Review: Sleep No More

At my roommate's suggestion, I went and saw Sleep No More. It was FANTASTIC. 

If you're going to be in NYC any time soon, I highly recommend it. It's a show, but so much more than a show. 

Located in Chelsea, the building it's housed in is a bit unassuming. The only sign that something more lurks within is a small plaque designating the space "The McKittrick Hotel". 

When the bouncer finally opens the door, you're ushered inside and (for $3) must check any bags or purses you have with you. You're given a gothic playing card - your hotel key, and then must walk blindly in the dark up the stairs to the in-house bar. 

Try the absinthe punch; you won't be disappointed. The champagne is also excellent. 

You're called into the main part of the "hotel" by your cards - aces go first, at least the night I went. You're given a mask and very minimal instructions:

1. Keep the mask on at all times. 
2. Don't speak. Do not speak. DO NOT SPEAK. 
3. Don't touch the actors, although the actors may touch you. 
4. The people wearing black masks are here to help you, but not to guide you. 
5. Fortune favors the bold. 

From there, the show unfolds itself into a 1920's murder-mystery scavenger-hunt choose-your-own-adventure ballet version of Macbeth. 

Characters act out a scene - usually in groups of two, but sometimes in larger groups and sometimes by themselves. They'll dance for a while, and then quickly break apart, running to opposite ends of the room. Choose one and follow, and get swept up in a different part of the show. 

The masks are ingenious - everyone truly is anonymous. You can get right in the actor's faces, get right behind them and witness as they writhe and dance and murder. And oh yes, there is murder. Perhaps the most effective part of the entire show is the silent commentary - here are people plotting and fucking and murdering each other, and we, a mob in white masks, stand by silent and approving. We want to see more. We touch the pillows the smothered a human being. We rifle through drawers, trying to find secret notes. Horrible, horrible things are happening, and we, the hungry audience, want more. 

When the show finally ends (and believe me, you'll know), you're welcomed back in the bar. Masks come off. People laugh and joke and drink too much champagne. A lounge singer serenades you with a low, sultry voice. The lights are back on. 

My tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes. No, really. Wear the most comfortable shoes you own. It's dark, you'll be running, and you'll be too busy exploring to care what you wearing on your feet as long as they're comfortable. 
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It can be very hot, and you'll be climbing up and down 5 flights of stairs. 
• Go to the early check in time. It will give you close to an hour longer in the hotel with less people trying to see the same scene. 
• Bring an open mind. Most of the scenes repeat themselves, so don't worry about missing out. Open jars. Have a drink. Sit down. Read a letter. Get in the way. Lurk in the shadows. 
• If you do feel lost, hang out near one of the stairwells. Chances are a character will be running through the doorway very soon, and you can go along for the ride.
• Have fun. If a scene is boring you, move on. Go bar the bar for a drink, and return when you feel comfortable. It truly is choose your own adventure, so take advantage of it. 

Ireland Wednesday

This was taken from my Ireland travel blog: britandsadiegotoireland.tumblr.com

So we had a bit of a slow start today, due to not having an alarm clock and the buses getting delayed/being wonky this morning. We didn’t get into the city until almost noon, but it worked out okay.

After grabbing some sandwiches and some much needed caffeine for brunch, we hopped on the tour bus and headed over to the Museum of Architecture and History. The museum was gorgeous. Throughout the entire place, the floors were covered in tiles in a vaguely Grecian pattern. The museum had Egyptian mummies, Irish bog mummies, the largest collection of Irish gold, a tree canoe, viking displays, swords that had decayed and rusted so much only bits and pieces were left, and LOTS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN! Oh jeez…they were everywhere! It was rather cute though…especially when one precocious 7 year old boy ran up to a display and said “What the hell?!” We had to leave that display because we were laughing too hard.

Fun fact: If a man had his nipples cut off, he was no longer eligible for kingship. One of the bog mummies was a nobleman without nipples.

After the museum we finally went to the Guinness storehouse! This was a ton of fun, as you can imagine. 7 stories of history, the process of, the advertising, and the world’s largest pint glass. Seriously…the entire building is built around a 7 story pint glass. We didn’t learn how to pour our own perfect glass, as then we couldn’t drink it at the very top, and there was a large group ahead of us that was taking a while. But the view at the top was great…we got our pints, and sat down next to some very nice Scottish people. They apparently go to Dave Matthews Band concert every year, in whatever country they want to see/can afford to see at the time.

Sadie and Brit determined that they are not really beer girls. Brit finished hers just fine; Sadie needed a bit of coaxing. We both decided, however, that Guinness chocolate is delicious, and prefer our beer in this form.

After the Guinness, we attempted to find a place to get cheap Eirrean bus tickets and a USIC student card. Supposedly, they’re sold at Dublin City University, so we got on the bus and headed over there. We failed at finding what we wanted, but we still got a good look around the college, and, as usual, had an adventure.

After that, we decided to head back into the city center and find a place to eat. We attempted Temple Bar district, but found it was a bit too expensive for our tastes. After wandering around for far too long, we finally sat down at O’Neill’s, which has been serving food and beer in Ireland for over 300 years. It had AMAZING food…we both got stuffed chicken with potatoes, and the atmosphere was great. There was a rugby game playing, so it was quite boisterous.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel, where we are now. We’re currently looking up tours to see the Hill of Tara, and hopefully the Cliffs of Moher.

Tomorrow’s plan: Day tour to the Hill of Tara and Newgrange, through Eirrean. Only slightly more expensive than the bus that doesn’t quite take you all the way there, so we figured it was a good deal.

Friday: Brit is anxiously trying to convince Sadie to go to the Cliffs of Moher…the tours are a bit more expensive, but if it all pans out, it would be sooo worth it. Anything to see the place where Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince were filmed, right? (Mrs.P, if you’re reading this, feel free to send just a bit more cash :P Kidding. But not really.)

So, that’s where we’re leaving you for tonight. We have an early rise (and a wakeup call to make sure we get up), so that’s all for now!

Love,

Brit and Sadie

Ireland Monday 1.0

This post was taken from my Irish Travel blog: britandsadiegotoireland.tumblr.com

We arrived, safe and sound. Well, mostly :D

Getting here was mostly uneventful. Shout out to Mrs. Lenartz and Mrs. P (Mom!) for driving us to Chicago and buying our “last American” meal at Giordano’s. Got checked in early, waited, got through security fine, waited, got to our terminal, and yep, you guessed it, waited.

Flight was excellent. We highly recommend Aer Lingus…complimentary pillows and blankies, and really, really cute food. And tea. Lots and lots of tea. Tea = <3

We attempted to sleep on the plane; it never really worked, but we had our eyes and bodies rested for quite a while. Woke up the sunrise and seeing the peaks of some of the mountains in Ireland.

Got the airport just fine, and that’s where the adventure really began. Sadie almost got denied entrance into the country for apparently not having enough money (word to the wise…apparently you’re supposed to have over $80 per day you’re staying here). Then we walked around, trying to get our luggage (another word to the wise…we already know we overpacked). Brittney failed miserably at getting a luggage cart out, but then we got our 3-day Freedom Pass to get on the buses, and we were on our way to the city center.

…

Yeah, the 3-day freedom pass? We’re going to call that our 3-day “Freedom from mistakes” pass….because we make a lot, and this way it at least doesn’t cost us. We managed to get on the right bus, only to be on the one going the wrong way. Also, getting off the wrong bus, Brittney almost sat on some poor gentleman waiting for his bus. Us = smart American travelers :P

The bright of this was, as we were waiting for the correct bus, and then getting on the correct bus, we met and conversed with two very nice elderly ladies, who were nothing but smiles and fun advice. “Be friendly…but you know, not too friendly. But I’m sure your mothers told you that”.

So after finally getting on the right bus and asking the driver to let us know when we got close to our hotel, we get dropped off and HAVE NO IDEA WHERE OUR HOTEL IS OR WHERE WE ARE! Then Sadie spaced out for a minute, and lo and behold, the sign for our hotel appeared. Of course, we have to run across 5 lanes of traffic to get to it, but at this point, what does it matter?

So here we are. At our (very nice!) hotel, with our luggage stowed away until we can check in, and breathing!!!!! And it’s not even noon.

Plan for the day: utilizing our Get Out of Jail Free bus passes to to the hop-on-hop-off tours, take lots of photos, and see what other trouble we can get into.

Also, we might not be coming back. Dublin is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Brit and Sadie