Pittsburgh!

LOVE THIS CITY!

So much to do and eat!

The best part?  We didn't have any performances here.  Just time off!

WICKED was performing here the days we were there so I got to meet up with my friend, the drummer.  I sat in the pit and watched him play the show.  So amazing!

The hotel was beautiful!  Gotta love The Omni!

The food?  

I had some pretty fantastic meals here.

I had some of the best Thai food I've ever had at Nicky's Thai Kitchen.  I actually miss this food!

Thai Food

I had to go to the infamous Primanti Bros. Restaurant.  

I got the grilled chicken sandwich, but it's not your typical sandwich; this one is complete with slaw and french fries stacked on top. Yum!

The Monster Sandwich

A View From My Room

Some Crème Brûlée From The Hotel

We also celebrated the Trombonist's Birthday in this city, complete with hookah, a hockey game, and Chipotle.

Fun times!

Brookville, New London

BROOKVILLE, NY:

It was the weekend of the Superbowl in New York.  Hotel prices skyrocketed.  

We get a housing allowance to pay for our hotels weekly.  

We also get discounted rates on hotels which makes our housing affordable.

This hotel was about $110/night for a single occupancy room, so that means a double is about $55.

This is considerably more than we are used to paying...

Not fun!

This was especially unfortunate because it was a one-nighter so we hardly spent any time in the hotel, not that anyone would have wanted to in this gem...

NEW LONDON, CT:

A really nice New England town, complete with a Thames River.  I thought that was kinda cool...

Nice coffee shop right across the street from the theatre.

Me With Some Of The Other Guys In The Cast And Band

Syracuse

I contacted the local YMCA here and they were kind enough to allow us to use the gym facilities!

It's always nice to be sitting in a city long enough to go to a real gym.

Another plus in this city was the fact that our hotel was within walking distance to the venue.  

No bus call to the venue!

Great college town.  Nice local bars and food a bit of a walk from the hotel.

Burlington, Wilkes-Barre, West Point

BURLINGTON, VT:

Such an amazing coffee shop here called Muddy Waters.  

I HIGHLY recommend checking this place out! 

The Cauliflower Soup Was Amazing!

Our music director got very sick here and had to be onstage with a trash can by his side.  So miserable!  I've been there...I don't wish that on my worst enemy.

WILKES-BARRE, PA:

We got very creative with the set here.  The venue was way too small to load our set in and out of.  As a result, we had to cut most of our set and re-stage our show to fit that stage.

WEST POINT, NY:
We got to perform at the Military Academy.  Really cool to learn about the history of West Point!

Morgantown and Utica

I'm WAY behind in posts!

MORGANTOWN, WV: 

This was another one-nighter on a college campus.  I used to have family here, but they moved away after college so I was confined to the Hotel Morgan, which was haunted!  

A nice town as far as West Virginia is concerned...

UTICA, NY:

Utica, NY was great the second time around, but COLD!  

We got off the tour bus and could hardly move.  It was about -15 F when we arrived.  

We stayed at this really cool historic hotel called Hotel Utica.  

I stayed at a Radisson the last time I was there so this amazing hotel was a nice surprise. 

We had to change rooms a couple times due to our heat not working and a burst pipe, but I absolutely loved this hotel! 

One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in the country is in Utica.   

There's just something about Pho Mekong House of Noodles that just does it for me.

My Pho With Lotus Tea

I also had a pretty cool encounter with some Bosnians in a Bosnian-run coffee shop.

I walked in and ordered a coffee from the guys behind the counter and his friend was sitting at the counter.  We start talking about music and they start playing Bosnian music for me (which rocks) and then in walks another guy with a plate full of Bosnian food.  They asked if I'd like to try some, so I did.  I can't remember what the dish was called, but it consisted of mashed potatoes, sausage wrapped in cabbage, and homemade bread.  Really delicious!