winter classic travel
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8/13/2019 Winter Classic travel
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2013 THE LONDON FREE PRESS F3
TRAVEL
BY JOE BELANGER
Outstanding cast brings Elf to lifeTickets are tough to come by
but are still available for the GrandTheatres surprise hit of the year,Elf.
Playing to mostly sold-outcrowds since opening in lateNovember, Elfstars Liam Tobin asBuddy, one of Santas favouriteelves who discovers hes humanand embarks on a quest to find andreunite with his father.
The Grands production, directedby Susan Ferley, with musicaldirection by Ryan deSouza andchoreography by Kerry Gage isoutstanding with a delicious setand costumes designed by thevenerable Bill Layton.
It is one of those shows that willdelight audiences of all ages Tobins performance is one of thebest this reviewer has seen on aLondon stage. With plenty of tickets
available for January shows, thinkstocking stuffers.
Tobin is backed by strongperformances from Neil Barclay,who plays Santa and the Scrooge-like Mr. Greenway, with Ian Simpsonplaying Buddys dad, WalterHobbs, Ingersoll-born actressAnwyn Musico playing Buddyslove interest, Jovie, and 14-year-old Londoner Justin Eddy playingBuddys stepbrother, Michael.
THE DETAILS:Elf, the musical, isscored by Matthew Sklar and ChadBeguelin with the book adapted byBob Martin and Thomas Meehanfrom the 2003 film of the samename. The production is playing atGrand Theatre, 471 Richmond St.,until Jan. 4. For show times andticket prices visit the box office,call 519-672-8800 or tollfree 1-800-265-1593 or go tograndtheatre.com.
From left, Michael Lamont-Lytle,Christopher Wilson,
Matthew Nethersole, Liam Tobin,Anwyn Musico and Ryan Kelly
perform in Elfat the Grand Theatre.
The play runsthrough Jan. 4.
DEREK RUTTAN/THE LONDON FREE PRESS
Big times at Big HouseWAYNE NEWTON
Special to QMI AgencyTimes Square might get all the
New Years Eve TV coverage, butif youre a hockey fan wanting togreet 2014 by seeing a g iant puckdrop from the sky, then AnnArbor, Mich., is the place to be.
Ann Arbor was stymied lastyear when the NHL lockoutcaused the Winter Classic atthe University of Michigans BigHouse to be cancelled.
But its game on for the DetroitRed Wings and Toronto MapleLeafs ono Jan. 1, in what maybe a world record crowd fora hockey game of more than100,000 fans.
We were all disappointedafter last years postponement,said Mary Kerr, president andCEO of the Ann Arbor AreaConvention and Visitors Bureauin an e-mail.
However, were thrilled forthe opportunity to host the 2014Bridgestone NHL Winter Classicinstead.
The $15 million estimatedimpact will be a great boostto our economy, but its moreabout sharing our city and itsattractions with an internationalaudience.
The party will undoubtedlystart early as Ann Arbor is ahuge college town packed with
brew pubs and a surprisingly
broad array of restaurants, fromEthiopian and Cuban to deli andAmerican roadhouse.
On New Years Eve, AnnArbors downtown Bob Segersang about it in his song MainStreet will be closed off for asix-hour party with live bandsfeaturing Michelle Chamuel ofThe Voice and a midnight drop-ping of a large, specially con-structed giant illuminated puck.
We know football fans canbring the noise and weveexperienced one other outdoorhockey game at the Big House,Kerr said. However, everyone isanticipating a record-breakingevent on Jan. 1 and we c ouldntdo it without the 45,000 TorontoMaple Leafs fans joining us forthe main event.
For many of them, this will
be the first time theyve visitedAnn Arbor and were excited toshowcase our amazing, uniquecity. We hope they will return foryears to come.
Main, Washington and Libertystreets should all be hopping.
A good starting point forhockey fans might be ArborBrewing Company at 114 E.Washington St. where the go-toorder for first timers is a 10-flightsampler to please the palate ofcraft beer aficionados or sat-
isfy the thirst of Leafs fans.
Nearby there are several res-taurants which offer usual fareand are popular with locals.
A top choice for casual andquick is Frita Batidos at 117West Washington St., where theyserve Cuban-inspired street foodsuch as lemongrass roast porkand cilantro fries. The fritas areCuban burgers with fries servedon top. Meal combos are about$13.
Ann Arbors most social res-taurant might be the Blue Nile, at221 East Washington St., whereEthiopian meals are served onone giant platter with everyoneat your table digging in with the irhands using Ethiopian bread.
The doro wat chicken islegendary and platters can beordered with lamb and vegeta-bles ranging from roasted yellow
split peas to jalapeno peppers.Meals cost about $20.
Amadeus, at 122 EastWashington St., is an EasternEuropean restaurant wherereservations are recommended.Theyre known for their selectionof European beers and winesand desserts. Lunch entrees startat about $7.
No restaurant brand definesAnn Arbor like Zingermans,both its original deli locationwhich is a 10-minute walk from
downtown or its sister road-
house location at 2501 JacksonAve., closer to the Big House.
The deli at 422 Detroit St. iswhere the local Zingermansfood empire began. Its recentlyexpanded from the original storeto give more elbow room andless reason to keep the elbowsup in the competition to placeorders.
Zingermans Delicatessen isa favourite among University ofMichigan students.
Zingermans Roadhouse,located a 10-minute drive fromthe Big House, should be hop-ping for the Winter Classic, as itsall-American menu is shaped forthe sports fan, although not allof them will get off on the thou-sands of salt and pepper shakerson display.
Not just for Canadians,
Zingermans Roadhouse hasWisconsin cheese curd poutine,and pasture-raised beef burgerscooked over an oak fire. Burgerand sandwich plates start at $13.
On the webVisitor info: Visitannarbor.orgArbor Brewing: arborbrewing.comZingermans Deli:
zingermansdeli.comZingermans Roadhouse:
zingermansroadhouse.com
The Big House at the University of Michigan becomes theworlds largest outdoor rink on Jan. 1, when more than 100,000fans will watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Detroit Red
Wings in the NHLs Winter Classic. Facing off will be from left, Leafs PhilKessel, Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and London native Nazem Kadri.
More than 100,000 fans are expected to attend the NHLs Winter Classic on New Years Day
Flights of beer are a popular
way to sample beers at ArborBrewing Company, one of AnnArbors popular brew pubs.
The original Zingermans Deliis an Ann Arbor i nstitution.
PHOTOS BY WAYNE NEWTON
/SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY