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Greece update: Today I’m still on Mykonos. Probably at the beach!
After lunch at Yoshiono we high-tailed it to the Booth Theatre to see the matinee showing of Next to Normal, one of Ricky’s new favorites. The outside looked like any other building for the most part, only decked out in Next to Normal posters and large headshots of the cast.
We had the least expensive seats in the house but one of the bests views of the stage I’ve ever had. The theatre is tiny tiny! Apparently all of the theatres in the city are comparably sized. We were running just on time for the show and sat down shortly before it started. Another benefit to being in the back row is that we were able to place a bag on the ledge directly behind us!
The set of Next to Normal is one of the more interesting ones I’ve seen. Wicked still probably takes the cake, though. It was set up kind of like a tic-tac-toe board, with nine distinct squares. Four of them were occupied by the orchestra, fully visible to all theatre-goers, and the remaining five were used by the cast throughout the show. Ricky is going to comment saying that the cast did go into some of the orchestra squares, but they primarily used the others. What I found pretty neat about the set is the doors they used to close squares and create the illusion of more or less space. Depending on the lighting, the doors looked like a house or even like the lead female’s face. Each level was connected by two stairways on either end that the cast used throughout the show, fully utilizing all of the vertical space.
After the show Ricky had to get the official play book and poster, so we waited in line for that. It was drizzling a lot earlier so I asked for a second bag to cover everything and the cashier said he’d only give it to us if we recycle it. I was amused by the comment. We finally made it outside and rounded the corner to get to the stage door to meet some of the cast. We got to meet a few. I’ll let Ricky comment more about that when he gets to reading this!
That pretty much wraps up New York City. We walked around a bit after the show and saw Rockefeller Center and a couple other landmarks but didn’t have much time since we had to catch the bus back home. Next time we’ll spend the night so we have more time.
Greece update: Today I’m leaving Athens and arriving on the island of Mykonos by ferry. Hello beaches!
After arriving in New York City on the corner of 33rd and 7th streets, we were hungry. For $16 you can’t really expect peanuts or pretzels during the drive up. Not that I’d want to see the driver walking around while the bus is in motion! We were seeing a show at 2pm, and due to the traffic delays we didn’t get to the city until about noon. So we first made our way towards the theatre and on the way passed by Yoshiono.
Yoshiono is basically a Panda Express that also serves sushi. The prices are low and the quality is adequate. One of the interior graphics remarked that the original Yoshiono in Tokyo, Japan has been around since 1899. I don’t think the New York City branch has been established so long and probably doesn’t stick to the original standards of quality. I ended up choosing the spicy tuna sushi rolls as I wasn’t too hungry. They were pretty tastey I’ll admit, but the tuna looked like it came from a can. Probably safer given the establishment’s lack of finesse.
One thing I really liked about Yoshiono and about all other restaurants and eateries I walked by is that all of the menus have calorie information posted next to each item. Now, if only people would follow through with having that information!
Greece update: Today I actually land in Athens! I’ll be spending the entire day and night here before heading off to my first island destination tomorrow!
As you know, I took Bolt Bus to get to New York City this past Saturday. I rarely take the bus places and wouldn’t even consider taking it within Baltimore city. But considering that it takes about three hours to drive to New York City from Baltimore and you generally have to get to the airport hours beforehand to catch a plane, I gave the bus a go.
We arrived at Baltimore’s Penn Station about 20 minutes before the bus was scheduled to take off. Being a low-cost carrier, Bolt doesn’t actually operate out of the terminal but is instead just around the corner on the street. We weren’t sure where to go exactly though so Ricky went up to the info desk in Penn Station and asked the attendant. Her answer was absolutely priceless and exemplifies someone who clearly does not want their job. Paraphrasing a bit, she replied to Ricky, “I don’t know [where the Bolt stop is]. I get that question all the time”. A real go-getter she is. Ricky had to call Bolt’s customer service and we eventually found the stop, marked by a tiny plaque on a chain-link fence.
The bus showed up on time, a good sign. The weather even held off until we were well on our way. One thing I liked is that Bolt seems to drive in a caravan of two buses. The first bus which I was on filled up and the overflow passengers were able to get on the second bus. One reason we went with Bolt is that they offer wi-fi on their buses. Pretty cool! Even though I have an iPhone with 3G, wi-fi is faster. It took another call and eventual email to Bolt’s customer service to find out how to connect on the iPhone though. They have a tiny text box which you have to scroll through to accept the terms of using their wi-fi. Not the greatest setup but we eventually were able to connect.
I knew beforehand that it takes about three hours to get to New York City from Baltimore. With that in mind I didn’t drink much that morning, but sure enough I had to use the restroom that was on the bus. It was clean enough for a restroom on a bus, but they were woefully out of hand sanitizer. It’s kind of interesting using the restroom on a moving bus though!
Overall I was pleased with Bolt. I was able to keep my phone charged with the outlets on every pair of seats which let me watch a couple shows I put on it. The driver did a good job of taking a side road to avoid a big delay on the New Jersey Turnpike. It delayed the trip a bit and we ended up getting there in just under four hours. Still not too bad. I’d definitely use Bolt again. The cost is a fraction of what airfare would be and after accounting for airport TSA checkpoints and dealing with baggage, the travel time is comparable.
Today I’m off to Greece! I won’t actually get there until tomorrow though. I’ll be landing in Athens around 9am local time. That’s 2am EST. I plan to sleep on the plane, but my body will think it’s waking up at 2am. I’ll let you know how that goes! The plan is to first make it to the hotel to drop off our bags and then spend the rest of the day touring the both ancient and modern city of Athens. One of the first stops will be the Athens market to grab a bite to eat! I wonder if one can subsist on just feta cheese? I’ll probably be giving that a go as well!
With my time in Greece, I won’t be moderating comments as quickly. If you’ve commented before you’ll find that yours show up right away, so have at it! Also with my time in Greece, I’m going to start a mini-series of posts about my journies this past weekend to both New York City and Philadelphia. I’ll throw in where I’m at in Greece as well so you can follow my journey there. I’m bringing my notebook with me to jot down any notes and start writing some future posts about Greece!
I love this place. Taco Fiesta located in the Harbor East area of Baltimore. I love this place so much I had a surprise birthday party there!
Taco Fiesta is fairly similar to Chipotle and Baja Fresh. Your food is made to order and somehow is prepared in about two minutes. It’s the quickest food I’ve ever gotten short of a drive through. Their burritos are pretty standard fare. What sets Taco Fiesta apart though is what you can have done to the burrito. I almost always opt to have it deep fried to create a chimichanga. Not exactly traditional Mexican, but it’s a weak point for me. They have a great salsa bar (way more options than Baja Fresh!) and I usually get a few to douse my burrito with.
In addition to great food, Taco Fiesta has great drinks. Unlike Baja Fresh and many Chipotles, alcohol is served here. A number of tequilas line the shelf and a good margarita can be had.
My latest trip to Taco Fiesta was one I’ve been wanting to do for a while. They have a buy nine get one free burrito card deal. I had eight stamps and was just waiting for Ricky to agree to Taco Fiesta. He relented the other night so I went to pick up two burritos. I ordered my usual chicken chimichanga. Ricky got a fish (tilapia) burrito. The chimichanga costs about $3 more than the regular burrito, but the cashier rang up the more expensive one as the free one. I was very impressed! So not only great food, but great service. Taco Fiesta is one of my favorite food finds in Baltimore!
You’ve already met Rocco. I’d like you to also meet Bella, my other long-haired chihuahua!
I recently watched one of those animal behavior shows and I could’ve sworn that the dog I saw on TV was none other than Rocco in Yorkie form. This dog had almost the exact same characteristics as Rocco when walking, when the doorbell rings and especially around other dogs. Bella has picked up on some of this behavior, though only about 5% to the extent of Rocco. Really I was just looking for a reason to post an incredibly cute picture of her.
The solution the dog trainer came up with to solve the problem of the Yorkie barking madly at other dogs turned out to be incredibly simple. Using a squeaky toy, the dog owner would distract the Yorkie immediately after it noticed another dog. It’s important that the owner would cause the distraction before any barking. Eventually the Yorkie associated seeing other dogs with a positive experience, the squeaky toy.
Because everything you see on television is true, I went out and got a squeaky tennis ball to take with me when I walk the dogs. Bella hardly ever gives me any problems outside, so I’ve yet to see if it will affect her much. I did however get to try the tactic while walking past a cat with Rocco. When outside, Rocco pretty much has his nose glued to the ground, smelling whatever it is dogs smell. So I noticed the cat while he was otherwise occupied. As we walked past, instead of letting him keep smelling around I squeaked the toy and it definitely distracted him. He looked up, away from the cat, and we walked by without any incident. I want to try this with another dog nearby now!
I’m writing this in the car on my way to Philadelphia, birth place of democracy and first capital of the United States. Just going for a day trip so by the time this posts I’ll be back in The Burné. Like my trip to New York City yesterday, I’m heading into the city without too much planned beforehand. I’m sure a cheesesteak is in the near future for me though! Look forward to more updates about Philadelphia while I’m away in Greece!
Say hello to the Virgin sign lit up in its full neon light glory, right in the heart of Times Square, NYC.
I saw this and thought it was only fitting to snap a quick shot of it to post for a quick Sunday update. After all, it’s through Virgin Vacations that my trip to Greece was booked! The Virgin Records store didn’t appear to be around anymore, but the sign was still shining bright. I had a great time in New York City yesterday. Look forward to more updates in the coming weeks!
By the time this blog posts, I’ll be on my way to New York City for the day. I’m taking a ride with Bolt Bus which operates between Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Each leg of the trip runs about $15-20, with NYC being the main hub to the other cities. What that means for me is it’ll only cost about $30 for round trip tickets to New York from Baltimore.
I know there’s plenty to do in New York City to occupy a lifetime, but for now I’m just going for the day. Ricky and I are seeing the matinee of one of his new favorite musicals, Next to Normal. Other than that we’re just going to see what we can get into. This coming weekend is actually going to fit in perfect with The Burné and will hopefully provide enough material for me to relay while I’m away in Greece. Aside from New York City, I’m going to hit up Philadelphia on Sunday. So look forward to a mini-series of posts about the two cities later in the week.
I’m pretty irritated with Bank of America right now. I called the branch by my house earlier this morning to ask if they can exchange currency for me and was told that yes, they can. Maybe I didn’t ask the question appropriately, because I was under the assumption that they could exchange money when I came in. Needless to say, I waited about 20 minutes in the teller line only to be told that it’s a mail order currency exchange service that is provided and I could likely get the money by next Wednesday. I leave for Greece next Thursday, and a maybe for the day before isn’t going to cut it for me. Their stellar branch customer service representatives then moved me to the sign-in wait list to go ahead with the order. I was about fed up at this point and the lady who would be helping me was walking around doing everything but checking in on me, the customer. I’m not a demanding customer mind you, but I expect a modicum of service in any establishment. I walked out.
By this point I was resigned to the original option I had come across which is the American Express travel store in the city on Pratt Street. The place has one good thing going for it, namely a recommendation from a friend saying that it is the only location she goes to for currency exchange. I’m sure it’s a great place for just that, but it also has two big (in my opinion) detractors working against it. Location is one. Parking on Pratt Street is non-existent and any other nearby parking costs way too much to make the trip worth while. Second, the hours are Monday through Friday, 9a-5p. Not very conducive to a working gent like myself. Thankfully Ricky had found a third option by this point, Travelex.
Travelex turned out to be a little kiosk located in the BWI airport. I was wary about going to the airport to exchange money, but living so close, Ricky and I figured at worst we’d be going just a few miles out of our way. The website for the BWI location has two phone numbers listed, both of which are out of service and/or disconnected. Not a great sign, but still we wanted to give it a go.
As it turns out, I’m fairly pleased about my experience with Travelex. For $7.95 I converted $252.85 into €150.00. That works out to a 3% fee to do the exchange. The fee is waved if your transaction is over $500.00. As it turns out the exchange rate is pretty abysmal and I probably will shop around better next time, but for the convenience and lack of attitude it helped save my sanity for the night.
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