Following Rabbits Blog — see it

Tonight I went to see my first opera! It was so fantastic! Every Monday at 10am during the season, the New York City Opera sells rush tickets for that week's performances for $25. I've been dying to get to the opera since I moved here, so I was psyched to score a cheap ticket to L'Etoile. I rushed home after work and got dolled up in what I imagined was opera garb: black dress, fancy schmancy tights, pearls, and my (faux) fur coat. An impromptu photo shoot (thanks to Ray!) and I sprinting out the door at 7:15p for the 8p show. 

I snagged my ticket at will-call with 3 minutes to spare, and had enough time to cozy into my seat before the lights went down. I was expecting to have a seat in the fourth ring since I only paid $25, but I was six rows from the stage, to the left of the orchestra. Score! I had to look up a bit to read the supertitles, but my view was great. I wasn't sure what to expect from the opera- I was hoping I would be able to follow along and get into the show. I don't think I could have possibly picked a better show for my first! The set is a veritable wonderland for the eyes- curving mirrors, strobe lights, swaying tinsel curtains, twisted columns, a giant inflatable yellow throne. The costumes were very colorful and borderline steampunk- with goggles, coattails, spats, bright colors and patterns, umbrellas as props, and can-can dancers abound. The musical numbers were very upbeat and fun, with exaggerated facial expressions and silly dances. Julie Boulianne, the actress who plays Lazuli, was fantastic. The king, Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, did an amazing job as well.

The David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center is absolutely gorgeous. I snapped these two photos with my cell phone during intermission. The opera season is quickly coming to a close on April 18, but tickets may still be available. I would highly recommend L'Etoile, however it only runs until Saturday. Partenope will be performed April 3-17, and Madama Butterfly is currently playing and will run until the 18th. I had such a fabulous time, and am looking forward to seeing another opera soon! I should take myself out on dates more often.

You must have known this post was coming, no? I apologize for the AiW overload, but I'm pretty pumped up that the rest of the world is catching up with my long-standing obsession with all things Alice. Being as big of an Alice fan as I am, I was expecting something epic from this movie, which is was not, but it was still very good. Johnny Depp is amazing... he's one of those actors that breathes his character. His portrayal of the Mad Hatter is great. The March Hare is hilarious (his lines are perfection), and Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as the Red Queen. Everything is so over the top, but of course it's Wonderland... I think it can be expected. It's definitely worth seeing; perhaps after the opening weekend rush dies down.

This afternoon I went into the city to do some shopping (traded in a size 8 pair of jeans at the GAP and got 30% of a pair of size 6 long and lean's... woohoo!). I got off at the 59th St/Lexington Ave. subway stop and walked right past the AiW-themed Bloomingdale's windows. SO much fun! One window had a couple Sue Wong dresses, and the other window had a banquet table set up for a mad tea party with fantasy cakes by Ron Ben-Israel and great dishware, including AiW tea sets (love!). 

Today I went to Chinatown for the afternoon to catch the Chinese New Year Parade. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. (2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, ooo!) The details I found online regarding time, place, duration, etc. were pretty vague, so I headed down to Canal Street around noon. There were a lot of police officers on the corners and parade barricades set up down Allen Street, so I figured I'd hang out and wait. And wait. And wait some more. It wasn't very cold today, but after an hour of standing still on the sidewalk and the sun going behind the buildings, I was feeling a bit discouraged. Finally I could hear drums in the distance, and by then the crowd lining the street was 2-3 people deep. I went hoping to see colorful costumes and wasn't disappointed. The dragon dancers were my favorite, hence most of my photos are of them. Kids were shooting confetti all over the place... the atmosphere was very festive. People shouted wishes for a happy and prosperous new year from the parade floats, kids marched with their school marching bands, and Chinese beauty queens waved from cadillacs. It was one of those moments that made me smile and appreciate the city... there is always something happening here. I hope to take better advantage of the city and seize opportunities to see and do things that I couldn't do if I lived anywhere else.

My name is Alice and I'm a Lost fan ("Hi Alice!") heh, seriously though... I've been wrapped up in the series since the beginning, and was a bit worried about missing the series premiere without cable in my new place til next week (booo). I've heard good things about the weekly Lost parties at Professor Thom's in Union Square, however it appears they've been having plumbing issues lately and they weren't answering their phone yesterday. Ray found out they have Lost viewing parties at Studio Square in Astoria, which is conveniently within walking distance of my new place! We had been there in August for a reception in their upstairs event space (which is gorgeous!) and were really impressed with the place. The main floor is set up as a beer garden, with outdoor seating and a huge open indoor bar area. There's another smaller bar set off to the side where we ended up sitting. They had beer specials, including Dharma beer (?!) which we didn't try, but is interesting nonetheless.

I'm supposed to be getting my cable and internet installed on Tuesday, but I may end up heading down to Studio Square to watch it anyway. Plus it was nice to wander through Astoria a bit, which I intend to do a lot more often. Again, lemme know of any Astoria hot spots!