Last year, I wrote about our outing to see "Carmen" at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, which is located on the southern edge of downtown Austin.  As a result, we ended up getting season tickets for this year.  Last night, I took my son to see "La Boheme".  My wife would have gone, but it's a little trickier when you have a seven-month old baby who doesn't yet take a bottle. 

We had a great time, and I have to re-state that I think the Austin Lyric Opera puts on an absolutely top-notch show.  The Long Center itself is a beautiful facility with a dramatic view of the downtown skyline.  Outside, they have a large, open, rounded patio with a smaller underlit section that's fun for photos and just for playing.  It reminds me a little bit of the disco floor from "Saturday Night Fever".

I hadn't seen this show before, so I had to read up on it ahead of time in the program to make sure I knew the basic story line.  That being said, one of my favorite things about seeing a foreign-language opera at the Long Center is.........the subtitles.  It sure makes it a lot easier to track what's happening when you can read the English version.  :)  You can probably see the small screen above the stage here:

I dressed up for the first time in a long while (see photo).  I made my wife take a quick picture to prove that I still knew how to wear a tie.  After seeing this picture, I am halfway motivated to wear a jacket more often. 

Overall, it was a really fun time with my kid, and I look forward to the next one, which is in early January.

I hope you enjoy the pics!  I didn't have a camera, so these were taken with my iPhone.