Archive for "Things to Do"
New Movie Theater in Wichita
Posted on July 3, 2018 by Ching under Movies, Things to Do.
Brian and I finally got to check out the new (I guess, not so new now) AMC movie theater at the old Northrock 14. We used to go to this theater when we first started dating, before it started getting run down. Eventually, we stopped going there and just went mostly to Warren Theatres for our movies, which had dominated the Wichita movie market. And then eventually the theater closed altogether. Fast forward several years later and the old Northrock 14 has been reincarnated as AMC.
It’s been completely gutted and remodeled inside. It actually looks very modern and nice. I like the kiosks where you can purchase tickets. There’s very limited contact with people, should you choose. The butter and soda are even self-serve.
The auditoriums vary in size. Some of them are smaller but they all have the same reclining seats. I also like that they didn’t try to cram so many rows so there’s plenty of room to walk across without getting on top of people.
I also like that it’s all reserved seating because I’m very picky about sitting smack dab in the middle of the auditorium. This way I don’t have to get there early or fight anyone else for it. I just need to buy my tickets in advance.
Our first AMC movie was Deadpool 2 a few weeks ago. And then we went back again this weekend for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
We were in smaller auditoriums both times. I wasn’t so keen on the smaller screens at first but I really like the comfortable seats and the auditorium set up. I also like that I don’t have to pay a premium for reserved seating. We will definitely be back!
In the meantime, here are a couple of movie previews for you to enjoy:
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I Feel Pretty
Posted on May 24, 2018 by Ching under Things to Do, Zumba.
Some pretty girls and I went on a movie outing last month to see Amy Schumer‘s “I Feel Pretty” movie. I never really go on girls’ only outings but the Zumba peeps seemed so excited about this one I couldn’t help but go along with it.
The movie (check the preview above) actually has a really good message. And, it was funny and entertaining so I’m very glad that I went.
Wendy, Laurie, Chelsea, Missy, and Danielle all brought their daughters so we had to take a mother-daughter pic. It was really cute.
Speaking of cute, Sarah and Rose wore matching outfits. We kind of talked about wearing Zumba gear, but the rest of their attire ended up perfectly matching completely unintentionally. I just love, love, love my Zumba family!
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Discovered Salsa Lessons in KC
Posted on May 19, 2018 by Ching under Hobbies, Things to Do.
One of my coworkers in Kansas City took me to a dance studio in Shawnee, Kansas last month for salsa lessons. We had been working together sometime before I realized that she loved salsa dancing as much as I do. We’d been talking about going salsa dancing for some time but never could work it into our busy work schedules. There’s not really anywhere to go salsa dancing during the week except for lessons. She told me about Viva Social Dance Studio where she used to attend salsa lessons regularly. They have an hour of social dancing immediately after the salsa lesson. I guess that’s the best we could do during the week.
The salsa lessons are on Wednesdays. We finally found a week that we could go so we put it in the calendar and I brought my special dancing shoes. My shoes are nothing compared to her shoes, though.
Here’s a picture of Denise’s fancy dance shoes. I found out that night just how “into” salsa dancing she is. Denise is semi-pro!
This next picture is kind of dark but it shows pretty much the whole studio. It’s not very big but they manage to hold five classes in it simultaneously during the hour. Each group has an assigned instructor. They pretty much just loop the music and we follow the instructor for our group. I followed Denise to the intermediate group. Since I know some basic salsa and teach Zumba classes, I was able to keep up pretty well. I guess this shouldn’t have been a surprise but I didn’t know what to expect.
At the end of the lesson there’s a showcase. Each group demonstrates the moves and combinations they learned that night to the other groups. It’s really pretty cool. I really like how they set up the classes.
Here’s a short video clip that Denise captured of me during the social dance at the end. My dance partner is one of the guys who took the lesson with us and we were practicing some of the moves we just learned.
I really enjoyed the salsa lesson that night. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to share the experience with Brian some time.
I guess that’s all for now because it’s time for bed. Until next time. GNG.
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Final Movie Before Vacation
Posted on April 7, 2018 by Ching under Food and Drink, Things to Do.
We normally don’t watch movies on opening weekend but we made an exception for Ready Player One because Brian has been waiting for this movie – FOREVER.
I bought him the book four years ago and it quickly became one of our favorites. We don’t typically enjoy the same types of books but this is one that we both enjoyed reading. Brian enjoyed the book so much that he reread it again recently in preparation for watching the movie.
Oh, you might notice that we went to see the movie in the balcony. We haven’t watched a movie in the balcony since Warren 21 opened. Somehow they didn’t have RPO showing in the 21, which we thought was quite odd.
This is Brian’s “excited” face. His excitement is two-fold. First, he is super excited to finally see the movie that he’s been waiting for since he first read the book four years ago. Second, he found out that he could get Walnut River’s Warbeard (his favorite beer) in a giant 32 oz. mug.
Cheers!
I was on steroids that day (literally, it was prescribed by my doctor) so I couldn’t drink (I usually get a 32 oz. hard cherry limeade) and had to settle for dessert.
After looking over my options, I decided on an old fashioned chocolate malt.
Here are some pictures of our food.
Pretty basic because we are basic people. Also, we try to stick with finger foods at the movies. Full meals are just too much hassle with the makeshift table.
After the movie, Brian got a photo with a movie display for another movie that he’s been long awaiting. It’s on like Donkey Kong after we’re back from vacation because we’ve got some movie passes to burn and rumor has it they won’t accept them anymore after the end of May.
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Boulevard Brewery Tour
Posted on February 21, 2018 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.
Brian and I meant to attend the Kansas City Brew Festival but the event sold out before we got our tickets so we ended up going to tour the Boulevard brewery instead. This was our second time doing the brewery tour.
We got there early and picked up four tickets since we were meeting a couple of my college friends there. The main difference between the tour we did last year and the tour this year is that Boulevard is now charging for the tours. They used to be free. Still, $5 is not a bad deal for an hour of entertainment and beer drinking.
I just love how friendly the Boulevard people are. I guess you would be friendly too if you were allowed to drink on the job. LOL.
If you’ve never done the brewery tour, you should. It’s a must in Kansas City!
Now that they’ve built the Beer Hall, there’s plenty of room for people to mill about while waiting for their tour to begin. I heard it used to be super crowded in the pub next to Brew-house 1.
If you do decide to go for a tour, Brian and I recommend getting there early and enjoying some snacks at the upstairs Beer Hall. Our favorite thing to get is their meat and cheese board. This way you have some food in your belly before you start drinking a bunch of beer. Then again, you could start pre-drinking which is what Brian and many others do.
This is where they used to start their tours back in the olden days.
You get to start drinking right off the bat. Much to Brian’s disappointment, I was in a beer drinking mood and actually drank my glass of Pale Ale. On our first our, he got to drink both mine and his. I actually didn’t mind the Pale Ale this time. Not sure if my tastes are changing or I’m just becoming more open-minded about beer.
It was freezing that day so we didn’t spend too much time on the terrace. Our tour guide talked while we were inside and then we just stepped outside briefly for those panoramic views and to take some photos.
Like this one.
And this one.
The tour culminates in more beer drinking. You actually get to pick two beers from the dozen or so they have on tap. The idea is to try flavors you haven’t had before but Brian always ends up getting a glass of Tank 7, which has been his favorite for a long time. Except, he discovered the Irish Ale on this trip and now that’s his most favorite of all the beers that Boulevard offers.
Again, this is a part where Brian usually gets to drink all of my beers but I decided to actually try some beers instead of just getting extra beers for him to drink. I tried Jam Band and Cranberry Orange Radler and I loved both of them! The Cranberry Orange Radler is my absolute favorite, though. It’s very un-beer-like.
As an added bonus, Brian volunteered to be the “caboose” on our tour expecting to get an extra pour at the end (which is the volunteer’s reward is usually) but they were trying to get rid of some six-packs so I ended up getting a free six-pack of Cranberry Orange Radler. They didn’t have any flavors that Brian wanted so I ended up getting the beer I liked instead. Lucky me!
I’ve never been a beer drinker but Boulevard is slowly changing my mind. There are beers out there that I can enjoy after all. Baby steps.
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