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June 2016 will forever be known as the month that I saw Hamilton. Really, everything else fades to black and white when measured up against Hamilton. I can’t remember the last time a performance affected me this much!

But beyond that, there was a lot of fun in new York and a bit beyond. another quiet month. another close-to-home month. but another piece in the puzzle as I try to figure out how to balance frequent travel with having a life in new York.

Destinations Visited

New York and Hudson, NY

Fairfield, CT

Favorite Destinations

Hudson is my new favorite short vacation from new York! If you’re based in the area, you need to check it out.

Highlights

Hamilton, far and away, was the highlight of the month. You can read a lot more about it here. but the second greatest highlight was meeting Tituss Burgess, a.k.a. Titus Andromedon from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! Tituss hosted a few parties during pride as fundraisers for Orlando and my pals Erisa and Lori invited me to join them!

And this wasn’t the normal celebrity-hosted party, where you’re practically kept in separate rooms the whole time (I’m checking out you, Donnie Wahlberg’s 38th birthday party at The Estate in Boston in 2007, where my pal Lisa and I nearly got thrown out for continuously sneaking into the VIP area…). Titus worked the room and chatted with everyone ALL night LONG. I was pleased by how kind, warm, and generous he was.

Tituss wasn’t the only celebrity there — I also met Bob the Drag Queen, winner of the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race!

I had a terrific three-day vacation to Hudson, which was just perfect. I had lots of time to be alone, eat wonderful food, shop, and get work done. Hudson is an optimal vacation from new York, just two hours away by train, and I’ll be writing a lot a lot more about it soon.

I went on the Black Gotham Experience. This downtown-based excursion tells the history of the complimentary blacks and slaves in pre-revolutionary new York. I had absolutely no clue about this part of history and I found some new favorite historical figures! Kamau is a wonderful guide and we finished with some drinks and food at the exceptional Fraunces Tavern nearby. If you’re seeking to do something offbeat and unusual in new York, this excursion is a terrific choice!

We had our first TBS meet up. travel blog Success is the online community I’ve been involved with for years, not to mention the #1 community I recommend to travel bloggers seeking to grow their blogs, and we finally had our first meetup — here in new York! I loved meeting everyone and the rooftop at the Gansevoort Meatpacking was a stunning place to enjoy the 360-degree sunset.

I saw two plays — Blackbird and Eclipsed, which have both considering that closed. Blackbird, starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams, has received tons of vital acclaim but I wasn’t the greatest fan — I didn’t love either of the performances and the script took a long time to take off. There was a substantial payoff at the end that made it worth it, though. (Tip: if you ever go to a show at the Belasco Theater, know that the balcony seats show a frustratingly small sliver of the stage. get better seats if you can afford them.)

Eclipsed, however, was brutally fantastic. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, this show tells the story of women kidnapped into sexual slavery during the Liberian civil war. The cast was stellar — I’m shocked none of them won Tonys. It’s a heartbreaking yet gripping story, and each performance is dedicated to different girls who were kidnapped in sub-Saharan Africa, including the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. After the show, the cast and audience recite the names of different girls who are missing.

Not only that, Eclipsed is the first Broadway play to have an all-female cast and creative team — and the first Broadway play to have an all-black cast and creative team. how is that possible in 2016?! Either way, it was spectacular and I feel honored to have seen it.

I checked a lot more new York activities off my bucket list. Hamilton’s severe at Trinity Church, actually going into Hamilton’s home at the Grange, the Staten Island Ferry, the Stonewall Inn, Fort Tryon Park. and I closed out the month with my first new York fourth of July celebration: fireworks in Astoria Park!

Getting into my CSA. My sister and I are splitting a CSA half sharenullnull