The Ordway - St Paul

Kathee and I had our "night out" after work last night. Married couples need to have special times (call it "a date") or a relationship can stagnate.

Kathee bought us tickets to the Broadway show "Chicago" and last night was the night.

1. Mistake # 1 - wrong way: We left work at 5 and promptly got on 35W S instead of I-94 East. It's an easy mistake to do as we rarely go to St. Paul directly after work (I think the last time was when we went to Merit Chevrolet East of St. Paul over 5 years ago). We took 35W S past the Wells Fargo Home Mortage campus and then exited right and looped back to get on to I-94.
   
2. Traffic on I-94 was horrible. Kathee commented (on both our I-35W S leg and the I-94 leg) that she is glad we don't have to commute home this way.
   
3. We arrived in St. Paul and took the 5th street exit. I had mapped out on google and things were clear. We parked in a ramp next to the St. Paul hotel.
   
4. Steps down. Down is always easier than up for me, but we could not find an elevator and I had to go down quite a few steps to the lobby of the St. Paul. The Ordway is just about a block from the St. Paul so it was a good place to eat.
   
5. Mistake # 2 - no reservations for dinner: The St. Paul grill was packed and the wait was 1.5 hours. That wouldn't do as it was just past 6 and we needed to be at the Ordway at 8.
   
6. Mistake # 3 - no hat and thin gloves: I intentionally did not dress in layers as I need room in my sleaves for my crutch cuffs. So I had my leather coat without its liner (that I've misplaced anyways). Often times I wear a wool shirt with this coat and I had this in the car but did not wear it. I did not bring a hat and I had thin unlined leather gloves. I did not intend to do much walking outside so I was unprepared for our restaurant search in 1 degree weather. Next stop was the Pazzaluna that is just one block away. This was packed too. Again, I should have made reservations!
   
7. Next stop - the Sakura Restaurant about a block away. My idea of asian food is The Big Bowl in the Ridgedale shopping mall. But this was the right place! It was warm, there was room, it was close, there were no other options. We had a nice dinner. It wasn't as good as The Big Bowl but as Kathee would say, "I'm stuck in a rut" about The Big Bowl! I was so cold and my legs were quivering from fatigue and cold so I was glad to be in a warm place and be able to rest. Kathee ordered green tea and I warmed my hands on her tea cup. She had Chicken Tempura and I had Beef Teriyaki. We shared Mochi (Sweet rice cake with red bean filling) for dessert. Kathee ate with chop sticks. I chickened out and asked for a fork.
   
8. Dinner done ... we left the restaurant at 7:35 and walked 2 or 3 blocks to the Ordway. The sidewalks were really slippery (I rarely walk outside in ice & snow). My crutches slipped here or there but we made it.
   
9. The Ordway is comfortable and there are no bad seats. It is handicapped friendly with ramps, elevators, nice restrooms, and wide hallways. I did have to walk down about 6 or 7 steps but an usher was there to assist (had I fallen I would have easily taken him with me!)
   
10. Chicago the play. Nicely done. It is adult fare although some had young children with them. I probably would rate the movie as better than the play, but it was a nice night out. Kathee bought the tickets for me for Christmas and it was a generous, throughful gift.
    
11. Back to car: The play wrapped up at about 10:30 and we back to the garage just about 10:45. We could not find an elevator back up to the skyway (and garage pedestrian entrance level) so I had to go up about 20 steps. They were wide and had a good handrail so I made it ok. But my legs were bushed.
    
12. Drive home: We were home by 11:15. We had a garage door malfunction that still is not resolved. When Roger arrived home from work, the far garage door (where we park the Impala) was open and had apparently been open all day (13-14 hours). Our house was not locked and anyone could have walked in (although the alarm was on). Living in Plymouth has its advantages ... nothing was missing from the garage (and no one had entered the house).
    
13. Garage door: We could not get that garage door to close. We ended up putting my truck in that bay and moving the Impala to the other garage door. Then we closed the problem door manually.
    

It was hard getting up this morning. I was up until midnight (2 hours past my regular time) and I was not in much of a mood to go to work today.