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 locally2.) 1 hr drive to the show3.) 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 »
With my aunt and uncle visiting from Portugal, we decided to take an obligatory day trip to NYC. This was their first time to the USA so NYC was a must. On the docket for our voyage was ground zero, the statue of liberty, times square and anything else we could squeeze into one day. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to take the dowtown bus tour, which I had never done before. Outside of a self absorbed tour guide, it really was neat hanging out on the second level of the tour bus. What a unique way to take in the New York energy. Personally, my favorite moment of the trip was just walking along the boardwalk through battery park. The gentle breeze off the Hudson coupled with the warm sunshine made for a very enjoyable experience. I hope my family enjoyed the trip and their visit to the US.
Below are some photos from our day trip which were taken on September 19, 2009:
All I can say is wow…I decided to try to throw a small gathering with friends and family to celebrate my 30th birthday. Yes, it’s a big milestone, blah, blah, blah but honestly it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get together with a large group of friends and family in one place. Seemed like the perfect reason to make that happen. I delegated the party planning to my sister and catering to my parents. Man was my little sister amazing. She turned the event into an 80s themed party with all the fixings. Simply incredible. And the food? Umm, we’re portuguese so I never had any worries on that front.
All i can say is thank you once again to my sister and parents and all my friend and family that were able to make the event. It was wonderful time. Here are some pictures from party:
The trip ran from March 21 – 27, 2005. Those in attendence were my mom, dad, sister and my sister’s godmother, Marily. We were fortunate enough to have stayed in a resort in Puerta Plata, Domincan Republic. It was a top notch location with all the amendities you can possibly want.
Looking back, we really did squeeze alot into a short period of time. My sister and I were truly explorers, trying to soak up as much of the culture as we possibly could. Outside of enjoying the gorgeous weather and a private beach adjacent to the resort, we also took a off-road tour using quads. They were fast and probably not 100% up to code but it was a fantastic experience. The highlight of the trip for both myself and my sister was another off-road adventure. One which required hiking up waterfalls and cliffs, then leaping into more waterfalls (sometimes 20+ feet) on the way back. continue reading »
