So on Friday, I worked a half day and left the office at noon. My coworker Shavonna saw I had my jacket on and my computer was turned off. She asked where I was going and I just told her very simply. "The airport."
I headed back to Blue Sky parking in Schiller Park, dropped my car off, and fought through a very long security line. I guess I learned that Friday afternoon is one of the busiest times of the week to travel. I got bumped off the 2:30 flight, which I suspected would probably happen. But I got the 3:30 instead, which wasn't too bad. My seat was 7D, the first row of coach, which I generally hate since since I have to put my backpack in the overhead compartment. But they let me put it in the first class section so at least I had some space for it. Even more amazing, I had an aisle seat and the two chairs next to me were empty. I was getting ready to curl up, stretch out, and grab some sleep. But this cute blonde girl sitting across the aisle from me asked if she could take the window seat. So my original idea went out the window, but that's okay. I spent most of the flight sleeping, listening to Mets podcasts, and doing Sudoku.
I landed around 7 and Catherine and her mom picked me up at 7:15. We got back and I gave them my two bags of Garrett's buttery and caramel popcorn I had picked up for them in the terminal. And I was treated to a late night snack of homemade pecan pie and fresh whipped cream. As a matter of fact, I'd say it was the prefect holdover before a late night dinner with Catherine at Arturo's.
We took the M train straight to West 4th Street and walked to the corner of Houston St and Thompson St. The tiny restaurant and bar area was packed with people waiting for a table. We only waited about 25 minutes and in the meantime, we listened to a three-piece jazz band playing as well as watching the Knicks take down the Wizards on the TV placed high in the corner of the bar.
For our pizza, we ordered the sausage and fresh mozzarella on one side with our usual fave, bacon and roasted peppers on the other side. I've written so much about their pizzas, that there's really no need anymore. Just that it came out perfect as always. I enjoyed a glass of Merlot while she sipped on a Pinot Grigio.
I had no problem wiping out my four slices. but much to my amazement, she had to stop after finishing her third slice. So we had to go home with a slice of sausage and mozzarella that I tucked inside my jacket pocket.
As we left, we saw this guy outside lugging a big black hard shell case. He tried to get our attention and urged us to donate to the Marijuana foundation, whatever the hell that meant. Catherine seemd to find it funny, but I ignored him for a minute before he turned inside a liquor store. We got home and found Catherine's Uncle Willie and her dad in the basement watching The Munsters. Once they left, we watched a little Boomer and Carton before saying a long good night.
We planned to wake up at 7 and leave around 7:45. By the time Catherine opened the basement door to wake me up, it was already 7:30. Thankfully, I had already loaded my backpack up and was ready to take off after a quick shower. Ellen drove us to Penn Station, but first she dropped us off at the local Middle Village bagel joint. I ordered a sandwich of egg whites, American cheese, and sausage on a marble rye bagel along with a bottle of Tropicana. Catherine got egg whites and bacon on a roll...I definitely think I made the better choice.
The ride from Queens only took about a half hour total as we drove through the Midtown Tunnel. We then took the Amtrak to New Haven, CT. The conductor was a little weird, he kept asking people over the loudspeaker to eat some bananas from the club car, that became kind of a running gag throughout the weekend. Always looking for bananas.
From New Haven, we transferred to the shuttle train for the 45 minute ride to Hartford. As we stepped off the train and headed out of Union Station for our walk to the Hilton, I was amazed how much colder it felt in Hartford than it had in New York. Must have been 30 degrees or so. It was the first time this winter I'd been able to see my breath. Definitely won't be the last though.
So we checked into the Hilton, which is right across Church Street from the XL Center. As a matter of fact, as one of the selling points of the hotel, we were able to use the skywalk that goes from the hotel right into the arena. We stayed in the room for two hours, listening to jazz music and napping for an hour or so...At one point, she sat up and fell backwards of the bed. She came down right on her left butt cheek and her head hit the corner of the wooden TV cabinet. I tried not to laugh, but once I realized her head was ok, I couldn't help but giggle...
At 2:15, we left for Black Eyed Sally's, a New Orleans/BBQ joint in downtown Hartford. During the five or so minute walk, I could see she was limping. I guess her head was okay, but she had banged up her ass a little bit...As we walked in, I was pleased to see there was live music going on a Saturday afternoon. There were three women and a guy in this band and they played some blues. Very cool. The walls were filled with rock and roll themed murals along with some framed pictures of famous blues and rock scenes. Just a very colorful and festive atmosphere.
For the food, we started off with an order of burnt ends. The beef came out moist, though I was hoping to taste a little more smoke flavor. The barbecue sauce was a little sweet for my taste, almost like a KC Masterpiece. I ordered a BBQ combo plate. I enjoyed their pulled pork, especially because it wasn't too shredded. I could actually eat nice sized chunks of meat, which I always appreciate with pulled pork. I came away disappointed with the brisket though. It tasted very generic, almost like a standard sliced roast beef. It definitely needed more seasoning. The red beans and rice were fine, nothing too notable out them. But the cornbread amazed me. I got two big pieces and they were so tall, I could barely get my mouth around them.
And when I applied a little shmear of honey butter, it just went to another level of perfect.
Catherine ordered a shrimp po' boy that she really liked. And she got a side of salt 'n vinegar chips that really surprised me. They were cut nice and thick, tasted crispy and yet tender at the same time. They also had a nice sprinkling of kosher salt for that extra level of flavor. Some of the best restaurant chips I've ever had. Once again, she finished half her meal and we took the rest back to the room!
The band stopped playing as we were eating and then the stereo came on. As we were leaving, I looked at the dance floor. Nothing like seeing a bunch of white fifty-somethings doing the boogie to "Brick House"...
So we walked briskly through the cold back to the Hilton. After dropping a few things off in our room, 1125, we headed down to the hotel's M&M restaurant. Emily Lauren, her sister, and their friend Lauren were sitting there having lunch. I'd been chatting with Emily for a while and it was cool to finally meet her. Amazingly, they were staying in Room 1122, right near us.
Around 4:00, Catherine and I headed back upstairs and got changed for the big game. I donned my blue Ryan McDonagh jersey for the first time. It's so true, there is simply no blue like Ranger blue. No royal, not indigo, not navy. Ranger blue. So we headed through the skywalk and into the lobby of the XL Center. We saw Meghan Colgan and I quickly gave her a big hug. Theresa Valentine was there too, who I met very briefly in April at the Rangers vs Sabres game. We got our team posters and I took a fan photo with a stick and helmet. I spent a lot of time talking with the Lauren clan, especially about music.
At 6, the doors opened and we headed straight down for warmups. I was very intrigued by the geometry of the building. The stands basically go straight up, more so than any other sports arena I've ever been in. In the rafters, I saw banners for the Whalers retired numbers, Wolf Pack titles, etc. There were even some banners for UConn basketball as well.
During the first intermission, I wanted a beer. So I went to this one stand that was selling local brews. I asked to try samples of the City Steam Dirty Daughter and the Hooker Blonde Ale. The woman at the stand got this very nervous look on her face and explained to me she wasn't supposed to do that for me. I explained I was from out of town and if I was going to pay $9 for a beer, I wanted to get something I knew i would like. I thought that was a fair explanation. She looked around very quickly and tensely, her eyes darting back and forth as she placed a plastic cup under one of the taps. She gave me a quick taste of the City Steam beer, which I didn't care for. So I asked for the Hooker for myself and a bottle of water for Catherine. She took the cup to the back and I heard her ask "Can you wash this cup out?" Seriously? Is this organization is so strapped for cash that they can't waste a single cup? Anyway, the Hooker tasted just fine.
Also at one of the merchandise tables, they were selling tons of Whalers memorabilia. One item caught my eye. It was a 94-95 schedule for $1. Keep in mind that season, the league was locked out...what a difference 17 years has made...Anyway, that schedule had 82 games that never even got played!
During the second period, they did a chuck a puck contest, which seems to be at every minor league game I go to now. Before the game, Catherine and I bought 15 foam pucks between the two of us for $10 total. Of the 15 we threw, maybe one hit the square target at center ice. Those pucks are so hard to control. $10 well wasted and I may have strained my shoulder a little bit, but hey, what can you do?
As for the game, the Whale played the Syracuse Crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate. The Whale extended their lead to 3-0 lead early in the third period on goals by Christian Thomas, Blake Parlett, and Marek Hrivik. But Syracuse came back with three straight goals in 12 minutes to force overtime. With 46.7 seconds left, Mark Barberio of the Crunch scored the game-winning goal, sending the crowd home very annoyed and disappointed.
Then, I had to let the girls fulfill their autograph and picture requests. So I waited quietly for well over an hour outside in 20 degree weather. Catherine, Meghan, and Theresa spent most of their time talking about memorabilia, meeting players, and all kinds of stuff I had zero interest in. Drunks dressed as Santa stumbled by me to the local bars. Groups of loud teenagers pranced around. To say the least, I was not falling in love with this city by any stretch. I barely said a word to the girls, I mostly checked on the non-happening social media universe and memorized the shapes of the cracks in the sidewalk.
Finally, around 11, we headed back to the Hilton. Even though I had a winter hat and gloves on, my teeth were chattering, my lip was quivering, and I could barely feel my toes. I wouldn't even speak to her, I was so aggravated. But once we got back, Catherine drew some bath water. I dipped my feet in the hot water, but it didn't do the trick. Even after getting into bed, my teeth were still chattering. So I jumped in a very hot shower, which I sorely needed. Then it was bedtime.
Song lyric. "Tonight I'll take a walk across a bridge I didn't burn." Ricky Van Shelton
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