City Number Seven Is Coming Soon!

“Where should we go?” is a fairly common conversation starter in my life. Whether it is Sweet Husband, the kids, or one of my friends, it definitely comes up. While Disney World and a cruise are my two go-to answers, sometimes we just want to try something different.

We took many trips chasing runDisney events from park to park, me and my girlfriends. Now, though, none of us are doing any running…we’re barely walking! 

So…hhhmmm…what can propel us to do some weekenders?

BROADWAY! That’s it!!!

While Las Vegas has a thriving show scene, probably the best in the world, we only have one real Broadway-style location. This means that we are stuck with the touring schedules of shows, and can only see them one at a time, less than once a month.

So, we started chasing our favorite Broadway shows. 

I have visited several different cities, mostly chasing Wicked. Now, though, we’re chasing another incredible show that isn’t playing here anytime soon.

Maybe this is something you and your Bestie Boo can do, too…

A Great Chance To See New Places

Last summer Sweet Husband and I went to London. While we toured castles and Towers and saw many incredible sites, there was never a doubt we would see a show on the West End. It wasn’t why we went at all, but it was certainly non-negotiable once we were there! It was pretty hysterical watching Hamilton in Great Britain, let me tell you.

This summer, Bestie Boo and I will be heading north to Denver to see Wicked. Yeah, sure, we’ve seen Wicked a few times, but never in Denver! We’ve done the same thing with different cities in California and Arizona, and it’s always a great time.

Now that we settled on a destination and a show, let’s build it into a fantastic weekender! 

Make It A Nice Weekend Trip

There are several keys to making a Broadway-themed weekender work for you. The very best way is to go to a site that is “weekend” distance from your house. My rule, for example, is that the flight needs to be no more than two hours away for me to do a two-night trip. Anything longer than that and it’s just a little too tough on this old body.

Fly in on Friday

To avoid using any of those precious vacation days, we will leave Friday afternoon. While those flights might be a bit more expensive than Thursday night, you save money on one night in the hotel, and not needing to take a day off. Flying Friday afternoon, we get to our location just in time for a late dinner and a drink at the hotel. It’s perfect.

Saturday night show is probably best

While the availability of tickets on a Saturday night are generally the lowest for touring performances, it is definitely the best time for you to see the show:

• You want to avoid Friday in case your flight is late
• You don’t want to be checking your watch by booking the Sunday afternoon show
• You can use all day for touring the city, and then hit the show after a nice dinner 

Head home after check out Sunday

I’ll aim for about a three o’clock flight out of our host city. This gives us the opportunity to sleep in after the fantastic show, have a nice breakfast in or out of the hotel. We then take a nice, long walk around the hotel neighborhood before heading to the airport, to get some fresh air and some steps.

What Are The Benefits?

By now, you know that I see tremendous benefits on all types of travel. No matter what takes you to the airport or out on the highway, you’ve got multiple opportunities to see new things, experience new activities, and get outside of your comfort zone with people you love. 

Get to explore places

I’ve only been to Denver once, and that was for a work conference. I’m looking forward to enjoying the city, and the new pedestrian-friendly promenade they have created in their downtown area. With public transportation that is quite different from where I live, it will be an adventure from beginning to end. Whether you spend that Saturday walking around Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco or enjoying the beach in Florida, it should be not only relaxing, but very different from a regular weekend home. 

See different casts perform

I’ve been fortunate to see a good number of talented women portraying Glinda the Witch of the North in Wicked. I find it very interesting to see the slightly different way performers make a persona their own, with different inflections, personalities and singing voices. I definitely have found my favorite performers along the way!

Build up your list of shows

I specifically limit my travel to shows I absolutely adore. I can’t roll the dice to travel for a show I’m not sure I will love. That is definitely just me, and hopefully you are much more adventurous than I am in many ways. At first, I literally chased Wicked, but it was Hamilton we saw in London. Looking ahead, we are chasing Book of Mormon next.

Weekend away with Bestie Boo

I could have just put this on the top of this blog, with “enough said” after it. Just the idea of going to a new and different city for the weekend with Bestie Boo is a great reason to travel, and when we add the element of one of our favorite shows it becomes even more fun. 

It might be cheaper…

Okay, stop giving me that look! I know traveling to see a show will cost some money as opposed to seeing it in your hometown. But, my hometown is extremely expensive for shows—don’t forget, we’ve only got one theater. So the tickets in Denver in August, for example, are less than half what comparable tickets would be here. 

How Do You Build This Trip?

This trip is a little different than most weekenders, because there is clearly a focal point. Think of it like traveling for a wedding—the middle of your trip is already planned and scheduled, leaving you only the fringes to do other things. It’s a bit different…

• Use their touring schedules posted online – I stalk touring schedules for my three favorites, always hunting for something within a short distance during a good time of year. How far in advance they post touring schedules definitely varies, but is always at least six months out. 
• Find a city or a date? – This is kind of a dance that I do. For example, if it’s a birthday present for your bestie, you need to focus on the date of the show. On the other hand, I try to make it a quick weekend trip, so I am very concerned with the city. If you are planning like I do, it takes a perfect convergence of date and location for it to work. Thank you Denver.
• Purchase tickets before anything else – As soon as you have your exact show, buy the tickets. They are, in my experience, much more rare and difficult to get than my airline tickets or a hotel, so I start with the show tickets.
  • Get the seats you want – This is the time to splurge just a little. You’re going out of your way—by far—to see this show, so make sure you have seats that will be enjoyable for you. I stick with that Saturday night show, but you might prefer to hit Friday night or Sunday matinee to get better seats.
  • Secure your flights – Next is my beloved Southwest Airlines. Obviously, I’m only looking at cities that they service, so my next stop on the internet is to book the airline ticket. Since I only do show flights, the prices aren’t usually outrageous. If you’re working points like I am, you should be golden with your flight. 
  • Find a convenient hotel – The easiest thing to book is the hotel, but there are definitely considerations:
    • Near the venue might be great, but are there things within walking distance to eat and do?
    • Near the city center will give you other things to do, but you’re reliant on surge-priced Uber after the show to get back to the hotel.
    • Near the airport will be convenient on Friday evening and Sunday check-out, but do you really want to stay near the airport in a fun and interesting city?

So, What Shows Do I Suggest?

This is entirely personal preference, and I hope that you remain open to every different show from Broadway, off-Broadway, heck, even the local high school production!

But…if I’m spending a fair amount of money and time, you know I’ve got my favorites…

Here, then, is the very short list: 

• Wicked – the most fantastic show I’ve ever seen. Changed my life perspective the first time I saw it
• Hamilton – fell in love with the story and the songs from the time the curtain went up.

But, let’s be honest, if somebody suggests something else, I’ll be on southwest.com faster than they can say it.

Pat, Just Go To New York City…

So, I haven’t seen either of my favorites on Broadway. Isn’t that funny? New York is across the country, and hotels in that area are prohibitively expensive to me, so it just hasn’t happened yet. Yet.

But, there’s my dear friend, Suzy Q…suggesting a trip…soon.

See you in the orchestra section, friends~

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS FAR!!!

Thank you for reading all about chasing Broadway shows!

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