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Our second week of tour is officially over. We arrived in Columbus, OH last Monday afternoon. It was a bit of a blast to the past. Columbus has changed quite a bit, but at the same time it is really very much the same as it was about 10 years ago. Down town more of just a business district now. City Center has closed, and all the restaurants close at 3. But go just out side of downtown, to the Arena District, or the Brewery District and you will find beautiful areas with a plethora of shops and restaurants. I kind of forgot how much I love Columbus. It truly is a wonderful city, but as our SM, Scott said... "Its a great city, its just a shame it has to be in OH." After today I couldn't agree more. Today was ridiculously humid, something I remember well from summers past and then someone also reminded me of the bleak gray winters... so yeah, I can totally relate to that statement.
We performed at the Southern Theater, and my god, did they go above and beyond to make us feel welcome. The green room was fully stocked with an entire menu of snacks ranging from cookies, to chips and salsa, to trail mix, with a variety of sodas and water for drinks. The people there were also incredibly friendly, and even taught me a thing or two about the theater. It was built in 1896 and they actually had a person fly from stage to the first balcony for the first time in 1900. You can still see on the ceiling where the harness was attached. The audiences here weren't the largest, but for the most part the were very responsive, and I was pleasantly surprised to see several old friends. Mim, Gary, Adit, Noga, Neeve (on his birthday :) ) Keffie.... I got to see them all, and it was absolutely wonderful. I didn't actually know any of them would be coming, so it was such a wonderful surprise when I walked out and there they were. I also got to see my good friend Randy, who brought several of his friends to the show and then treated me and a couple of my cast members to quite an evening on the town Friday night. He also introduced us to his friend Reid, who is the general manager at a restaurant called Cotter's up in the Arena District. Emily and I joined Randy and his friend Dan there for dinner between shows on Saturday and were treated to some of the best food I've ever tasted. We started with an appetizer of Mussels.... I've never had them before and was pretty nervous, but they were phenomenal! I the also tasted the best Ahi Tuna I have ever had (it was actually Emily's entree, I got a great salad with this incredible dressing and chicken and feta.... mmm... but she let me try some of hers :) ) and ended the meal with a mini Tiramisu spoon. YUM! If you are ever in Columbus, you must eat there. It was some of the best food I've ever had.
We also got the opportunity to go to the Ohio State Fair, which was a lot of fun, and also brought back a whole bunch of memories from when my mom and I used to walk there from our apartment on Iuka Ave. We got to see some sheep and some horses, rode a ton of rides and spent way to much money on great terrible fair food. It was definitely worth while.
And then, of course, there was Katie's Birthday. It ended up being a wonderful time, and I do believe that she enjoyed herself as well. We had a matinee on Wednesday, so afterward we all got dressed up and went to the Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. I had ordered a Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake for her from Graeter's which we were able to bring to the restaurant before hand and was brought to our table, with candles, after we were done with our entrees... again... YUM! It was so much fun. After that we headed to the Ohio Theater to see Hitchcock's Rebecca on the big screen. Now this was incredible. We walk in and there's a guy sitting in the pit area playing the organ. The lights go down, he disappears into the pit and the curtain opens to reveal a huge movie screen... and then there was applause. Yes, we applauded for the movie. It also had an intermission, and then when it was all over there was applause again. It was like taking a step back in time to when it was still a big deal to go to the movies. The fact that it was at the Ohio Theater ("A 1928 movie palace with a lush, Spanish-Baroque flair") and we were all dressed up made it that much more fun. It was an incredible night.
And now it is Sunday. We had 2 shows today, and we are all exhausted. Plus, our flight leaves at 7 am tomorrow... we are meeting in the lobby at 5 am... fun! I guess i should at least try to get some sleep. its been an incredible week. Here's to many more :)
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