Oh what a night

While Wicked continues its strong run at the Oriental Theater, Jersey Boys is the latest Broadway show to capture the spotlight in Chicago. The story of musical icon Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys has been drawing big crowds since its Chicago debut back in October. And after weeks of seeing the ads for it on the sides of buses and hearing about it on the radio, I finally saw this Tony Award-winning musical last night - from the front row.

Each morning at 10 AM, rush tickets go on sale at the LaSalle Bank Theater box office. Ten front row tickets are available daily, and additional seats throughout the theater may be available from time to time. I didn't know how early I needed to arrive to have a shot at the tickets - but I didn't think I could tolerate standing in the cold for long anyway. I decided to get there around 9:30, figuring if there was already a crowd by that time, then I wasn't meant to have the tickets anyway. But luck was on my side - I was the fourth person in line, which allowed me to buy tickets front row center.

They weren't kidding when they called it the front row - our seats were literally at the edge of the stage. Because of the proximity, we had to crane our necks to see - and we missed out on a little of the action toward the back of the stage. But that didn't matter with a show like Jersey Boys, a story that revolves around the music much more than the visual effects. And being so close, we got to see fine details on the faces of performers which added a new dimension to the show - the fleeting looks of exhaustion after the high energy rendition of December, 1963 (Oh What a Night), the glow of appreciation for the wild applause after the act-closing songs Walk Like a Man and Who Loves You - and Jarrod Spector practically channeling Frankie Valli in the number that brought down the house, Can't Take My Eyes Off You. From the front row, we felt like part of the action, as the story took us from the discovery of Frankie and his trademark falsetto all the way through the group's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A day later, the songs are still in my head.

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The city that's a puma

According to Inca tradition, Cusco is a city shaped like a puma. The connection is not obvious to a person wandering around town, but apparantly city planners long ago strategically placed sanctuaries and roads to work in line with Saqsaywaman, a hilltop fortress that represents the head of the puma.

Our first afternoon in the city, before altitude sickness completely knocked me out, we visited Hatunrumiyoc, a narrow cobblestone alley lined with a wall featuring the 12-sided stone of the same name. The puma has a presence here as well, as a series of stones together make up the head, paws, and tail of this sacred animal. Honestly, I couldn't see the resemblance, but snapped photos nevertheless.

What I remember more than the wall are all the children at Hatunrumiyoc chatting up tourists, telling the puma story in hopes of earning a tip. I tried to stay oblivious and enjoy the site on my own, but the kids were persistent. We got a personal tour without even meaning to!

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Welcome to the team

Spring training is underway for the Chicago Cubs and buzz surrounds the team trying to end a century long championship drought. In the spotlight early is Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome, the hard-hitting rightfielder from the Chunichi Dragons. Since games have not started yet, the Chicago media has been reporting the human-interest stories on the team - and Fukudome's arrival in America is one of the most interesting



To ensure Fukudome would receive a warm welcome, the Cubs issued a Japanese 101 cheat sheet to the media and team members, with basic phrases like おはようございます (good morning) and ようこそ (welcome). It was funny to see some of them try out these phrases - and a nice gesture so that he wouldn't feel the pressure of trying to understand English all the time on top of trying to get ready for a big season with a new team. Can't wait to see how it goes!

Photo @ http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com


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Cusco's Japanese scene

Visiting Peru, we definitely wanted to try as much Peruvian food as possible. But we also thought it would be fun to see what Peru's international cuisine was like. Each country we have visited seems to have its own take on foriegn food. Chinese food is the US is different from the Chinese food in Germany - and both are different from the food in China. You get the idea.

Our first night in Cusco, we went to Kin Taro, a Japanese restaurant not far from the Plaza de Armas. Suffering from altitude sickness, I was in no condition to eat much - so I just stuck with tea. But others in my party tried sashimi, which is probably the last thing I would have wanted to eat in a mountain city hundreds of miles from the ocean. But I learned that the fish served in that particular dish, Sashimi de Trucha y Palta Con Arroz, actually came from Lake Titicaca. The taste and the look of the food were nothing like we had ever seen in Japan, but we were impressed to see extremely Japanese-looking bowls, teacups, and chopsticks. And I was entertained by the Japanese style and food magazines that other travelers had left there. If I couldn't be in Japan, Kin Taro was not a bad place to be instead!

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Cafe con leche

Café con leche was one of my favorite things to order in Peruvian restaurants and cafes, especially in the Cusco area – and it was never served the same way twice. I ordered my first café con leche at Keros, a small sidewalk café in Aguas Calienes. The waitress brought three pitchers to my table – two small ones filled with strong, sludgy coffee and thick, creamy milk, along with a large one filled with hot water. This setup allowed me to craft my drink to suit my tastes.

One of my most memorable orders of café con leche was at a tiny, no-name restaurant in Ollyantaytambo. Here, I received a huge ceramic mug of warm milk, a tiny glass pitcher of strong coffee, and a large container of sugar. With so much milk, this version of café con leche was extremely filling – but also comforting on that cool morning, as we enjoyed our breakfast outdoors at a heavy wooden table next to the dusty road.


Back in Cusco, the classy café La Bondiet provided a more sophisticated café con leche, which fit right in with the classical music, soft lights, and impressive display case of French and Peruvian pastries. A delicate cup and saucer held warm, fresh milk, and it was accompanied by a pitcher of frothy coffee. This drink was a perfect complement to the plate of tiny handmade pastries like pinonitos (vanilla sponge cake with sweet condensed milk and coconut) and cachitos (puff pastry cones filled with Peruvian sweet milk) we ordered with it.

I think I was spoiled by all the great café con leche I sampled in the Cusco area – so imagine my disappointment when all I could find throughout the rest of our trip was Nescafe…

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The museum circuit

For Christmas, we received Chicago City Passes, tickets which provide entrance to five of the city's best tourist attractions: Field Museum, John Hancock Observatory, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, and Shedd Aquarium. Living in the city, we sometimes take these places for granted and don't make a point of visiting them. So the City Pass gave us a good excuse to go back and catch up on all the things we have been missing.

Here are some of the highlights:

Sue, the T-Rex, is one of the most popular - and impressive - attractions at the Field Museum.

A clear night gave us great views of the city from John Hancock. The City Pass included an interesting audio tour.

The Museum of Science and Industry's transportation exhibit is impressive - and we also got to see a 3-D movie!

Far Out Fridays at the Adler allow visitors to stay late, take part in special events - and look through telescopes!

Lizards and the Komodo King is Shedd Aquarium's current special exhibit.

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Happy Birthday, dear kitty!

My cat celebrated her third birthday recently. She loves water more than anything - and so we bought her a bottle of Evian as a present. She couldn't have been happier!





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