This past week, we learned that we will not be going to LA at the end of the month. The entire six-week run at the Dolby Theatre has been canceled but will hopefully be rescheduled for later in the tour. We were both really looking forward to playing in such a historic venue and experiencing LA. Emma was looking forward to seeing if bangs was a good look for her at The Hair Shop, savoring pizza from Pizzeria Mozza, and stopping by the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop every day on her way into work. Bryan was excited for the great cycling LA has to offer including freelancer rides hosted by Rapha and other great cycling shops where he could try out some new gear he’s had his eye on. While we are bummed to be missing out on these experiences we are grateful that public safety is being taken so seriously. We know that these adventures will be waiting for us when this pause is over.
Although we had a lot planned for LA already, that is not usually the case. We often don’t know much about a city and what it has to offer until a few days before we get there. Today would have been our first performance in Tempe following a week in Las Vegas. Tempe is one of those cities we don’t know much about so, like other cities we aren’t familiar with, we would have started our research a few days before getting there to see what the top attractions were. When we arrived, we would have stopped by the tourist info center if it was open and nearby before eating out then going grocery shopping for the week. We have always enjoyed seeing how grocery stores in foreign countries differ from those we’re used to, but it has been surprising to experience so many differences between grocery stores and the foods they do or do not carry in the cities and regions of the United States as well. Just so you know, the best grocery store so far is Heinens in Cleavland.
The rest of our time in a city depends a lot on Emma’s rehearsal schedule and how long we are there. If we’re in a city for only a week like we would have been in Tempe, we might only get around to doing one or two of the things that we discovered that were nearby and looked particularly fun. Other than that, our week would have been full of the weekly routine of performances and rehearsals, chores, and planning for future stops.
As frenetic as that routine and schedule could feel, we are excited to get back to it. Until then, we will continue to keep ourselves entertained, help our families, and stay connected with our friends from afar. We realized that it has been a year since Bryan quit his job and we started spending every moment together. For a lot of couples and families, this quarantine is the first time they have spent every waking hour together, but for us this is normal and even preferred! Who knows how we’ll handle it if we ever have to work apart again?!
For now, we will keep enjoying our time together!
– e+b
