Many of the Mid-Atlantic States were already hit by a major snow storm just a week earlier.  The most current forecast called for an eerily similar forecast to hit the same regions, plus some of New York City.  People seemed panicked, schedules were in flux and there I was, working away diligently in my hotel room, waiting for the madness to ensue.  You would think the end of the world was coming, given the media’s ferocious coverage of what some were calling the “snowpocalpse”.  Silliness is all I can say about that.  I patiently waited for snowmageddon to arrive, but no significant accumulation ever materialized.  At least, not in Manhattan anyway.  Go figure!

I decided to make the most of my evening as it was my birthday after all.  Did I forget to mention that?  I connected with my buddy Brian, who made a surprise visit to take me out to celebrate.  We were both craving a decent burger, so we decided to hit the ever-consistent Hard Rock Cafe.  It did not disappoint.  Yum!  After our meal, we decided to frolic around in the snow a bit.  It was a pretty cool site to see the center of Time Square so empty.  As I mentioned earlier, there wasn’t very much accumulation, but the wind was pretty intense.  Couple that with cold-wet snow slapping us in the face, and we quickly decided to head indoors.   continue reading »

It was time to cash in the Christmas gift my sister and I had purchased for my parents.  Tickets to see “The Lion King” musical!  It was performed at the Bushnell Memorial Theater in Hartford.  The game plan was simple:  1.)  Grab dinner locally 2.)  1 hr drive to the show  3.)  Have a good time.  We decided to grab a bite to eat a the Longhorn Steakhouse, in Shelton.  It was my first time there, and it wasn’t too bad if I do say so myself.  My filet was OK, but what I really remember was the bread.  Yum!  It was warm whole grain honey wheat bread and it was damn good.   The restaurant itself exuded the type of ambiance you might expect from a traditional steakhouse.  It was a solid place.  Everyone seemed content after dinner, so that’s always a good sign.

We actually hit some traffic on the way to Hartford, and I must admit there was a moment when I thought we’d be late.  Fortunately, we arrived just on time.  Thank goodness for valet parking!  From parking attendant to our seats up in the balcony, it took maybe 10 minutes.  I don’t know how comfortable the seats were on the lower levels, but they were extremely cramped and awkward where we were.  I think all of our backs were sore by the time the intermission came around.  What did I think of the show itself?  continue reading »

After pleading with Sandy for weeks, she finally capitulated.  My little sis would make the trek to the big city to visit her big brother.  Yay!  We met up at the iconic Grand Central, where patience and decency are a way of life by its patrons.  Who am I kidding, spend five minutes there and you’ll quickly spot rage in the eyes of 75% of the people buzzing around the terminal.  After a brief exchange, we made our way to the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square to recuperate for a few minutes.  We then met up with a few colleagues / friends of mine (Theresa and Jennifer), who would participate in our outing.  Sandy is always asking me what the people I work with are like, so this was a perfect opportunity to give her some first-hand perspective.  Both Theresa and Jen were happy to oblige. 

Our first stop would be Thalia Restaurant for dinner.  This place came highly recommended by Theresa so we decided to give it a shot.  It’s located on 8th Ave and 50th street.  It was restaurant week so at a minimum we knew we’d be getting a decent deal.  This place was awesome!  In my view, it epitomizes what a trendy New York City Restaurant should be.  It renders impeccable service, great ambiance and sensational food.  Note:  Thalia, I’ll be sending you my bill for this recommendation.  Everyone seemed to hit it off, so conversation flowed as we munched away at our delectable meals.  continue reading »