Dance Dance

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you an itinerary of the craziest roadtrip of my life...

*Disclaimer: Those of you who are not fans of So You Think You Can Dance might find this ridiculous, lame and nerdy. Justifiably so. Those of you who ARE fans, you'll understand completely. And for this, I thank you. :) *

Sunday, Oct.8
12:30 in the afternoon-ish - Departure from Toronto. We're going to the So You Think You Can Dance Tour!!!
2:00pm - Stop at Gateway Niagara for some lunch. Buy Timbits for the road.
2:30pm - Eat Timbits. Finish listening to John Mayer.
3:00pm - Stop for some American cash at an information centre. Wonder why it is that only 2 out of the 3 bridges to the US are always so backed up.
3:30pm - Finally cross the border into Buffalo. Do the roadsigns have to keep emphasizing 911 is a free call?
3:32pm - Decide that Buffalo is still a dirty, ugly city. This time around, it even smelled kinda weird.
4:00pm - Realize that the road signs saying "Albany - 208" is in miles, not kilometres. Crap!
5:00pm - Pull over into a service station for some Starbucks. We might be pressed for time, but this is an absolute necessity.
5:10pm - Okay, seriously. It smells like cows out here. Where are we?
6:20pm - The sun begins to set. I get sad because it means winter is coming soon.
7:00pm - Why are there so many slow moving cars on the interstate on Sunday night? And who decided to name a town Schenectady?!
7:20pm - Devise a plan to make sure that we can make it from the car to the theatre in minimal time. Vow not to panic if we miss the first number.
8:00pm - Drive into Albany, after paying a ridiculous $10.60 highway toll. Ensure Sarah that the world will not end if we do miss the first number. Park the car, and run to the theatre.
8:05pm - Hop the railing just behind our seats, and slide into them. The first number is just starting... we made it!

Intermission - Go down to the merch table to see what we can see. Sarah buys a program, I look at the pictures I've taken so far. My camera is frickin fantastic! Get in the ridiculous line for the washroom, since there only seems to be one for the entire theatre. Watch all the crazy girls run into the men's room so they won't be late for the 2nd half of the show. I expect a bell to ring for a 5 minute warning, but it doesn't happen (what else can you expect from a theatre that only has 1 bathroom?). I hear the music and the cheering... I'm late!!

10:30pm - Show ends. All our favourite dancers from the TV show were there, right in front of us. Amazing. Now, if only we can make it out to the right place to meet them...
11:00pm - Positioned at the top of the stairs leading down to the sidewalk beside the tour buses. I'm busily playing the role of papparazzi as the dancers start coming out and signing autographs. I can't remember the last time I was surrounded by so many screaming girls. There's a 7-year old girl beside me screaming, "I love you, Ivan!" Hilarious!!
11:30pm - The crowd near the railing starts to thin out. Sarah and I make a break for an empty gap. We're in perfect position.
11:45pm - Allison comes out, signs autographs. Sarah even manages to chat with her a little bit and get a picture.
12:00pm- The moment we've been waiting for... BENJI'S HERE! He's taking his time coming down the line, making sure to say hello to every person who's been waiting for him. Finally, it's my turn! I'm delighted to find out that he's as sweet as I expected in person. He comes over, says hi, and I tell him, "Toronto loves you, Benji!". He gives me a big hug. He even smells good! We say our thanks and congratulations. He wishes us a safe trip home.


12:15pm - Get back in the car, feeling giddy.
1:00am - Pull into a service station, praying that something is open and willing to sell us some food. End up getting a box of chicken tenders and curly fries that have been sitting out for who knows how long.
1:20 - 4:00am - Drive back through upstate NY in the pitch black, cramming chicken tenders into our mouths, and singing along to whatever music will keep us awake.
4:45am - I pass out. My recovering-from-a-cold body won't have it anymore, and I drift in and out of sleep. Sarah keeps on driving to the pumping rhythms of Great Big Sea. I have no explanation for this, except that maybe it's her Celtic blood. After all, her parents are from Cape Breton, right?
7:00am - The sun is rising as we pull into my driveway. I feel like I'm melting from exhaustion.
7:30am - Fall into my bed and crash. At this moment, I'm thankful for Thanksgiving... no work today, just a turkey dinner!

Ticket: $50
Food/gas: probably also around $50
Meeting Benji: Priceless. Haha.
Check out all my pictures here...