Our February Date Nights

One of our goals as a couple this year is to have at least two dedicated date nights each month. Despite my frequent work travel and an exciting birthday celebration, we managed to fit two fun dates into February!  I decided we should kick off the month by tapping into our Bank of America Museums on Us program to gain free entry into The Museum of the Moving Image located just a short bus ride from our apartment.  Chris planned a fun night out to see the legendary Hall & Oates perform at Madison Square Garden.

The Museum of the Moving Image provides a full range of stationary and interactive exhibits that allow visitors to better understand, enjoy, and appreciate the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media.  It was SUCH a fun day.  We began our trek through the museum at an alternating exhibit area focused on cats of the internet.  Got in a few good laughs before continuing to the main area featuring an array of costumes and make-up artistry exhibits.  I enjoyed checking out the Mrs. Doubtfire memorabilia.  There were also several intriguing areas filled with old toys and marketing campaign materials as well as a brief history of animation.

We moved on to the interactive floor and let our inner kid come out to play.  There were high tech flip book movies to watch, short animated films to create, and even an opportunity to voice over a variety of movie scenes.  We did it all!  I wish I had recorded our voice overs.  I promise I sounded spot on like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.  Chris tried a scene from Coming to America with an equally fun outcome!  Definitely a fun day of acting silly and learning all about the art of film making!

Later in the month, we ventured out to Madison Square Garden for a night of smooth grooves with Hall & Oates.  The opener wasn't my favorite, but when the main act finally arrived front and center things really began to heat up!  They played most of Chris' favorite songs and even I knew several of the hits!  We had fun people watching in our area of the arena, too.  It was a fun night that was much needed after I'd spent nearly a week away on work trips.  Hall & Oates certainly know how to work the crowd and put on a show. 

   

What fun date nights have you had recently?

Andrea :)

Not-So-Smart People

When Second Stage Theater announced the cast of its latest production, Smart People, I was floored.  Four people...and I knew them all.  If by knew them all, I meant I had watched them in various TV shows over the years.  Needless to say, I was super excited to see the show.

We've attended shows at Second Stage for quite some time.  We even became season ticket holders this year.  We had yet to be disappointed by a production there.  And the premise of Smart People - on the eve of Obama's 2008 Presidential Election, four highly intelligent Cambridge residents broach the treacherous topic of race - seemed intriguing and certainly relevant, but we just didn't love it.

Despite the absolutely phenomenal acting from Brian (Joshua Jackson), Ginny (Anne Son), Jackson (Mahershala Ali), and Valerie (Tessa Thompson), the story line felt needlessly convoluted at times.  Brian, a progressive neuroscientist professor studying the brain's response to race and its implications, falls for Ginny, a psychiatrist studying low-income Asian-American women's reaction to stress.  Ginny interfaces with Doctor Jackson when she proposes her services at his newly establish clinic for low-income patients.  Jackson has a chance encounter with Valerie, a struggling actress, when he begins stitching up the deep gash an out of place prop made on her forehead.  Valerie later signs up as a research assistant for Brian.  And ultimately, the entire crew unknowingly gathers for a dinner party that goes awry once the issues of race are once again brought into the mix.

While there were some interesting thoughts brought to light, it could have been presented in a more appealing way.  It is a play that I would recommend based on the content rather than the production.  Honestly, the cast carried the true weight of the show.  Unfortunately, it is no longer showing at Second Stage, but it's possible it could pop up again down the line.

Andrea :)

Birthday Fun with My Love

Celebrating birthdays is one of my favorite things in life.  Last Friday night was no exception.  Christopher and I spent the evening at the fabulous Club A Steakhouse in Manhattan.  Such a fantastic time!  And the food is SO delicious!

We started off with some lobster bisque...probably the best I've ever had.  We shared a meat platter with filet mignon and NY Strip for the main course alongside broccoli and mashed potatoes.  The Happy Birthday dessert plate was a perfect assortment of tasty treats to top off the night.

The next night, we celebrated with The Soul Rebels featuring Talib Kweli.  When I asked Chris what he wanted to do for his birthday, this was his choice.  We'd never been to the Brooklyn Bowl so we headed there about a half hour before the show was set to begin.  We figured that would give us time to find a nice spot to settle into before the show started.  Little did we know it would be nearly two and a half hours until we'd see any sign of life on the stage.  Ugh!  Not ideal for the over 30 crowd...which may have just been us.  But still, sort your life out Brooklyn Bowl!!

Once the group got started around 10:15, they weren't bad.  I was partial to the songs that included rappers like Nigel Hall, Talib Kweli, and Rakim.  The show lasted a little over and hour which was a bit disappointing since we had waiting so long for them to come on, but Talib Kweli performed Chris' favorite song so I guess it all worked out in the end. I was just happy that Chris had such a wonderful day and weekend.  Cheers to another great year ahead!

Andrea :)