2/13/10 – 2/14/10 – Giving Peace a Chance…Ithaca, NY

Happy to be free of our less-than-satisfactory hotel accommodations and eager to be able to perform again, we embarked from Bel Air, MD, and set sail for Ithaca, NY. Founded in 1790, Ithaca was named for the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Ulysses of The Odyssey. It is located in central New York on Cayuga Lake and is the home of Cornell University. Ithaca has served as a small retail and manufacturing center, producing shotguns, clocks and automotive parts. In the early 20th century, Ithaca was also an important center in the silent film industry, producing many cliffhanger serials which often featured the local natural scenery.

Ithaca is one of the most politically and culturally liberal of the American small cities. In June 2008, almost 6000 members of the Ithaca community formed a giant human peace sign, making Ithaca the unofficial home of the world’s largest human peace sign. Notable native residents of Ithaca include actress Mary McDonnell, and authors Alex Haley (Roots), Vladimir Nabokov (Lolita), E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web), Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone) and astronomer Carl Sagan.





Ithaca Commons is the downtown shopping area of Ithaca, an outdoor pedestrian mall with many boutiques and restaurants. Located right off Ithaca Commons was our performance venue - the State Theatre. Originally an auto garage and dealership, the State Theatre opened in 1928 as a cinema and vaudeville palace. Decorated with a mix of Moorish, Gothic and Renaissance motifs, the theatre has 1626 seats and a painted ceiling containing tiny lights that resemble stars. Although we played to a great, packed audience, it felt weird to return to the show after having five days off. Among our vocally enthusiastic audience members was one of my dear college friends, Cheryl, her two children, Ethan and Ivy, and her sister Claire. Cheryl and I used to perform together in Reno, both in college and at local theatres. Check out this picture from when we were in Into the Woods:



It was so good to see Cheryl and her kids! I loved seeing the excitement on their faces and awe in their eyes following the show - there is nothing better than experiencing the show through the children’s eyes. Plus, I felt happy knowing that I made Cheryl’s children the envy of everyone by giving them small pasta noodle souvenirs.



We ended our Ithaca stay with dinner at the Ithaca Ale House to celebrate the birthday of one of our tourmates, Jess, and the start of the Year of the Tiger (my year!) for Chinese New Year. The snow fell softly on sleepy Ithaca Commons as I walked back to my hotel, and I had a feeling that this would be a great start to my new year.



Next stop – the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD. Until the next adventure…

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine