depictions of the rabbit hole Alice falls down.

Four Seasons Garden

Not pictured is a life sized child doll dressed as a nun.

The Gathering Place has several fireplaces among a small ice cream shop, courtyard with a burger place, and a cozy modern wood lodge (above the ice cream.) If you're looking for more nom noms and a Christmas spectacle, stop by at night time. The street adjacent to the park is lined with food trucks, and Oklahoma vendors sell their art between the festive lights on the paths. There is also live music provided by Victorian singers, elves, and hipsters. And hot chocolate and decorate-your-own-sugar-cookies. And there is a giant Christmas goose mascot.

Look close

After my daytime adventure at the Gathering Place I scooted over to Woodward Park to see some more trees and a real life goose (not pictured.) And then I walked to Utica Square (this shopping center reminded me of the major bougie shopping area I went to as a child (with my mom) called Suburban Square.) You can meet Santa here, pose with several large nutcracker statues, and get your Secret Snowflake shopping done.

Woodward Park

Utica Sqaure

The Clara/Marie animatronic in pink on the left sits up and flops over.

The Botanic Garden lights up the night outside of the city center. Upon entering we purchased empanadas from the Masa truck, sat on hay around a fire, and listened to "Gypsy Jazz with David Horne and Friends" play accordion and acoustic Christmas tunes. I asked if they had an album I could purchase and they laughed and said no. Then they asked for a singer to join them for a bit and Lizzie volunteered. After the singing we purchased Ghirardelli hot chocolate (you can have it spiked if you like) and walked into a winter light wonderland. The main gardens are adorned with red and green, and if you listen closely you can hear The Nutcracker playing. The children's garden is blue and purple, and features a Cave of Wonders looking sculpture; the inside of which looks like the setting of Fraggle Rock. Beyond the gardens is an event lodge! Inside, you can purchase spiked cider, write a wish and hang it on one of the trees, and have a photoshoot.

The welcome center sells mugs with the cave of wonders face on them.

I usually don't write about our venues on here, but the BOK Center is really neat. It has a photo booth. A speakeasy dressing room for famous people. Weekly breakfast with Santa. An outdoor ice rink. These things:

The Brady Arts District was right behind the BOK. I took lunch at Chimera Cafe and was served citrus water and a seasonal salad before wandering around. To the right of the cafe is the Tulsa Violin Shop. The sign on the door read "out to lunch," but I wish they were open because the sight of cellos in the window made me miss playing in my high school orchestra, and I wanted to go in and ask to play something.

Glacier Fine Chocolate was a surprise I stumbled upon (also wow remember stumbleupon.com) and I ended up sampling and purchasing Christmas gifts here. Just a few steps away sits Shuffles Board Game Cafe. I walked in here thinking I would find games to purchase, my friend Ellen loves games, but this cafe is dedicated to supplying games to play while you eat. I'd go back to play. On the way back to the venue I crossed the Center of the Universe. If you stand in the middle of it and speak/sing, the sound bounces right back in your ears as if you are wearing a bucket on your head.

The center

On my Tulsa adventure I learned from an Uber driver that all local radio stations this side of the Mississippi start with the letter K and the stations on the other side start with the letter W.

I went over to the Boxyard to get my hair cut. This small shopping center is made out of shipping containers, and it's pretty neat. The door to the barber shop Tonsorial read, "for tree huggers, right wingers, health nuts, cheap skates, Jesus freaks, science geeks, city slickers, rednecks, foodies, outsiders, and ever lawyers." Sweet Boutique below is known for their chocolate covered cookie dough. I sampled a small bite of this (the confections are about the size and shape of a pencil eraser after you pull it out of that metal part which I just looked up the name of and found out it is called a "ferrule" and I hope you find that information useful) and a chocolate covered gummy bear.

Another one of my drivers told me that Tulsa is going to be a happening spot in five or ten years, but I think it's happening now. If the above isn't any proof, here is this final gem: the Tulsa court house and post office plays recordings of birds of prey to scare creatures away.