RENT: The Broadway Tour

Tonight we went to see the musical "RENT." Three of the original cast members were in the performance including Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (2 people Kristen loves very much). The show was absolutely amazing! I was concerned that the capital region audience wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the RENT experience, but I was wrong! There were all ages and races scattered across the theatre, new fans and old RENTheads alike. They were full of energy and totally got into the show. Kristen just about peed her pants, she was so excited! Our assigned seats were in the very last row, but we'd planned to move up about 10 minutes into the show. I thought perhaps we'd be the only ones doing that since I've never seen people move up except while in NYC, but Kristen assured me that RENT fans just don't give a shit. And she was correct about that. As soon as the show began, about 100 people stood up and rushed forward to grab better seats. I will admit that I was impressed! We ended up about 20 rows closer! It was definitely a great show and we're both glad we were able to see Anthony and Adam :)

Visitors and a Movie

Travis and Britt decided to pay us a visit. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for them to see why we complain of boredom here in Albany. Luckily, however, we're all very funny people who are entertaining so we had a good time. They got here super early on Monday and passed out almost immediately. I had crap to do so I didn't even get home until about 2, at which point we went to Crossgates to eat, say hi to Kristen, and shop. I bought Travis his very first dorm room posters :)

We were hoping to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in IMAX/3-D, but it doesn't open until Wednesday so that was a fail. Instead, we decided to see "The Ugly Truth" which was actually pretty good! It was strange to see Gerard Butler as a goofy jackass, but he does it well. Katherine Heigl is 10x less annoying when she's NOT playing Isobel Stevens, so I quite enjoyed her, too. We took them to P.F. Chang's for dinner, so they could experience the wondrous place that we adore

Art/Craft Fair

Our hotel had a bunch of magazines and brochures about the Syracuse area, which I decided to peruse. Upon doing so, I discovered that there was an Art/Craft Fair in downtown Syracuse on Sunday. Kristen and I love artsy stuff and are hoping to decorate our apartment with a unique east-meets-west, hippie, bohemian, indie theme. So we figured we'd go on a search for the perfect handmade accessories for our new place. The fair was actually pretty big and there were many interesting and fascinating artisans. We were able to find a frame, lamp, and vase that totally flow with our vibe. Then we discovered a hip boutique called "Boom-Babies" and snatched up some cute earrings. It was hot as hell, but well worth it. Plus they had latrines that were decorated on the inside (something I'm pretty sure we'll never see again). It was ridiculous. And we loved it. Here's a pic:

Rosamund Gifford Zoo

Since we were already in the Syracuse area, we decided to venture on over to the Zoo.......

Sterling Rennaissance Festival

Kristen somehow managed to land a weekend off, so we decided to go to the Sterling Rennaissance Festival on Saturday............

Hotel California

Last night Kristen and I went to the "Alive at Five" concert here in Albany. Its basically a free concert series that the city sponsors every Thursday. The main performer was an Eagles tribute band, appropriately named Hotel California, and it was actually pretty cool. It was not as cool as Rain, but a respectable tribute band nonetheless. I'd also like to point out that I wore my Rain T-Shirt to the Hotel California concert (which was unplanned- I just happen to have it on). I hope they didnt find that offensive, haha.

Since it was supposed to storm, they moved the main stage down underneath the 787 overpass, off Broadway along the Hudson.

There were your normal vendors (meaning we were able to get fried dough! win!), beer tents, cops on horses, and a floating hot dog stand- which was fascinating enough to snap a picture of. At first I thought it was weird, but I quickly registered what a brilliant idea it in fact truly is. There's even a little table with a signature striped umbrella.

Amazing.

"Alive at Five" is apparently a pretty big deal here in Albany, and one of the rare things to do that is cheap and actually fun. We were both pleased with ourselves for taking the opportunity to experience it before we say our final farewell to the capital region. Now we just need to go on an AquaDuck Tour and see something at The Egg....

Off to the races!

One of the things we decided to do before permanently departing Albany is visit the Saratoga Race Track. Neither of us had ever been to an actual horse race, nor had we ever gambled. So we figured why not a two-fer?

It was definitely an interesting experience. It probably would have been better, had it not been raining and cold. Regardless, it was exciting to watch the horses and we even won some money ($17.40)!!!

Relocation

As mentioned last post, Kristen and I plan to move. We've spent more than our fair share of time in Albany and are beyond ready for the next step. We've always known we'd move eventually, but I originally wanted to go to grad school at UAlbany. However they have programs that are offered in other good schools and the bottom line: its not enough reason to stay.

The last year has been chocked full of crap with my former employer and Kristen's job at Victoria's Secret is not exactly her dream career. She's done well, being promoted and all, but the retail work is less than desirable and the hours are unpredictable and exhausting. Not knowing what she'll work from one week to the next makes it extremely hard to make any plans, whether a long vacation or just a single concert. Its a pain in the ass. So with my current state of unemployment and her desire to change jobs, we realize that the odds of us both finding careers we're happy with in Albany are close to zero. It is clear we need to move. But where to?

We've considered moving to a number of places, like Boston and Washington, D.C. but we don't know anyone there and we'd be nothing more than tourists for a while. I'd always wanted to live in NYC for a least a little while (just to say I did) but Kristen wasn't too keen on the idea of moving back to the big City.

However, after sorting through the details of moving- we realized that NYC is the best option.  Kristen's family has invited us to stay with them while we finish figuring out what the next step is.  This would give us a chance to take a deep breath and also save some money.  I'll admit the thought of moving at all is scary, let alone to the biggest city in the country!  But we're ready and excited for a change.

Smalbany

For the past several months, Kristen and I have spent countless hours discussing our low level of appreciation for the capital of New York -aka- our current home. Albany is painfully boring and has very little to offer the young professional and fresh-from-college types. It caters far more to the current college student and seems to be an acceptable place to plant roots for families and those older folks with well-established careers. Some even seem to find it pleasant. Strange.

Regardless, we recognize the important role that this bland city has played in both our lives: it is home to the energetic University at Albany, where both Kristen and I spent our undergraduate careers and received our Bachelor's Degrees. Incidentally, UA is where we met and eventually fell in love (best. story. ever). Unfortunately, after nearly 5 years, that appears to be the entire list of purposes that Albs has served us.

That being said, we've decided it is time to relocate.