I left work early at 4 pm and drive straight down 90 to Blue Sky parking facility in Schiller Park, about 10 minutes south of O'Hare airport. Although their whole staff talks in foreign accents, their service was pretty swift, I was at the terminal within 10 minutes of arriving. The security line gave me no issues and I was inside Terminal 3 by 5:15. With two hours to spare before my scheduled flight, I decided to grab some dinner. I went with the Cubano torta at Rick Bayless' Torta eatery. This sandwich came on a fresh roll and had pulled pork, smoked bacon, avocado, Chihuahua cheese, black beans, chipotle mustard, and cilantro crema. It was nice, though the beans on that sandwich tasted a little weird. I would go back for the refreshing lime agua fresca, but not for that particular sandwich if it costs $11.50.
I headed to the gate for the 6:10 flight since I was so early. I went up to the counter and politely explained that I was early and would like a seat if one was available. The gate agent told me sternly I should just wait for the 7:30 flight since it looked full. So I sat down, ate my sandwich, and left. Two hours of waiting. And it nearly turned into three as the flight filled up more than it was scheduled to. Thankfully, Mom pulled a few strings, I got on the 7:35 flight. And I came to find out that there would have been space on that 6:10 flight! But I couldn't really complain, I was on my way to LaGuardia airport.
Catherine and her crazy uncle Willie picked me up at baggage claim. Willie wore a Giants sweatshirt, which I didn't really need. During the whole 20 minute ride, the guy just talked about the 1986 World Series and that he didn't like the Mets at all. There were some mentions of gas prices and Willie getting lost. Catherine and I barely could get a word in.
So he dropped us off and it was already 11:30 by now. After "greeting" each other, we went straight to bed.
I am one of those people who hates being late. If someone says they will meet me at 6:00, I start to freak out if they don't show by 6:05. Now that I'm in a relationship, I recognize I need to show more patience. Catherine told me she wanted to leave the house by 10:30. Well, I was ready by 10:00. Catherine, not so much. She just doesn't hurry. Normally, I could handle it, but I was fighting off my cat allergy with two freakish felines in this house. We finally left at 11:15. We took a bus and two subways (including one stop at Citi Field) to get to the Corona stop.
And as I had suspected for weeks, we went to Mama's of Corona for a classic Italian sandwich. Little did I know the owner was also Catherine's first grade teacher! So I got the classic Italian special with salami, peppered ham, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and marinated mushrooms
on a fresh semolina roll! Now I have eaten some good subs in my life, but only in NY, can I get them on semolina bread. There is just something about that flavor that adds the extra oomph that I can't get in any other bread. It was just a tremendous sandwich. We then went into their neighboring bakery and I was bummed that they weren't selling any sesame cookies.
So then, we took the 7 train and some other one to 34th street and Penn Station/Madison Square Garden. From there, we waited outside 31st St entrance for some players to show up. We ran into a few fellow Rangers fans, some of which Catherine knew, and made some small talk. Typical NY banter back and forth. It's like a contest to see who can be the most witty/biting. It's fun, but can be challenging at times too.
So we took a quick walk to the new Cosby's. We each purchased a Winter Classic team photo for $5.00 that I'm looking forward to framing and hanging. So then we headed back two blocks to the 31st street island near the Parking garage and Cafe 31. We saw a few players enter. Richards, Hagelin, and Prust all came in together. Catherine wanted Mats Zuccarello's signature on one of her cards. She took me to this other entrance that was under construction. Sure enough, this little hobbit in a suit shows up. She gets the card signed. I could only say "Good luck." Little did I know...and five minutes later, this handsome dude in a tailored suit came walking in our direction. Pretty fast pace. He had sporty shades over his eyes and earbuds in his ears and holding a leather suitcase in his right hand. Within two seconds, I knew who it was. The best goalie in the world, #30, the King, Henrik Lundqvist. I just stared at him with my mouth wide open as he passed us.
I also met a lot of people from Facebook. I met Rose, Meghan, Darcy, and Crazy Amy and her psycho husband. It wasn't too easy for me to fit in though. They're all talking about memorabilia, games they'll be going to, and who is the hottest Ranger. Somehow, I didn't have a lot to contribute to that conversation. Finally at 6, we were allowed to enter MSG.
We headed straight to Section 126 for warmups. It was cool sitting in such a prime spot at the Garden, if only for a little while. But at the same time, I was feeling a bit tired. I couldn't understand why, this was my first time in the Garden in 2.5 years. But I just wasn't into it, maybe because I felt surrounded by strangers. Then I got a text from my uncle Brian, asking where I was. After two weeks of hoping to meet up, we found each other by the penalty box and talked for almost ten minutes. Although he's been battling cancer for five years, he's still looking pretty good. He handed me a media guide with a Let's Go Rangers pennant inside of it, which was really thoughtful of him. He also told me a story from earlier that night. He was having dinner with a few friends in a club in the Garden. All of a sudden, Adam Graves just walks right up to them and asks if he can join them for dinner. How cool must that be?!
So the game began and while sliding down to block a shot, Zuccarello fractured his wrist. He's out at least 6 weeks. So much for the good luck. No goals in the first period, but it was a pretty decent 20 minutes of hockey. So I'm walking around the concourse and I see a sign that all authentic jerseys are 50 percent off in the Rangers team store. Usually these things sell for maybe $230 online, so I'm thinking this could be a solid deal. So during the second intermission, I head down with Catherine. The listed price is $355.00. So half of that is about $179, which is approximately the same price as a replica jersey in the team store. Pass! We also went over to the Steiner sports stand, which has lots of memorabilia to bid on ad purchase. Of course, Catherine won the giveaway, a signed Chris Drury photo of him scoring in the last game of the 2010-11 season against New Jersey. I was beyond ticked off. She has enough crap already in her bedroom. So I went to the men's room and trying to get back to my seat, I got lost. I must have walked around the arena at least twice. Even better, I thought Catherine had already left, but she was waiting on me for maybe 10 minutes.
The final period was a total disaster. Buffalo scored three goals on odd-man rushes and won 4-1. I even saw the second one coming as they turned the Rangers over. And I called it too. Just a sloppy performance all around, especially by spare winger John Mitchell and the defense.
Afterwards, Catherine said goodbye to her friends. I was too ticked to say anything. Finally, we took the E, the L, and the M. Actually, I have no idea what the hell we took, except the M was the last line since it ends three blocks from her house. As we walked down Metropolitan Avenue, we noticed two fire trucks, police flares, and a few cops interrogating some people on the sidewalk. Obviously, it was night, so I couldn't see everything perfectly. But I did see some sort of unusual object on the street. As i got closer, I realized it was a traffic light. It turns out this huge semi made this sharp turn and knocked down a traffic light and pole, wiping out the electricity for the whole block! And the brakes on the truck automatically locked so it couldn't even be towed away!
When we got back, she took care of the cats while I downed some Claritin. I wanted a bottle of Stella to chill, but I couldn't find a bottle opener for the Stella Artois, so I drank nothing. Finally, we settled into bed and watched "My Cousin Vinny." Well, we at least got through the first half...
No comments:
Post a Comment