So… I’m going to gush a little bit about my boyfriend. But I am having so much fun dating a fellow nerd (as my older brother would call us). If you haven’t heard of Kevin before, here’s a little intro post about him. In the post, I mention our shared interest in history and D.C. tourism!
Well those shared interests are coming together in a beautiful marriage of one exciting event… we’re heading to the Kennedy Center (DC tourists, share your envy) to see Hamilton (history nerds, rejoice)!
The Book is Always Better…?
About a month ago, Kevin and I were walking around Eastern Market visiting vendor booths and little artisan shops. We went inside Capitol Hill Books on one mission… to buy two copies of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the biography on which the hit Broadway musical Hamilton is based on!
This book takes “read it before seeing the movie” to a whole new level. We both bought beautifully preserved hardcover copies of the book. And now we have about 800 pages to read before we see Hamilton on June 28!
Since Kevin is such a fast reader, he let me have a head start. But I have to admit, this is the largest book I’ve read for pleasure in my life! And it’s a biography… it stands out on the shelf from my usual fiction novels & faith-based books.
No Spoilers, Please!
Regardless, I am already on chapter 6 and I love it! Since I’m a purist, I’m even refraining from listening to the Hamilton soundtrack (I’ve never heard it before) until I finish the chapters of the book each song references. I’ve allowed myself to get as far as “The Story of Tonight,” and BOY is this going to be a catchy musical!
I just don’t want the musical soundtrack to ruin the book for me. I actually have a lot of inset curiosity, and I love learning new things. So much of Hamilton’s story is all new to me. I don’t remember learning a lot about him in history class. But listening to the songs as I read along helps reinforce the important facts.
How on EARTH did you get tickets to Hamilton at the Kennedy Center?
Let me tell you… it wasn’t easy. Maybe I was naive, but I thought we’d just hop on Kennedy Center’s (KC) website, add a couple seats to the cart, and click purchase! Wrong…
First we decided to become KC members so we had access a week in advance to purchase. Then Kevin logged in with our membership account at 9 AM, only to be randomly placed in an online waiting room (8,000-something place in line!) Then when it was finally his turn to gain access to the site, all the seats showed as open but were claimed “Reserved” by the time he added it to his cart.
You only get 30 minutes from the time you’re granted access to find a seat until you lose your place in line. Frustrated, despite trying for 30 mins straight, we came up empty handed.
So on to Facebook I went! Apparently many members were experiencing this error message. So I left a comment and soon KC reached out on Facebook messenger to resolve the issue.
We were redirected to e-mail their IT support team. Within the hour, we were bumped back into the front of the line to try again. And after persisting to find open seats, we finally got AMAZING seats in the Orchestra level for less than $150 each!
That’s right… it’s official! We’re seeing Hamilton at the Kennedy Center!!!
It’s A Date!
I’m so excited to have a special date night with Kev in June. I have such fond memories of seeing Broadway plays when I was growing up in northern New Jersey. I saw Mary Poppins with my 5th grade class, then In The Heights with my 7th grade class. Both times, we got dressed up and enjoyed an amazing show in NYC.
Now I get to experience getting dressed up and enjoying a show in D.C.! I have never been to the Kennedy Center, and I wonder if it will remind me at all of my times at Broadway.
Have you ever been to a KC show? Do you have any tips we should know about before the show (parking, arrival time, dining nearby, dress code, etc.)? Did you get to see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center last year? Drop your wisdom in the comments below! Just avoid spoilers about the show itself please! 🙂
Until then…. I’ll be jamming to some Hamilton and cramming through one heck of a read (that book report due date is coming up QUICK!)
Oh, Alexander Hamilton
When America sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote your game?
The world will never be the same, oh
