It’s my birthday (in a few days)!

Well, I have to say that this year has been amazing. I am about to be 26 years of age…whoohoo!

This birthday celebration Mr. Awesome Boyfriend made plans for us to go see the Lion King stage performance in San Fran. I am so excited to see it! Lion King is my all-time favorite Disney movie. I have seen the performance before but, it is something so magical you have to see it again!

We started off with getting a hotel reservation in Union Square. This is the same hotel we stayed at during our 24hrs of San Fran trip. If you haven’t read that post you should… It is filled with a ton of tips and tricks to enjoy your SF adventure. We also took BART again which made out journey stress free. I knew this trip was going to be an awesome experience because it was Christmas time. Union Square had decked halls and bells of holly everywhere! The tree of lights was enormous and pretty as a picture.

We checked into the hotel and dropped off our baggage. The weather was unusually warm and dry but we took advantage and did a little sight seeing before dinner. The shops around the area where decorated with joy and fun. We also saw some people ice skating next to the tree in Union Square. People where rushing in and out of all the shops with soon-to-be presents under a tree. It was amazing!

We decided to eat at the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor of Macy’s. Mr. Awesome Boyfriend requested a table outside overlooking the festive square. We had about a 20min wait, so we decided to wonder around Macy’s. I even found a huge chair for a tiny person! LOL

In no time at all, our table was ready. It was great! We were right next to the heater and had a great view of the tree. We timed our dinner plans perfectly so we could watch the sun set and the tree glisten. Our dinner was delicious but our dessert was even better. I had a grilled chicken chipotle pasta that was a little spicy but highly recommended. For dessert, the Birthday Girl ordered the holiday special: white chocolate cheesecake with peppermint bark on a chocolate brownie crust. The best part was the two enormous dollops of whipped cream. ;-D

After dinner, we changed and made our way to the theater. It was a bit of a walk (especially in heels) but doable. We were even surprised to see a historic building lit up for Christmas. Naturally, we stopped for a photo opportunity. This is one lesson life tries to teach us: you have to stop and smell the roses every once in a while. In our case, we stopped to take a great photo.

Our seats could not have been better. We were able to get the second floor, first row, in the center. This play uses all the space of the theater and these seats allowed us to see everything from the birds, the elephants, the musicians and the drummers. There is one warning that must be known: Do NOT take any pictures of the building or the artists. The ushers will be on you like flies on… well you get the idea. Some wise guy tried to take a picture with the flash and was almost kicked out!

We were soon embraced with the memorable noise of the opening song to the Lion King. The actors were amazing! The costumes where gorgeous and the music was legen (wait for it) dary! There are a few different songs but they stay close to the original story and script. Again, I have seen the movie more times than I can remember and had to stop myself a few times for signing out loud. I give this show two paws up! It was a full house with a standing ovation.

Our walk back to the hotel was fast especially because I couldn’t stop talking about the show! We got in our PJ’s and closed our heavy eyes. While the Lion King danced softy and sang a lullaby.

A Must See Performance- The Lion King!

-Girl in Pigtails