See at least 3 shows at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival- Completed- 10/11/09

This festival in Stratford, Canada draws theater-lovers from near and far.

I joined Marty and Steve Remis and my aunt Judith for 3 days of shows.

We saw Midsummer Night's Dream, Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum, West Side Story, and The Importance of Being Earnest. The shows were fantastic in set design, costume, staging, and quality. I laughed and cried throughout. Stratford is a cute little town in the middle of a lot of farms. They have great restaurants, which we took advantage of, a well-stocked liquor store which we also took advantage of, and Ken's Pomme Frites. He sells french fries out of a van smothered in vinegar, which is just perfect on a cold fall day. The four of us huddled inside an ATM booth devouring the fries. yum!

We also learned how to play Rumikub and spent our evenings enjoying wine, snacks, and strategic game maneuvers.

Added to list: 11/22/08

Visit Las Vegas- Completed 7/17/09

So it's true, I had never been to Vegas...and I had to see what all the fuss was about. I organized a trip with my mom, aunt, cousin (Katrina), and second cousin (Asha) to visit this crazy city.

We also spent some time with Susan and Jerry Monahan (my sister-in-law's parents). I took advantage of time share deals as much as possible to get a few free nights at Bally's and some free show tickets. We got to see magic shows, comedy, variety, as well as

Mystere (the Cirque Du Soleil show), and Jubilee! Dining was fantastic and nightlife was entertaining. Kat and I hit Lavo, one of the dance clubs. We also went to an ice bar.

I tried out a hydromassager and everyone tried on the Elvis sunglasses!

For more information: Vegas

Added to list: 11/22/05

Learn to Drive Manual Transmission - Completed 7/3/09

With a little help from Phillip Hebb, I got to practice driving his manual transmission car. After warming up in an empty parking lot, I got out on the city streets and drove through downtown Atlanta. I only stalled 3 times! I'm still not too confident, but now I know I can do it if I have to.

Added to list: 11/22/06

Visit Turkey - Completed 5/30/09

A need for a last-minute vacation, lead Heather and I to plan a trip to Turkey while our good friend, Esra, would be there. We flew through Paris and had 7 hours to take the RER to Notre Dame and have a picnic on the Seine with my relatives.

We arrived in Istanbul on May 30th.

We stayed in Sultanahmet, the historic part of town, at the Hotel Nomade. This little hotel was fantastic. The staff was so kind and attentive and the breakfasts on the terrace with views of the city were divine.

We toured all of the historic sites. Heather, Esra, and

I are checking out the fabulous tiles in the Blue Mosque.

We then went to Hagia Sophia to admire the mosaics and the way Christians and Muslims used the same building as a place of worship.

We met Osge and Golam and

the famous cat, Glee, who was petted by Obama and has been a star ever since.

We visited Topkapi Palace, the Cistern Basilica, and other mosques and museums.

We also went to a lovely neighborhood called Ortakoy, right on the water with stores and cafes to try some Turkish Coffee at House Cafe.

Omer and Esra took us out to dinner and introduced us to Raki, the Turkish shot. You should always have your Raki with feta and melon. It tastes like liquid licorice. We also dined at Hamdi, where we tried all kinds of Turkish specialities while enjoying a view of the city.

We also put our vegetarianism on the side and tried Kofte, turkish meatballs at one of the most famous restaurants to get them, Tarihi Selim Usta Sultanahmet Koftecisi.

We also did some shopping and serious bargaining at the Grand Bazaar, a huge covered market where they sell everything from gold to turkish carpets.

We took one afternoon to have high tea at the Ciragan Palace (now a hotel) and pretend we were royalty.

Then we hopped a flight to Cappadocia, the eastern central plains region of Turkey. Where we stayed in a cave hotel called Elkep Evi in Urgup, carved right out of the rocks, overlooking the town.

We spent several days in the area, checking out restaurants, hiking

and touring the ancient cave homes, horseback riding, visiting a carpet

making factory and a pottery factory (where I tried my hand a

t the wheel), seeing a cultural show, and drinking Efes in the local bars in Goreme and Avanos.

We headed back to Istanbul for our last few days. We stayed in Beyoglu, right near Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian shopping and dining area, at a wonderful hotel called 5 Oda (which means 5 rooms). We found baklava at the fabulous and famous Karakoy Gulluoglu baklava store, went to the Spice Market to buy tons of turkish delight and other goodies, rode a ferry along the Bosphorous, walked up to Galata Tower and down to Taksim square, had wine at a posh club called 360, and partied and danced all night on Nevesade street. It was a wonderful vacation!

(Added to list: 11/22/05)