 It’s that time of year again!!!! The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Erie, Pennsylvania January 10th at 7pm!!!! Last year my daughter was FINALLY old enough where I was comfy taking her to such an event and the worst thing ever happened! A freaking blizzard happened the day of. With Erie Insurance Area being 45 minutes away from our house, it just wasn’t going to happen for us! As excited as we were to see all the neat tricks the Harlem Globetrotters had in store, it just want worth risking our safety heading to Erie. This basketball loving family would just have to wait another year to attend!!!! Thankfully this year there isn’t a single snowflake in site (knock on wood it stays that way) so we will be hitting up this awesome family event at 7pm on Thursday!!!!  AboutIn 1926, in Chicago, a 24-year-old businessman named Abe Saperstein formed a small basketball team called the Savoy Big Five. He was just trying to promote a nightclub called the Savoy Ballroom, but in just a few years the team had played over 1000 games around the country and become the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1941, the Globetrotters signed Reece "Goose" Tatum, an all-time great who developed amazing comedy moves and changed the direction of the team. Twenty years after their inception, the Globetrotters had played 3,000 games and were featured on the cover of Life magazine. Those were remarkable achievements at a time when America was deeply segregated by race.  The team toured the world, breaking cultural and social barriers along with basketball records. They were the first team to play basketball in Europe. In 1950, Globetrotter Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton became the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract. In 1959, during the Cold War, the Globetrotters went on a sold-out tour of the Soviet Union. The also had an audience with Pope John XXIII and posted their first undefeated season, with an astonishing 441 wins. Throughout their history, the Original Harlem Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 120 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans—among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents.  The line-up has included some of the greatest players ever, including Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Curly Neal, and Connie Hawkins, just to name a few, and they have appeared in their own movies and TV shows. The Harlem Globetrotters continue a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages.  Event Info Let’s Chat!Have you seen the Harlem Globetrotters?
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 I finally had the chance to see “Hamilton” Thursday!!! The battle to score two tickets was ridiculous! I had to enter a lotto system through the host theater and keep my fingers crossed my email address was even drawn to ATTEMPT to purchase tickets the day tickets were released. That’s right, the lotto didn’t guarantee anything, but the chance to be on the ticket site when tickets went on sale. Apparently having a lotto system and a 4 ticket purchase limit minimizes the chance of scalpers scoring tickets. Since I’m obsessed with musicals & try to not miss a show at Shea’s, I obviously entered multiple emails and lucky enough, one of the three emails was drawn! After the ticket site crashing multiple times, and having to wait about 15-20 minutes to even check out once my tickets were in my cart, I was lucky enough to score two balcony tickets for the December 6th show at Shea’s in Buffalo,NY. After all the drama to land tickets, I’m sure you are all wondering, was it worth it? Did It Live Up To The Hype? Or did all that political nonsense really lead to the ticket sales and the show was just “ok”? Keep on reading to find out!  PlotLike every other city, Buffalo played its part in the frenzy surrounding “Hamilton.” Legacy is the central theme of Hamilton which has landed this smashing hit 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize! Basically, the musical chronicles the life of Alexander Hamilton, America’s first Treasury Secretary, set to a hip-hop backdrop. It sounds crazy, but it works because the show’s arsenal of effects is simply overwhelming. The lyrics drive the narrative, the rap gives energy to the lyrics, and the dancers double the effect by adding a visual complement to the pulsing soundscape.  “Hamilton" has everything: Love triangles, political intrigue, deadly duels and a petulant King George, played as a red-faced toddler on the verge of a tantrum. Perhaps the greatest gift is how touchingly familiar and human “Hamilton” makes the men and women who helped shape America seem! So unlike the cold faces under powdered wigs in portrait galleries & our dollar bills.They were ordinary people who, against all odds, fought against the whims of a king to achieve not only a legacy, but greatness together! That's history worth remembering.  OpinionI get it! The hype, the reviews that include words like "phenomenon," "revolutionary" and "thrilling." The crazy ticket sales and the lotto systems for a chance to score them. After seeing Thursday night's performance at Shea’s,I get it! The show is a non-stop, electric spectacle that hits the gas immediately and doesn't take its foot off the pedal until the final curtain call. There's no dialogue, only song-after-song, rap battle after rap battle. You find yourself desperately trying to process every word before it speeds on to the next, while being captivated by the choreography that turns a simple stage with a rotating center into a front-row seat to history. The incredible structure of the show makes it feel effortless, even though I couldn't stop thinking about how much effort has to be made in order for it to have that effect. You also find yourself forgetting you're watching the story of one of the country's founding fathers and become fixated on the story of a man battling the weight of his own pressure for greatness, while trying to fight the demons and temptations waiting to derail him along the way. What Lin-Manuel Miranda did to a fascinating chapter in our history books is truly awe-inspiring. Taking the complexities of war, a developing nation and the interesting characters who inspired it all and telling their story through hip-hop, rap and yes, 21st century humor and lingo, takes "Hamilton" from a musical to a full-blown experience. If you have the chance to see “Hamilton”, do it! I promise it’s worth all the ticket hassle! I would do it all over in a heartbeat.  Let’s Chat!Have you had the chance to see Hamilton? What’s your favorite musical?
 My family received two complimentary nights. No monetary compensation was given. All thoughts, stories and opinions, 100% my own. Heading to Sesame Place? Need to find a chic place to stay near the park? Don’t want to break the bank? The fab news is, the official hotel of Sesame Place, Sheraton Bucks County is all of those things! For around $159 a night, that’s at least $50 cheaper than all the “suite” hotels near by like Hampton, Holiday Inn Express etc, you can feel boojie and be on a budget at the same time!!!! Let me tell you my favorite reasons for staying at the Sheraton Bucks County!  Accross The Street From Sesame Place!Thats right, no need to set that navigation system in your car because the hotel is literally across the street. While I would still recommend driving over to the park, or taking the complementary park shuttle Sheraton offers, you are as close to the park as you can get! Getting lost is impossible.  Fabulous LobbyI know it’s silly, but it makes me happy to walk into a hotel and seeing fabulousity. Makes me feel good knowing I’m staying someplace pretty and totally insta-worthy! The lobby at Sheraton Bucks County would definitely make for fabulous backdrops for photos! You don’t get these types of views when walking into a chain suite hotel!  Free Flavored WaterI don’t know why, but my daughter and I were obsessed with the free flavored water! The only other places I know that do this are spas, so I definitely felt boojie sipping on my flavored water while walking back to my room.  Room Service!If you have been a Trophy WifeStyle subscriber for awhile, then you know I’m all about the room service!!! While this was a short trip and we didn’t have time to take advantage of the luxury, I loved knowing the option was there! I even spotted a family eating room service poolside one evening. Such a genius idea. Totally doing that next time I’m on a trip longer than a day or two. Room Service not your jam? Then eat your meal inside the actual restaurant or at the bar! Yum.  Indoor PoolIndoor pools are an awesome perk while visiting anywhere up north. Shivering at the park? Make it a pool day! Did it start raining cats and dogs? Pool day! Indoor pools are a total lifesaver when traveling with kids, so I always look for this amenity when traveling. TIP ~ Indoor pools also make for a great way to tire the kiddos out while you sip on that vino. That’s right, there might be wine in that Starbucks cup while my daughter is tiring herself out for bed ;-)  Comfy BedOne of my favorite things about staying at nice hotels is the comfy bed! My hubby and I have tried so hard to make our bed at home just as comfy as a hotel bed, yet every time we stay at a nicer hotel, we want to take that bed home with us! The Sheraton Bucks County’s beds did not disappoint! So comfy that you don’t want to get up in the morning regardless of all the fun there is across the street at Sesame Place.  Fireworks ViewPlanning your Sesame Place trip on a Sesame Place fireworks night? No need to beat the crowd to that perfect viewing spot in the park because you can view the fireworks from the comfort of your own hotel room! I loved that all I had to do was walk from my comfy bed to my window with a glass of vino in hand to watch the fireworks show! And in my pajamas!!! Best perk EVER!!!  Let’s Chat!What amenities do you look for when booking hotels? As most of you know, my family and I had the chance to visit Sesame Place over Labor Day weekend! It was one heck of a trip that’s for sure. I had a blast showing my daughter my old childhood stomping ground! It’s crazy how much Sesame Place has grown over the years. The last time I was strolling the parks, Sesame Place was a water park. Now it’s home to not only water slide, but amusement rides, even roller coasters like Oscars Wack Taxi! One of the questions I always get when I return from any adventure is “what to pack”? Most of the time I just say the usual day out with the kids gear, but this time I actually have REAL advice! So here it is folks, What To Bring To Sesame Place.  1. Swimsuits ~ I know, you usually see the cute Sesame Street themed rides in photos of Sesame Place. However, Sesame Place started out as a water park many years ago. Depending on the weather and season, bring those bathing suits! There are slides for the big kids and plenty of splash areas for the little ones. 2. Water Shoes/ Flip Flops ~ If you only take one of my tips, let this be it! Sesame Place has their water rides and splash areas scattered throughout the park. I didn’t remember this little detail and wore sneakers thinking I would just store them in a locker when checking out the slides. Joke was on me! While the six year old was able to walk back and forth in comfort due to her lucky choice in footwear, I was wandering around barefoot since my sneakers were in my locker. Next time I will be running to Old Navy, heck, maybe even the Dollar Tree and picking up a pair of flip flops to walk back and forth between the water ride sections.  3. Back Pack ~ Leave that Louie Vuitton bag at home! I’m all about sporting a backpack at any type of theme park! I can stuff it full of everyone’s crap and cram it into a locker if I need to without thinking my beautiful bag will get crushed or even worse, stolen if I were to set it down for a second. 4. Sunscreen ~ This is obvious, yet I alway forget my sunscreen at home and end up having to shell out ridiculous amounts of cash for sunscreen for my daughter. Let this be your reminder to toss that sunscreen into that bag NOW! Paying $10 for sunscreen is just ridiculous when you can get a travel sized bottle for $1 at any store.  5. Fully Charged Phone ~ Sesame Place is literally an Instagramers dream!!! So many photo opportunities. Wheather it’s a neat mural on a wall, an actual Sesame Street character or even mock sets of Sesame Street, you will want to take those photos. 6. Stroller ~ If your child can fit in that stroller, BRING IT!!! Seriously, I don’t care if your child is “too old”, you will be thankful about an hour into your day that you brought a stroller with you making wandering the park a breeze with little ones. Your child won’t be the only one technically too big for that stroller since half of the other strollers you will spot will have kiddos your child age being carted around as well. Makes park life way more easy, especially if are waiting in long lines since you didn’t splurge on Abby’s Magic Queue.  Let’s Chat!Have you ever been to Sesame Place? What are your must have items when going to amusement park?
 This past Saturday we took our Pomsky pup, Abby Cadabby on the longest walk of her life!!! A mile and a half long walk around Chautauqua Institution for all the fur babies at the Chautauqua County Humane Society during the Walk for Paws!  To be fair, we adopted Abby Cadabby in September. (If you missed our Puppy Announcement, get filled in!) She’s still an itty bitty puppy & a family newbie. So it’s not like we deprive our sweet furbaby of the great outdoors, we just haven’t gotten around to those long walks. It’s cold here in NY! I’m sure in the spring when Abby is a tad bit bigger & not so lazy & lap-dog like, those walks will be a fabulous way for me to get my butt in shape while giving Abby a taste of the great outdoors.  Walk 4 PawsThe Walk 4 Paws is our local Humane Societies largest fundraiser of the year!! You sign up as an individual or you can form a team. We walked under The Trophy WifeStyle this year! That’s right, we formed a team! Once you sign up and fundraise for the Chautauqua County Humane Society, you and your dog walk a mile and a half at Chautauqua Institution. This year all the participants were able to contribute over $30,000!!! WooHoo!!! Thankfully the weather was pretty fab for a fall day! It was chilly, but the sun was out and the rain stopped just long enough for us to start and finish the walk. I swear right when we got to our cars to leave after the walk, the rain came. Perfect timing. I was also pretty proud of my 6 year old daughter & 4 month old puppy! Both made it about 85% of the way before they started to get sluggish. That’s huge for a puppy still learning to walk on a leash and a 6 year old who is in physical therapy!  Costume ContestThe Wak 4 Paws also has a fun costume contest!!!! My daughter and I are all about themes, so of course Abby Cadabby HAD to dress as a unicorn. She didn’t win, but it was still fun to shop for a costume and have her strut her stuff at the event.  Let’s Chat!Have you ever participated in a walk or race for a great cause?
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welcomeCourtneyLynne is former model turned mommy & wifey! When not blogging all things foodie, fashion, travel, mom life & straight up fabulousness to the masses, she can be found chasing her toddler around in 6in stilettos & laughing at her own jokes her glass of wine told her to tell. Categories
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