So I woke up and her mom went to get us all breakfast from the local bagel joint. I had a fine sandwich and met Francis and his girlfriend, Lauren. I didn't need to see the guy wearing a Cubs hat though! Especially when he's a Yankees fan. Catherine and I left at 9 for a long day in the city.
We took a five minute walk to the Middle Village subway station, the last stop on the M line. I must say, it must be pretty cool to live so close to public transportation. And the hour long Metra rail to Chicago does not count, at least not compared to this.
We walked Christ the King, where she went to high school. While we were sitting on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, we shared our first daytime kiss. The heat was really getting intense. And the weather was getting warm also...Anyway, I digress. We took the M, L, and some other line to Brooklyn Heights, where St. Francis College is. So I finally got to see where Dad went to school.
We stopped at Tim Horton's/Nathan's/Pizza Hut/KFC. Catherine got her customary iced coffee. More than anything, I needed water, but I passed. We then did something I always wanted to do in New York, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. There isn't much room either way, but man, those bicyclists ride in their lane like they own the whole thing! I got some great views of Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty. After we passed the halfway point, there was a huge film crew taking half the bridge. From what I could gather, they were preparing shoot another one of those Geico ads. Guess I have to keep my eyes open for that one.
We walked over to the South Street Seaport. There was a crew preparing a stage for a concert and a lot of boats going in and out, kind of like Navy Pier. I really appreciate the $1.00 Dasanis, especially after so much walking! But of course, we had to stop in the Yankees Clubhouse store. Catherine almost forgot her camera in there, but thankfully, we recovered it. I was just happy to grab some A/C. We went in the "mall" area and I brought a couple of magnets designed to look like New York subway lines. We also brought a few caps at Lids, she got a Brooklyn Dodgers and a Guinness hat while I got a sweet Jets hat. It's mostly black and green, but the design of the colors make the hat look really fashionable. The other place we checked out was the Christmas store. We saw lots of ornaments and decorations. Some were even sports-themed. Catherine was a little agitated that they had Islanders merchandise, but no Rangers. I pointed out they didn't have any Knicks stuff either, so maybe it was a MSG thing.
We took another train up to Greenwich Village, where her grandmother lives. We rang her doorbell, not knowing if she'd answer, since she was preparing to leave for a month-long trip to Italy that very afternoon. Well, she was there. And so were her uncle, aunt, and two ten-year-old twin cousins, Michael and Gabriella. Sadly, they're all Yankee fans. But at least I felt accepted when I said I was a Rangers fan.
Now this is one of those old school residence buildings. the apartment was on the fifth floor and there is no elevator. All I could think was how brutal it must to be move in and out of there. But the apartment amazed me. It made my grandparents old Brooklyn residence look like a Victorian mansion. Three tiny bedrooms, a kitchen that would fit in most of today's bathrooms and a bathroom that was so small, I could not even extend my arms. I'm certainly not complaining about it, but considering how large a "single-family home" is nowadays (three levels, three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, two-car garage, etc), I can't imagine a family of four staying in a apartment so small without constantly annoying each other.
I did manage to get a beautiful slice of pizza from Pizza Box, a local Greenwich joint. Oh it was so perfect! I also drank a small glass of cherry-flavored seltzer. I think nobody drinks seltzer except New Yorkers who are 60 years old and up. And I can understand why. Put it this way, I prefer cherry Coke to cherry seltzer.
We didn't have too much time to spend in the Village so we took some subway line to the NHL Store. I have to say first, I give Catherine all the props, that she knows these lines inside and out. Anyway back to the store. There was one rack with just Rangers and Blackhawks jerseys. It was like that rack was meant just for Catherine to explore! I didn't purchase anything, I had already spent like $50 already. I still want one of those Rangers Heritage jerseys though! But it's true, we all want what we can't have, don't we?
There was a street festival going on right outside too. The smoothie bar looked particularly inviting. But we walked northeast, past Radio City Music Hall and NBC Studios to Rockefeller Plaza. This was actually the same area I walked through with Mom and Dad last August. I have to admit, it made me feel a little melancholy. We found Tri-Tip Grill. We spent about $12 each and I have to say we made a good choice. I had a solid 6-ounce tri-tip sandwich with au jus and caramelized onions. The beef was very tender, a little peppery for sure. But I added some BBQ sauce and that really helped to balance out the flavors much better. The fries with BBQ sauce tasted really good too.
It was around 3 pm by now so we headed towards Yankee Stadium. We got to walk through Times Square first though. I wish I could retrace the subway lines but there is no way I can do that. I know we got on the 4 eventually. And there were a few couples making out on the train too. When we arrived, the first game of the doubleheader was in the 8th inning and the Yankees led by a large margin. We went over to the Dugout and had a couple of beers. There was one drunk douche who was standing/leaning in the middle of the floor. He was holding a full bottle of Coors Light and I saw him drop it. It landed on the side, so half the beer poured out. He picked it up, only to immediately drop it again. Here's the deal, if you're too drunk to hold onto the beer bottle, it's probably time to call it a night. I also remember there was a group of folk near us, three guys and a girl. I have no idea who knew who. But they were talking Giants and Jets and the girl, who was incredibly wasted, saw my Jets hat and called me Mark Sanchez, her boyfriend. I left that one alone.
So we had to stand outside the stadium for 45 minutes in 90 degree heat, while we waited for the doors to open for the nightcap. We got in and headed straight to the Yankee Museum in right field. A wall of autographs, a wall with a baseball signed of almost every Yankee, displays for every World Series ring, displays for Lou Gehrig, George Steinbrenner, and Hispanic ballplayers.
We went into the Steiner store just to see what memorabilia was available. Games, uniforms, lineup cards, bats, there was some cool stuff. Right outside was the fresh lemonade stand and I happily gulped one down. I mean, the cheapest beer I could find cost $9.00. Out here, I can buy a 12-pack of MGD or Budweiser for $9.00 if I want. By the time we got to the Stadium, my feet were throbbing from so much walking, I just had to sit.
We sat in the upper deck right field stands, about halfway up, a pretty good spot. The Orioles threatened to score in the top of the first inning, but failed. The Yankees? Well, by the time they were done with the first inning, they were leading 12-0. the one inning alone lasted an entire hour. They wound up winning 17-3. And during the inning, Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer, giving the Nationals all the runs they would need against the Mets. I cursed him out. Apparently, that did not go over so well.
I said nothing for a good three hours. It wasn't that the Yankees were winning. The game was boring, I was exhausted, and I felt very uneasy that my 20's were all but over. We left in the eighth inning and it took a good hour and fifteen minutes to get home. We had to wait on the platform for at least ten minutes for the 4 train, which made about 15 stops before we got off. I guess it was 11 pm when we got back to Middle Village. And Nicole was waiting for us in her car, I guess he had been waiting for over an hour. Her first words I heard her say..."I gotta pee so bad."
We all went inside and chatted with Catherine's mom for about a half hour. But in truth, I was ready to settle down in the basement. I started packing, used the Internet and drank Yuengling beer for the first time in my life. I wound up having two, it was so good. Shame we can't get that beer in Illinois. Meanwhile, she took a shower and came downstairs in a Corona tank top and athletic shorts. It was good.
And so the morning arrived. It was my birthday. Number 30. July 31, 2011. We got up around 5:30 and I got the 7:10 plane out. How I made it to church, softball, and dinner at ZaZa's and didn't completely pass out, I have no idea. My eyes were half open the entire day.
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