Philly's Love Run

After years of saying "I'd love to run the Philly Love Run," I decided to do it. The LOVE Run has a long history in Philadelphia as a fast and flat half-marathon. While I have done half marathons in the past, I knew this wasn't the year for me to train and do another one. I thought in the past they also offered a 5K version, but it feels like a lot of running around for a 5K. When I saw they were offering a 7.6K version, I signed up for it. (Get it, 76, as in the Spirit of 1776?)

While they offered an extra fee for packet pick up, I decided it would be just as easy to drive into Philly to pick up the bib. Of course, I had that thought months ago before seeing how busy life would become in the meantime. That said, I'm glad I went in for the race expo, where I also bought a red running bra, long-sleeved running shirt, and cheap running gloves. I ended up wearing the running shirt the next day -- a usual no-no. Don was my chauffeur we mapped out parking and how to get to the start line, and how long it would take to get to the start. It was also a nice day to walk around Philadelphia -- and gave us a bonus chance to enjoy the Jeni's in Center City.

Onto the race. I woke up before 5 AM to have breakfast before driving into Philadelphia. I was aiming to leave around 5:30, but (as usual) was running late and left closer to 6 AM for the 7:30 AM race time. Have no fear ... at that hour of the day it is only a 45 minute drive to the parking lot. 

I missed my turn for the Vine Street Expressway and ended up taking back roads, but still hit no traffic. That is until there was a police car blocking the road two blocks from where I had reserved a parking spot, and there was no street parking along the road because (d'oh) a race is about to happen. Fortunately the police car moved out of my way and allowed me to go to what is now our favorite parking garage in Philadelphia (located on 21st Street near Market, they offer $8 parking for many hours when you book ahead of time with Spot Hero). I even found a legit parking space. Perhaps someday I'll take a picture of the crazy grid, I suspect they use valet parking during the work week, which is why it seems you could easily get blocked in with a parking space.

I left the parking garage and guided Amy from Delaware in the right direction to the start of the race. I lost Amy and her husband (boyfriend?) once we got to the crowd of 12,000 runners from 42 states and their fan clubs. I decided to leave my jacket in baggage check. A wise move as it was in the mid-40s and would warm up as the sun rose and as I ran. At times I wished I went with my first instinct and did not run with leggings. As is, I couldn't find my running tights, so these were more like yoga pants under my running skirt.

As is becoming a tradition with Philly races, I took my pre-race photo in front of the Rocky Statue. I then walked to Corral Orange (the one for the people planning to run the slowest time) and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally at 7:57, nearly 30 minutes after the fast people started, Corral Orange was given the green light. We watched in a mixture of envy and frustration as the fast runners hit the four-mile mark across the street from us.

Unlike the Hot Chocolate Run we did last year where the 5K runners started an hour before the 15K runners (not sure if this was to space us out because it was the first year racing since COVID hit the scene, or if that is what they always do), the 7.6K runners started with the Half-Marathon runners. Since we were spaced by anticipated pace, it wasn't easy to tell one from the other.

Both courses started in front of the Art Museum. We went down the Ben Franklin Parkway, turning onto JFK Boulevard to within a block of where I parked my car (agony!) then onto Market and three-quarters of the way around City Hall, to return to the Ben Franklin Parkway. I passed a man proposing to his girlfriend in front of the AMOR statue and wondered if they were done with the 7.6K race, or if he made her stop midrace and potentially ruined her PR. 

Happily that is about the point where I saw the sign that said go RIGHT to do the Half Marathon, go LEFT to finish the 7.6K. I had a huge grin as I parted from the half marathoners and finished the race. I had such a big smile I overheard a dad say to his son "that's how you are supposed to finish the race." At least that's what I remember him saying. I just know I was very happy with how my race went, and even happier I was not continuing for another 8 1/2 miles. Always nice when you make a decision and it is still the right one weeks later.

I finished in about an hour, which was my goal. No matter how long it took, though, it was a guaranteed PR as I have never done a 7.6K race before (works out to 4.72 miles).

Highlights for me include passing under the Belgian Flag, seeing the giant clothespin statue, feeling strong enough to do this race, and stopping at the end to take a selfie with both the AMOR and LOVE statues. I didn't bump into anyone I know (though there must have been people there I know), but that was okay. This one was for me.

Post race food was MUCH better at the Hot Chocolate Run, as was the swag. The LOVE run's t-shirt is see-through white. Will wear my new red sports bra underneath it. I did like that the food swag included Peanut Butter Tandy Cakes (by TastyKake) and heart-shaped pretzels.

Some pictures:

If they are only doing the 7.6K, then they are finishing before I started

Thinking of Hayden

She said YES!

"Dear World"

 As much as they say, "don't judge a book by its cover," one look at the artwork for the musical "Dear World" and I was hooked. Trouble was, the show had a limited run over gala weekend. I've learned not to make plans the days leading up to the gala, so that left the day after the gala as our only chance to see it. Fortunately, they had two performances on Sunday: 2 pm and 7 pm. Go into New York City early the day after a late night, or late and have two late nights in a row? 

That was the dilemma. 

We opted for the 7 pm show, which allowed us to go to church in the morning to kick off its 325th celebration with a worship service featuring elements of 17th century worship -- which, fortunately for modern ears, did not include a 45-60 minute sermon.

After church we drove to Jersey City and took the PATH train to Christopher Street

station where we walked around Little Island and along the High Line before having dinner at The Counter, and finding a table to enjoy a cannoli purchased on impulse across the street from the New York City Center. 

"Dear World" is part of the Encore! series of shows not performed very often -- usually for good reason. This show was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, with music by Jerry Herman -- in the late 1960's this team had "Hello, Dolly" and "Mame" running on Broadway at the same time as "Dear World." "Dear World" starred Angela Lansbury (who won a Tony for this role) and should have been a success, and Countess Auriela should have become as famous a name as Dolly Levi and Mame Dennis. Alas, it was not a flop, but it was also not

a success. Over the years the script has been reworked to try to make some sense out of it. On the trip home I read the Wikipedia version of the plot to Don who said he didn't get all that out of the show. It needs some more work.

Last year "Into the Woods" appeared as a two-week Encores! show. It was so popular it opened a few weeks later on Broadway, which is when we saw it. By the time we heard about their limited run at the New York City Center it was too late to get tickets.

The Encores! is a series of three shows performed on stage with a full orchestra behind them. The whole show is put together in 10 days, and performed over a long weekend. It is a whirlwind! They only have two days to build and paint the set, and limited time to learn lines, songs, music, staging, etc. It is insane! For the show we saw, Donna Murphy, the lead, caught COVID and missed half of the rehearsals. As a result, she had her script in hand for some of the show (even on the last performance). Reading the comments on a FaceBook group (I know -- never read the comments) people either found it distracting or magical. They found a way to make the script almost feel like another character. It floated away from her when not needed, and magically appeared when needed. A comment made by someone more in the know than mine was that it used to be typical for the actors to be on book since the rehearsal period is so short.

What I found almost as charming as the show was the audience. We sat in the

nosebleed seats. I had a great pre-show conversation with the stranger next to me. He kept bumping into his friends. I have a feeling if we return to a future Encores! performance and sit in the same general area, we'll see him again. Though, he did say he only bought the tickets a week earlier (same as when we bought our tickets), and it is a pretty large venue. He bumped into like-minded friends, some of whom had the foresight to bring binocular - brilliant! I should look into that for the next time we go for the cheap seats, which will likely be the next time we see a Broadway show. My seatmate and I agreed we'd rather pay less for a ticket and see more shows than pay more for a ticket and see less shows.

A quick note on the theater, the New York City Center began its life as a Shriner's Temple in the early 1920s. When they could no longer pay their taxes during the Depression, NYC took over the building. In 1943 then-Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia converted it into a cultural center. It still retains a hint of the look of a Shriner's temple. The intricate tilework was a treat to study. Now that we know about them, we hope to see more shows at this venue.

Worlds Collide

House #2: the family still lives there

Last year as a fulfillment of a dream, or a promise I made to my younger self, we hosted a Belgian exchange student named Yoran. This year my past and present collided when Ashley visited Yoran and they traveled to Belgium to see where I lived. Unfortunately they were not able to connect with my host parents, but they did FaceTime me from in front of the second house where I lived. Seeing them there made me feel as if I was 18 again -- younger than the two of them.

I look forward to returning to Belgium to see my host families and reconnect with my host son.

House #1: house changed hands decades ago

Disney 100 Exhibit at the Franklin Institute

I knew Disney Theme Parks would be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Walt Disney Company (Disney always loves a celebration). What I didn't realize until reading DAPS's FaceBook post (which referenced his blog post) was that the celebration includes a special exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. While part of me would love to return to Disneyland for the celebration, I know it is not going to happen. I ache for the Disneyland that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005 when we wandered the park with 3-year-old Ashley in costume and the character interaction was magical. Things changed. The "hidden secret" of the early 2000s is now just as crowded all-year round as Walt Disney World was at the time. That and our travel dreams are taking us East towards Europe instead of the West Coast.

The exhibit opened at the Franklin Institute on February 18. Looks like it is running through August 26. Tickets are $25 for the museum + $25 for the special exhibit, or $25 to see the special exhibit in the evening (without the rest of the museum). As I said to people, much cheaper than a trip to California. We arrived early hoping to be let in early. No dice ... timed tickets mean timed tickets. Hang out near the entrance so you can be within the first to walk in at your time slot. Seemed to take them 20 minutes to process the 6 pm group and we didn't want to lose precious time in a Disney line.

Before walking into the exhibit I was transported to Disneyland when I saw these
two women cosplaying different stages of Aurora's life. Though we saw many Disney sweatshirts and other gear, they were the only cosplayers we noticed.

The exhibit opens with a hologram of Walt Disney. It is jaw dropping. His speech only lasts a minute, but it is long enough to teleport you to the past.

Due to impatience and poor planning on my part (impatience in that I really wanted to see it as soon as I could, poor planning in that I didn't buy tickets when I first heard about it), we were only able to get the last time slot for the day -- 6:30 PM, with the museum closing at 8. I had been told it takes anywhere from one to two hours to go through, depending on how much of a Disney fan you are. After watching Walt speak, I didn't have the patience to move at the pace of the person in front of me not knowing how much there was still to see. The exhibit started with the early days when Walt first created Mickey Mouse. 

My mind was racing ... how many rooms are there? How is it organized? What will I see? So Don and I moved away from the walls and moved to the end of the exhibit first. The room that felt like Main Street USA in Disneyland. The place where I fell most in love with all things Disney 18 years years ago. 

After taking a few pictures, we knew how to pace ourselves, so we walked back to almost the beginning. (In hindsight, I should have returned to the very beginning to see Walt's speech, but I suspected I could find a link to it online later, and I did.) Though the rooms at the start were still crowded, being the last ones in meant no one else was being added to the exhibit. We took oodles of pictures, and swapped tales with other Disney fans.

If you want a solid review of the exhibit, read DAPs link above. His post has the stats and the details. I didn't read his blogpost or any other news beforehand. Now that I have, I'd like to return and enjoy the exhibit again. There is much that I missed, and much I didn't appreciate. There is just THAT MUCH to immerse yourself in to appreciate all of the details. Much like a day at Disneyland.

Following are a bunch of pictures of what stood out to me at the exhibit. Major Disney fans should see it for yourselves. Minor Disney fans, this should be enough.

Guessing game ... match the color palette
with the character

Glad someone kept this gem

Walt Disney's nametag

As I was walking past this scene from "Enchanted,"
I overheard a little girl say how much she doesn't
like this movie. Ouch! I like it.

Matterhorn bobsleds from before
the refurbishment to make them safe.

Same with Peter Pan.

Minnie Mouse's dress from the 50th Anniversary celebration.
It looks so small without her in it.

Grandee use to say the "It's a Small World" dolls all reminded her of a mini-me. :) I don't see the resemblance, but I smile when I see them because they make me think of my grandmother.

Love it!

The Disney theater room was my second favorite (behind the one reminding me of Disneyland).

Many rare artifacts, like Cinderella's slipper and Pinocchio.
Helps to forget that they are really animated productions and should not have real items.

Alice always makes me think of Ashley.

This was in the movie section,
but reminded me of riding the Carousel with Mary Poppins and Bert in Disneyland.

A few weeks ago, Don and I saw the original Winnie the Pooh in New York City.

Disney is the original master of marketing.

Warms my heart someone saved all of this.

Though the exhibit was to close at 8, and we were there until the end, we did not once feel rushed. There were plenty of people still enjoying the exhibit as we left. 

Saying "hello" to Ben Franklin.

As we left the museum it was a lovely evening weather-wise. I wasn't ready to hop in the car and go home so I googled "ice cream near me." Much to my surprise, the nearest ice cream place was only a quarter mile away.

The real surprise is we had no idea Jeni's (a Columbus-based ice cream parlor) was so close to home. What a sweet way to end our adventures.

Bordentown's Chocolate Walk

Twice a year Bordentown, NJ hosts a Chocolate Walk -- early in December and the Friday before Valentine's Day. I've heard about this, but often there is scheduling conflict, so we don't go. Or the weather is miserable. This year the stars aligned and we decided to check it out.

The stars further aligned when I reached out to a friend and asked if he and his paramour were free to join us that night.

It turned out they were. I hesitantly pitched the idea to Don, who went along with it (though with some apprehension, I suppose). 

Dave then called me back and suggested dinner, too. 

That is a big commitment. We have hardly had any double dates since Ashley was born. In January, though, we had a double date with Marlene and James, and that went very well. In that case, though, Don had met Marlene and neither of us had met James. In this case, I knew Dave, but never in a social setting, and did not know Scottie.

We parked in their driveway. After a tour of their magnificent home, we walked up the street to the event. The goal was to get 10 stamps on our passport and turn it in for a chance to win a prize (we didn't win). Each stop had chocolate -- some absolutely amazing, others very generic. All in all, I think there were 13 stops, but at least one closed early. 

The walk served its purpose -- it got us inside businesses we would not have otherwise visited. A few days later, Don and I returned for Valentine's Day at Crumb (a sandwich shop that looked good). 

I knew the double date was going well when Don turned to Dave and asked him to split a chocolate covered Ding Dong for dessert after dinner. My concerns of forcing him out of his comfort zone faded away. We enjoyed burgers and each others' company at the Flying Pig.

I wanted to take a picture of the four of us to commemorate the experience, but didn't want to scare them off. Maybe we'll take one next month at the gala. Don has asked to sit at their table. May we have more double dates. 

Dare I make that a 2023 resolution? I wanted to, but as it involves more than myself, I didn't. 

Tired-Wired or is it Wired-Tired?

11 pm on a Saturday night and I'm feeling the most awake I have felt lately.

Let's see if I can channel some of that energy into writing blog posts.

I last wrote a month ago after seeing Billy Joel in concert. A week later we bid arrividerci to Ashley as she caught her study abroad flight to Italy. 

Don and I kept ourselves entertained by seeing "The Butler Did It" at Somerset Valley Players. As it was opening night, we stayed out later hanging out at the post-show party. The next day I went to an archeology talk at Monmouth University and manned the reunion at work. Then we hopped in the car for a quick trip to Canada -- why should Ashley be the only one to be allowed to leave the country?

Ashley is living her best life. After landing in Rome, the school arranged for a few days of sightseeing before heading to Florence. She is living in an 8-person apartment, including two others from her school and five from Miami University (Ohio). Her 13-minute walk to campus passes a grocery store (or two), the LEGO store, record stores, and antique shops. We can't wait to go!

Her weekends have been spent traveling and sightseeing. After a three-week intensive Italian class, she is traveling to Amsterdam and Brussels with friends, then visiting Yoran's family before returning to Milan. Yes, I have the world traveler I always wanted. 

 

No Playbill Photos at This Show

Don and I saw the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play the weekend before it closed. "Take Me Out" was first performed on off-Broadway in 2003, then opened on April 4, 2022 and closed on June 11, 2022. Upon winning the Tony on June 12, 2022, it decided to reopen on October 27, 2022 for a limited 14-week run.

The show is psychologically fascinating covering topics such as homophobia, masculinity in sports, racism, and class. It is about a top interracial centerfielder named Darren (many have commented he is a lot like Derek Jeter) announcing when he is at the top of his game that he is gay (which is where the comparisons stop). As most of the action takes place in the stadium's locker room, you can connect the dots as to what makes these men uncomfortable.

Toss in a new player (a pitcher with an incredibly strong fast ball), Shane, who is a blatant racist spewing much hate to the media about his teammates -- especially the one newly out of the closet and there is a lot of room for thought. 

The centerfielder is upset this new pitcher is allowed to play on the team even though he made him uncomfortable. The coach rightfully points out that the centerfielder made everyone else uncomfortable by coming out to the media and not talking to his teammates first. (You can see him trying to whine but that is different.)

There are shower scenes with lots of real water that has made the news for how they did that without flooding the stage, and what temperature was needed for the comfort of the players.

It also made news for these scenes being portrayed completely in the buff. When the first towel drops there is a gasp heard around the audience. One wonders, did they somehow miss the warnings?

The full nudity is the reason no pictures are allowed in the theater -- including the iconic Playbill shot many take to share with their friends on social media. As you walk into the theater they make you put your phone in a pouch that stays with you the entire time. It is actually pretty cool technology. It is called yondr. Talking to a representative after the show she (obviously) hopes it catches on. I will admit, it changed the atmosphere of the theater. People talked to each other instead of hiding behind their screens. The company says it makes leaving quicker because people want their phones unlocked.

The downside, is the lack of ability to take a picture of the stage. Then again, that is the idea.

After the show, we lined up to take one with our Playbills by the marquee.