Nik's Trip - part 2

Friday - Didn't start quite as early as our first stop was a tour at Madison Square Garden at 11am. Er, scratch that - 11:15am (we were bumped due to a school tour).

We were fortunate that we were able to go on the entire tour as sometimes the lockerrooms are restricted if there is a game that day. We saw the Rangers Lockerroom which has a wider door than normal so the goalie can walk in w/out having to shed his gear and the Knicks Lockerroom door is taller than average to keep the players from banging their heads. ;)

This is the 4th version of the MSG. When it opened, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby hosted the opening gala event. The WaMu Theater has as many ceiling lights as seats. The Cure's roadies were setting up for a concert while we toured.

The tour seemed a bit expensive for what we saw but we did learn some interesting things tho!

After the tour we had lunch at brgr and then headed home for a bit before heading out to the Bronx for a Yankees Game (vs the Cincinnati Reds).

Neither my brother nor I are Yankees fans but we do respect the history of the stadium and so thus the going to the game.

We circled the stadium before entering and encountered a fan banging on a pan w/ a spoon chanting "Let's make it 8 in a row!" Time to head in... the ticket person told me I couldn't enter w/my small black backpack (the same one I brought to the last game I attended there). Ummm? Fortunately, the security person he sent me to didn't see a problem w/ it and waved me thru!

Before we found our seats we decided to grab some concessions - Jumbo Dogs ($5) and beer ($8.50). The concessions person asked for our i.d.s and that's when my bro remembered he left his @ the gym! Oops. Fortunately, the concession person let it slide. :)

Somehow our seats were near a lot of Reds fans. Unfortunately, that meant we had to listen to Yankee fans heckle them the entire game. Sheesh. I understand being devoted to your team but what about good sportsmanship? Meh.

We cut out before the game ended (Yankees lost) and stepped off the subway at Columbus Circle so my brother could see yet another part of NYC as we made our way over to the David Letterman/Hello Deli area.

Saturday - We grabbed breakfast @ SoHo and then went to a local hardware store to get wood to prop up my a.c. (I figured I might as well take advantage of my bro being there and have him help me install it! :) Plus, since he was using my room, it was an added incentive to get it hooked up!)

I had a Shakespeare Monologue Workshop to go to while my brother went to the gym. The original plan was to meet @ The Irish Rogue for lunch so he could see where Husker fans watch the football games. Today however, EuroCup fans were there so it seemed a bit too crowded and crazy for lunch so we settled on Vynl instead where my brother tried out the "Nelly" bathroom. ;)

A friend joined us and we decided to try the Rogue again for a drink after lunch and the bar was much calmer and cleared out. The Rogue beat Yankee Stadum in beer prices. They only charge $5 for a pint.

After drinks we headed to Ground Zero and then stepped inside the World Financial Center where we did a doubletake w/the presense of Palm Trees!

Then it was time to enjoy an improv show at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. (Where they won the best beer price w/ bottles for $3!) We arrived early enough that the show line hadn't even been started yet so we decided to wander Gristedes next door for a while. My brother made the comment that the prices are double what he pays in Omaha.

After the show we decided to walk to 42nd for the subway w/ the goal of finding pizza along the way. We didn't find a place for pizza but we did find 2 old men fighting at the 42nd street subway stop. There was a lot of people waiting for a subway so there wasn't a lot of space for people to go and get out of their way. Not sure what started it but at one point one of them took a bag out of the other one's hand and threw it on the tracks. Then a few minutes later they appeared to be okay w/ each other. I assured my brother that this is not something I've experienced regularly! ;)

The subway finally came and it was CROWDED! My brother was amazed and due to his height he had a bird's eye view and decided to take a pic. (Which you can see here in addition to other photos during his visit.)

Once we got home, we decided pizza still sounded good so we stopped @ Frankie's.

Sunday - It's my bro's last day here! We went to Neptune Diner for breakfast in which we found out that a Western Omelet has cheese, pepper, ham and onion in it. A substitute for fries is lettuce & tomato (like the toppings to a burger) and sausage does not come in patties but generous sized links.

As time dwindled til my brother needed to head to the airport we walked to Astoria Park for one more trip pic. This trip ended up being MUCH better than the last time he was here when I moved. So much so that I surprised myself by getting a little emotional about him leaving. Apparently I wasn't very good at hiding it either as the driver that picked my brother up assured me, "Don't worry, I'll be bringing him back soon."