While chatting on the beach with my sister-in-law this summer, she asked me if I “HAD” to see Hamilton, the musical.  I was confused by the question and I asked her to repeat it.  I told her I didn’t HAVE to see it and had no plans to.  I think she was surprised.  I’m sure in her mind it was the sort of thing I’d like.

And it would be except…

• Tickets are outrageously expensive.  For tonight’s performance on Broadway, tickets are $300 to $2,000 a seat.  Figuring I’d like to be somewhat closer to the stage, it’s about $1,000 a seat.
• Sometimes when a book, a movie, a show, or a restaurant gets too much hype, my expectations soar and the actual experience can be disappointing   It’s why I often don’t see the movie based on a book I loved.
• I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon  –  normally…

On the beach that day, Beth spoke with passion about Hamilton.  Before taking my niece to see it in Chicago, they’d listened and learned the music.  And it wasn’t just the music she loved, it was Hamilton, the man.  It was his story that captivated her.  She came away with a new appreciation for history.  The Kool Aid must have been refreshing because I’d never seen her so excited about something like this.

As the weekend rolled along, she sang out lines from the show and played the music for me and told me parts of the story and about how the show came to be.  She wanted me to be as excited about it as she was.  I know how it feels to want to share something you’re passionate about and I appreciated her effortless persistence.  In return, each morning I gave her a Hamilton fact I’d Googled.   She was starting to convince me I might want to be a Hamilton groupie too.

When I told her that on the way to the beach that weekend, I took pictures of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, I swear she was giddy.  The bridge is on Route 95 and crosses the Harlem River and connects Manhattan and the Bronx.

I meant to show it to her but forgot and when I went to retrieve it for this post realized I didn’t have a photo of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge at all because I was actually crossing it and took a photo of the Washington Bridge.   What I have is a disappointing photo of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge roadway  and its cement Jersey barrier and the Washington Bridge.

Some things live up to the hype and others don’t.   I do think I’ll eventually see Hamilton and find out for myself.   Thank you Beth!