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J Little Mikey's Ballfesting Adventures in America  J

Part Two

 

From Chicago, we took the Lake Shore Limited to NYC.  That was only 959 miles and a much shorter trip.  Again, the scenery is great, but we think maybe we might need a larger room next year :-) Of course I could sleep in a tea cup, but we couldn't fit another tea cup into our room this year, so I slept in Merrill's pocket or on the window ledge this time.

 

After arriving in NYC and checking into our room, we met some of our Ballfest Buddies  and went to dinner at Sam's on 45th Street.  We have Sherri Sanderson to thank for our lovely dinner arrangements!  Then we all went to see "Jekyll and Hyde" across the street at the Plymouth Theatre. That's been an annual tradition for Jackie and Merrill since 1998 and it was the first time I came along.  My namesake, Michael Ball saw "J&H" when he was in NYC one time, from what I've heard.  I know he sings "This is the Moment" from the show, and that's a favorite of mine.  (You can read more about Jekyll and Hyde in the "Shows 'n Stars" section of Ballfest Place.)

 

On Saturday, we had a lovely breakfast in the hotel, and more and more people arrived during the day.  We had such a great time meeting everyone, and getting to know each other and having lunch, taking pictures, talking, laughing, looking at Ballfest albums and just hanging out.  I can sure see why these folks like Ballfesting!  I was here to fill-in for  Michael...and I think everyone enjoyed meeting me!  

 

By 5 PM, about 20 hungry people gathered at Meson Sevilla for our Ballfest Dinner.  Carol Ann Henicle made our dinner arrangements and she sure picked a great place!  We could choose either an authentic Spanish or Italian dinner, and since Merrill and Jackie had lived in Spain for three years, a Spanish meal was a real treat for them.  Everything looked so festive, and the group seemed to enjoy just being there together.  Everyone was introduced to everyone else, Ballfest 2000 badges and some Michael souvenirs were passed out, as were PBS buttons and info.  I think Michael would have enjoyed being here - it was a real tribute to him - fans meeting and sharing, making friends in the spirit of "Michaelness" that is a very real part of Ballfesting.  Michael brought us together after all!  

 

Greg Stone was our "Guest of Honor" and he sure did keep everyone entertained!  Greg is an actor/singer from Seattle, and a friend of Jackie and Merrill.  He has starred as Valjean in "Les Miserables" on tour and on Broadway and also as Chris in a recent US National Tour of Miss Saigon, and, even more recently as "Curly" in a regional theatre production of "Oklahoma" with Terrence Mann in April, 2000.  We heard some great behind-the-scenes theatre stories, and my favorite was the one about how Greg got his first role in "Les Miz."  He also shared some of those embarrassing moments that every actor must have had at one time or another.  I think the time he accidentally shot Javert in the back instead of pointing the gun up, as he was supposed to do was probably the worst moment for him, but the funniest for us!  Anyway,  Greg even sang a few bars, which sure got some attention from the other diners!  

sherri01.jpg (21469 bytes)Jackie introduced me to Greg, but she forgot to give him his birthday present that was in her purse the whole time!  You can see lots more pictures from our weekend in New York in the NYC2000 section, and in the Greg Stone Fan Section of Ballfest Place.

Photo Courtesy of Sherri Sanderson

After dinner some of us went to see "Aida," did a bit of Stagedooring where we met all the stars of the show, and got some great photos of Adam Pascal and Tony winner Heather Headley.  Next stop ~ Joe Allen's for a late snack.  We sat right next to Harry Belafonte!

By the next morning, everyone was ready to start planning for Ballfest NYC 2001! 

After spending part of Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday Ballfesting, we boarded yet another train ~ The Crescent ~ at Penn Station, for our 293 mile journey south.  We passed the high school that Jackie attended in Washington, DC and our trip took about 6 hours, which again we passed just watching the scenery from our windows.

We finally made it to Culpeper, a little late, a little tired, but excited to spend some time with family and do some big time resting and relaxing.  Funny how vacations are so tiring!

In Culpeper, I met Biff.  I was afraid he might eat me, but he didn't even try to.  I don't think I was the kind of BALL he was expecting, but we got along great!  Here we are, discussing Michael, who's yet another and very different sort of BALL:

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Well, we had a great couple of days in Culpeper before we boarded The Cardinal for the next 854 mile segment of our train trip.  Now this was what I call SCENERY!  Next year we plan to take the same train but FROM Chicago back to Culpeper or all the way to Washington, DC, where Jackie and Merrill were both born and went to school.

We only had a few hours in Chicago, but Amy came to meet us in the morning and stayed to visit until lunchtime.  They mostly talked about "Aida," Heather Headley and Adam Pascal.  

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Me with Jackie and Amy Strong

(eat your heart out Adam Pascal) 

We grabbed some lunch *to go" at the Corner Bakery, J&M's favorite  sandwich shop, and then it was off for Seattle, a  2,206 mile trip through more gorgeous scenery.  Along our way, we saw buffalo, a fox, an elk, a weasel, lots of deer, and lots and lots of birds - including bunches  of gorgeous white pelicans.  The trip takes about 45 hours, the food is great, and we had another chance to rest up from our Ballfesting Trip.

We stopped in Minot, North Dakota for a photo op, and I spent some time amongst the flowers.  Me and my family love gardens and this garden was just my size.  In the first photo, I am riding happily along in Merrill's pocket - my favorite way to travel.

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Anyway, we got to Seattle a little late, but Scott was there to meet us, and take us home.  Samantha and Shannon said they had missed us a lot.  Now we are busily planning for next year - Los Angeles in March, NYC in the summer, The Bay Area at an undetermined time, and lots of Ballfesting here in Washington in the meantime!

I almost forgot to introduce you to my friend Smiley.  He looks a little like me, doesn't he?  He is scattered among these web pages so look for him, and smile when you see him! 

J

And...be sure to watch for more of Little Mikey's Adventures in America as I go Ballfesting again!

Love, Mikey :-

Biff's Place    Chaucer's Page

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