20/01/2026
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Denmark, Europe, Scandinavia, Travel

Nordic 101: Intro to Scandinavia – Let’s Go to Denmark!

Europe has largely been a continent that I have not explored. Until our trip to the UK and Ireland in 2024, I had only been to Spain way back in 2004. Back then, I could not (legally) drink, nor could I venture out much on my own since I was with a school group. Did I go to an English pub with a classmate and watch England in the Euros, taking place next door in Portugal, one night? Who can say.

Flash forward to me as an adult, and I am now getting out and around!

My partner has a former work colleague who is Finnish, and she was going to get married in Finland during the summer of 2025. With that in mind, we started to craft our own adventure through Scandinavia before and after the wedding.

At one point, there was a subplot about me possibly picking up a new car in Germany, driving it around Scandinavia, and then back to Germany, where it would be shipped home. That turned out to be crazy. Mostly because it just would not make any sense to do that. And because I decided to buy a car locally.

My future father-in-law spent time in Stockholm as an exchange student. In turn, he also housed some Swedish kids back in California. He has kept in touch with his former hosts and waxes poetic about his time in Sweden. My partner’s parents were already discussing a trip back to Sweden to visit those people and places, so when we learned of our exact dates, those two trips became one.

After that was ironed out, our adventure eventually turned into a road trip.

There really is only one airline when flying to and from Scandinavia: SAS. I mean, Scandinavia is in their name: Scandinavian Airlines System. Sure, there’s Finnair or Norwegian (except they don’t fly in the States anymore), but SAS will take you all over.

We ended up flying to Seattle and had a long layover there that was hair-pulling at times. I’m looking at you, baggage locker place! Your hours are not followed. Your entire team disappears for lunch, leaving no one behind the counter. Then, when we came back (as we were told that we could come back whenever), we had to wait for someone to show up and unlock the shop! GAH!

The movie you see on the screen, The Roundup: Punishment, was one of the movies I watched on the flight. I hadn’t put two and two together until I was watching the opening credits that I had actually watched The Roundup way back in 2023 on our way to New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup. I had to continue the series!

After nine hours and eleven minutes, give or take, of flying, we landed in Copenhagen. Full disclosure, I had a great-grandparent who immigrated from Denmark to the US a long, long time ago. This was my first trip to the “motherland”.

As I approached the customs agent, a sense of dread filled me. Existential, clearly improbable scenarios filled my mind. What if I were denied entry? What if my great-grandfather was deported from Denmark, and I, carrying his surname, was in turn not allowed in? It would be like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, only in CPH. What actually happened was the agent asked me why I was in Denmark, I told him about our trip, and then I was let in.

Sidenote: I miss getting physical stamps in my passport. They were a fun part of my travels that is now extinct, mainly due to the advent of technology.

While we were waiting for our bags, we started planning our journey to the hotel. Seeing that the city is pretty accessible by public transit, we went with that. Now, here is something that we discovered before leaving that saved us a ton of money in Copenhagen.

It’s the Copenhagen Card. I’m linking it because it was such a game-changer for us. The card offers you savings and various discounts at points of interest in Copenhagen over a period of time. We opted for the Discover Copenhagen Card. It costs 559 Danish Krone or 75 Euros and gives you unlimited access to all public transit and free access to 80+ attractions throughout the city. We were going to be in town for three days, so we selected 72 hours of fun. All you do is show the card; it can be kept on your phone, at spots across the city, and they let you in! The money saved from entry fees at museums and tours was worth the 75 Euros.

We collected our bags and easily made our way to the train. The train was busy, I mean, it’s an airport, but by no means was it an insurmountable crowd. I love getting on a train in another country. There is something about watching the countryside or city zip by the window that brings me joy.

When we popped up streetside at our stop, it was something to behold. The weather was perfect. We walked a little bit to our hotel, but it was worth it. We saw some truly unique and distinct architecture. It felt retro and futuristic at the same time. The dichotomy of metal and glass next to brick facades creates this ultra-urban factory-meets-residential vibe.

I forgot to mention how clean the city was! I am from a place where there is trash nearly everywhere. Even if it’s a small amount, it’s there. I did not see 1% as much trash walking around as I do when I am home or in other big cities across the States. I do understand that this might be the norm across the city, and there are probably parts that are dirtier than others, but compared to home, it beats it soundly.

Since there were four of us, deciding what to eat could be difficult. This is what makes local markets so essential to find while traveling. They have stalls with different local shops. From produce and cheese to fishmongers and butchers, there is something for everyone.

TorvehallerneKBH was our destination. It is known to locals and tourists alike. We saw many people with luggage wandering about, as well as many families taking in the sunny day and welcoming space.

Even after doing a full lap, it was challenging to make a decision! There were options on options. We eventually settled on fish & chips paired with the local Mikkeller beer. (I’ve actually had Mikkeller before, but at their downtown Los Angeles shop *RIP*, but there is something about having a local beer)

No meal is complete without a bit of dessert! After dinners with my grandma, she would always say, “You’re full of this kind of food” in reference to dinner food, and then we would go to Baskin-Robbins for a scoop. With those words forever in my mind, we found ice cream.

We consumed a fair amount of calories during this lunch. That meant a walk was in order.

Our original plan was to hit the ground running and do as much as possible to combat the jet lag. That was folly. We finished our dessert and then decided to head back to our hotel and reassess our plans. A nap was in the cards, and then we would set out about town.

Jet lag is a real mother.

With the Copenhagen Card, train rides were included, making it a no-brainer to use trains to the max. That meant it would be easy for us to go back to our hotel and take a nap. It was a quick ride back and a short walk to our hotel. Seriously, I am jealous of Copenhagen’s public transit. And the bike usage. I wish where I lived prioritized that over car culture.

But that’s another ball of wax to unravel at another time.

After waking up, we decided that our next stop was the Little Mermaid statue. I was warned that the statue was a bit underwhelming. I responded by saying that I’ve seen Plymouth Rock. That’s just a random rock, not even the one they “landed” on. Still, the statue was disappointing, but it sits in a gorgeous location.

There were numerous people around the waterfront snapping photos of the statue. I looked at it and went, “Yup, that’s a statue all right,” and took my own picture.

Then the walk continued.

We ambled down the waterfront and took in the views of the Kastellet. It’s a 17th-century fortress shaped like a star, complete with ramparts and a few bridges. We did not venture onto the grounds because it was getting dark, and we were looking for a place to rest our feet.

After gazing upon the fountain and statues, my future father-in-law found us a place for dinner. It was not far from where we were standing, and it had stellar reviews.

The Pescatarian sits on the corner and invites you down below the street. It also just so happened to be the day of the Royal Run. An event where people, including the royal family, run either a 1.6, 5, or 10km through the streets of Copenhagen. The restaurant looked to be in the middle of the action (earlier in the day, no one was running this late into the night), and crews were packing up barricades and signage from the race.

No one was expecting a five or six-course meal when we walked in. I don’t even remember the last time I ate a meal that was this expertly prepared and presented. I am also not one to constantly take photos of my food, but I had to at this point. “For the ‘Gram as they say.” Or, in my case, for my website, which a handful of people will read and see.

The meal was finished, and our appetites were satiated. The next thing was to get back to our hotel. My partner and I really enjoy taking scooters and bikes around towns. It is a fun way to travel. There’s nothing quite like the wind in your face and hair as you ride down a city street. If you do scoot, just be mindful of the rules of the road and the traffic. We found some e-bikes and then made our way back. The sun was nearly set on our first day in Scandinavia.

All in all, it was a great way to start our trip.

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06/01/2026
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Baseball, New York, Sport, Travel, USA

Inside the House that Ruth did not Build: A Trip to New Yankee Stadium

“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.” Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones, said those lines in the 1989 classic film Field of Dreams. Even some thirty-odd years after the film’s release, those words still ring true.

It feels like there is a new stadium being built somewhere in the country, and the world, for that matter, at any given time. Given everything that it had “seen,” why would the Yankees want to build a new stadium? Fenway and Wrigley are still standing. They are cramped as hell, but they still function. From everything that I’ve read and remember reading at the time of its construction, it came down to money. Doesn’t it always?

The stadium was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. The renovation that was done in the 70’s made the stadium worse, somehow, and by the early 2000’s, upkeep was turning into a money pit. This is the version that is out there. The skeptical internet sleuths/trolls/tin-foil hat wearers believe it to be some kind of money laundering.

I never got to experience the old Yankee Stadium. But when we were planning our trip to see some shows, we saw that the Yankees would be in town and playing my partner’s favorite team, the Giants. It also happened to be on her birthday. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

We didn’t do the New York thing and take the train to the game. I know, I know, that’s what people do! But we got a late start and saw that it would be faster for us to take a cab there. Which is, in its own right, a rite of passage for New York transit.

Pulling up to the stadium was hectic. People were all over the place, crossing the street, getting out of cars, and packing the sidewalks to get into the stadium. It’s the Yankees. That’s to be expected. They had just come off a World Series appearance, and the beginning of the 2025 season sprang new hope among the fans in pinstripes.

The stadium is just over 15 years old, and it still looks new. It also feels a bit sterile. Tall, vaulted ceilings on the ground floor. A hibachi guy dishing out wok-based food like it’s Benihana. And a color scheme that evokes the team’s colors and the old Yankee Stadium. Referencing old stadium photos, the place had character and history.

This new place is still coming into its own. They christened it with a 2009 World Series and made it back last season, only to collapse in Game 5. Still, it is a lovely stadium, loaded with amenities that I am sure the previous place lacked.

The day was pretty perfect, weather-wise. A slight breeze. Clouds above, but nothing ominous. And the sun kept peeking out every so often to provide some warmth.

My partner and I have a deal. When we go to a baseball game, and only one of our teams is playing, we will support that team, but with a twist. Since both of our favorite teams originated in New York, we wear those teams’ jerseys. For example, I wear a Willie Mays New York Giants jersey, and if the Dodgers are playing, she will wear a Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers jersey. When the Giants and Dodgers play each other, we revert to our teams and heckle each other throughout. So here I am, in a Willie Mays New York Giants jersey.

The number of people who give me a “Go Mets!” when they see my hat is funny. The logo is similar, so it’s forgivable. The Mets, famously, borrowed their blue from the Dodgers and their orange from the Giants. Voila! Blue and orange mets.

Anyway, back to the game at hand!

The Giants went down early. 3 to nothing, to be exact. It was not looking good. It had all the shapings of a rout. Then Jung Hoo Lee and the Giants chipped back with a solo homerun and took the lead two innings later with a three-run homerun. This prompted the stereotypical boomer of a New Yorker in front of us to say that the Yankees “Needed a Korean” on their team. Uhhhhh what?

The Giants would hold on to the lead and eventually close it out for the win. It was an entertaining game! A wonderful present for her first visit to Yankee Stadium.

I tell you what, it is a nice stadium. The staff were friendly. I had a pretty decent hot dog! They kept many recognizable features from the old stadium and carried them over to this new one. I can see why some people would gripe about it, but it is a good place to watch baseball.

The Yankees are probably the most recognizable baseball team in the world. From Seinfeld to Fred Durst (if you have to look up Limp Bizkit right now, then boy do I feel old) to Spike Lee and to Billy Crystal. Their fans are as passionate as any around the league. They play in a big city and can attract talent and fans because of their history (and money). It can be an easy draw to watch them and become a fan. It’s a lot of winning! 27 World Series championships are nothing to scoff at.

Coming from a family that is half Red Sox fans, I can tell you one thing: I am never sad when the Yankees lose.

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30/12/2025
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New York, Travel, USA

Something to Do & Something to Eat in New York: Part 2

Our next day started at Chelsea Market because my partner knew that we could find some good eats there. And we did!

Spoiler alert.

We wandered the halls looking at the various stalls. We saw everything from BBQ to Japanese to Italian specialty grocery stores. But we settled on a more traditional breakfast spot that offered both bakery items and meals.

I went with French toast, and my partner chose eggs Benedict. Or at least I think that’s what’s pictured. I don’t know eggs. I hate eggs. I’ll eat them when they’re IN something like a cookie or bread, but I cannot eat plain eggs. It’s the smell, the texture, and really every bit of them that I despise. Don’t get me started on hard-boiled eggs! The sheer audacity of some people to eat those in public. Shame!

But enough about eggs!

The food was delicious. And after eating a ton of calories, we knew it was time to walk.

We had a show we were trying to get to, and we had plenty of time to walk there. We hopped on the High Line and took in a different view of New York City. So often, the sights we see are from the street level or above the buildings.

Welcome to a new perspective.

The High Line is built on an old, elevated rail line. And it operates as a single, long park that can be enjoyed year-round.

Being above the street and just below the buildings is a terrific way to experience the city. You walk by businesses and apartments at their level. Not often can you do that.

Walking in any major city would involve multiple interruptions. Stop lights, stop signs, and traffic in general would slow your sauntering. But when you are above it all and a couple of floors above the ground, you can walk to your heart’s content.

There are a ton of funky, amazing, and wonderfully designed buildings along this walk. I’m not I.M. Pei, but I can appreciate interesting and thoughtfully designed buildings.

The end of the road brought us to a honeycomb-like structure called “Vessel.” It’s in the Hudson Yards neighborhood and right next to a mall. A mall where we hurried inside because it was starting to rain harder than the modest drizzle we had experienced earlier on our walk. My partner is not so fond of heights, so that was another reason we went inside. No reason to tempt the fears by climbing up an M.C. Escher-like set of stairs.

From there, it was about a half-hour walk to the theatre where we would see Hadestown. My thoughts on that show have been well documented. If you missed it, I’m not a fan.

After the show, we found B-Side Pizza Bar. It did exactly what we wanted. Served us delicious pizza. Excuse the blurry photo below. We were hungry and only took a photo midway through our meal. Take our, and my, word for it. It’s good.

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26/11/2025
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New York, Travel, USA

Something to Do & Something to Eat in New York: Part 1

The title is pretty self-explanatory. I am going to run through a few places in this limited series for things to do and to eat while in New York City. This also means I can expand this series to other cities in the future, if I want to.

But for now, we will stick to one place to eat and one place to do something fun. People’s definitions of “fun” vary widely. Museums may be your idea of fun, or they could be the death knell of joy. We like to visit regular museums, art & sculpture, and the like, but we also enjoy other types of museums.

I am also aiming to highlight sites that are not frequently mentioned when you think of these cities. The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square, MOMA, etc. Those types of places won’t be featured here. I am looking for things that maybe engage other senses while also being fun.

Enter, The Color Factory.

The Color Factory is a hands-on examination of color. Is it mainly geared towards children? Yes and no. There were several children present when we walked through, and adults were also enjoying the museum.

It is a very photogenic place to visit. There is color, duh, everywhere! We first found this spot on Instagram, and the videos and photos we saw immediately drew us in. That, and looking for something that would get us out of the rain and cold. Win-win!

The world of colors and the sense of taste combine to begin our journey.

After checking our coats, we were treated to a rainbow assortment of fortune cookies. Each cookie had a different color and flavor. It was a fun way to awaken the palate. It was also a nice introduction to what we were about to experience. It was a standard fortune cookie with a flavorful surprise.

Toucan Sam would be all over the next room. We followed our noses to small, colorful vents and sniffed. Literally, breathing in the aromas of colors and the words that correspond to them. It was not a straightforward “you’re smelling cotton candy” or anything similar. The words chosen for each scent allow your mind to create a scent, and then you dive in, nose first, and smell something. Some areas were more pungent than others, but it was still a fun exercise.

After testing the olfactory sense, it was time to rest our feet and let our ears in on the fun. We put on headphones and listened to a prompt. The prompt led us to draw the person across from us and use the colored pencils provided. But it wasn’t a straightforward drawing session. We used the colors as a gateway to the inner workings of our drawing partner. What is their aura? What colors remind you of them? Things like that. It also asked us to stare at them and draw their face without picking up the pencil. That was hard, no lie. I did not do my partner’s face any justice. What I drew was round but also misshapen because I drew a circle too small and then overcorrected and made a bulbous circle. Straight to the bin went that paper!

We then entered a world of sound. And as I typed that, I read it in a Rod Serling Twilight Zone-esque voice. But we did enter a room with multiple percussion instruments, xylophones, and were tasked with playing along. By playing along, I mean using the mallets and making some music.

The next two rooms were explorations of brightness and darkness. Or, that’s what I’m calling it in my thesis for my non-existent paper on the exploration of color and society.

We first made our way through a room that looked like Barbie’s dreamhouse had exploded. It was a party room, and the only thing I thought about after leaving the room was how much of a pain it would be to clean all that confetti up.

The second room was a silent disco. No audible sound, unless you were wearing headphones. Once the headphones were on, the funk was all around, and you could let the music move you through the dimly lit room. It is a fun phenomenon to experience. You see people dancing and wonder what song it is. Then you join in and find out, and once you’re finished, you go back to being out of the loop for the dance party.

The last room took us back to our days visiting Charles Entertainment Cheese. Or, as he is more commonly known, Chuck E. Cheese. It was a ball pit. Take off your shoes and enjoy “swimming” around an inordinate number of monochrome plastic balls. This was just a fun way to end the journey. It was also fun to throw the balls at my partner, who said they smelled “like feet”.

If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

Now for something to eat.

We were extremely stereotypical and went with the tried-and-true New York bagel. PopUp Bagels was our spot, and they hit the mark with these bad boys. Delicious and flavorful, while not being too heavy. The perfect balance.

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04/11/2025
2 Comments
New York, Travel, USA

A Broadway Speedrun: New York 2025

If you are a gamer, then you know what a “speedrun” is. For this unitiated, it is when you attempt to complete a game in as little time as possible. Lately, the word “speedrun” has bled into the real world. For example, there was an attempt to complete the largest party of people completing a BART “Speedrun.” If you didn’t know, BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. It is the public transit system used throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. With that in mind, back to our journey.

My partner’s birthday is in April, and we bounced around numerous ideas of what we should do to celebrate. She usually goes to a baseball game since the beginning of the season coincides with her birthday. We looked up the Giants’ schedule and saw that they would not be at home. BUT I saw that they would be playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. It just so happened that neither of us had been to that stadium, and it became a no-brainer for us to schedule a trip out to New York and watch her favorite team. **Writer’s note: I will go more in-depth on this stadium visit in a later post**

Then we started thinking about what else we could do while we were there. Both of us really enjoy musicals, so we began to see which one we could see. The theatre gods must have heard that we were looking because, in my search, I came across a new musical starring one of her favorite performers, Idina Menzel. I knew nothing about the show Redwood that she was starring in, but I know that my partner has a favorite tree, and it just so happens to be the redwood. It could not have been more serendipitous.

I will review these shows, just so you know. I have some choice words for a couple of them. One in particular just really bored the crap out of me. But that will come later!

We let the idea of going to New York and seeing a Broadway show marinate in our minds for a while. Then one afternoon, we started thinking: what if we saw more than one show? We began to examine dates and times, as well as what was available. We had it down to seeing one show on Thursday night, the night we arrived. One show on Friday night. Then a matinee and an evening show on Saturday. Lastly, after baseball on Sunday, we would see a final evening show.

Five shows in four days.

A Broadway Speedrun.

What could go wrong?

Only one thing, in fact, went wrong, but it turned out to be kismet.

Our flight into LaGuardia was diverted to Baltimore due to a mechanical issue, which resulted in a new arrival time. That new arrival time was just maybe minutes before our first show was supposed to start. Maybe Happy Ending was supposed to be stop number one on our Broadway Speedrun. “Sounds to me like someone has a case of the sposdas.”

I was super duper grumpy. This was a show that I wanted to see. Darren Criss is a phenomenal performer, and I was excited to see him live. My partner kept messaging me in our silent Uber that we could still make it to the show and probably arrive about 30 minutes after it opened. I knew it was a one-act show, and it would be a tight fit. We both looked up to see if we could check our luggage at the theatre’s coat check to save ourselves time. No dice. I was resigned to not going out or doing anything because I was so despondent. My partner, not so much, and it is why I love her.

Within minutes of our arrival at the hotel, she was looking up what other shows were available and starting later than the usual 7 o’clock. She found one, and its title fit our situation quite perfectly.

Show #1

Just In Time.

We knew nothing about this show, except that it was about Bobby Darin, when we arrived at the box office and purchased our tickets. This is where the kismet occurred. This show was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I have ever seen. Jonathan Groff is sensational. The energy he exudes is palpable. The music fills the space and your bones, and the dancing is infectious.

I will start by saying that you can’t walk up to this show’s box office today and hope to get a ticket. We happened upon this show as it was still in previews. Now, it is a hot ticket, and we know why. The Circle in the Square theatre sits just below, literally, the Gershwin. Jonathan Groff welcomed us all to the “Basement of Wicked,” as that is the show that goes on above you. He also thanked the dozens of people who watched Mindhunter who were in attendance, to which I cheered because I loved that show.

Then the show begins in earnest, and we embark on a journey through the life of Bobby Darin. Gracie Lawrence delivered soulful and fantastic vocals as Connie Francis. She was a real surprise and amazing to watch. Just in Time is one of those shows where the cast walks the aisles and between the audience who are seated on the floor of the theatre. Jonathan got so close to us that he grabbed a man on the aisle, two seats over, and twirled him around at his seat. He’s also known to be a prolific spitter, and it was on full display.

This is an intimate and fantastic show and should not be missed while Jonathan Groff is on the marquee.

Show #2

Our second show took us in a wildly imaginative and fantastical direction. A touch of the macabre and a heavy dose of humor and wit, mixed in with some supremely talented vocalists, give you Death Becomes Her.

I grew up watching the 1992 film of the same name. It’s campy, yet also funny and dramatic, mainly due to the talent on screen. On a recent rewatch, it is also surprisingly sexy. I mean, Isabella Rossellini is barely hiding her chest and body behind sequins and beads and a sarong. How did this one sneak by my parents? In the words of Dean Pelton: “This better not awaken anything in me.“

Back to the show at hand!

The writers, both for the music and the book, took the existing material and updated it for a modern audience while maintaining the essence of the cult classic film. Michelle Williams starts off the show, and her vocals set the tone. She is a natural on stage and commands the audience’s attention. Must have been all those years standing next to Beyoncé finally paying off. Kidding!

Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard are equally fantastic. They have undeniable chemistry and wickedly brilliant comedic timing. They took the film characters and made them their own. Amping up the camp, comedy, and sexiness. Christopher Sieber shines as Ernest Menville, “Surgeon to the Stars!” In totality, the show is excellent. The costumes, the makeup, the effects, the music! All of it comes together in a show that is supremely entertaining from start to finish.

I have found myself listening to the Original Cast Recording quite a lot. They are catchy tunes!

Show #3

After seeing two sensational shows on back-to-back nights, we were riding high going into our matinee on Saturday.

I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology. I, for some reason, took Classics classes while I was in college, as there has always been something about the Gods and ancient Greek (and Roman) society that has piqued my interest. This has since extended to modern times, as I have devoured the Percy Jackson series of books. Hadestown seemed like a no-brainer. It is a prestigious show with Tony Awards out the wazoo and has a rabid fanbase.

I was not a fan.

I found the show immensely boring. On this day, the Hades of Hadestown was distracting, and overall, I found the show to be incredibly pretentious. The folk music is not for me. I will admit that plainly. So if you like folk music, this could be right up your alley. It’s not mine.

I truly felt like leaving during intermission, but I have never left a show or movie without returning, unless it was absolutely necessary. We stuck it out. I did not care for the characters or their plight. Also, you mean to tell me that Orpheus had all that time to come up with a song to save the day, and the only lyrics he could come up with were “La la la la la” on repeat??? I understand that it is supposed to be poetic, but it also comes off as half-assed and pretentious for the sake of art. Yes, look, he came up with a melody, and the words don’t need to be profound because it’s what’s in his heart that counts. I get that, but it fell so flat for me.

When the cast came out for the curtain call, we clapped politely and then left. This show has a fan base like Hamilton; it’s not for me.

Show #4

We hit a low note. Pun intended. Our next show was the one that we designed our entire trip around.

Redwood.

A quick aside here before I review the show. I used to work for a catering company in Los Angeles. One New Year’s Eve, I was given the paperwork to head out and deliver to a part of The Valley. I won’t actually say which city I went to out of respect for the celebrity’s privacy. Her name was at the top of the delivery sheet. Idina Menzel.

I arrived at her house with all the food and began bringing it inside. Her family was in the kitchen, guiding me, and I was telling them about the various foods I had laid out. Then, in walks Idina herself. Or maybe she answered the door, and I played it cool, but telling the story this way is much more engaging. As I was finishing up, she told me to wait right there. I did. She comes back and asks her family and friends if this looked real to them as well. She’s holding a 100-dollar bill. She hands it to me and says, “This is from my kids’ Christmas money. If it turns out to not be real, you come back and find me.” She laughs, and I tell her that she doesn’t need to take from her child’s stash. She brushes it off, saying that they won’t know and that she’ll replace it later. So, I let it go.

The money was real, by the way.

Flash forward to the present, and here we were front and center for the Broadway return of Idina Menzel. Was I secretly hoping that she would recognize me? Yes. But that was six years ago. I have a beard now.

The Nederlander Theatre, where Redwood was playing, was where Idina made her Broadway debut in Rent nearly 20 years ago. At times, the way the universe unfolds is quite amazing.

The show itself starts out rough. The opening song thrusts us into the life of our protagonist in a quasi spoken-sung song, filling us in on why she is where she is. From there, the show improves, but it is marred by some dialogue that is cloyingly sentimental and eye-rollingly bad. The show is, really, a vehicle for Idina to sing her heart out. And she does just that. She is the reason the show exists (or existed).

The other standout, musically, is Zachary Noah Piser. He has, for us, the song of the show. When he sings “Still,” it hits us like a ton of bricks. Even though I cry every time I hear it, it remains the only song from the show that I come back to. It’s a simple message that he sings – everybody dies, but not everybody lives – but his voice is so powerful and impactful that it transcends the triteness of the words.

Another aspect of the show that we found exceptionally well done is the set design. The production team used screens to create the forest and other environments, and then placed a central redwood around which the actors would climb and be centered. It made a truly ethereal environment. It is a shame that the rest of the show does not fully gel. After the announcement of the 2025 Tony Awards and Redwood receiving zero nominations, the writing was on the wall. The show closed its run early.

Still, we were glad to have seen Idina Menzel live on stage.

Show #5

The final act of our Broadway Speedrun took us to the land of Shakespeare. AKA William Shakespeare, Bill Shakespeare, or Billy Shakes.

There is a vocal minority that has some sort of beef with the Jukebox Musical. We are not a part of that group. Who cares?! If it is done well, that is all that matters.

It was time for & Juliet.

Before the show truly began, performers took to the stage and interacted with the audience. This was more than the cursory wave to the balcony. They were actually engaged with those in the front few rows. They were setting the stage, yes, yes, I know, for how the show would break the fourth wall and immerse the audience in the performance.

The show begins, almost where the original play of Romeo & Juliet ends, except it asks us, “What would happen if Juliet didn’t follow a man and instead forged her own path?” Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, implores her husband to rewrite the play so that it is not so tragic and actually gives Juliet some agency in her life. This is where Anne takes over, and our story begins.

The show uses that outline and infuses it with pop songs written and co-written by Max Martin to propel our characters through a world where people are accepted for who they are and embraced for their differences. It’s lovely. We are treated to songs by Robyn, *NSYNC, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, and many more.

I truly loved every aspect of this show. It’s funny, it has heart, and it is supremely entertaining from start to the confetti-raining finish.

Our final show ended, and we began our walk back to our hotel. The high from the finale of & Juliet had waned, and we were exhausted. Five shows in four days, on top of all of the other things we did (which will be documented later), had taken its toll on us. If we hadn’t gone to a baseball game on Sunday, we could have made it to six shows in four days.

Maybe next year?

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