On the Road || Virginia is for Lovers

     Well it was a crazy Valentine's Day weekend.  For those of you who don't know my current career - it requires a lot of travel.  I'll go on the road as tour manager for Jim Brickman when I'm needed for sometimes a weekend or a bit longer.  Being Valentine's Day and Jim being America's New Romantic Piano Sensation, this is a popular weekend.

     I flew out Wednesday night and arrived in Boston.  Bob - the sound engineer and my cohort on Jim's radio show - was traveling with me and we decided to indulge in some homemade Italian food
for dinner.  The concert was in Worcester Friday and then early Thursday morning Bob and I flew to Baltimore.  It was a quick drive to York, PA where our next show was.  Of course it wouldn't be a successful trip without some travel snafus but we made due and had a great show.

     Saturday while Jim, Anne and Tracy (Anne Cochran is a female vocalist and Tracy Silverman an electric violinist who tour with Jim now and then) were in Toledo performing with the symphony, Bob and I had the day off.  Prior to our travels I did some research and learned that Williamsburg was on the way to our final destination of Norfolk, Virginia.  Growing up I was oddly fascinated with Colonial American and the 13 colonies.  I watched "Liberty Kids" on PBS, knew all the words to every Schoolhouse Rock song involving the topic and read every "Dear America" book involving a young girl in the early 1700s.  But then there was Felicity.  Felicity was one of the OG American Girl dolls and I loved her.  Her clothes, her tories/books and her beautiful red locks.  Ever since I got her one Christmas, the dream to go to Colonial Williamsburg was born.  So knowing I'd be driving right through it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
     Colonial Williamsburg was everything and more.  We walked the dirt streets and went into the old general stores, looked in the windows of the carpenter's shop and of course took a picture in the stocks.  Unfortunately it was very cold so walking around outside was a bit bitter and we didn't have enough time to purchase a self guided tour pass.  But I see that as an opportunity to go back.  We did receive some great recommendations from my friend who attended the College of William and Mary: the cheese shop, the peanut shop, and dinner at the Blue Talon.  And Williamsburg has some great shopping (there's an outlet mall a few minutes away) and other nearby towns to explore.  I highly recommend spending a long weekend there but maybe in the warmer months :)

     Valentine's day was celebrated with a great show in Norfolk but our travel day/trip didn't end as

sweet.  All of our flights on Monday were delayed or cancelled. So it took a lot of phone calls, texts
and reworked travel plans to get everyone on track.  After 2 cancelled flights, Wendy (my coworker and Queen of all Air Travel Coordination) and I found a flight from Norfolk to La Guardia to Cleveland that would get me home at a decent hour.  So a quick pack up, speedy shuttle ride, ticket purchase and speed-walk through the airport I made it.  Lucky for me the flight to NY was delayed so I had some time to spare.  Unlucky for me my flight from NY to Cleveland ended up being cancelled. Third times the charm, right?  After another reroute through Charlotte I finally made it back in the 216 around 12:15am.  Situations like these come with the job so you really just have to be ready for anything and try & travel with a carry on whenever you can.  So another weekend down and it definitely wasn't short of exciting.  Can't wait to see what adventure the next dates bring!

xoxo,
B.