We had decided not to subscribe to a concert series with the Cincinnati Pops this year. There just weren't five concerts I wanted to attend. But then we got this offer to purchase tickets to two concerts and get the third one free, and there were two I really did want to attend, the annual Holiday concert and the closing concert featuring Mandy Patinkin. So I thought, OK, I'll take a third concert free. I chose the concert for last night, March 8, featuring the Chieftains.
I'm afraid I'd never heard of the Chieftains, and I didn't really know what to expect. I was delightfully surprised and pleased. They are a group of marvelous musicians--and dancers!--from Ireland. And in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, the whole program featured the haunting melodies of Irish tunes.
Flutes, harp, keyboard, guitar, violins combined with vocals and several rounds of that unique brand of Irish dancing plus a bagpipe choir and a men's chorus for an evening that was truly enjoyable.
We saw or bumped into several friends there, which added to the enjoyment, as did our wonderful dinner at the Washington Platform, located not far from Music Hall at the corner of Court and Elm.
We discovered Washington Platform a year or two ago when we had a Groupon for the place, and we loved the eclectic mix of seafood and other delights as well as the unique atmosphere. So when their name came up again amid the Groupon offerings a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance. We parked across the street from the restaurant--on the street, for free--and decided to walk down to Music Hall for the concert. It was brisk, but not cold. We were glad to get into the warm concert hall, and afterwards, glad to get in our warm car. But the fresh air and walk were good for us. We had a free concert, a discounted dinner, and free parking in an evening that was nice in every way.
Coldwater Creek, the retailer of women's clothes, especially for women past—well, shall we say, the young adult category—filed for bankruptcy today. 
