NYC II

This day was most definitely one of my favorite days, and I could probably say that it was Sam's all time favorite day (Sam???). We did not start off the day exactly how I had planned....see I watch the Today Show EVERY SINGLE WEEKDAY! It is how I keep up with the world and most importantly the weather and traffic! I was so excited that I was actually going to get to experience the Today Show, and see how it all really goes down! As you saw in a previous post, we made signs to ensure getting on camera (I thought the pink would really get everyone's eye!). I wanted to get to the show early so that I would not have to fight my way to the front row...well that did not exactly happen! I set my phone (a blackberry mind you) to wake me up at 6:00 am, so that we could be out the door by 7:00am (I know, what a terrible way to start a trip getting up that early). Well my high-tech Blackberry did not automatically update to the time change, like every other phone on this planet, so needless to say it went off an hour later!! The Lord knew how bad I wanted to go though, so some how I woke up at 6:45 - 15 minutes to get ready, walk to the Today Show, get a front row spot, and look good for the camera! DID NOT HAPPEN. We were out of there by at least 7:30am (hair pulled back wet...not a way to be seen on national television!) JK!

To make things even crazier, while getting ready I heard them announce that Michael Phelps would be there after 8:00...I FREAKED OUT!!! Needless to say we RAN to Rockefeller Center (luckily not far from the hotel) and got a spot on the 2nd row. We got there, and just as I had expected due to the Democratic convention and other things, Meridith was the only one there. No Matt, Ann, or Al. :( Also, I found out that Michael Phelps was actually filmed earlier that morning around 6:30, so I only got to watch him on tv like everyone else. The crazy "nice" lady next to me wasn't going to let me miss out though and showed me her MILLION pictures of him that she got to experience; wasn't she nice!!!

All in all it was a good experience and I am SO glad that we still made the effort even with the bad start. I ended up getting to the front row pretty quickly although I was only seen on tv at the 8:00 hour on the 2nd row. Sam however was on several times - his tactic was to just stay towards the back and hold up his sign. He also got to shake Meridith's hand and has a picture to prove it!! So while I am over there fighting my way with the crazy "nice" lady to get to the front, Sam is over there getting on tv and shaking hands with the "stars"!!! Hahaha, how ironic! If I can figure out how to get the clips of us on this thing, I will put them on here so that you can see us. Look quickly though, or you'll miss us!!!

After the show we did a few more things around that area and then got on the subway to head to the Bronx for the YANKEES game! That's right - we got to experience the last game that Boston would play in Yankees stadium. It was a sold out, packed house and an incredible experience. I'll let Sam tell you about it!

Yankees Baseball - Sam's version

OK, so I'm not going to abandon my Rangers and start framing pictures of Jeter (just Mantle and Dimaggio), but there are definitely some differences in a Rangers game and a Yankees game.

First of all this is the last year Yankee Stadium will be around. It was built in 1923, "The House that Ruth Built." Which is depressing when you think about all of the legends that have played there. So you get the idea about the atmosphere. Plus, it was the last Red Sox game in Yankee Stadium.

1. The Crowd - Now I love the atmosphere at The Ballpark in Arlington. It's pretty upscale and everything is convenient. And you have your Texans that love the Rangers who don't really get too excited until the 7th inning as we await a come back from behind. However, Yankees and Red Sox fans were pretty obnoxious of course, and they were so die hard. If someone didn't score or let someone score immediately, they were finished, they were bums. I thought this old man was going to fall of the edge of the upper deck, or have a heart attack, or both. He shutup after Giambi hit his game tying home run. But then that caused a bigger riot. I also thought someone was going to get in a fight behind us. The downside of the field is that it is small, and old, and very crowded. But then again, that is what makes it awesome.

There was also no promoting or Dot races going on. Which I enjoy at the Ballpark. But it's different. The announcer, Jim Hall, who is standing in for Bob Sheppard. Had an awesome voice and sounded like a mix of Monster Mash and Darth Vader. It was intimidating and classic. You heard a different reaction and a different chant for each batter that came to the plate. Both Red Sox and Yankees. Nobody cared about anything that was going on except baseball. Which didn't make it very family friendly like it is at the Ballpark in Arlington, but in New York, all the kids cared about was who was batting.

2. The Afterparty - This is probobly the same way at most fields, but at a Rangers game, the typical fan will arrive right at game time or well into the first couple of innings (I prefer earlier, but hey), and then we tend to leave at the 8th inning to avoid traffic (understandable). I was amazed at how crowded the Yankees game was before and after. It was shoulder to shoulder before the game (2 1/2 hours before) and then people had to be ushered out an hour after the game was over. I'm not sure if this is because it is the last year of the stadium, but it was pretty cool to see.

3. The Roar - OK, the Rangers have the best home run music ever (The Natural Theme), but when the Yankees get a hit even, it sounds like a home run roar. When a Red Sox batter comes up to the plate, you get a mix of loud cheering and loud booing, in the end, it sounds like a loud growl. It's pretty cool. A Rangers homer will give u chills, but with every batter at Yankee stadium, they give you a show. When Giambi hit his game tying homer, and then again hit the walk off hit, it was like the World Series. The players celebrated on the field and they played "New York, New York." The roar is impressive at that stadium. It was awesome seeing Papplebon and Rivera battle it out to close the game. Papplebon of course, was booed. Big time.

It was an awesome experience. There were bars outside that ran around the stadium that a lot of the fans would pack into and watch the game. The crowd was overwhelming, especially when it was time to leave, I thought my head was going to explode. It was quite an experience and I am happy to have seen such a historic monument of Baseball.

Jordo, I still love you. You too Josh Hamilton.

Back to Mandy:

After the game the CRAZINESS began! Let me set up the picture for you: a packed stadium, everyone stayed until the end of the game, and everyone rides the same subway back to Manhattan...yeah not so much fun and probably our least favorite experience of the trip! We made it back though, went to the hotel to clean up and change, and headed out for shopping, a walk through Central Park, and dinner at Serendipity! Dinner was delicious and the frozen hot chocolate is AMAZING! Slightly expensive and slightly out of the way, but we thought it was worth it!
Sorry for the long post, now here are the pictures!

At the Today Show with my sign!

Meridith at the 8:00 hour (sorry about the blur on the right; its probably crazy "nice" lady. She also knocked my sunglasses off my head when the camera came on us!!)

This isn't the best picture, but look for Sam & his sign at the far right!

Sam shaking Meridith's hand!

Look who showed up - Matt!

Yankees Stadium

Before the game started

Awesome picture from Sam's iPhone

The new Yankees Stadium

Apple Store on 5th Ave. It was underground!

Walking in Central Park

Sharing frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's

We also walked by the Late Show before we headed in for the night.