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Thursday, March 14, 2024

heading out to the big apple

like most of our best vacations, our christmastime trip to NYC was kind of a last-minute decision.  i don't even think there were six weeks between the time we booked it and when we actually took off. the biggest hurdle was finding somewhere to board the dogs, being the week before christmas and all.  but after doing a little yelping, i found a pet resort not too far from home that seemed perfect.  it was run by a couple who'd basically doggyproofed their entire house and turned it into a "home away from home" kind of place, and as luck would have it someone had canceled their booking for the dates that we needed.  i took them to visit the house for a meet & greet which went really well, and it was so good to know that our pups would be in a safe place with new friends where they had the run of the house and backyard without having to be put in crates or confined to small spaces for hours on end.

we dropped them off early in the morning on our way out to the airport, dropped the car off at a nearby lot and caught the shuttle to the terminal. it was surprisingly easy to drop off our luggage and get through security, and with about an hour to kill we headed into the american airlines lounge.

there was a pretty decent spread of breakfast foods, and the bean was happy with their custom avocado toast.

i took a bathroom selfie, of course.

and then before we knew it, it was time to board the plane.


it was lovely to stretch out and get comfy while watching "the office" and snacking on a dish of warm mixed nuts before lunch.

it started with a nice little salad with a warm roll and butter, plus the small plate appetizer of roasted beets with goat cheese and a citrus vinaigrette.

for my main course, i'd gone with the gorgonzola-crusted beef filet served with a balsamic demi-glace, potato gratin, asparagus and roasted tomatoes.  i enjoyed my meal, although the bean mostly slept through it and the hub made faces at his plate.  heh.

you'd think i was full after all that, but when the attendant offered me a hand-scooped hot fudge sundae i didn't say no.

please.  you wouldn't either.

i pretty much passed out cold after all that food, and basically slept the rest of the way across the country.  


we grabbed an über to take us to our hotel, which turned out to be just up the street from grand central station.  it was raining pretty steadily as we headed out, but we were so excited to be there that it didn't matter.  we borrowed a couple of umbrellas from the front desk and headed out to walk around and check things out.



i knew the bean was thinking of the time that their beloved BTS performed here for the tonight show.



we left the train station and then came upon this amazing christian dior display at saks fifth avenue just as the music was starting up:


and then not too long after that, we got our first glimpse of the famed christmas tree at rockefeller center.

it was fun being there in the rain, because the crowds we'd seen on instagram were nowhere to be found.  









by then, it was almost 11:00 and we were all tired from the long day of travel.  the time difference should have kept us up (plus all that inflight napping we'd done), but we were happy to get back to the hotel, unpack a little and fall into bed.  besides, we were there for a whole week so we had lots of time to get out there and explore.  still, it was a good start to our vacation!

Monday, February 26, 2024

best jonas brothers concert ever

okay, quick rewind to october because the jonas brothers concert was such a good one that it really can't go without a recap. this was "the tour," which they'd advertised as "five albums, one night" - which meant that they were going to play songs from each one of their albums that they've released as a band.  well, all but one - they seem to be trying to bury the one that was supposed to be released right as they broke up in 2013.  

the pop-up merch store was in orange, and because you know i'm a sucker for good merch i made my way down even though i had to roll solo.  it opened at 9 that morning, and by the time i got there at 10:30 the line was wrapped around the building.

it moved at a pretty decent pace though, and it was fun chatting with other fans in line.  the guys had just played a show in san diego the night before, and there were a good number of girls there who had basically driven from that concert and headed straight to the shop.  a lot of them were sharing memories of their experiences at multiple tour stops, and i was kind of in awe at the level of dedication.


by the time i finally got here, i'd been in line for just over an hour.



not knowing what might be available at the concert itself, i picked up a few t-shirts and then headed back home.  i'd heard that friendship bracelets a la the eras tour were also a thing at jonas brothers concerts, so i threw some together for us to wear.

luckily, the bean liked the shirt i'd picked out and put together their 'fit for the evening.  unsurprisingly, they had a great pair of shoes that matched perfectly.



the concert was at the honda center in anaheim, which was extra fun because we'd been there waaaaaaay back in 2008 for jonas brothers concerts.  it took a bit for us to figure out where to park with the pass we'd prepaid for, but it was worth it because it was close to the entrance and we picked a spot that was right by the exit.  previous experience of having to wait in long lines to get out after concerts had given me a little PTSD, so i'd figured out an easy-out strategy.  heh.

there was a long line for this photo op, so we settled for just taking a picture of it instead.

we did manage at least one group photo, though.  it was extra fun to have the old lady's BFF with us for the evening, just like old times.


we got to our seats as the jordan mcgraw was finishing his set, and we were all dying at how good our view was.  we may not have been super close to the main stage, but the secondary ("b") stage was just a few rows in front of us, and we knew we were in for one hell of a show.


i gotta say though, our view of the main stage was pretty dang good too.  the photo quality of the camera in my phone in 2023 was a vast improvement over the shitty point-and-shoot i'd packed back in 2008.

and when the guys made their way over to b stage for the first time, we were treated to some pretty fantastic up-close-and-personal views. it was almost better than the time the old lady and i had row C seats at the pantages.






and then we were all thrown for a loop when joe announced that we were going to to be witnesses for a wedding.  one of their band members had been planning a wedding during the pandemic that (obviously) ended up having to be postponed.  and so with joe as the officiant, their percussionist molly and her fiancé nick were married onstage.

their first dance song?  "when you look me in the eyes," of course.

we were treated to more OG jonas brothers music, which was so much fun and brought back all kinds of memories, and then it was time for intermission.




during the break, we were entertained by a band i'd never heard of before but that was apparently a big inspiration for the brothers in their early days - switchfoot.

it was kind of a super random, kind of bizarre evening that continued as glen powell and chord overstreet briefly appeared onstage just before the jonas brothers came back out to continue the concert.  

adding to the madness, joe did a gender reveal (a boy!) for a couple in the audience after performing "little bird."  that song kills me every time i hear it, and hearing it live while standing there with both of my daughters...well, let's just say that tears were shed (accompanied by giggles and snickers by the bean, who has video somewhere that i hope never sees the light of day).

the rest of the concert was just as good as the first half, and i swear i made eye contact with joe at least once.  heh.






(right here)




and before we knew it, they were playing the last song and taking their final bows.


out of all the jonas brothers concerts we've been to, this was definitely my favorite.  they played so many songs and kept us entertained for three hours, and i don't know if we can ever go back to 1.5-2 hour shows after this experience.

and my strategery (yeah, totally made-up word) worked perfectly.  we exited the venue pretty quickly, found the car without issue and drove straight out of the lot and onto the freeway before the majority of the audience had even set foot outside.  woohoo!

heading out to the big apple

like most of our best vacations, our christmastime trip to NYC was kind of a last-minute decision.  i don't even think there were six we...