Mystery Trip – Day 2

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Pat

Regrouping in the morning we snagged a quick breakfast just off the casino floor and then did a little more walking and shopping. This time we were a little more thorough about hitting the Forum Shops and found a great clothing store called Bettie Page, where Heather found a really nice dress. We struck out on finding a pair of shoes that would go with it, so we’ll have to find another excuse to wear it.

After a bit more shopping we went back to The Cosmopolitan for lunch at José Andrés’s China Poblano. The fusion of Chinese and Mexican food was interesting and extremely tasty! We then headed back to get ready for dinner and tonight’s show. Dinner was at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, a French bistro. The food was delicious, the service was perfect, and really, the entire experience was as close to perfect as we could have hoped. We started out with a charcuterie of salamis and then moved on to the main courses. Heather had the Gigot d’Agneau, a delicious lamb dish and I had the steamed mussels. Both were very, very good. Finally we finished off with some dessert and coffee. I had a lemon tart and Heather had the profiteroles.

After dinner we went back through the hotel to the Blue Man Theater for tonight’s show. Thanks to some great advice, I booked the VIP experience when I purchased the tickets. We got good seats, which were supposed to be outside of the splatter zone (they were not) and a one-on-one meet and greet with one of the Blue Men after the show. The show was a lot of fun, with great music mixed in with physical comedy and a lot of mess. As I mentioned earlier, the splatter zone is rather loosely defined. I managed to wear a bit of banana pudding during one of the acts, but it’s all good. After the show finished we were escorted to a small room where one of the Blue Men came out to meet us. He was a lot of fun to talk to, and yes, he did break character. We got autographs, had some good laughs, and then headed back to get some sleep.

Mystery Trip – Day 1

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Pat

I’ve been teasing Heather about a mystery trip I booked since June. It’s been kind of fun, but this morning the jig was up and we headed for DFW airport to catch an early flight to Fabulous Las Vegas.

We got in and over to The Venetian, our base of operations for the weekend. Check-in accomplished and stuff unloaded we proceeded to head out to get some food and then wander around the strip for a while. It’s changed a lot since the last time I was out here, but was still a lot of fun to hang out and take in the sights. We grabbed some lunch at I Love Burgers and then nosed around the Grand Canal Shoppes before heading out into the heat. We took it easy because we had dinner reservations at Jaleo, one of José Andrés’s tapas restaurants and a show booked. This is about where I slipped the engagement ring I’ve been hanging on to since early July over to Heather. She said yes, in case you’re wondering. There were some tears and some laughter, but all in all it was the right place and time.

Jaleo was fantastic! We started out with an excellent selection of jamóns and some cheese before moving on to scallops and veal cheeks for our main courses. We got talked in to dessert, which was probably a good thing because it was so incredibly good that missing out would have hurt. All I can say is “saffron mousse”.

After dinner we headed over to New York New York to catch Cirque du Soleil‘s Zumanity. It was really good, but definitely on the risque side. If you’re so inclined, you’ll probably enjoy it. If not, don’t go.

Back to the hotel after that where I finished off the evening with a tasty IPA from Sin City Beer.

North Texas Irish Fest

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Pat

Heather and I took DART down to Fair Park to spend the day at the North Texas Irish Festival. It was a little chilly and very windy, but once we got indoors it was fine. The turnout was a little better than it had been in years past, which was nice to see.

I picked up another print from Jabberwocky Graphix, got some cranberry orange scones, and a new kilt belt. I also got to meet up with some of the local X Marks the Scot members and took some pictures there.

The five of us that made it to the meetup…

OVO

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Pat

We went out to Frisco to see Cirque Du Soleil’s newest production, OVO. This was my first Cirque show, and I was not disappointed. We had great seats, sitting in the second row mid-way out on stage right, and could see a lot more of the details of the performance than we would have had we been sitting further out. We were directly under one of the trapeze swings, and wore a little chalk after their act was done. The costumes and set design were incredible, a riot of color and shapes, mostly organic in keeping with the theme of the show. And the music, oh the music. Having a live band and a vocalist that took part in the show was great! The clowns interacted with the audience quite a bit, including some people a few seats away from us. It was a great time and I’ll be going back the next time a show comes through.

Dalí: The Late Work

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Pat

We went out to Atlanta for the weekend to check out the Salvador Dalí exhibit at the High Museum. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about Dalí’s influence on other artists, such as Andy Warhol. The pieces that they had on exhibit were amazing, and really showed just how talented, and bizarre at times, Dalí was. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth the time. They also have an exhibit of Titian and other Venetian Renaissance works, which you shouldn’t miss…

An Evening With Ken Burns

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Pat

Heather and I went down to UT Arlington tonight to see Ken Burns speak. We stopped at Prince Lebanese Grill for dinner beforehand and really enjoyed the food. It was one of Guy’s stops on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and was well worth the trip.

The setup for Mr. Burns’s presentation wasn’t a lecture so much as an interview, conducted by one of the local PBS radio personalities. He was a pleasure to listen to, very well spoke and intelligent. I really enjoyed listening to his insights on baseball, war, American history and culture, and more. There was a short Q-and-A session afterwords, followed by a chance to go up and get something signed. I got my copy of The Civil War book signed, which was nice…

King Tut At The DMA

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Pat

I got to go to the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art tonight. The museum does a few nights a year where they’re open until midnight, so I took advantage of that to avoid some of the crowds. That wasn’t to be, the museum was actually really crowded, but the King Tut exhibit wasn’t. It took about an hour and a half (probably a little less) to go through it, but it was really good. Lots of items with good information on them and they were exhibited in such a way that you could see the backs as well as the fronts of most of them. The sarcophagus and death mask weren’t there, because they’re too fragile to travel, but other than that there was a great selection of artifacts.

Preston Steed Watercolors

Posted on March 6, 2007 by Pat

Last year, at Art In The Square over at Southlake Town Square I found a watercolor artist named Preston Steed who pained a piece called “You Blinked”. The little boy in it bears a striking resemblance to my son and so I had to have a copy. I recently found his business card and placed the order. It arrived today and is now out at Michael’s getting framed.

Hatshepsut at the Kimbell

Posted on October 9, 2006 by Pat

I took a little time today to head over to Fort Worth to go see the Hatshepsut exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum. It was a really good exhibit with a lot of small and large pieces and good explanations of each one and their significance. It’s going to be there until the end of the year so if you’ve got some any interest in seeing it, buy some tickets and go!

Afterwards I headed over to the Amon Carter Museum to look at the Remingtons and was pleasantly surprised to find a photography exhibit featuring works by Robert Glenn Ketchum. That’s another one that everyone should go see. After seeing it I realize how much I’ve got to learn about photography.

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Category Archives: Arts