madameblogalot

Even though we have just returned from a trip, my sister is thinking of planning a trip with my son. She asked about meeting him out on the West Coast sometime this summer. It sounds doable, though we have yet to make a final decision.

In thinking about things they could do, it never crossed my mind to have them visit Las Vegas. But I just came across a couple of Cirque de Soleil shows that I know they (and many other people too) would love to catch! Two that are being presented now are Believe and KA. They both sound extremely excellent and would capture the interest of my son.

Believe is based on a Harry Houdini legend. Story goes that Houdini wanted people to be able to communicate with him beyond the grave. Of course only worthy individuals will be given the password, “Believe”. The show vacillates between the world of the living and the supernatural world of the dead. The story and the dancers take the audience through a dream-like fantasy that may or may not have you believe!

The performance of KA is taken from traditional Japanese Kabuki theater. It is an epic story about twins on a journey. The story is told using black and white face paint, martial arts movements, and a rotating and tilting stage. At one point the stage will become completely vertical causing the artists to use arrows to swing and flip against the backdrop. The audience will be drawn in to the story even more by a moving soundtrack that is played on speakers built into your own theater seat.

Whether or not my sister and my son get to see these Las Vegas Shows this summer, I know they would be excellent shows to attend. I have been to one Cirque de Soleil performance years ago. It is fascinating and astounding to watch the dancers and acrobats. They truly are artists!

Our last day in Boston we decided to spend the morning with our host family. They were so gracious to host my husband for a week before we got there and then so generous to let us stay there as a family as well. The family has two small children, ages 3 and 18 months. The three year old asked every day why we took so long in Boston. So we knew it would be a good idea to spend the morning with him and his family. And as an added treat, the wife made a wonderful lunch for us before we left for the city-Zuppa Tuscana! Delicious!

We left that day and got to the city just in time to visit the Sports Museum before they closed. It is located in the Fleet Center/TD Northbank Garden and the hours vary depending on game days. We only had about 35 minutes in there but we got to see some interesting things about sports in Boston. Of course, the first thing you see is all about the Celtics. They also have displays for the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Boston Marathon as well as college sports, the Olympics and several other sports related themes as well. I wish we could have had more time to see all the displays, but we got to see most of the main ones.

Afterward, we of course had to hit the pizzeria one last time, then head back to Mike’s Pastry. After this, we walked back to the Garden to catch the Celtics game! This was the highlight of the trip for my son. He did not care what else we did as long as we got to see a Celtics game! He was a little bummed to find out that Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are hurt, and was particularly sad that Dwayne Wade did not play that night for the Heat (we don’t know why, he was listed as “inactive” and sat the bench in a business suit.) In spite of that, the game was great! The Garden was packed with gung-ho fans. The Celtics put on a good show to keep fans excited during time-outs and half time.

The game started off with the Celtics going at it strong. Then, they started to sort of dwindle. It was a close game at half time. By the middle of the fourth quarter it was staying neck and neck. It was tied with a few seconds left to go. The Celtics had one shot, and they missed it! Overtime tied at 100!! My son was ecstatic (”Overtime in the Garden!!”) The Celtics went into overtime strong. The Heat missed their first three chances to score during overtime. The Celtics hit several three pointers, helping to bring them to a lead. They also made a free throw after a foul to clinch a win, 112-108!!

We left with the crowd toward the subway station. It was crowded but not miserably bad. We waited through the first three trains without boarding so we would not feel like sardines! After that, the train ride was not so bad. A great way to end our stay in Boston!