Post-Birthday Report

Hi there!  Wow, I have been busy busy.  I'm trying to finish up a post on my trip to Louisville last weekend, but I also want to share just a few notes about my wonderful birthday celebrations!  I was fortunate to have many friends show up at Playwrights Celtic Pub on my birthday eve for some drinks, snacks, conversation and lots of laughs.  I had hoped we could go up to the third floor bar, but a bus of tourists showed up before I did, so we were happy to find a corner in the back on the main floor.  I always hate how you can't really get a real conversation going with so many people there, but it was good to chat a bit and hug dear friends.  I did overindulge in the drinking, though, so I was a little worse for wear on my actual birthday.  But it was for a good cause!  And it's hard to say no to Playwrights' Irish Mule!   A little Jameson and a little ginger beer is good for the soul...

The next day, my actual birthday, I loved getting so many little notes on Facebook (a Facebook birthday is a grand thing) and then I met my dear Italy-trip chums downtown at Terroir for a wine-tasting and birthday dinner.  I had a blast!

I started doing a little research on wine-tastings and emailed a few places with questions about cost and party size.  Most places came back with a large price tag and I hate asking people to spend a lot of money so I can be celebrated, but Terroir was really amenable to my price point and wishes for the day, so I was happy to schedule with them.  And it was a happy bonus that they were available on my actual birthday and that all my dear Italy-trip chums were free, too!

When we arrived, the table was pre-set with placemats that had the wines arranged with three whites and three reds.  Under each glass was a label telling us what the wine was.  Before the official tasting started, though, we were all given a full glass of prosecco to toast the day!  It was very yummy, not as sweet as prosecco can be, but very bubbly and lively.  I didn't finish it, though, to save room for the tasting.  We got a 3-oz pour of six wines, which was awesomely generous.  Our sommelier was really fun and knowledgeable, telling us all about the regions and the characteristics of each wine.  She told us that they had chosen mostly 'off-center' wines, meaning they weren't the usual or the well-known, but something a little different.  I think they chose really well!  We tasted a reisling, a sauvignon blanc, a vinho verde, a givry, a pinot noir and a syrah.  Normally, I'm a red wine gal, but I really enjoyed learning about these white wines and I actually loved the sauvignon blanc!  I'm not generally a fan, but this one was really smooth and full.  We all loved smelling the syrah, the really rich final red wine, but it was a little TOO bold for even me!  It was a fascinating taste, though.  I'm glad I took a photo of all the wines, so I can try them again another time.

It was just so fun to swirl the wine in our glasses, put our noses in and take a whiff, then taste them all, with the food and without.  Oh, and the food was quite tasty, too!  We had a bowl of spiced popcorn and one of barbecued potato chips, along with a delicious Italian meat and cheese tray and two types of bruschetta - one with ricotta and tomato jam (we could've eaten a dozen more of those!) and one with a butternut squash hummus.  So good!  In fact, we rather quickly ran out of the tasting food because it was so good, so we had to order a little more after the 'official' tasting was over (since we had some wine left).  We got some potato croquettes (YUM) and pork belly sliders (DOUBLE YUM - they had picked pineapple on them; I think I need pickled pineapple on everything I ever eat again).  And there was tasty carrot cake for dessert, complete with candle so I could make a birthday wish.  It's hard to wish for anything when you feel like you have everything you want right in front of you - good friends, lots of love, laughs and a great time.  This was one my best birthdays yet!  I highly recommend you take a group of friends to Terroir and enjoy their fun, laid back atmosphere (it is a little loud, I will say, but after six glasses of wine, you don't notice!).  Only eleven months to go before I celebrate me again!  Oh, wait, actually only a couple of weeks, because I have another get-together planned soon...

birthday early-morning selfie

I did find something to wish for!

gifts!  yay!  thank you, all!

A Pre-Birthday Treat

I've long been a lover of all-things-British, most especially their original television programming.  I, Claudius, Upstairs Downstairs, The Forstye Saga are all favorites of mine.  And of course I got into the phenomenon that was Downton Abbey.  I was excited to check out the first episode in 2010 because I was a huge fan of Gosford Park, written by the same screenwriter, Julian Fellowes.  (Side note: Gosford Park was on cable over the weekend and I watched it yet again.  Gosh, it is still simply fabulous!)

So I followed all the ups and downs of the Crawley family, swooned over Cousin Matthew, ugly cried over Lady Sybil, hissed at O'Brien and Thomas, giggled at poor Molesley, and despaired over the trials and tribulations of Anna and Mr. Bates.  I was really sad when the show ended, though actually also relieved.  I couldn't imagine how they could keep the quality up indefinitely, so six seasons seemed like plenty to me.  Now that I think of it, it may be the last scripted show I watched during its broadcast time (as opposed to DVRing it and watching it later).  I'll have to ruminate on why that is...

Downton Abbey has only been gone for about a year, but it still occupies a happy place in my heart (and Roku viewing - when depressed, I will run an episode to cheer myself) and I was excited to hear that they would be bringing an exhibition of the show's costumes and sets to NYC for a brief visit.  Thankfully, they extended the brief visit and I finally got to check it out last weekend (I considered it the first in my pre-birthday treats).

You had to buy a timed ticket to see the exhibition and I picked an afternoon time that would make it possible for me to get to a friend's new play reading afterwards.  When I arrived on Saturday, I was disappointed to see how long the line was for my entry time.  According to the security guard, there were so many walk-ups that day, that it made every timed ticket late.  Well, that didn't seem right to me - if you walk up, shouldn't you have to stand in line behind the people who bought tickets in advance?  I don't know.  All I know is it was chilly in line and we had to wait over 45 minutes after our scheduled time to even get into the exhibit.  Plus, they had told us to arrive early in our confirmation emails, so the wait was actually longer than 45 minutes! I hoped I wouldn't have to cut my visit short to be able to make it to my friend's reading.

You walk in to the exhibit (which is housed in the old Lee's Art Store building - does anyone else miss Lee's?  I used to shop there for my nephew, who used to love to draw and paint) and you get another small line before hearing a spiel from one of the docents.  You then walk into a small anteroom, where you hear Carson describe how the house is set up.  It's rather like a Disney video, or going to the Freedom Tower, with all the video interaction that's throughout the space.  Once you've heard Carson's piece, you're free to roam around the building.  The bottom floor is the servant's area, the next floor is the Crawley family area, then the top floor is a costume display.

Each floor is filled with interactive programming, costumes, set pieces, placards describing both the show and the real-life time period.  There are videos playing everywhere, so you can see clips from the show; the theme music also plays throughout.  I remembered a lot of the clothes, which was fun.  I guess it took me about an hour and a half to walk through, plus I got out in time to make it to my friend's reading, thankfully.  So I found the exhibit a very interesting place and I'm awfully glad I went.  I probably could've spent more time there, had I not felt a little pressured because of the time.  After you're done touring at your own speed, you then head down a back staircase and end up in the gift shop.  Very Disneyesque.  There were some cute things in the gift shop and I did pick up a few souvenirs.  I also entered my mom into a contest to win a trip to the real Downton Abbey (aka Highclere Castle).  I hope she wins!  Maybe she'll take me!  I'll put a lot of photos below - I hope you enjoy them.  I know I enjoyed taking them, and I'll probably be increasing my repeat viewings of the show, just to get back into the spirit...