Day 1663: Greatest City in the World

It's been about five years since I last headed to the greatest city in the world, but there were still a million things I hadn't done there, and that meant that when my friend Kiera asked if I wanted to take a spontaneous trip to New York, I immediately checked my bank account to figure out if I could swing it financially, especially with moving to Florida in just a few weeks. Luckily, I did some budgeting and found enough leftover cash from various gigs I'd picked up and other awards from college to make a trip to New York City happen and we booked it soon after. 

Of course, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to New York City, which is why plenty of the posts from the last week which have yet to appear will absolutely be focused on my trip, but it seems fair to give an overall rundown of all the excitement we experienced on our adventures! 

As you can see from the above picture, we were lucky enough to see FIVE shows while in New York. Four were Broadway shows, including Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, War Paint, Bandstand, and Chicago, and one Off-Broadway show: Avenue Q. We rushed all the shows, meaning we would sit outside the theatre's box office in the morning for an hour or two (or more) in hopes to get discount seats. The wait is frequently worth it though, as we had excellent seats for all five shows and basically saw four of the shows for the regular price of one, if you take into account where our seats were for some of the shows. 

But that's not all we did, as the subway system helped us get all around New York on the cheap. Since we invested in the 7-Day unlimited metro pass, we could use the subway as much or as little as we wanted over the course of the week for a flat rate of $33, and if you're heading to New York for a trip, note that you only have to use the pass about 11 times for it to pay for itself (a single ride ticket is $3), so if you're comfortable using the subway (and everyone should be, but that's a topic for another day) and you'll be there for a few days, it's absolutely worth the cost. In other words, in between rushing for tickets and the shows themselves, we also saw the following sights: 

Times Square, Rockefeller Center, New Museum [of Contemporary Art], South Street Seaport, Chelsea Market, The Bagel Store (Rainbow Bagels!), Heatonist (Hot Sauce Store), American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University, The Statue of Liberty (and Ellis Island), MET Cloisters, Harlem (and the apartment in The Last Five Years), Trinity Church, Alexander Hamilton's Grave, 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, Belvedere Castle, and Strawberry Fields (Imagine Mosaic). 

Coming soon right here on Everyday Disney I'll give you an inside look at Times Square, the NYC Subway System, The Bagel Store, the American Museum of Natural History, Hamilton's New York, The Statue of Liberty, MET Cloisters, Disney in New York, an inside look on each of the five shows we saw, and one final post with some of the other exciting things we discovered in the Big Apple! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1598: Hamilton

When I was first debating audition for the Knights on Broadway, I was neck deep in lyrics from the hit musical Hamilton. I'd spent a good portion of the summer making an attempt to learn every last word in My Shot, had a good handle on The Schuyler Sisters, was currently obsessed with Burn and was just beginning to aquatint myself with Guns and Ships, not to mention the numerous other numbers in the show. In fact, My Shot became one of the two songs that got me through auditions, as I distinctly remember listening to it on repeat alongside I Have Confidence from The Sound of Music as I got ready for and headed to callbacks. As we opened our Christmas show, it was My Shot that played in the opening video, Alexander Hamilton that we performed on stage, and Hamilton: An American Musical that provided the basis for the backstory to our show. All in all, one could say that Hamilton provided me with the encouragement to not throw away my own shot, and it brought me right back into the world of Broadway that I'd sort of lost in the years previous. 

So when the idea of surprising Megan with tickets to see the Chicago production just wouldn't leave me alone, I sought out some balcony seats for a performance in May and prepared myself for the long months of waiting ahead. The worst part about waiting though? Not telling Megan. In fact, all of Knights on Broadway knew about the surprise and our director almost let the secret slip at one of our Christmas performances, but somehow I managed to keep things under wraps until Christmas Day, and needless to say, she loved the surprise.

When our chance to be in the room where it happens finally came around, it was absolutely one of the most surreal experiences of my life. In fact, the closest feeling I can compare it to was when we visited Great Sand Sand Dunes National Park last July, when even as we drove away, it still didn't feel real. Seeing a show like Hamilton is an experience in itself, in more ways than one, and something tells me it's not an experience I'll be able to replicate anytime soon. 

First and foremost, Hamilton is an award winning show...one of the biggest actually. It won a near record number of Tony Awards in 2016, and has jumped to the top of the National Stage faster than most shows of its kind (who remembers 1776?!?). Hamilton has gained a dedicated fanbase, has impacted the way our population looks at musicals, and may just be one of the most important musicals of all time. When you see a production like that, it's incredibly inspiring. 

Second, for someone like me, who has a very real personal connection to the show (how many people get to say they've had an opportunity to perform part of the show), it was incredible to see it come to life for real in front of my own eyes. There's something strange about forcing yourself to stop from singing the lyrics because you're so used to performing them (whether that be on the stage or in your car), and when you finally get to see a musical that you've loved for so long and has impacted you so much, the feeling is indescribable. 

Hamilton is a musical for a new generation of Broadway Fans and Musical Lovers alike, and combines so much of what we've learned in the many years of Broadway with the identities of our country and world. It brings what we thought we knew about history into new light, and tells the story of those history overlooks. And above all else, Hamilton has inspired us to not throw away our shot, whatever that chance or opportunity might be. It sort of reminds me of the way Disney has consistently taught us to keep dreaming and moving forward, encouraging us to make the most of every door that opens to us, which is probably why Lin Manuel-Miranda fits in perfectly with Disney Legends we've been adoring for years (check out his work in Moana and the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns). 

If you haven't had a chance to see Hamilton, it's now playing in three cities across the United States - New York, Chicago, and San Francisco - and will soon open a production in London as well as a touring company throughout the country! Tickets aren't necessarily cheap due to popularity, but trust me when I tell you that it's worth every penny...or ten dollar bill, if you get my drift. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1300: Just You Wait

With every passing hundred blog posts, I tend to pause and reflect a bit about how I got here. After all, it feels like just yesterday that I was celebrating the first hundred, and now they fly by with barely a second thought. I've done a lot of changing and growing up in the past year, and it sort of scares me. I'm embarking on adventures that terrify and excite me all at the same time. Not long ago, I was given the advice that whenever I feel like taking a step backwards, I should step forward instead, and it's by that motto that I've been trying to live my life lately. 

Upon returning from Colorado, my car was packed full of stuff. Some of it we brought with us: our suitcases, a cooler, some snacks, and so on and so forth. But then there was an entire laundry basket filled with purchases from the whole family, sent back with us because we had a car and they'd be flying from Denver. I had a few mugs thrown in, along with some sand and a small bust of Abe Lincoln, but for the most part, my memorabilia consisted of postcards, gathered from as many of the locations we visited as possible. They're easy to transport, and I loved the vintage poster styles available at the National Parks. Figuring I had an entire blank wall back in my apartment, I picked up a variety of cards and finally finished hanging the rest of the decor on the wall above my bed. 

The wall, as you can see above, is a mix of various objects, from arrows to postcards to that giant Hamilcanvas in the middle. I didn't intend it, but I realized after hanging the postcards that this wall is a symbol of something, and it's a lesson that Hamilton and Disney both sort of teach us. Despite the fact that we've been so many places and done so many things - I just trekked across the United States for goodness sake - there's still a million things we haven't done. There's always going to be new places to explore and new experiences to be had, and that's pretty awesome. Walt Disney himself sort of reminded us of that, gone too soon, and yet his dream of Walt Disney World was realized. It continues to change far beyond anything he could have ever imagined, and while we mourn the loss of some of the attractions we still love and adore, we must keep moving forward. 

Essentially, we live on a planet that is impossible to see in one lifetime. We could travel everyday of our lives and still not make it to every city or community, and even if we did manage to see every single one, we'd never truly experience any of them. We can never relive history, but we can change it in our day to day lives. We can control our own fates, and unless we take that step forward, we're never going to see anything beyond the blank wall in our bedroom. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1281: Ameriworks

Another Fourth of July has come upon us, and this time, we've been working in between celebrating. In between working on blog posts and preparing for my upcoming trip to Colorado, I did find time to do a couple of classic Fourth of July activities. 

First, I just had to watch the concert live from Washington D.C. and I wasn't let down at all. After all, with Chris Jackson, Hamilton's George Washington, plus the fantastic 1812 Overture, why wouldn't I watch? Plus, it's almost like Jackson's song was meant for us Disney fans: 

And then, as I usually do on Holidays, I made sure to watch the live stream of the fireworks from Magic Kingdom, because if you can't be there, at least you can watch it on your computer. It was just like I remembered it from five years ago when I was there myself, and while I definitely still sat there longing to actually be in Florida, it helped a little bit. 

So Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope it's a magical day!

Day 1277: Anyone Can Cook

Our new apartment definitely has more walls than places we've lived previously, so I've been working to make sure our place doesn't look to bare. Many of the other canvas creations I've made have already been featured on Everyday Disney, but I thought I might throw in an introduction to the newest additions!

The first, as you can see above, is inspired by the hit Broadway Musical, Hamilton, which I've really been digging into lately. It sits above my bed in our bedroom, and is actually the largest canvas work I've done to date. It's also the first I did entirely my hand, as to keep things consistent or get the exact look I want, I'll usually do a digital design and use print outs to make sure everything is exact. I didn't do that here, and instead went entirely from a sketch I drew up quickly. I knew when I started plotting for the bedroom that I wanted a quote that would encourage me to keep moving forward and look to the future, and that's exactly what this one does!

The other canvas, as seen below, is now hanging in our kitchen on a wall above our countertop. It was an awkward space, between the cabinets from the kitchen and a door to the bathroom, and it just screamed for a canvas, so it was priority #1. Unlike some of the other canvases, the "Hamilcanvas" included, this one took a while to plan, since we had multiple ideas and had to find the one that was going to fit the best for the spot. We've been calling our apartment "The Cozy Cone," so for a long while we seriously considered something inspired by Cars, but ultimately we went with Ratatouille because it's in our kitchen area.

Keep an eye out over the next month or so for other exciting updates that are somewhat focused on paintings like these! I've got some work to catch up on, but then it'll be full steam ahead before the end of the summer, and I can't wait to get going! 

If you had a canvas, what would you paint on it? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1260: A First Look at Moana

The Tony Awards offered the perfect chance for a first look at the newest addition to the Walt Disney Animation Line-Up, Moana. Of course, if you know anything about this movie and it's instant connection to musicals, you'll know that Lin-Manuel Miranda, famed creator and star of the hit musical Hamilton, did some of the music for the film, and you can actually hear him in the trailer. Because how else were they going to get the entire Hamilton fandom super excited about this new film? And I guarantee that much of that same fandom will go check out the movie just to support him. I don't blame them. Lin is a really awesome guy. 

As for the rest of the trailer, I think I feel about the same now as I do with most of the new Disney films: a little confused, and a lot suspicious. After all, before Wreck-It Ralph I figured it would be a confusing mess of candy, and Zootopia was one I couldn't wrap my head around. Even as far back as The Princess and the Frog, and probably before that, I would sit, super suspicious of whatever Disney had planned next. 

Still, every film manages to impress me, and I'm certain that Moana will be no exception. I'm particularly excited for the opportunities this might bring to the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World, because you know it will appear sooner or later there. Personally, I love the Poly, and I love the inclusion of Polynesian culture and mythology in a full length animated film even more. 

Plus, how can you not be excited about Dwayne Johnson being a part of this cast? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1259: Tony Time

As a fan of musicals, I'm sure you can imagine how exciting a night like the Tony Awards is. After all, Hamilton was sure to have a sweep this year, and a Hamilton fan myself, I probably watched just as much for them as I did for everyone else (although Hamilton or no Hamilton I would have been on my couch either way). As we so often do on Sunday nights, we gathered together with food and a TV for three hours of wonderful performances, and it didn't disappoint.

Of course, Hamilton did sweep the awards, winning 11 throughout the night. While they were nominated for 16, the most ever in Tony Awards history, they only needed 13 wins to beat out the previous record holder, The Producers. In fact, they came really close to a tie with The Producers, but a much deserved award for Best Actress in a Musical went to Cynthia Erivo of The Color Purple.

Noticeably absent from the awards was Disney, although with no new musicals this year this isn't surprising. Frozen will appear soon, and I'm sure that will be a contender for several when it does finally make its Broadway debut. In the past, several Disney musicals have won Tony Awards. In fact, a lot of them have won Tony Awards. Beauty and the Beast was nominated for 9 in 1994 and won for Best Costume Design. The Lion King, in 1998, was nominated for 11 and won 6, including Best Musical. In 2008 The Little Mermaid was nominated for two, and in 2007 Mary Poppins was nominated for 7 (Mary Poppins would win Best Scenic Design).

More recently, Newsies was nominated for 8 in 2012 and won Best Choreography and Best Original Score, and Aladdin was nominated for 5 in 2014, bringing home one for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for James Monroe Iglehart.

All in all, I think you could say that Disney has had a long relationship with the Tony Awards, and if that's not enough for you, just remember that Jake Gyllenhaal and Sean Hayes did an impromptu performance of A Whole New World during one of the commercial breaks.

Have a magical day! 

Day 1251: Flowers at Home

This year, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival really inspired me. Despite the fact that the last plant I had was about two years ago (and I killed it...), I wanted to try some gardening again. I mean, how can you not want to be good at gardening after looking at all of those amazing topiaries? To inspire the urge to garden further, our new apartment has an expansive balcony perfect for housing some plants over the summer.

So when my parents told me they were going to a local flower and gardening festival at the nearby Green Bay Botanical Garden I pretty quickly decided that I wanted to go too, and I knew that I would be coming home with some plants of my own. However, at the festival I saw plenty of things that reminded me of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, including these Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (which is literally one of my favorite Disney World snacks).

I didn't just walk around eating almonds the whole time though, because I definitely saw a lot of plants! 

My dad and I had multiple conversations about how much we liked the ones on the left, but the one of the right just had to be shared. It's actually an umbrella topiary, and I can only imagine that it's formed and created similar to the ones we see around World Showcase and Future World! Oh, and I couldn't pass up a picture of the little Kermit the Frog below.

As for the plants I brought home for our apartment, we have a whole bunch of them, and of course we named them all too. The three below sit inside our apartment and will stay with us throughout the winter as well. We decided to go with a musical theme to name all of our plants, so here we have (from the left): Eponine (Les Mis), Liesl (The Sound of Music), and Elphaba (Wicked). 

To add some color to our balcony, we had to find plants that were good in shade, since we get very little direct sunlight due to the fact that our apartment faces the North. Still, these begonias brighten things up the same way Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy do in Hamilton. And that's what we named them. Angelica (the red/orange), Eliza (white), and Peggy (yellow). 

And finally we have these two, also out on the balcony. The mint plant on the right is named Crutchie (Newsies) and the hosta on the right was the first one we named: King George (Hamilton). We named him King George partly because, well, we love Jonathan Groff's character in Hamilton, and partly because we bought him on the King's birthday.  

Whether or not I'll be able to keep these plants alive I have no idea, but I'm certainly going to try (and I'm really going to miss King George when he has to leave for the winter). For now, I'm excited to try out some of the basic techniques that I learned at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival! 

Have a magical day!