So how does ‘La Cage’ compare to the Super Bowl?

1) Both have colorful, tight-fitting costumes — although ‘La Cage’ wins when it comes to glitter.

2) The Super Bowl was in Indianapolis, home of the Indy 500 and the Slippery Noodle Inn (and before you tell me that the Slippery Noodle doesn’t sound cool, it’s on my to-visit list during an August trip to Indy for a wedding).

‘La Cage’ takes place in the South of France amid palm trees, cute cafes and glittery, early ’80s-era transvestite cabarets.

Bonus round: To watch the Super Bowl from Washington, you just need to plop down on your couch — boring. To watch ‘La Cage,’ you can go to one of DC’s most beautiful buildings for an incredible pre-show view.

3) Both shows have big, gay musical numbers.

Super Bowl:

‘La Cage’:

4) Both shows have aging stars — Tom Brady on the Patriots is apparently an ‘aging quarterback’ at 34 and made some crucial mistakes last night to lose the game.

George Hamilton (yes, his skin really does glow a luminescent orange) looked near collapse by the end of ‘La Cage’ and was by far the low point in an otherwise fantastic show.

Maybe the Super Bowl wins this round based on cuteness factor?

The results? I’m so glad I saw ‘La Cage aux Folles’ last night instead of the Super Bowl — when it doubt, always pick live theatre over a TV event that can be seen anytime. It’s in town for another week so buy tickets. Totally worth it.

Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday?

Hello, Travel, Eat, Repeat readers, this is Brittany from over at Dreams & Schemes. Today I’m blogging about something I experienced a lot of in 2011 – How to Travel and Eat well at the same time.

I recently completed a three-month national tour of a musical for kids. We traveled to 28 cities in 16 states, and performed for over 50,000 kids. That’s a lot of nights spent in Hampton Inns.

One of the most frustrating aspects of traveling has been how to keep my diet steady and nutritious while on the road. Also being a vegetarian, the majority of restaurants in America produce cheap food filled to the brim with oil and salt. It can be difficult to even get a salad or a bowl of soup (seems innocent enough, right?) that is made of healthful ingredients.

Lets say I’m a continental breakfast connoisseur. Like Erin, I believe (I believe!) in the power of a hearty oatmeal breakfast (something I learned from her, actually). When I’m at home, I like to pile on the nuts, fruits, cinnamon, flax seed, and peanut butter.

Continental breakfasts don’t offer too many natural options. There usually are oatmeal packets at the buffet, but I tried to avoid the “flavored” ones because they tend to pack a lot of sugar and preservatives. Add to that a mini-packet of peanut butter and a mini-packet of honey, its a decent enough substitute for breakfast. Tip: Avoid the eggs at all costs. They are powdered, no matter how fresh they look.

Eating out at chain restaurants for lunch and dinner was a challenge. Sometimes you can alter your meal to substitute more vegetables instead of meat, or even just order a few sides. One of my favorite options at Cracker Barrel is the triple-side option to load up on veggies.

 If you know you are going to a chain restaurant like P.F. Chang’s or Ruby Tuesdays, often times you can read up on the nutrition facts online before you go. Some restaurants, like The Silver Diner, are advertising their caloric counts right on the menu, but be sure to check for portion size. Something may only be 500 calories, but if it has three servings per dish, then it may not be your best options.

While it can be hard to eat healthfully and on a road-budget, it can be done. One of my cast-mates was inspiring in the way that she carried a few groceries with her and tried to prepare as many meals for herself as possible. Simple items like bread, prepared veggie bags, and travel hummus can go a long way, and are easy on the tummy and wallet. Grocery stores are your friend, often with fresh food bars.

I’ve learned to be a thief on the road. If a hotel has bowls of fruit, feel free to help yourself! Its okay to be a hoarder when you don’t know if the next town you are traveling to will have a salad bar or not.

Be sure to bring non-leak, microwaveable Tupperware with you so you can bring your leftovers with you.

I hope my experience has given you some good tips for your next experience traveling and eating!

All of the cliches came true this week in one 12-hour window.

On Monday night, my grandfather died. (His obituary will be in the Washington Post today and tomorrow; a mass, next week.)

From my dad:

He had a grand life. A respected judge. Loved dogs, classical music and a martini before dinner. Dearly loved my Mom. Raised 4 good kids [and 11 grandchildren, plus one great-granddaughter].

The next morning, I got a promotion at work.

So… it’s been a weird week. But through it all, I’m reminded of yet another cliche: Carpe diem. Seize the day.

–

Last night, I snapped this shot at my grandmother’s house — her high school graduation photo. Family resemblance?

Since this was my 6th time (!) in Hawaii and 5th time to the island of Kauai, I took the opportunity to spend most of this short, week-long vacay relaxing.  That means instead of hiking and jumping off cliffs (the itinerary of my previous trips to the island), I spent a lot of time lying on the beach with a good book.

Weather mild enough for long walks.

Making plans with friends over coffee.

Faux sightseeing at the National Zoo (people-watching, not animal-watching) – bonus: great hills for exercise.

Discovering new music and impulsively buying concert tickets.

A good book – Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers (not my favorite of his, but entertaining).

Leftover pumpkin birthday cake.

What did you do this weekend? (Also: post title inspiration from SNL’s  still-funny ‘Lazy Sunday’)

I’ve been in New York for work over the past few days. Besides hanging out with my fantastic coworkers, my favorite thing about coming up here to visit is eating. The hotel and office are in the East Village, so most of my foodie finds have been nearby.

A few favorite coffee shops I’ve discovered during my trips to the Big Apple:

Think Coffee – besides having great coffee and a relaxed vibe, Think is fantastic because it donates 10% of its profits to programs that help inner-city youth and seniors.

The Mudtruck – DC may have a lot of food on wheels but we don’t have anything like this. The truck parks daily near my NYC office and serves a range of hot, fast, delicious drinks and pastries, plus lots of branded merchandise.

http://www.onmud.com/

Roastown Coffee – the coffee is strong and hot, the bagels are just so-so, but it’s a cheap spot for a quick bite. Plus, they serve fro yo, so why not just get your calcium fix first thing in the morning?

FAB Cafe – a random find while wandering around the neighborhood early one morning, FAB is all about local. I like their inventive coffee drinks — a rosemary-lavender iced soy latte, anyone?

Back to DC on the train tonight — after a weekend of birthday indulging and a few days of New York eating, I’m ready to get back into my normal routine.

The weekend started off with a Restaurant Week dinner at Ezme. The dinner was delicious, including the best scallops I’ve ever eaten, but the real highlight was, of course, dessert: profiteroles. It really set the tone for the rest of the decadent weekend.

I was so excited to wake up to snow Saturday morning. En route to a morning volunteer shift at the Capital Area Food Bank, I loved walking through the peaceful, snow-blanketed city streets.

The next big birthday celebration: afternoon tea with my grandmother at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. The tea service was beautiful but not as nice as other Ritz-Carlton teas — it’s definitely a fun, fancy way to celebrate a birthday, bridal or baby shower, or special occasion for a group of girls (or guys, whatever, everyone likes tea).

From the Ritz to Citronelle, it was quite the fancy day. Citronelle itself may be $$$, but the upstairs lounge area offers a modified menu so you can enjoy the same great food but at a much lower price. My college best friends and I chose Citronelle as a spot to celebrate with desserts, drinks and plenty of gossiping.

Picture via Simone

Dessert heaven.

The service was impeccable, the desserts incredible (the kind of dessert where you want to shout ‘hallelujah!’ after every bite) and they put a sparkler on the plate and let it shoot off in the restaurant. What more do you need?!

On my actual birthday, my mom took me to Lincoln Restaurant for a post-church birthday brunch.

I’d been intrigued by this local-food spot since it offered a special Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month menu in the fall. While there was no peanut butter on my plate this time, a bellini with fresh crushed raspberry hit the spot.

To eat, we split a freshly-made gingerbread waffle (as awesome as it sounds) and a customized spinach+peppers+mushroom+broccoli omelet.

Add Lincoln Restaurant to your DC brunch rotation, at least for the gingerbread waffle. So good.

My birthday feasting finished off at my dad’s house with a Greek dinner: falafel, salad and veggies, plus a sister-made Funfetti-and-mocha cake. Aren’t birthdays delicious?!

I’m en route to New York for this morning, where I’m sure the gluttony will continue for a few days, but I’m never one to turn down a delicious meal. What’s your birthday cake request? 

No, but Sunday is my birthday and since I’m looking forward to celebrating my 26th birthday right here in Washington, here are a few of my favorite Washington, DC staycation blog posts that highlight some must-see DC sights.

Staycation: The Newseum

As a journalist and someone who loves her first amendment rights — then again, who doesn’t? — I adore the Newseum. There’s truly something for everyone, no matter what your age or interests, and you’re guaranteed to leave challenged, inspired and (hopefully) educated about the important role media has played in world history.

Staycation: Secret Gardens

When the weather is nice, my favorite lazy day activity is to spend hours wandering the city streets, discovering hidden gems tucked into alleys or quiet green areas that transport you from busy downtown to the countryside.

Staycation: Arlington National Cemetery

Sure, it’s on every Washington visitor’s must-see list, but my favorite thing about this hallowed place are the expansive views from the cemetery’s highest point, Arlington House. (The banner image on my blog was taken at Arlington House.)

Staycation: The Mansion on O Street

Ever since visiting over Christmas, I am obsessed with the Mansion on O. It’s also near my house — another perk. Besides being a fun way to spend the evening — an adult scavenger hunt! — the Mansion offers some incredible, small concerts that I hope to attend in the future.

Those are four of the top spots I discovered over the past year but what about you? Where are your favorite places in this great city, Washington, DC?

One thing I’m really excited about is that Lauren and I are bringing back our photo blog. This project started in 2008 as 3 p.m. on Sunday when she lived in the DC area and I lived in Seoul, South Korea. It was such a fun way to keep in touch over a year spent on opposite sides of the globe.

We tried keeping another photo blog (Around the Corner) the following year, while Lauren lived in New York City and I was back in DC, but the project quickly fizzled because of work commitments.

Well… now we’re (hopefully) bringing it back. I’ll post here, too, when Around the Corner updates but it should be once a week, early week. Definitely check it out!

Other things I’m thankful for this week:

• Unseasonably warm weather — as Joel Achenbach put it, “This has been a winterless winter, a season that can’t make it past lunchtime without busting out in a springtime melody.”
• Then again — there are potential flurries in tonight’s forecast. I wouldn’t mind one winter wonderland before returning to spring.
• Midweek dinners at Kramerbooks
• Volunteer opportunities on my birthday
• Wedding bells for friends that mean travel plans for Erin
• This book I can’t put down
• Not cooking, not caring
• The John Coltrane Pandora station — perfect for at-work listening

What’s been the highlight of your week so far?