From Rock and Roll to The Ritz and The Opera House

With my ears still ringing from the Black Crowes show the night before, I went to the matinee performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Boston Opera House with my dad yesterday. It was most definitely a different experience than the Crowes show, but I enjoyed it very much. The last time I went to see a show in Boston was probably back when I was in high school. Dad had gotten the tickets for himself and my step mom, but she had a horse show to attend, so I got to be the alternate date for the day.
Hanging out with my dad is always fun. I met him at his house at 11am and we cruised down to Boston in his luxury sedan. We had lunch at the JER-NE bar at the Ritz Carlton Boston Common. I had the tuna burger with pickled ginger and wasabi aioli and dad had the cobb salad. The food was good and service was as you would expect it would be at The Ritz-Carlton. After lunch and coffee, we walked around the corner to the theater. The Opera House has been recently renovated and it is absolutely gorgeous with lots of ornate moldings, gilding and red silk damask on the walls. We sat up in the mezzanine because dad said he waited too long to buy tickets and the better seats had already sold out. The sound was great and I could see everything going on on stage, so I was happy with where we were, but the seats have about as much room as your average domestic airplane seat, which is to say not much. I was seated between my dad, not a small guy, and a large woman, but the play was captivating enough that I didn't really notice. It was dazzling. The sets and costumes were spectacular and the performance and vocals were excellent. The first act was long, about 80 minutes, and it seemed like it could have been shorter in parts. The second act opened with the scene of the New Year's Eve Masquerade and grew in intensity from there into the finale. I did feel tears welling up at some moments and by the end of the show the row of high school girls sitting behind us were all sniffling and sobbing, which I though was adorable.
If you do ever find yourself down in Boston for a show at the Opera House, park in the parking garage in the of the Hyatt. It was just $8 with a ticket stub. Dad said he parked at the open lot across the street the last time they went down there and it was $30 and took them an hour and a half to get their car from the lot. Dad is much more familiar with Boston than I am, so we got out of the city and on our way back up to NH without any trouble. Then we met up with my wonderful boyfriend at Dad's house in Rye and all went out to dinner at Margarita's in Portsmouth. It's been around for over a dozen years but it was my first time there. The Lime in the Coconut Margarita was tasty, as were my Jerk Chicken fajitas.
I'm starting to get comfortable with all this wining, dining and attending various cultural events. I'd think I should be tired after all I've done this weekend, but I was awake and out of bed doing yoga at 7:30 this morning.