An Early Reunion.

Well, the ol' fella was over from Thursday of last week until tonight so we got to enjoy some quality, father-son time over the weekend. Starting out on the Friday we meet up after work to go for some dinner with Gary, Carmel, her niece Róisín who had been staying in San Diego for a few months and Róisín's friend Ann-Marie who was visiting, in an Italian restaurant called Extra Virgin near Christopher street. It was a great night and was a pleasure seeing Carmel again, as usual. The girls were also very friendly and easy going which made for a relaxing night of Irish craic. Dad was staying with Carmel again for the night, so we made arrangements for the following day and went our separate ways.

John arrived early on the Saturday morning with his bag in tow to claim a place in the apartment and to try and cram the closet-full of orders from Sinéad into his wee little bag. With his stuff scattered all around my once immaculate room we made our way into NYC at about midday. It was a sweltering day outside as we made our way into town, without a plan, would you believe. On the way in, we decided to take a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art since it came so strongly recommended. I must say, I am grateful for the shove back into Museums as I found the Met thoroughly enjoying and would have liked some more time there, but we had a previous engagement that cut our day at the Met short.

Offensive material removed to protect my innocent readers.




Don't you just love kids.








We left the Met and made our way towards the Port Authority Bus Terminal to get some tickets to the Meadowlands, we were off for some more FOOTBALL!! I had organised some tickets for the 3 of us (Gary, John and I) to go and see the New York Giants play the New York Jets. We arrived shortly before the game began and were there until about 11 or so. It was a good game, with some good plays. The pee-wees at half time provided for a lot of side-splitting laughter yet again, always entertaining, impressive too. Yet again, the team I backed lost with the Jets taking it 20-12, I don't think I'll become a betting man just yet.







Sunday morning was an early one in order to make our way into Hoboken for the Dublin – Kerry match, I wish I had stayed in bed =). They put up a valiant effort, but were just not consistent enough to overcome the strength of Kerry; Kerry 1-15 Dublin 0-16. We were served a delicious full Irish breakfast and had a great time, so it wasn't a complete loss. Time to put the jersey away for another year though, probably for the best, I don't want to miss our crowning.

After the game, we made our way into NYC for another organised outing. A quick bout of attempted shopping, interspersed with encounters with some overly-cheerful Kerrians Kerwegians dirty-stinkin'-boggers, saw us drawing closer to go-time, so we made our way towards Minskoff Theater for a 3pm showing of “The Lion King” but not before a quick pit-stop in Starbucks. The show itself was mind-blowing, and very true to the movie. The stage design, singing and props were all incredibly well executed and elaborate but I won't spoil anything on you. I think the first thing I'll recommend to someone coming to NYC from now on is a trip to Broadway, it's rare that you get to experience something like it back home and the execution and production, naturally, is of a significantly higher standard. We had a bit of a feed back in Hoboken after the show, returning to the Italian joint that we had been to when I was previously graced by my parents presence.



I was treated to a leviathan lump of lip-lickingly luscious steak in Frankie and Johnnies, Hoboken, after work on Monday. Once we had completed the 15 block walk to the steakhouse, it was a welcome feast and was treated to a warm, welcoming home in the bile of my gut, charming, I know.

Today was the last day of my dad's stay so in honour of the many Thursday nights that we have lost during my voyage, we went to Johnnie Rockets (The franchise that Eddie Rockets ripped off, almost identically) during my lunch break for a final goodbye, for now.

And after a weekend of trying, my dad finally managed to unblock our sink; hip-hip, Hurray!

(Football! x 2) + Tailgating = Magnificent

Elementary, my dear readers.


Friday was another day for football as I made my way out to Giants stadium straight after work for the New York Jets ~Vs~ Minnesota Vikings game. With a little more experience, and some savvy about me, I made my way out ticket-less, determined to strike a better deal this time. After the bus getting lost for a while on the way, we arrived into the stadium at about 7:45 for a game at 8. As the bus pulled in, I could see a guy at a light-post, he had the look of a tout about him...my prey had been selected. I stepped off the bus and made my way gingerly towards him. Turned out he was selling a ticket, his friend couldn't make it and he didn't want to be completely out of pocket. A deal was struck, $20. Bargain. This was the first time I had attempted this, I was happy with my ticket inspection, but I could never be too sure, I was passed through the gate without any hassle though and was in before I knew it.

The game didn't go so smoothly, the Jets threw two early interceptions which left them down 14-3 at one stage, after 0 rushing yards by the Vikings and 4 passing yards, dreadful stuff. They had a few bright moments, but their mistakes took a heavy toll as the Vikings came out victorious 37-20. It was a good night though as I sat beside the guy that sold me my ticket and we got talking and had some laughs. The game was over at about 11, and I finally got in the door at about half one.



I was a little further back this time.


Not content with Six Flags, the office were taking us out again on Saturday, this time, we were on our way to the New York Red Bulls ~VS~ LA Galaxies game to see someone prodigy by the name of David Beckham, he should probably consider football in Europe if he's so good. Before the game though, I had arranged a little reunion. You may remember the guys that Gary and I acquainted with when we went Kayaking, well, they were planning a big “tailgate” before the game and I just had to get involved. Much to Ryan's disgust, we left at about half 3 (Picture John arranging a departure time of 1 and leaving at 1:05). We arrived in the car park of Giant's stadium, packed full with food, drink and people where we spent the 4 hours prior to the game eating, drinking and talking. It was a whole load of fun and before I knew it, it was time to head into the game and meet the office.

The stadium was near full-capacity (~80000 max) and the game exploded into action. The moment seemed to get the best of some of the players and before we knew it there was 3 goals scored in the first 8 minutes. The game continued at a good pace, with plenty of attention on Beckham and the atmosphere provided ample opportunity for Gary and I to try and introduce some European chanting into the Western World. It had been a fascinating game and an immense amount of fun with the office but heading into the 89th minute at 4 – 4 the New York Red Bulls pulled out a last minute winner to take the game 5 – 4 at which point, we went suitably mental, the details of which I will not go into! Unbelievable, a wonderfully exciting introduction to the sport even if the quality was a little questionable in parts.



After a some laughs in the Stadium and a “playful” project manager ~VS~ Irish intern fight to the death in the car-park (Gary being the intern, I was recording), the taxis were taking some time to arrive, so I suggested the Ryan come down to meet Gary as he had not seen him earlier. Of course, once I found and introduced Ryan and Co, he invited everyone back to the cars and we finished off some more of the food and drink. The taxis had apparently arrived, so we made our way to a different section of the car park, unfortunately, we had to wait at least 30minutes for the taxi guys to find us. After which, we made our way to the Sushi Lounge in Hoboken for some midnight snacks before resigning for the night in time for the last Light-Rail.

(Pictures lacking to protect the identities/reputation/innocence of those associated with me.)

Sunday was supposed to see our return to the beaches of Long Island, but the weather was not looking too good and everyone wanted a little more time in bed, and so it was; let there be sleep, and it was good. A wholesome Sunday. Spent mostly watching Dexter, which I highly recommend if it ever sees the light of European Broadcasting day.

Just 4 weeks left in work now; I'm gonna miss this.

Football! And a 400ft drop.

So on Thursday the company took us out to wave goodbye to another summers worth of interns, but as far as I could see, Gary and I were the only interns there! So anyway, we were treated to a day out in Six Flags, NJ. The bus departed at about 10 and saw us there for about 12. Once we had picked up our “Flash Passes” to save us from queuing for rides, we were on our way (Having been standing in the sweltering heat for about 30minutes). Nitro was the first port of call, starting the day off with an immediate climb and fall from 230ft reaching 80mph.

Tee-hee-hee.


Nitro, a refreshing start to your day.


Straight on from here we headed to Batman, which was a little more twisty with corkscrews and loop-d-loops, resulting in a slightly more unsettled stomach, but we went for some food and water before heading back out. Next on the list was the slightly under-achieving Skull Mountain. Much like a Dime bar, it was smooth on the outside yet crunchy on the inside. Set inside a pitch black warehouse it resulted in mostly mid-ride witty-comments and banged up knees as I tried to fit into the carriage. Back outside, we went for a “rapids” ride to hopefully get us a bit wet and cool us down. While under-whelming it did provide for some good group entertainment and managed to get us a little cooler.

Like an attractive blonde, it looks good, but lacks depth.


Damp, we made our way to the opposite side of the park. On the way to Superman: Ultimate Fight we came across some mad contraption that was launching people across the path above our heads and so with Gary's interest peaked we signed up for a reservation. As we continued across to S:UF we spotted the flagship coaster of the park running, a sign in the morning had said the ride would be closed all day, but there was definitely activity on it at the moment so we pushed on towards S:UF. S:UF was a great ride, unlike most coasters, once you are seated in your seats the carriage tilts to leave you “floating” mid-air with your belly to the ground. This seating position allows for that genuine “Superman” experience as you “fly” along the track – single outstretched arm optional. Great fun.

Swing thing. Taken later in the day on the way home.


Once out, we hurried towards Kingda Ka, but it was all in vain as once we got there and held our Flash Pass to the machine, we were told that the ride had closed down. Asking around, it turns out that the train had failed to peak one of the climbs and rolled back down....backwards. Lovely. Disappointed (yet some-what relived at the time) we mad our way back towards our catapult reservation. We got hooked up and hoisted into the air before being dropped, under Gary's control, and left to swing across the cheering crowd of Taxstream below us. Un-hooked and back on solid ground, the news filtered through, we had 5 minutes until we were due at Kingda Ka, it had been re-opened. I was ready for a bit of a sit down at that stage, but we pushed on regardless.

My final salute as I prepare to face potential death. Gary takes this moment to pick some sleep, unphased. (Or perhaps wiping a single tear?;)) Fellow employee Brij to the right.


Huge old turtle. Walked funny too.


After a small queue, the moment arrived, I wasn't really thinking about the logistics of what was going to happen, just that it was going to be fast, high and probably a little scary. The truth of the situation is; Kingda Ka is currently the world's fastest and tallest coaster, opened in May 2005, 0-128mph in 3.5 seconds, climbing with a 90degree twist to 456ft before falling back down 418ft through a 270degree twist followed by a climb up a smaller hill which offers a moments weightlessness before being brought back down to speed and into the platform. All in 28seconds. It was an incredible experience, and not nearly as gut-wrenching as some of the previous coasters, just pure adrenaline-fueled fun. As it turns out, the “failing” of the train and sliding back is an irregularly expected occurrence and measures are in place to “fail-safe”, in fact, some regulars aim to experience this rollback.

Kingda-Ka.


Not my video, but it will give you an idea. I was 3rd row.


Some more food was in order after that, as we meet up with the rest of the group. I was content with my day, and spent the last hour or two sitting around with the group as some ventured to El Torro, the worlds tallest wooden coaster. Back on the bus around 7:30 we stopped in a local town to pick up some beers, this trip was not done yet! After a boisterous journey home, we arrived in Hoboken and went our separate ways. Not bad for a free day out on the office. I think I may just be falling in love with Taxstream, hats off to the guys.

Friday was a relatively quiet day in the office and unfortunately I missed some NY Jets tickets that were being sold on the cheap for a game on the Friday but Gary's friend avec girlfriend had arrived into Newark in the morning and so we went out with them on the Friday night to the local. A good night was had, finished off by some lavish concoction entitled; Red Death (Cocktail party this Christmas? :) ). Thankfully we only had a block to walk home.

Saturday was an early start (we never learn) as we made our way into Hoboken to try and catch the Dublin game @ 10. It didn't take long to find a good sports bar by the name of...em...can't remember, something Irish anyway; Mulligan's? A hefty charge of $20 was issued for entry into the less-popular sports section which played host to the Dublin – Derry game; I could have gotten a ticket for that back home! There was a splattering of supports there, about 10 in total but there was a good atmosphere and the game went the right way with a 18-15 victory to Dublin; although there was some panic in the closing few minutes. Let's have you Kerry, you won't be so lucky on the 26th.

We stuck around for a while to watch some of the rugby (England – France, go on the French, typical finish) and the start of the Premiership Liverpool V Aston Villa which had a cracking finish. Back to Bayonne for a while before I made my way towards NYC towards an unknown destiny. It was the NY Giants first pre-season game on Saturday 11th against the Carolina Panthers at the Meadowlands so I said I would go out and chance my arm at getting some tickets. Arriving about 2 and a half hours before kick-off I figured I'd have plenty of time to source a ticket and not get shafted. Once I arrived however, I noticed some people queuing at one of the ticket vendors of the stadium so I approached them, while I knew it would cost me more, I had never bought tout before and so felt slightly more secure with an official purchase. “What's the cheapest you got?” I asked, a phrase I have gotten used to. $75 came the response. Taken aback is an understatement. “Well, what else you got so?”, “75, 80, 85, 95” “*sigh*, and where are the 85s?” “Lower section, by the 50yrd line” “Go on then”. I was expecting $20-50 max, but I had come with the intention to get in and this was a guarantee, plus, I didn't know just how busy/available things would be so I handed over the money, tear-eyed.

A minute later as I was walking towards the gate, I was stopped by a guy.

“Looking for tickets?”

“No thanks.” and then I pause, and this is the moment when the ignorant bliss fails...
“Actually.... how much?”

“$40, lower section”

“****.”

I got over it quickly enough because this was one of the main things I wanted to do when I came here and I despite being over for 6 months, I'd almost missed the entire season (I'll be here for two regular season NY Giant games). I moved into the stadium and into my seats, which were awkwardly placed at the back of the lower section with an obtrusive roof over my head, but as per my cunning plan that would not prove a problem. The lower section ticket gave me access to the best tier and since attendance was probably less than 50% I was able to easily hope down a few rows and get as close as you'd want to the game. I was around 2 hours early so was able to watch the two teams warm-up and practice to make sure I got my moneys worth. It was an excellent night once the action got under way, it was a shame that it was not a regular season game as it lacked that drive, spirit and atmosphere that would no doubt be present at a more significant game but there was still a buzz about the stadium and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As it happens, the Giants lost on the night 24-21 but not to worry.

(OK, that was a long passage of text, here are some pictures to reward you!)

Em, there is a game on today....right?


No problem walking right up to the sidelines before the game.




Half-time pee-wee game, was great fun to watch.


Blurry men!


I don't think they'll notice if we infringe on the player-on-pitch limit just a little.




Sunday was a day trip to Long Beach again with Gary and crew. A lovely hot day, great for some swimming, football throwing and sun-bathing so we took in what we could.

On the streets of Philadelphia.

Well, I'm back. Hope you didn't miss me too much. As you may have known, Anna was over last week and so I was out and about with her and her family which didn't leave much time for blogging. We tried to get around to as many things as we could and managed to fit in the majority of things; Empire State, Grand Central, Central Park, Bronx Zoo, Ground Zero and the spectacularly popular Bayonne were all part of the tour. Myself and Anna even made time to go and see a Broadway show “Altar Boyz” - which is about a Catholic boy band and parodies a lot of the modern groups. Oh and we saw Tim Cash, 'citin'. It was a great week, very hot and humid, and the break from work was very much appreciated. Seeing everyone again was a strange feeling as it had been so long since we had seen each other last, yet everything “clicked” back, instantly. For the first time since I've been over here, I felt home-sick on the Thursday they all left, it was a strange feeling but thankfully it only lasted the day.
The two days in work were over before I knew it but not before Gary and I had made arrangements for a day trip to Philadelphia, PA on the Saturday. Just as I was preparing to put my head to rest on the Friday for the early, early, day we had ahead of us on Saturday, Ryan in the apartment below us knocked on our day.

“Hey guys, I'm having a bit of a party if you want to come down”

“Cool!”

My head was telling me I would regret this, but my feet were having none of it. 5 hours later I was unconscious for a solid 3 hours of sleep. I would regret it in the morning, and my head would let me know; “I told you so” it pounded. It had been a great night though, well worth the sacrifice, we had even picked up a few tips for touring Philadelphia.
5:15 and I was up. After a monumental effort to get some breakfast we were out the door. The trip from the house to Philadelphia went roughly as such;

Step 1: Walk dozy-headed to transport.
Step 2: Sleep while waiting for transport.
Step 3: Board transport.
Step 4: Sleep.
Step 5: Wake at end of line. (Thankfully we had no mid-line stops!)

Repeat steps 1-5 for Light-rail, PATH and Bus.

Once we reached Philadelphia (which was actually quite quickly thanks to the 5 easy steps above), the first thing that struck us was the heat, it was going to be a scorcher; “I told you so” it jeered. Having regained our footing after the humidity onslaught, we made our way towards the visitors center to try and get a map to optimize our time in the city. Armed with the information we needed we began our tour around the various parts of the old Capital.

That's where it all happened; America as we know it.




The first site we came upon as we had a walk around to orientate ourselves was the Independence Hall, we had a quick look around as you needed tickets to get the full tour and we were too lazy to queue. Instead, we directed our attention towards the Liberty Bell. After some history lessons and pictures we were on the go again. With our route plotted, the tour of philly began, on foot. We walked west along Market Street to get a look at the impressive City Hall which also brought us up past the ever important Hard Rock Cafe. With T-shirt bought ( Damn them and their ingenious location idea ), we moved on towards City Hall. After a walk around City Hall we messed about on the dominoes and chess pieces you can see in some of the pictures.





From there, we spotted the “In Love In Philly” thing, so went over for some posing. While we were there, we spotted two impressive buildings in the distance so decided to walk west towards them. First stop was the 30th street train station and along the way we spotted some cool buildings and even a castle hidden down in the streets below us. Once we reached the train station we realised that we had neglected to figure out how we were going to cross the river to the north and so instead of trekking back, we hailed a taxi to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Lessons learned, we didn't pay in. (I'll go to the Met, promise) Towards the back of the museum was a nice view of the Schuylkill river which we admired for about 5 minutes before trotting off again. Heading back east now, the plan was to walk back down Benjamin Franklin Parkway and take in the sights on our way. Once we were approaching the front steps of the Art Museum one statue in particular was twisting into recognition as we circled it; it was the statue of Rocky! Then in a moment of clarity we both declared; “OMG, the stairs!”. This was most certainly an unexpected surprise but a welcome one. More posing and some torturous stair running (You can't walk up those steps, Rocky would beat the snot out of you!) ensured a harsh walk back down Ben Frank Parkway.

These type of murals are all over the place in Philly, very impressive stuff some of it.




Urban playground.




I cany do it cap'in! I dunny have du powur!


It's my own fault for pushing it in the first place I guess.


Free Masons Church. I forgot the secret knock so couldn't gain access.


There was plenty of little bits and pieces to take in along the way but our goal was the Tutankhamen exhibition in some museum. Unfortunately, once we got there we found out that the charge in was something like $30, too rich for our blood. We relaxed in their air-conditioning for a while though, that'll show 'em. We had plenty more to see though so we could not sit around for long. We continued the walk East along Arch street, transitioning up to Race street in an effort to get a peak at the US Mint.





I could take 'im.


The steps.


The view from victory.


The first stop along this route was the Chinese Friendship Gate but we walked on by as we had already had a goo after we stepped off the bus. Franklin park was next and offered an impressive, Egyptian style, sand sculpting exhibition containing pyramids, monuments and statues made entirely of sand. Things were really heating up at this stage, so we took a much needed break for some ice-cream and to re-calculate the route. Refreshed, we continued towards the US Mint; unfortunately, once we reached it, it turned out to be an ugly gray building of little note (Don't they know I have a blog and rabid fans to appease?).

A lovely paint-job. Truly pimped.


I desperatly wanted to "fall" in.






From here, it was South-East to Old City, down into Elfreth's Alley – America's oldest continuously inhabited residential street – and looping back around to Betsy Ross' house – The original seamstress of the American flag. We plodded our way south again to a dilapidated Christ Church before collapsing on some benches, the feet were not happy with our method of travel, we didn't really have a choice either as decent ATMs seemed few and far between. A brief respite awarded us the energy to pick ourselves up from the benches and continue south towards the Delaware river , Penn's Landing and the USS Olympia. It wasn't the warship we were hoping for though and in our confused and tired state we continued south without regard for the map or logic.

Good luck fitting your 3 cars down there.




Numb-legs had kicked in, this was our last stand (almost literally). The next time we stopped, we were done, we had to keep moving to fight off any desire to bonk (Get your heads out of the gutter please). We floated off towards a distant south-street in the hope to get ourselves reasserted on a reasonable tour path. We were able to make our way towards the “Tomb of the unknown soldier” after almost passing it which brought to an end our walking torture tour of Philly.

A rough outline of the trip we took. Too lazy to put in directions and some of the lines double up, but you get the idea!


We sourced some money and made our way to Pat's for one of their famous Cheese-steak sandwiches. As is typical of famous East-Coast food, it was served fast, greasy and with an attitude but tasted mighty fine. A welcome slop-up after our days walking. Another taxi took us back to the Independence Hall which was letting people in for the tour after 5pm so we joined the queue and were in shortly. I was glad we went back and did the tour as they brought you into the rooms where some trials were held and to the room where the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and United States Constitution were all signed. 'Twas mighty cool shtuff.

Pat's.


While my sandwich had disappeared before I could even contemplate a picture, this is the rough appearance.


It feels slightly "off" putting these pictures in the same section as my cheesesteak, but hey, that's what you're getting, and you'll like it. Trial Room. Painting is original, Philly coat of arms.


Signing Room.


That truly brought our tour to an end as we made our way back to the bus to sit in line. Overall Philadelphia had not been what I was expecting; I did not know a lot about it's history before I had gone and was expecting to see a few things and be done before mid-day, but the city offered an abundance of character and history for a day trip. There is a shadier side, as the city has significant crime problems ( 406 murders in 2006 ) and a visually apparent home-less problem but for the day we were there the city was a real unexpected pleasure.

Back due to popular demand. ("Back?" I hear you ask. Well, you missed that ship sunny.)


Sunday consisted of sleep, with the Bourne Ultimatum and a trip to the Galway Hooker (A bar in NYC which Anna's dad had taken us to, as he knows the owner) thrown in to keep me from wasting away into the bed over 32 hours.