Riding Phrius to the Opera

The free parking ticket was of no use. But the affordable tickets for two to the Minnesota Opera were just the gift for me to give to Hillary for Christmas this year.  (An opera buff friend suggested it - little did I know she had been wanting to go to an opera for a long time!)  We decided to go all out on our clothing since it was opening night.  I donned my tuxedo from orchestra playing days and Hillary wore a beautiful long burgundy dress.  We had the babysitter all lined up and even checked in with her earlier in the afternoon. Due to the house by 4:55, we were quite worried when she had not arrived at 5:10, 15 minutes before our bus. When we weren't able to reach her, we scrambled to find a backup plan.  Hoping to at least make the opera (skipping our dinner reservation), Hillary began calling alternate sitters.  Long story short, our original babysitter thankfully arrived at 5:38. We quickly reviewed the transportation options: catch the next bus in 3 minutes (long shot) and arrive at the restaurant with well less then an hour to eat, or call a taxi and maybe make our 6 pm reservation.  We called the taxi, hoping it would arrive quickly.  Our lucky night.  It came within 5 minutes and got us to Pazzaluna in downtown St. Paul at 5:58. Well worth the $20 cab fare to ensure we got to eat dinner and enjoy the full evening.

Perks of dates via the bus: the extra time you need for the bus gives you plenty of flexibility when situations change.  This time a taxi provided the backup.  In the summer months our bikes have served as a good backup.

The opera - Donizetti's Mary Stuart at the Ordway - was fantastic.  It was our first real opera production, and we savored the opening night scene.  As our opera guide told me, you can never be overdressed at the opera!  It was amazing to see everyone all dressed up and hear about others' opera going traditions.  And of course it was great to hear and see great singers acting in an excellent set.  The ice sculptures for the 125th St. Paul Winter Carnival were a nice bonus, and we enjoyed a relaxing bus ride home. But thank goodness for taxis when you need one!