Although I knew better than to plan anything in February (or any other month between December and March, for that matter), I went ahead and bought a pit seat for a touring company production of Waitress at Shea's in Buffalo. Not without my usual trepidation, however, and only after weeks of debate while I checked and rechecked ticket availability and cursed Mother Nature's annual wrath. In mid-December, not wanting to risk losing that coveted front-row seat, I decided to buy it and book a hotel for a night or two, if necessary (but, being the cheapskate that I am and will forever be, only if necessary). Worst-case scenario: I could resell it on Ticketmaster if I couldn't safely reach a nearby hotel before or after the show.
So the wintry weeks passed agonizingly slowly (as they do). Christmas Day brought a blizzard that made traveling seven miles to my parents' house difficult and kept me snowed in overnight on the couch, without a change of clothes or a toothbrush, after I failed to leave during a brief sunshiny afternoon interval.
January was typically bleak and treacherous. In addition to the miserable weather, I spent an entire weekend zonked out with flu symptoms - fever, chills, aches, sniffles, lethargy, loss of appetite - before I recovered and rejoined the living. Needless to write, after all that, I really needed something good in my life, and Waitress was it.
The big weekend dawned, I was healthy and excited...and the weather was sketchy. Snow showers fell on and off Friday, but Saturday started off cool (30 degrees) and clear. Sunday's forecast included accumulated snowfall, but I expected to be home by then, so I figured I'd be okay. My plan was to drive to a mall near the theater, browse the shops, park there, and get an Uber ride to the theater and back, cutting out the panic-inducing downtown traffic and parking. My plan should have included an overnight bag and an overnight hotel, but I was uncharacteristically unprepared.
The morning started smoothly. I arrived at the mall around 11 a.m. to light snow flurries, noting an adjacent hotel as I pulled in (for future reference, only if needed, obviously). I was concerned about the weather, as always, but didn't want to overreact. The day's forecast did not include problematic snow, so I went ahead as planned, futilely seeking an affordable pair of work-appropriate black pants for an adult female in several shops before I gave up (there were several pairs appropriate for the club or the gym, but nothing for the office), bought lunch, and summoned Uber for the 2 p.m. performance of Waitress.
I arrived at 1:45 p.m. and was thrilled to walk to the front of the theater and take my seat directly in front of the glass pie cases, a perfect view with ample leg room. I was instantly scolded by an usher for excitedly snapping a photo of the pie-covered stage curtain with my smartphone, so, as I did at the Tori concert, I put away my phone until intermission to avoid eviction.
The show itself was feel-good and funny, with a Sara Bareilles-crafted soundtrack that I loved. "Everything Changes," sung by Jenna (SPOILER ALERT) after she has her baby, kicks her brute husband to the curb, and finally gets her life in order, always chokes me up, especially performed live just feet away from my seat. But once the show ended, it was back to reality, and that reality included big, fat snowflakes that pelted my coat and phone while I stood on the sidewalk and attempted to order an Uber.
I had to cancel the first selected ride because I'd entered the wrong pickup location and was too directionally challenged to find my way there, so it was 5:30 p.m. and daylight was fading by the time my second ride took me slowly back to the mall. I debated all the way there, should I stay at the hotel, or should I try to go? My driver's car windows were ice-covered, the streets were slippery, and visibility was limited, so I decided I'd rather be stuck safely at the hotel than on the side of a snow-covered road. So I booked an overnight stay and returned to the mall for dinner and a few essentials, including a phone charger, and found exactly what I was looking for - the perfect pair of black pants - on sale at Old Navy. Score! (I didn't have a comb or a toothbrush, but, by golly, I had those pants.)
I carefully cleared off and defrosted my car and moved it into a snowbank in the hotel lot. I checked into my room and took a consolatory hot bath while lamenting my lack of toiletries and clean clothes, and de-stressed with a couple episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm on my phone before I dozed off and slept for most of the night.
Both my mood and the weather were brighter in the morning. I sampled the hotel's impressive hot buffet in a large dining room, which I had to myself, and then packed my meager belongings, checked out, and drove home on snow-free roads through light traffic, with full visibility.
As often happens during a WNY winter, a simple, inexpensive day trip turned into a costly weekend adventure for which I was woefully unprepared. If only I'd trusted my instincts, booked the hotel in advance, and packed what I needed, I would have enjoyed the experience so much more. I gratefully returned home without any further complications, vowing never again to make winter plans...without packing an overnight bag of essentials.
