A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
After getting up at 4:00 a.m., we packed our snowboarding gear and headed to Kirkwood Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California. The drive was surprisingly smooth, and I arrived in Kirkwood around 8:00 a.m. (a 3.5-hour drive). The roads were clear; there were no snow or highway restrictions (e.g., 88, 89, 50). . . . . Since we arrived early (around 8:00 a.m.), we…
Read More: Snowboarding Kirkwood and Sierra at Tahoe
Today, we listened to the 2017 Dartmouth Pops Concert at Dartmouth Middle School.. . . . It was the first Band concert of 2017, with Alex playing trumpet in the Symphonic Band.. . . . Once the Pops concert started, Mr. Neipp presented and directed all major bands, including the Jazz Band, Beginning Band, Choir (led by Gina Jenkins), Concert Band, and Symphonic Band.. .…
Read More: Pops Concert at Dartmouth Middle School
For Inna's birthday with our family, we decided to try the well-rated Hult's restaurant in downtown Los Gatos. We have always wanted to try it since it's supposed to be run by a former Swedish Hockey player.. . . . . When we arrived at Hult's on Saturday evening, Valet parking was available for $6, but I decided to find free parking nearby. Although Hult's…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at Hult’s
For Inna's upcoming birthday, I made a reservation at the well-rated (but perpetually unavailable) Nick's Next Door restaurant in downtown Los Gatos.. . When we arrived at Nick's on Thursday evening, we found plenty of parking on East Main Street. We arrived at a fully packed restaurant but were quickly seated. Inna thought the restaurant would be very romantic, but it was extremely loud and…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at Nick’s Next Door
After many changes in travel arrangements, we settled on our Whistler Ski vacation for February 18 to 22. Since we could not book our favorite Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside hotel for Alex's annual ski week (at Dartmouth Middle School), we made reservations at the Crystal Lodge. Pan Pacific usually offers significant adventures for skiers, such as the included 2 adult Whistler/Blackcomb lift tickets for each…
Read More: Snowboarding Whistler
With excellent, fresh snow in Lake Tahoe (and 48" of new snow at Kirkwood), I was eager to make my own fresh tracks at Kirkwood - one of my favorite Lake Tahoe ski resorts.. . Since the drive to Kirkwood is long and tedious, I decided to use the Bay Area Ski Bus, a shuttle service that provides transportation to one of many Lake Tahoe…
Read More: Snowboarding Kirkwood
Which are the best restaurants, spas, and travel destinations? At the end of 2016, I am rating the following (from best to worst) based on my personal experience. . . . . . . . . . Restaurants. . Even though Michelin has not rated it, Mama's Fish House on Maui is our favorite restaurant worldwide. Mama's Fish House combines an authentic Hawaiian atmosphere with…
Read More: Best of the Best 2016
While in New York City, on the spur of the moment, we decided to purchase tickets to see The Illusionists -Turn of the Century. We were not planning to see it, but Inna read some fantastic reviews and was curious about this Broadway-quality magic show. Using the TodayTix app on my iPhone (extremely useful for last-minute tickets), I purchased three discounted tickets for the Christmas…
Read More: Review: “The Illusionists Turn of the Century” on Broadway (Palace Theater)
What can be said of Cats - a musical I first saw performed in Houston, Texas, in 1993? Has it changed at all? Is it better on Broadway?. . . . The plot for the latest Cats revival remains the same. A bunch of Jellicle cats prances around the stage, using Cat-like movement and choreography, singing about their unique characteristics. There is a Jellicle Ball…
Read More: Review: “Cats” on Broadway (Neil Simon Theatre)
The sorry state of the world gives us a new reason to appreciate the depth of feeling so powerfully, so ingeniously embedded in "Fiddler on the Roof," the much-loved and much-revived 1964 musical comedy that has returned to Broadway.. . . . The superb new production, currently playing at the Broadway Theater, certainly honors the show's ebullience of spirit, as embodied in the central character…
Read More: Review: “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway (Broadway Theatre)
How does Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway compare to the famous movie Dangerous Liaisons (starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer)? . . . . . . Having never read the book by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (and only seen the movie), I was not sure what to expect. I had nothing to fear. The Broadway adaptation of the book was mostly accurate and…
Read More: Review: “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” on Broadway
Although I was familiar with some of the songs by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, I was never aware of their true story or path to rock 'n' roll fame.. . Consequently, I was apprehensive when purchasing tickets to the Jersey Boys musical, playing at the August Wilson Theater on Broadway. Overall, I enjoyed the performance of Jersey Boys. Still, it does not fare…
Read More: Review: “Jersey Boys” on Broadway (August Wilson Theater)
"Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery, and treachery…all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts "…so begins the international award-winning Broadway and West End musical, CHICAGO. . . . . . What can be said about Chicago - one of the finest (and possibly my all-time favorite musical) - that hasn't already been said? With subtle, sarcastic lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by…
Read More: Review: “Chicago” on Broadway (Ambassador Theater)
It was time for my first major trip to New York City! The last time I visited New York was in the summer of 1982, when my Mom, Dad, and I saw the world-famous Empire State Building and a few other famous landmarks. I have never been to NYC in the winter, so I was apprehensive about the conditions there. What has changed? What has…
Read More: Christmas in New York City
Today, we listened to the 2016 Dartmouth Winter Concert at Dartmouth Middle School. It was the final concert in 2016, with Alex playing trumpet in the Symphonic Band.. . . . While we waited outside for the concert to begin, we were entertained outdoors by Dartmouth's musicians.. . Once the concert started, Mr. Neipp presented and directed all major bands, including the Jazz Band, Beginning…
Read More: Winter Concert at Dartmouth Middle School
Is it every woman's fantasy - to be wooed and married to a wealthy, handsome, eligible bachelor? . . . In "Daddy Long Legs," a sweet musical adaption of Jean Webster's 1912 novel, we get to explore the finer points of this question. . . . On the Lucie Stern Theater stage in Palo Alto, Jerusha Abbott (played by the delightful Hilary Maiberger and Jervis…
Read More: Review: “Daddy Long Legs” (Lucie Stern Theater)
Although we have lived next to Los Gatos for many years, we have never witnessed the annual Christmas Day Parade. Since our son was playing trumpet in Dartmouth's Symphonic Band, he and his bandmates were scheduled to march in the Los Gatos Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 3, 2016.. . . . We arrived in Los Gatos relatively early, around 9:00 a.m. (though the Parade…
Read More: Los Gatos Holiday Parade 2016
After getting a very early breakfast at our Azul Beach hotel, we were promptly picked up at 7:20 a.m. by the Xel-Ha shuttle and driven, for about one hour, to the Xel-Ha eco-park near Tulum, Mexico.. . . . We arrived at Xel-Ha at 8:20 a.m. as the park was opening. We initially considered signing up for Sea Trek - an underwater walking adventure, but…
Read More: Splendid Xel-Ha
How much fun is the new Xplor adventure in Cancun? We were about to find out.. . . . At 8:40 a.m., the Xplor van picked us up from the lobby of our Azul Beach hotel. From there, we drove to another hotel, waiting twenty minutes for other passengers to arrive. The driver almost left, but a Spanish-speaking couple showed up, and after a lot…
Read More: Exciting Xplor
What does an authentic Mexican Cenote/ATV experience feel like? We were about to discover when we embarked on a combined Tulum and Mystic River adventure.. . . . Exactly at 9:00 am, the Mystic River van picked us up from the lobby of our Azul Beach hotel. The driver stopped by two other hotels: Azul Sensatori and Valentin. From here, we drove about an hour…
Read More: Adventures in Tulum and Mystic River